Hi everyone,
I'm preparing to upload my manuscript for publication on Kindle. It's a real-life tale about online dating and how relationships affect individuals in different ways, in terms of mental and physical wellbeing etc. It's a humorous book, similar in tone to Yes Man by Danny Wallace, and has a small bit of travel writing too.
My concern is that, being a real-life story, it will infringe upon an individual's privacy (which is prohibited by Amazon's content guidelines). I have changed names, and in fact the only real detail about anyone's private life I go into is my own, such as mental health and neuroses etc. (usually with a humorous tone).
There is a point where two of my friends started to date each other which caused several problems for many different people (typical high school dating nonsense like "He said this" and "She said that" and causing drama for the sake of it). I have changed these individuals' names, and we've managed to stay friends now that some time has passed, but I'm worried that including details from my point of view (namely, where I was roped into arguments etc. during the course of their relationship) would be cause for Amazon to prohibit the sale of my book. I would never include their personal details like contact information or anything like that, and I don't go into detail about their appearance or identifying features.
Apologies for the lengthy post, I did run a search but couldn't find anything relevant to my query!
Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
Steven
No prob.
It's easier for me - I use real historical figures from 200 years ago, but you still have to be careful as many have families living today. So you tend keep close to the accepted historical perception of how those characters thought (difficult) and acted (a bit easier) while putting (largely) fictional words in their mouths. The disclaimer works in this instance because though everyone knows, for example, the Duke of Wellington existed, know one knows every word he uttered or action he took, so fact and fiction blur to the point where the written character could be either.
However, I might get into trouble if I wrote him as a paedophile or somesuch.
Thanks Jonathan, that's very helpful. I'll be talking with my friends before publication and explaining certain elements. To be honest, I'm probably making it sound like a bigger deal than it actually is, but you can never be too paranoid with this kind of thing! Many thanks for taking the time to respond.
Simple. If you've changed all the names simply insert the standard 'This novel is a work of fiction...etc' disclaimer. Unless the real people have kept detailed and incontrovertible records, which can be substantiated by witnesses, of all actions and conversations which you've based your story on, I doubt any court action on this basis could succeed. That's the only eventuality Amazon would be concerned about.
You might upset your friends if they recognise previous circumstances and events, but that's your risk.