A copyright page is the small, quiet page that protects your ebook. This article lists every element it should hold, shows what changes for digital editions, compares ISBN and licensing options, and gives you a template you can paste and adapt in minutes.
Nobody buys an ebook because of its copyright page, yet almost every serious reader, librarian, retailer and lawyer looks at it. It is the page that says who made the book, who owns it, what readers may do with it and how to identify it. If you publish on your own or turn a PDF into an interactive publication with Flipbooks AI, you need to get this page right before anything goes live.
The good news: the page is short and formulaic. This article walks through what goes on the copyright page of a digital book, line by line, explains what changes compared with print, and ends with a template you can adapt.
⚠️ Not legal advice. Copyright rules vary by country. Use this article as a practical checklist, and talk to an intellectual property lawyer for contracts, licensing deals or disputes.
The copyright page (also called the imprint page or colophon page) sits right after the title page, on the back of it in print. In an ebook it is usually the second or third screen a reader sees.
It has four jobs:
Copyright exists the moment you fix your work in a tangible form, even without this page. But a clear notice removes any doubt about who the owner is, and in some countries it weakens an "innocent infringement" defense.
Almost every copyright page is built from the same blocks. Here they are in the order most publishers use.
The notice has three parts: the symbol or word, the year, and the owner.
Copyright © 2026 Maria Alvarez. All rights reserved.
Use the © symbol or the word "Copyright" (or both). The year is the year of first publication. If you release a revised edition with new material, add the new year after the first one: © 2024, 2026. The owner can be a person or a company, and it should match the legal name you will use in contracts.
"All rights reserved" is the classic phrase. A longer version spells out what is prohibited:
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
If you prefer a more open approach, replace it with a Creative Commons license line (more on that below).
Add the publisher name, a city or country, and a website or email. Self-publishers can list their own imprint name. A contact line lets readers ask permission to quote, and it makes you easy to find if someone copies your work.
State the edition clearly: First edition, March 2026. For ebooks, version numbers also work (Version 1.2). This helps when you fix typos or update facts and readers want to know which copy they hold.
An ISBN is a 13-digit number that identifies a specific edition of a book. Show it on the page, and note that each format (ebook, paperback, hardcover) normally needs its own number.
List the people who shaped the book: editor, cover designer, illustrator, photographer, translator, proofreader. Credits are courtesy, but they also document who contributed, which matters if image or text rights ever come up.
Two disclaimers appear often:
Traditional publishers add Library of Congress or national library cataloging data. Self-published authors can skip it, but a short "Published in the United States of America" style line is common and harmless.
A digital book is not just a print book on a screen, and the copyright page should reflect that. Readers resize text, flip through pages in a browser and share links instead of handing over a paperback.
| Element | Print book | Digital book |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright notice | Required in practice | Required in practice |
| ISBN | Printed number plus barcode | Printed number, no barcode needed |
| Printing line (e.g. "10 9 8 7") | Common | Not applicable, use version number |
| Format-specific ISBN | Paperback and hardcover differ | Each ebook format can differ |
| Sharing rules | Rarely mentioned | Should state what sharing is allowed |
| License terms | Optional | Strongly recommended |
| Links | Not clickable | Clickable, keep them short and working |
| Page position | Back of title page | Second or third screen |
Two additions deserve special attention in digital editions.
A licensing statement. An ebook is licensed, not sold like a paperback. A line such as "This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be resold or given away" sets expectations clearly.
A link to the official source. Pirated copies float around quickly. A line pointing to the official page of the book helps honest readers find the legitimate version.
"All rights reserved" is not your only option. Pick the model that matches your goals.
| Model | Best for | What readers may do | Sample line |
|---|---|---|---|
| All rights reserved | Commercial books, paid ebooks | Read, quote briefly | © 2026 Name. All rights reserved. |
| CC BY | Lead magnets, open resources | Share and adapt with credit | Licensed under CC BY 4.0 |
| CC BY-NC | Free guides for personal use | Share with credit, no commercial use | Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 |
| CC BY-ND | Reports you want shared unchanged | Share unchanged with credit | Licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 |
| Public domain dedication | Work you want free of restrictions | Anything | Dedicated to the public domain under CC0 |
💡 Pro tip: If you give the book away to build an email list, "All rights reserved" plus a line allowing readers to forward the file to friends is often the best balance. You keep control of commercial use while still welcoming word of mouth.
