Are you going to include scriptures in your dazzling
manuscript? Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, here are some things
you need to know.
Copyright and Permission Statements
If you’re using direct quotes of any scriptures in your
book, you need to include a copyright and permission statement on the imprints
page at the front. (That’s the page that has fun stuff on it like publisher details,
copyright info, ISBNs etc.) If you’ve quoted from several different versions of
the Bible, you will need a separate copyright and permission notice for each
one.
The good news is that if you go to the websites for the publishers of the most common Bible versions, they will usually have information about permissions and may even have sample statements you can include. Sometimes you have to fish around on the site, go to the parent site, or use a few key words in Google. HarperCollins publishes a number of the popular Bibles and if you click HERE, you will find their permissions information.
From there, you can find the specific version you want. For example, if you click on the link there for the New
International Version (NIV), they give a number of different permission
statements including the following:
Scripture
quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International
Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by
permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and
“New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States
Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
Please note that the above is a sample only. You would
delete the years that don’t apply to the version you used.
Also, be sure to read all of the information regarding what
is permitted and what is not. For example, they say you can use up to 500
verses of the NIV without asking for written permission, as long as those
verses don’t constitute a whole book of the Bible (among other things). So even
though the book of Philippians has fewer than 500 verses in total, you cannot
quote the whole of Philippians without asking for written permission.
If the Bible version you are looking for is not listed at
that link, you’ll have to go to the website for their publisher and find the
information. If you just do a Google search for the name of the Bible and
permissions, you shouldn’t have any trouble locating it.
(Please note that I am giving advice here to the best of my ability, but I am not a lawyer or copyright expert. If in doubt, please check.)
How Many Bible Versions Should You Use?
This is like the ‘how long is a piece of string’ question. The
various Bible versions sometimes use different words to bring out different
meanings or nuances in the text. Some versions use plainer language than
others. You may simply like one version more than another because it’s the one
you grew up with or the one with which you’re most familiar. All of those are
valid. However, remember that you need a separate copyright and permission
statement for each. So unless the aim of your book is to compare various
versions of the Bible, you probably need to ask yourself whether you really
need to quote from ten different versions.
If you have one version you mainly use, and you just have a
few quotes from other versions, you can also include a statement in your copyright
notice, such as ‘Unless otherwise specified, all scriptures are from the Such
and Such Bible’ and then give the rest of the copyright and permission
statement for that Bible. The copyright and permission statements for the other
Bibles would appear after that.
How Do You Actually Cite Scriptures in your Text?
There are a number of different ways in which you can cite
or quote scripture, but two guiding principles are consistency and accuracy.
Consistency
When citing scripture, it’s good to use a consistent format
throughout your book. If you have a traditional publisher, they may have their
own house style for citing scriptures, so check that.
Although different formats are available, it’s typical to
use the full name of a book from the Bible if it’s part of a sentence in your
text, but to use the abbreviation if it’s in parentheses after the quote. For
example:
‘In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the fruit of the Spirit.’
According to Paul, the fruit of the Spirit includes ‘love,
joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control’ (Gal. 5:22–23a NIV).
You’ll see there that you also include the Bible version
when giving a direct quote, except where you have already included the ‘unless
otherwise specified’ phrase in the copyright and permission statement on the imprints page. (Please see above.) However, if you’re just referring to something that
was in the Bible and you’re not using a direct quote, you don’t have to note
the version.
Technically speaking, you’re also supposed to use an en-dash
rather than a hyphen to indicate a number range, including a range of verses
(e.g., 14–17 rather than 14-17).
There are also standard abbreviations for the books of the
Bible and different Bible translations. Again, these might differ depending on which guidelines you consult.
However, I find the recommendations in the Chicago Manual of Style helpful, as
they give a list of all abbreviations. Click HERE for lists of
abbreviations for books of the Bible and versions of the Bible.
One of my clients asked if she had to use abbreviations in
parentheses because she preferred to use the full names. From memory, I think
she was indie-publishing a devotional book or gift book. My advice was that she
could use the full names if she preferred, but be consistent. Either use the
full names or the abbreviations in parentheses, but don’t chop and change.
Another issue regards when to use a block quotation versus
just citing the scripture as part of a sentence.
If you have a long quote, you typically put that in a block
quotation format rather than having it running on as part of a sentence. There
are different ideas of what constitutes a long quote. One guideline is that you
use a block quotation if you have 100 words or more, or eight lines of text or
more, but some also use it for shorter quotes if they want them to stand out.
