Credits & Consent
The living people whose lives, questions, and voices shape our books deserve clarity about how they are named, protected, credited, and thanked. This page explains exactly how the House handles that — and why Muse earns lifetime membership on this platform.
A real person whose life, spirit, or story materially inspired a character, thread, or work. Characters are composite, altered, and clearly fictionalized — a Muse is not a co-author, not a source of quoted material, and not a contributor to the text.
When we use it: Anyone who has signed a Life-Story Release and consented to be recognized by name or chosen pseudonym.
The formal collective name for all recognized Muses of a given work. This is how the group appears on acknowledgments and credits pages.
When we use it: Front-matter and back-matter credits, and the public Inspiration Circle page.
Reserved for factual or documentary works where specific information was drawn from an identifiable person or record. Not used for fiction — it can wrongly imply quoted material.
When we use it: Only in essays, field notes, or reference works when a factual source must be named or cited.
Reserved for people who actually contributed text, edits, artwork, translation, or other authored material. This role carries authorship and IP implications and is granted only by written agreement.
When we use it: Editorial, translation, illustration, and co-writing engagements — governed by a separate Independent Contractor agreement.
Because the characters in our fiction are composite, altered, and clearly fictionalized (as our front matter states), no compensation is legally required under United States or common international norms, and there is no royalty obligation.
That is the floor. Our practice sits well above it. For every Muse we follow four steps:
Every Muse receives complimentary lifetime membership to Navaelith Quenelmont Press — full access to the Library, Frameworks, Atlas, Institutes, Field Notes, and all future works.
This is offered as a gift and recognition, not as compensation for services rendered. Framing it this way keeps the relationship clean under United States tax and labor rules: a Muse is not an employee, not an independent contractor, and not owed royalties. Lifetime membership is a low-friction, generous, industry-appropriate thank-you — and it is granted automatically the moment an admin assigns the Muse role to a member account.
Technical note: assigning the muse role triggers a database entitlement that grants member-level access for life, independent of any paid subscription.
A Muse chooses how they are named — full name, first name, initials, a pseudonym, or fully anonymous. That choice is recorded in the Life-Story Release and can be revised in writing at any time before a work is sent to print. After publication, name changes are honored in digital editions and in the next print run.
Write to connect@drbrowncares.com. The House will respond personally.