Authors often mix up three different things, so here is the difference.
| Item | What it is | Required for ebooks? | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copyright | Legal right that arises automatically | Automatic | Free |
| Copyright registration | Official record with a government office | No, but useful before lawsuits | Varies by country |
| ISBN | Commercial identifier for retailers and libraries | Not for every platform | Free or paid depending on country |
A few practical notes:
Here is a clean copyright page for a self-published ebook. Replace the bracketed parts.
[Book Title]
[Subtitle, if any]
Copyright © [Year] [Author or Company Name]. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted
in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher, except
for brief quotations in reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by
copyright law.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be
resold or distributed to others without permission.
First edition, [Month Year]
Version 1.0
ISBN (ebook): [978-X-XXXXXX-XX-X]
Published by [Imprint Name]
[City, Country]
[website or email]
Edited by [Name]
Cover design by [Name]
Photography by [Name]
[Fiction or advice disclaimer, if relevant]
✅ Best practice: Keep the copyright page to a single screen. A short page loads faster, reads cleanly on phones, and avoids burying the first chapter.
These problems show up again and again in self-published ebooks:
A few scenarios show how the same page adapts.
A novelist publishing a first ebook uses the standard notice, a fiction disclaimer, ISBN and cover credits. Total length: about eight lines.
A consultant distributing a free report to collect leads uses "All rights reserved" with a sentence allowing forwarding, plus an advice disclaimer and a link to their site.
A teacher sharing classroom materials chooses CC BY-NC so colleagues can reuse the worksheets with credit but not sell them. Learning resources travel further under an open license, and the page makes the rules obvious.
A photographer releasing a portfolio ebook lists the photographer as owner, adds a line forbidding reuse of images without written permission, and links to a licensing contact. A Photography Portfolio flipbook is a natural format for this.
A small business turning a catalog into an interactive edition uses a Digital Catalog Maker, then adds a copyright line crediting product photography and stating prices may change.
If your book is a PDF, the copyright page is simply one of its pages. Here is the workflow for turning it into a flipbook.
💡 Pro tip: If you sell or give the book to clients, Professional plan features such as analytics and lead generation show you who actually opens it, which helps you decide how much to protect and how widely to share.
For longer publications, the Interactive E-Book Publisher and the E-Book Flipbook Generator are good starting points.
Run through this before you release the file.
| Check | Done? |
|---|---|
| Notice has symbol or word, year and owner | ☐ |
| Rights statement or license line is present | ☐ |
| Edition and version are stated | ☐ |
| ISBN matches this exact format | ☐ |
| Publisher name and contact are correct | ☐ |
| Credits and permissions are listed | ☐ |
| Disclaimer included if the topic needs one | ☐ |
| Links tested on desktop and phone | ☐ |
| Page fits on one screen | ☐ |
| Page sits right after the title page | ☐ |
No. Copyright protection begins automatically in most countries. The page is a professional standard and a practical proof of ownership, not a legal prerequisite.
Yes. The symbol does not depend on registration. Anyone can use it on their own original work.
Update the existing one. Change the edition line, add the new year if you added new material, and keep the old ISBN information only where it still applies.
Check the license terms of every tool and image source. Credit what the license requires, and state in the book who owns the final arrangement and text you wrote.
Immediately after the title page, just as in print. Readers who care will find it, and everyone else moves on to chapter one.
A solid copyright page takes ten minutes and protects months of work. Write the notice, state the rules, add your identifiers and credits, test the links, and keep it to one screen.
Ready to publish? Create your first flipbook on Flipbooks AI, browse all flipbook tools to find the right format, or compare pricing plans to choose what works for you.
