Guidelines in writing a book which contains opinions of others?

How do I find out the guidelines and/or laws which need to be followed when writing a book which contains the thoughts and opinions of others? For example. Someone who writes a book called "100 Keys To Happiness" and gets thoughts from 100 different people. Do they all need to sign release forms if they just give a simple answer like "Sally from NY Loves to Swim twice a week" ? Thanks

I know of no laws or guidelines, but I’ve been asked this question a lot lately. If it makes you feel better, get each person to sign a consent form to allow you to use their statements. Writers don’t usually obtain such documents when they interview someone for an article.

If you sell the book to a publisher, you might be asked to identify the people quoted for fact verification, so keep good records.

One Response to “Guidelines in writing a book which contains opinions of others?”

  1. I know of no laws or guidelines, but I’ve been asked this question a lot lately. If it makes you feel better, get each person to sign a consent form to allow you to use their statements. Writers don’t usually obtain such documents when they interview someone for an article.

    If you sell the book to a publisher, you might be asked to identify the people quoted for fact verification, so keep good records.
    References :

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