Can You Use a Real Band's Name in Your Book Title? Member Q&A with Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black

In this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Member Q&A podcast, hosts Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black discuss whether an author can safely use a real band's name in a novel title, including how to check for trademarks, why disclaimers won't shield you from lawsuits, and when it's worth consulting an intellectual property attorney. Other questions include: What is the best platform for publishing a professionally recorded, author-narrated audiobook, and should you go exclusive with Audible or distribute wide? What should you do if your KDP account has been terminated? Is it a sound strategy to sell direct through your website first and go wide only after those sales dry up? How do you find and evaluate printing companies for your book? From a marketing perspective, how should you approach a series that can be read in any order versus one that must be read sequentially? Should you use a copyrighted quote without permission and hope it qualifies as fair use if the licensing fee is too expensive? And more! Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-Publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Hosts Michael La Ronn is ALLi's Outreach Manager. He is the author of over 80 science fiction & fantasy books and self-help books for writers. He writes from the great plains of Iowa and has managed to write while raising a family, working a full-time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings (now graduated!). You can find his fiction at www.michaellaronn.com and his videos and books for writers at www.authorlevelup.com. Sacha Black is a bestselling and competition winning author, rebel podcaster, speaker and casual rule breaker. She writes fiction under a secret pen name and other books about the art of writing. When Sacha isn't writing, she runs ALLi's blog. She lives in England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son. You can find her on her website, her podcast, and on Instagram.