Yes, it's common in the U.S., and all my contracts have had it in one form or another. But doesn't mean what many seem to think it means, at least with, good, large publishers. No publisher, no good publisher, is ever going to make you pay for a legal read. They don't need to do so. It's automatic, and they already have an attorney who checks the book.
And this provision is really in place for those times when the writer actually does something wrong, such as knowingly lying to the publisher, and in the book, or commits plagiarism.
Contract or no contract, the publisher agreed to publish the book, and this makes them just as culpable as the writer, unless the writer knowing did something the publisher could not reasonably know he did.
I've never heard of that sort of contract provision before. Does anyone know if it is also standard in the US? Or is this a US/UK difference? (I do know that libel law in the US and UK is quite different.)
I only changed the names of my immediate family (for privacy) and two bosses because they didn't look so good. However, I did not write anything malicious about them; they were all my real experiences which can be easily proven.
My publisher asked me to remove a whole section and revise parts about one of my employers because of a potential lawsuit. I complied as it did not compromise the story. Not much, anyway.
I see the point of changing names to protect privacy. Is this a case where you would say your book was inspired by a true story rather than based on a true story?
I see the point of changing names to protect privacy. Is this a case where you would say your book was inspired by a true story rather than based on a true story?
If only a few names are changed I think you can continue to just call it non-fiction (just: a true story). The veracity is in the events.