No US law requires any text in a book, but a copyright notice carries real legal benefits and readers expect a proper copyright page. This tool builds the conventional page, including the two-notice form used for translations.
A US book carries its copyright page on the verso of the title page. It stacks the copyright notice, the rights statement, the ISBN and the edition line, and for a translated book the two notices a translation calls for.
One real legal duty sits near this page, and it is a shipment rather than ink: the mandatory deposit of copies with the Copyright Office once the book is distributed in the United States. Everything printed on the page itself is optional.
Nothing. No US law requires any text printed in a book to publish or sell it in the United States, and there is no mandated wording for a copyright page.
The copyright notice itself is optional for anything published on or after March 1, 1989. 17 U.S.C. § 401(a) says a notice "may" be placed on published copies, and copyright protection is automatic whether or not you include one. Registration is optional too, and not a condition of protection.
Which in the United States means everything else. The page is publishing convention, and a US reader expects to find:
Old-school extras serve no purpose for a self-publisher: the descending printer's key (10 9 8 7 …) means nothing for print-on-demand, and the LCCN block is covered further down.
There is a concrete legal benefit. Under 17 U.S.C. § 401(d), when a proper notice appears on copies the infringer had access to, a court gives no weight to a defense of innocent infringement when it sets damages.
The Copyright Office lays out the form in Circular 3: the © symbol (or the word "Copyright"), the year of first publication, and the name of the copyright owner, written as one continuous line such as "© 2026 Emily Waters".
A translation is a derivative work with its own copyright, separate from the original. Circular 14 explains this, which is why translated books conventionally carry two copyright lines: one for the original work and one for the translation.
The year in the translation's notice is the year the translation was first published, not the year of the original. A typical stack reads "Copyright © 2019 by [original author]" followed by "English translation copyright © 2026 by [translator or rights holder]", above the line noting the original title and publisher.
Probably yes, and this is the one US duty that reaches self-publishers abroad. It is a delivery duty rather than anything printed in the book: 17 U.S.C. § 407 asks the copyright owner of a work published in the United States to send two copies of the best edition to the Copyright Office within three months of publication.
Living outside the United States does not take you out of scope. Circular 7D explains that a work published abroad becomes subject once the publisher offers a version for distribution in the United States, and print-on-demand paperbacks fall under the ordinary requirement. An ebook-only release is the exception: electronic-only books owe a deposit only if the Office sends a written demand.
Enforcement is demand-driven: penalties apply only after a written demand from the Office goes unanswered, and the law expects the deposit to be made voluntarily. Neither KDP nor IngramSpark deposits for you. In practice you should treat the deposit as part of your US launch: registering the copyright and sending the copies with the application satisfies the duty in one step, and is the convenient route.
You will often see a Library of Congress Control Number on US copyright pages, and you will usually not have one. The Library of Congress CIP program is open to US publishers only and excludes self-publishers and on-demand titles, and the PCN route requires a US place of publication and editorial office.
For a self-publisher based outside the United States, this means there is normally no LCCN or CIP block at all, and that is perfectly fine. Its absence says nothing about the validity of your copyright.
Amazon KDP does not require a copyright page at all, and adds its own final interior page with manufacturing details. Amazon must not be named as the publisher: you or your imprint are the publisher, and Amazon is only the printing service. If you take the free KDP print ISBN your imprint shows as "Independently published", and any ISBN you own must match its Bowker registration.
IngramSpark requires the ISBN printed on your copyright page to match the ISBN in your title setup, and a mismatch gets the file rejected. When you distribute through both platforms, use one ISBN you own across them to avoid conflicting numbers.
Skip the "Printed in the United States of America" line: both networks print globally, so the claim is frequently untrue for a given copy. Either leave it off entirely, or use a neutral note that the book is produced by print-on-demand.
Last reviewed: July 21, 2026
Publishing in United States? You will need the book translated too. See what it costs to translate your book into English (US).
One page you can use in both editions. It includes the print-only mentions.
Nothing is legally required to be printed in United States (see the guide). The fields below build the conventional page.
Adds the standard fiction disclaimer.
All rights reserved.
"All rights reserved."
Requirements can change, so verify with the official sources linked in the guide or a professional for your situation. This is general information, not legal advice.
No. No US law requires any text printed in a book. The copyright notice has been optional for works published since March 1, 1989, and registration is not a condition of protection.
A proper notice removes an infringer's "innocent infringement" defense, which can otherwise reduce the damages they owe. It is cheap insurance, and readers and retailers expect a copyright page.
A translation is a derivative work with its own copyright. The convention is one notice for the original work and a separate "English translation copyright" notice, with the translation year being the year the translation was first published.
Once you distribute the book in the United States, yes: print editions owe two copies of the best edition under 17 U.S.C. § 407, with penalties applying only after a written demand goes unanswered. Ebook-only releases are exempt unless the Office demands a copy. Registering the copyright and sending copies with the application satisfies the duty in one step.
Almost certainly not. The Library of Congress CIP and PCN programs are for US-based publishers and exclude self-publishers and print-on-demand titles, so a foreign self-publisher normally has no LCCN block, and that is fine.
Usually not. Print-on-demand copies are produced wherever the order is fulfilled, so that line is often untrue. Amazon adds its own manufacturing page, so it is safe to leave the country line off.
Publishing in United States? You will need the book translated too. See what it costs to translate your book into English (US).
