Publishing tools are easier to access than ever, which is amazing—but we still have a responsibility to publish ethically. ✅ 𝗗𝗢 - Use photos, graphics, and illustrations you created or have permission to use. - Use properly licensed stock images, fonts, and design elements. - Check commercial-use rights before putting anything into a book or on a cover. - Create original covers, descriptions, interiors, and branding. - Get permission when using identifiable real people in your books, stories, or marketing. - Use AI as a tool to assist your work while still reviewing what it creates. - Respect other authors, creators, community members, and their intellectual property. - Fictionalize identifying details when you're inspired by real-life situations and do not have permission to share them. 🚫 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 - Do NOT use someone else's personal photo on your book cover without written permission. - Do NOT assume a photo is free to use because it was posted on Facebook, Instagram, Skool, Google, or another website. - Do NOT publish stories about real people in a way that makes them identifiable without considering consent and privacy. - Do NOT copy another author's cover, title treatment, description, interior, branding, or content. - Do NOT use AI to recreate someone's likeness or work and assume that makes it okay to publish. - Do NOT take screenshots, community posts, private conversations, or personal information and turn them into book content without permission. - Do NOT assume that because you technically can publish something, you should. ⭐ 𝗔 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 If you would feel violated, embarrassed, or uncomfortable finding out someone published it about YOU without asking, think twice before publishing it about someone else. We can build profitable publishing businesses while still respecting copyright, consent, privacy, and other creators. What would you add to this list? 👇