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I had an article published for 1st rights in a magazine. Can I use an excerpt or all of the article in my own ebook? I now own the copyright and am unsure about the rules of fair use pertaining to my own work.

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This all depends on your contract. What does it say about subsequent publications? – Neil Fein♦ Mar 17 '12 at 16:37
I have a email that says I was selling for first rights only, which the editor then explained that I would then retain all other rights. I sold it again to another publication as a reprint. I assumed that I owned the rights after the reprint was published. I never signed an official contract in either case. – GardenerLB Mar 17 '12 at 17:59
Then I don't really see how this could possibly be a problem. Do you have some other reason that you're concerned about this? – Neil Fein♦ Mar 17 '12 at 18:22
This is my first time to write an ebook so I just wanted to be on the safe side. Thanks for your help! – GardenerLB Mar 17 '12 at 19:34

1 Answer

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It doesn't matter that it's your own work or others; if you are the copyright owner, you can re-print the entire article in your book.There is no legal obstacle to do so. If the audience of your book are different from those of the magazine, it can be convenient too.

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Thank you very much for your answer! – GardenerLB Mar 24 '12 at 11:36

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