Last reviewed by Robert Prime, 12 October 2026. Sources read that day: the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 section 30, section 12, section 171 and section 178; Cambridge University Press, Bibles rights and permissions; and Hodder & Stoughton’s NIV permissions guidance. General information, not legal advice.
Quick Answer: Another book: yes, briefly, if it is published, the quote is fair, no longer than you need, and credited with title and author. A poem: same rule, but a few lines can be most of a short poem, so get permission for epigraphs and whole poems unless the poet died in 1955 or earlier. The Bible: depends on the translation. The King James Version is under Crown rights in the UK and a book for sale needs written permission from Cambridge University Press. The NIV allows up to 500 verses in a book with Hodder’s notice on your copyright page.
Table of Contents
- The rule that covers all three
- Quoting another book
- Quoting a poem
- Is the poem out of copyright?
- Quoting the Bible
- How to credit a quotation
- How to ask permission
- Frequently asked questions
The rule that covers all three
Since 2014 the UK has had a general quotation exception. Section 30(1ZA) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 says copyright “is not infringed by the use of a quotation from the work (whether for criticism or review or otherwise)” provided four things are all true:
- “the work has been made available to the public” (it has been published);
- “the use of the quotation is fair dealing with the work”;
- “the extent of the quotation is no more than is required by the specific purpose for which it is used”; and
- “the quotation is accompanied by a sufficient acknowledgement” (unless that is impossible).
Note “or otherwise”: the quotation does not have to be for criticism or review. But it must be fair, and it must be no longer than your purpose needs. There is no fixed word count in the Act. Our fair dealing guide explains how fairness is judged and why there is no safe word count.
A contract term that tries to stop you making a quotation the Act allows “is unenforceable” (s.30(4)).
Quoting another book
For prose, the exception usually works the way authors hope:
- Fine: quoting two sentences of a novel you are discussing, a line from a business book to agree or disagree with it, a short passage you then analyse.
- Riskier: a long extract that a reader could enjoy instead of buying the original, or quotes used as decoration rather than for a purpose.
- Not covered: an unpublished work, such as a private letter or someone’s manuscript (condition 1).
Quote what makes your point and stop. If you find you need a whole page, that is a sign to ask.
Quoting a poem
The same four conditions apply, but a poem is short, and fairness looks at how much of the work you took. Three lines of a 600-line poem and three lines of a six-line poem are different uses.
- Discussing a poem (quoting a line and saying what it does): the exception was made for this.
- An epigraph (a few lines at the start of the book or a chapter, with no discussion): this is the hard case. You are using the poem to set a mood, and you may be taking a large part of it. If the poet is in copyright, ask.
- The whole poem in your book: assume you need permission.
Song lyrics follow the same law but have their own rights system and are almost always licensed; see can I use song lyrics in my book?
Is the poem out of copyright?
For a UK author’s literary work, section 12(2) says copyright “expires at the end of the period of 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author dies.”
So in 2026, works by authors who died in 1955 or earlier are out of copyright in the UK. An author who died in 1956 comes out on 1 January 2027.
Two traps:
- Check the date of death, not the date of the poem. A poem written in 1920 by a poet who died in 1975 is in copyright until the end of 2045.
- Check the edition. The words of an old poem may be free while a modern editor’s notes, introduction or translation are not. Quote from the original text, or from an edition old enough to be free itself.
Where the author is not a UK national and the work was first published abroad, the term can be shorter, never longer (s.12(6)).
Quoting the Bible
The original Hebrew and Greek texts are thousands of years old. The English translation you are reading is not, and the translation is what you quote. Each one has its own rules.
King James Version (Authorised Version)
In the UK the KJV is not simply out of copyright. Cambridge University Press says: “Rights in The Authorized Version of the Bible (King James Bible) in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown and administered by the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.” The Copyright Act leaves those Crown rights untouched: nothing in it affects “any right or privilege of the Crown subsisting otherwise than under an enactment” (s.171(1)(b)).
