There's a small line in my favorite novel that I'd like to use as the title of a short story collection that I'm currently working on. Could I just use it as is and credit the novels's author somewhere in the collection? Would I need their express permission? Or could I just use it without any worries? It's a little-know novel that came out almost twenty years ago, but I don't want to offend the author or get into any legal hot water. I have my heart set on this title and I'd really appreciate some advice.
Thanks in advace, lads.
>>8139193
What? Of course you can use it. It's a sentence.
You can credit it if you want or you can just use it. You can't get in trouble for that.
Besides, if you're self-publishing, no one is going to read it anyway.
>>8139212
No, I've got a few stories published in lit mags and journals that I plan to include in the collection and I'm working on writing the last few and hopefully getting some of those published as well--the rest will be new, original, unpublished work. What kind of a trap am I walking into, here? Do you need an actual fan following to be able to put out a collection or it it just the quality and published pieces that matter? Thanks again for the help.
>>8139193
find the author on twitter and ask them
don't forget to tell them you'r a massive fan of their book
>>8139241
>title stuff
You won't get in any hot water, it's done a lot. Even if the writer who's work you are quoting thinks you are shit they will more than likely be flattered.
>publishing a collection
I wouldn't call it a trap, but it's difficult to just shop around a story collection alone. A friend of mine published a collection with Simon & Schuster somewhat recently, and they only do one collection a year, and they mostly did it just to get at his novel that he's working on. Apparently that's pretty standard procedure with the big houses. You don't need a completed novel to do this, but having a solid pitch for the book and/or an early draft helps a lot.
Good independent publishers will publish a collection without signing you for a novel though. What I mean by that is Graywolf and other similar caliber houses.
>>8139577
>DFW