Block quotations are usually indented without quote marks,
like this.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matt. 11:28–29 NIV)
And then you continue on with your text. Please note that in
this case, there are no quote marks and the full stop comes at the end of the
quote. If it was part of a sentence, you would do it this way:
Jesus
says, ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls’ (Matt. 11:28–29 NIV).
Please note that I've indented it as an example, but it would just appear as part of the regular text of your paragraph. Here, there are quote marks and the final full stop comes after the parentheses. An exception would be if the quote finishes with a question mark or an exclamation mark. In those cases, the punctuation mark would come before the closing quote mark.
If you want to omit a few words or phrase from a longer scripture, use ellipses to indicate the missing part (...). However, be sure that the words you omit do not change the meaning or context of the quoted material.
Should you use single or double quotation marks? Single quotation marks are more typical in Australia and double quotation marks are more popular in countries such as the United States. If you're unsure where you're sending your manuscript, maybe use double quotation marks initially, as they're easier to change with a global substitution later if need be. (If you try to do a global substitution on single quote marks, it will also pick up your apostrophes.) The same goes for dialogue.
What about quotes within quotes, such as scriptures that include some speech or dialogue? If you're using block quotations, then you only need quote marks around the bit of speech or dialogue. If you're citing the scripture within the text of a sentence, and you're using double quote marks across the manuscript, then put the double quotes around the whole scripture and single quotes around the piece of dialogue within. If you're using single quote marks throughout, then it's the opposite (i.e., single quotes around the whole scripture and double quote marks around the bit of dialogue within.) Confused? Maybe that's a case for using block quotations or rewording so that you don't need to use the messy quotes within quotes. The challenge is yours!
Although the examples above show the format typically used, there are other styles. If you're being traditionally published, check with your publisher. If you're indie-publishing, you can use a different style, but just be consistent in whatever style you use. If you're not sure yet whether you're going to be traditionally published or indie-publishing, the examples above are a good guide.
Accuracy
When using direct quotes from the Bible, be very careful in transcribing the exact words and punctuation, including different spelling. For example, if you are using Australian spelling throughout your book, but the quote is from an American version that uses American spelling, then use that American spelling in your quote. However, there are a few things you do not need to copy in your quote.
- You should not embed the verse numbers within your quote.
- If the version you are using has red type for Jesus' words, just use black in your quote.
- If the version you are using has superscripts for footnotes or endnotes within the passage, don't copy those over. Otherwise, your readers will think they refer to your own footnotes or endnotes, and they won't be able to find them.
Speaking of footnotes and endnotes, you may prefer to use these as a citation method if you have a lot of scriptures and the constant inclusion of verse and version could break the flow of your points. For example, say you're writing about Jesus' miracles and you have a sentence that lists six of them from different parts of the Gospels. Rather than giving the scripture reference after each miracle, you could put them in a footnote or endnote instead.
Versions of the Bible in Historical Fiction
We’re so familiar with some versions of the Bible, that it’s
easy to forget they haven’t always been around. For example, the New Testament
in the New International Version (NIV) was first published in 1973 and the complete
NIV Bible was published in 1978. (Click here for details.)
So be sure your 1960s heroine doesn’t quote the NIV. You
also might want to check that your 1940s characters don’t quote the Amplified Bible (it was first published between 1958 and 1965) and that your 1980s
characters don’t quote from the Message version (it came out between 1993 and
2002). My historical novel Scattered was set in 1882, so my heroine consults
the King James Version of the Bible. A quick google search should provide the
details you need for your version.
This seems like a lot of information to take in, but just
remember the four things you need to be aware of—copyright, permissions,
consistency and accuracy. What could be simpler than that? Okay, a lot of things could be simpler, but hopefully these guidelines will point you in the right direction.
Author Note
Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) is an author and editor whose poetry,
inspirational articles, and short fiction have appeared in magazines, journals
and anthologies in Australia and overseas. Her debut historical novel
Scattered was short-listed for the CALEB award. She has qualifications in creative writing, psychology, and Christian
ministry. She and her husband Tim have a
freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish, which they operate from their home base
in Toowoomba. She would love to connect with you through her websites.
Nola Lorraine Author website - https://www.nolalorraine.com.au/
The Write Flourish - https://thewriteflourish.com.au/
Picture Sources
Author photo by Wayne Logan from WRLPhoto.
Featured photo by andremsantana on Pixabay.
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