When authors write about real people in nonfiction books like memoirs, biographies, and other narrative nonfiction projects, their right to write freely is generally protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. However, in some cases, certain state laws allow authors to be sued for monetary damages and injunction, if their book infringes the human subject’s publicity or privacy rights.

Our resources on publicity and privacy rights are designed to help you understand how to freely write about real people without getting into trouble with the law. The requirements and considerations involved for publicity and privacy rights vary from state to state, so our resources highlight trends and commonalities among states. 

• Download or purchase Authors Alliance’s guide to Writing about Real People, which covers topics including defamation, false light, invasion of privacy, and the right of publicity.
• Learn about the right of publicity in the context of AI
• Contact us at info@authorsalliance.org with questions or to share with us how you have dealt with portraying real people in your writing