CUP’s free allowance is up to 500 verses “for liturgical and non-commercial educational use”, provided the verses do not “amount to a complete book of the Bible” or “represent 25 per cent or more of the total text of the work”. Requests “including but not limited to reproduction in commercial publications” go to CUP’s Permissions Department (permissions@cambridge.org) “and approved in writing”.
A book you sell on Amazon is a commercial publication. So for a UK edition quoting the KJV, ask CUP, using the request form on their page. The acknowledgement CUP asks for is:
Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown's patentee, Cambridge University PressCUP’s statement is about rights “in the United Kingdom”, which is why you will read on American websites that “the KJV is public domain”. For a book printed and sold in the UK, follow CUP’s page.
New International Version (NIV)
Hodder & Stoughton publishes the NIV in the UK, EU and EFTA. Its guidance: “Up to five hundred (500) verses may be quoted for commercial or non-commercial use in any form (written, visual, or electronic), without express written permission from Hodder.” You must ask if the verses “amount to a complete book of the Bible or account for 25 per cent or more of the total text of the work”, and commentaries and other biblical reference works need written permission. Put this notice on your copyright page:
Scripture quotations [marked NIV] taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. 'NIV' is a registered trademark of Biblica UK trademark number 1448790.New English Bible and Revised English Bible
CUP allows up to 500 verses of the NEB or REB “in any form” without written permission, on the same complete-book and 25% conditions, with no changes to the text and a notice on the title or copyright page, for example: “Scripture quotations taken from the Revised English Bible, copyright © Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press 1989. All rights reserved.”
Any other translation
ESV, NRSV, NKJV, The Message and the rest each have their own publisher and their own allowance. Find the copyright page of the edition you are quoting, or the publisher’s permissions page, and follow it exactly. If you quote more than one translation, include each notice and mark each quotation with its initials.
How to credit a quotation
The Act asks for “sufficient acknowledgement”, which section 178 defines as “an acknowledgement identifying the work in question by its title or other description, and identifying the author”. So, at minimum:
“Quotation text.” (Author Name, Title of Book)
In non-fiction, a footnote or a sources page does the same job. For an epigraph, the author and title under the lines. If you had permission, add any credit line the rights holder asks for, usually on the copyright page.
How to ask permission
- Find the rights holder. For a book, it is the publisher’s permissions department named on the copyright page. Some publishers take requests through PLSclear; Hodder does for the NIV.
- Say exactly what you want. The lines, word or verse count, where they appear, your book’s format, print run or “print on demand”, territories, and price.
- Get it in writing and keep it with your book files.
- Use their credit line word for word.
The permission-to-quote letter in the UK Author Legal Pack is written for this, with the grant for the rights holder to sign.
Frequently asked questions
How many words can I quote from another book without permission in the UK?
There is no number in the law. Section 30(1ZA) allows a quotation that is fair dealing and no longer than your purpose requires, with a credit. Short, purposeful and credited is the test.
Can I use a poem as an epigraph?
If the poet died in 1955 or earlier, yes, as far as UK copyright goes. If not, ask permission: an epigraph is decorative, and a few lines can be a large share of a short poem.
Is the King James Bible public domain in the UK?
No. Cambridge University Press says rights in the KJV in the UK “are vested in the Crown”, administered by CUP. Its free allowance covers liturgical and non-commercial educational use; commercial publications need written permission.
Can I quote the NIV in a book I sell?
Yes, up to 500 verses, as long as the verses are not a whole book of the Bible or 25% or more of your text, and you print Hodder’s copyright notice. Commentaries need written permission.
Do I need permission to quote a book I am reviewing?
Usually not for short extracts. Criticism and review is the classic fair dealing purpose (s.30(1)), and the credit is still required.
Does crediting the author make any quotation legal?
No. A credit is one of four conditions. A long or unfair extract infringes copyright even with a perfect credit.
Final thoughts
Short, credited quotations with a purpose are what the law protects. Epigraphs, whole poems and long extracts are where you ask first. And with the Bible, check the translation before you check anything else: for UK books, the KJV is the one most authors get wrong.
If you would like the bigger picture on UK quotation law, read the fair dealing guide. For the page your credit lines sit on, use the copyright page template.
— Robert publishing.co.uk
