Can you use a real town name in a book?

Can you use a real town name in a book?

Towns/City Names: You can use the names of real towns and cities without any problems. I tend to use real large cities and make up the names of smaller towns. It’s easier to “create” a town to your story’s specifications and needs. You can take liberties with real places by making up the names of streets or businesses.

Can you use real locations in books?

If you decide to use a real place in your fiction, make sure you know it well. Even if you do this, basing your fictional setting on a real place can help you create a stronger sense of reality. You can describe actual places, but give them new names. Shift things around to better suit your plot.

Is it illegal to use real names in a book?

Using real people in your fiction—whether they are correctly named or not—can be legally hazardous. If an author includes enough details that a specific fictional character is identifiable as an actual person, that person could possibly pursue legal action.

How do you name a fictional location?

Here are a few ways you can try:

1. Pick up books you’ve never heard of and skim through until you find words you’ve never heard of.
2. Combine author’s last names.
3. Read wikipedia about the history of a nearby place and switch up the letters a bit (Spoonerisms make for great fun).
4. Pretend to invent a language.

Are fictional towns copyrighted?

Names are not copyrighted. a copyright fully protects an entire work of authorship, i.e. a book, movie or work of art.

Can fictional places be copyrighted?

So you cannot legally “copyright” a name, but you could definitely trademark one, and many authors do. For example, the character of Harry Potter is legally trademarked by Time Warner Entertainment, so that no other works of published literature can use the name Harry Potter or the character associated with it.

Do you need permission to use someone’s name in a book?

Originally Answered: Do you need someone’s permission to include them in a book you write? Yes – especially if you are using their real name, and the book is a true story. Even if you are changing their name but they will be identifiable by the story, it’s still best practice to get their permission.

Can you use real names?

You can use the real names of those who have given you written permission to do so. But when getting written permission isn’t something you can or want to do, it might be easier to change the names of the characters in your memoir.

What are some good fake town names?

List of fictional towns in television

Town Name	Origin	Network
Wayward Pines, Idaho	Wayward Pines	FOX
Weatherfield	Coronation Street	ITV
The Village	The Prisoner	ITV
Voltafiore, Italy	McHale’s Navy Season 4	ABC

Are city names public domain?

In general no, they cannot be trademarked because they are descriptive of a geographical feature. However there are ways to use the names in context that can circumvent the restriction.

Is it legal to use a city name in a book?

There is no copyright on city names, and historical fiction is SUPPOSED to feature a different view on actual events and places, so no concerns there. Paint it in a bad light, and the Mayor might denounce your book, which would only improve its sales.

Can you describe real places in fiction?

You can describe actual places, but give them new names. Shift things around to better suit your plot. Keep the flavor, but spice it up a little. I’m currently writing a women’s fiction series set in the fictional Colorado mountain town of Eureka. Eureka is based on a trio of real towns: Ridgway, Ouray, and Silverton.

Is it possible to make up places in fiction?

It’s fiction! Yes, you can make up anything you want (within reason – don’t slander anyone or any location). My books take place in Chicago, and I do like to use real Chicago neighborhoods, streets, and landmarks in my books to add to the realism.

What if books were set in a real town?

Stephen White’s suspense novels would be different books if they were set in Los Angeles instead of Denver and Boulder, and Anne Rice’s vampire tales would have a different flavor if they took place in Washington, D.C. instead of New Orleans. Basing your story in a real town also has drawbacks.