Sources for Illustrations?

Do you mean uncopyrighted (out of copyright) or copyright free (can be used and reused according to known limitations, including commercial used) or free (the former plus you don't have to pay for it)?

It depends. The Library of Congress has lots of public domain illustrations, maps, prints, etc., many of which you can download directly from their website (though others you either have to submit a formal request or, if you live nearby, you can drop in and download digitally to a thumbdrive).

But yes, you do have to be careful, because some images, even when they're older, are owned by others. I had to pay for some images in my book -- the portrait of publisher John Murray, for example -- because they were taken directly from an original owned by someone (in this case, the British Portrait Gallery). In the case of officials of the U.S. government (such as ambassadors, Secretaries of State, generals and the like) digital prints will likely be free, since these are public officials we're talking about -- many times, all you have to do is ask.

In your case, for example, the U.S. Navy may have some old maps in their possession that you can get digital copies of either for free or for the cost of reproduction (as opposed to also having to purchase rights to reproduce the image). It might be as easy as a call to the Archivist at the Department of Defense and asking. I had spectacularly good luck with the Department of State when I was looking for images for my book.

Good luck!

How about using an image from a copyrighted comic book or graphic novel? Any permissions necessary or would "fair use" cover it?

From what I have been told, if the work is copyrighted, permission has to be granted. Even for orphan works, the person using the image must make a reasonable search to find the owner. Some work may require a licensing fee, and generally the owner wants to know how the work is going to be used before granting persmission.

Also, although a work may be out of copyright, the photograph of it is a separate work and may not be.

Wikimedia Commons is IMO one of the best sources for free-to-use pictures of old paintings as well as pretty much everything else. Each image will have specified whether it's in the public domain and what restrictions if any are on it.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

I have a question regarding illustrations and photographs for a nonfiction book. I have an idea for a science/nature book aimed at children and wonder this--is the author of the book responsible for also providing or suggesting photographs to accompany the text?

Like most nonfiction books aimed at children, the photographs in my proposed book would likely be very important to its appeal and success. Would I have to locate potential photos, obtain the necessary copyright and so on, or does this all fall to the publisher?

Wiki,edia commons is a 'use at your own risk' site, not all of its listings are accurate. Most non-fiction publishers are ceryainly going to prioritise a writer who can bring many or all of their own pictures.

I second veinglory: Be careful of wikimedia commons. Many times the claim (and cited justification) for a picture or print being in the public domain is not always accurate. Some portraits, for example, are listed as public domain -- largely because they're from the 19th century -- when, in fact, the original is in private ownership and requires a fee for reproduction.

A commonly-used painting of Washington Irving, for example, is actually under the ownership of Historic Hudson Valley of New York. While many people reproduce the painting on their website (because it's everywhere on the net), if you want to use it in a book (as I did -- I wanted it on the cover, in fact), you have to pay for that right. (Technically, you're supposed to pay for usage on a website as well.)

So I guess my advice would be to always defer to Ronald Reagan's adage: "Trust, but verify." It may very well be public domain -- but ask.

Bradster said:

I have a question regarding illustrations and photographs for a nonfiction book. I have an idea for a science/nature book aimed at children and wonder this--is the author of the book responsible for also providing or suggesting photographs to accompany the text?

Like most nonfiction books aimed at children, the photographs in my proposed book would likely be very important to its appeal and success. Would I have to locate potential photos, obtain the necessary copyright and so on, or does this all fall to the publisher?

Click to expand...

In the vast majority of cases, you are responsible for this, not your publisher, though they'll likely help you run some of the traps.

I was responsbile for tracking down and acquiring the rights to all the prints used in my book. Some of those rights were free, some were not -- and I paid for those costs, not my publisher. In my case, it was not terribly cost prohibitive, but it will depend on how many photos you're interested in using.

This may be something to discuss with your publisher at the time of your contract, to see if they can pick up any of the costs of acquiring the rights to photos and prints -- especially if your book is illustration-heavy.