Part of our guide to licensing cartoons as an author (coming soon)
How do you fill in your publisher’s permissions log for a licensed cartoon? Copy the details from your license, one row per cartoon. At CartoonStock every license comes with a PDF listing the cartoon ID, the use, the print run band, the territory and the term. That answers most of what a publisher’s permissions log asks, and this guide takes it column by column.
Why Your Publisher Asks for a Permissions Log
A publisher needs to know that every image in the book is cleared before it goes to print. The permissions log is how they check. It lists each item, who owns it, what permission was granted and on what terms.
It also matters later. A new edition, a translation or a reprint all start from the log, so accurate answers now save work for everyone.
If you’re not sure whether the log is your job or your publisher’s, who handles image permissions, the author or the publisher? (coming soon) covers that question.
Your Publisher’s Permissions Log, Column by Column
Logs vary between publishers, but most ask for some version of these columns. Here’s where each answer comes from for a CartoonStock cartoon.
Item. The cartoon ID from your license, plus a short description or the caption.
Location. The chapter and page where the cartoon appears.
Creator. The cartoonist’s name, shown on the cartoon’s page on our site.
Rights holder and source. In the vast majority of cases the cartoonist or their estate holds the copyright. Give the cartoonist’s name, with CartoonStock as the source you licensed from. If you’re unsure, ask us.
Status and date. Licensed, with the date on your license PDF.
Rights granted. Your print run band, your territory (worldwide, or outside the US and Canada) and the formats. A print license includes the ebook in the same content and context. Which license size to choose when you don’t know your print run (coming soon) explains the bands.
Term. No time limit, unless you agreed a custom license with a set term.
Fee. The amount on your receipt.
Credit line. www.CartoonStock.com, in the immediate vicinity of the cartoon, plus the cartoonist’s name if you choose. How to credit a licensed cartoon in a book (coming soon) has examples.
Restrictions. Inside the book at less than half a page. No changes except the caption’s font and font size without our written agreement. Artist’s signature stays visible. Non-exclusive and non-transferable. Cover use not included.
Questions About Future Editions and Translations
Some logs ask what happens next. A reprint of the same edition inside your band needs nothing further. A new edition needs a new license for every cartoon you keep, at 50% off for cartoons already licensed for the earlier edition. That’s one more reason to log the cartoon IDs, because you claim the discount by emailing them to us. Relicensing images for a new edition or reprint (coming soon) explains how.
Translations depend on territory. Your existing license covers a different-language version published in the same territory, but its copies count toward your print run band, so log every language in one total. A translated edition for a new territory usually needs a new license, also at 50% off. Licensing cartoons for translations and co-editions (coming soon) covers both cases, along with how caption translations work.
Keep Your Own Copy
Send your publisher the license PDF alongside the log, and keep copies of both. The author stays with the book across every edition, so your copy is the one that lasts.
If you’re self-publishing, you’re the publisher, so keep the same log for yourself. Using cartoons in a self-published book (coming soon) covers the rest. Academic authors revising a book across editions will find more in licensing cartoons for trade and academic books (coming soon).
The Bottom Line
To fill in your publisher’s permissions log for a CartoonStock cartoon, copy the ID, band, territory, formats and term from your license PDF. Add the cartoonist’s name, the page it sits on, the credit line and the restrictions. Send the PDF with the log, keep your own copy, and every license you record pays the cartoonist.
Licensing cartoons for publishing · Ask us about your book
Q&A: Your Publisher’s Permissions Log
Q: My publisher wants a permission letter. What do I send?
A: Send the license PDF you received at checkout. It’s written confirmation of the cartoon ID and every specification of the license. If your publisher needs anything further, ask us.
Q: The log asks whether the permission is exclusive. What do I put?
A: Non-exclusive. Our licenses are non-exclusive and non-transferable.
Q: The log has a column for “world rights, all languages”. Is that what I have?
A: Enter the territory on your license: worldwide, or outside the US and Canada. You don’t license languages separately. Your license covers a translation in the same territory, and its copies count toward your band.
Keep Reading
Questions to ask before licensing a cartoon (coming soon)
Related Posts
- Do I need permission to use a cartoon in my book, and what happens if I don’t? (coming soon)
- Using a cartoon on a book cover (coming soon)
- Can I use the cartoon when promoting my book? (coming soon)