Home / Legal templates / Interview release form
Interview release form for a memoir or biography
A biography is never one person’s voice. Your aunt, your father’s old business partner, the neighbour from Kampala: each of them talks to the writer, and each of them needs to know what happens to their words. This form tells them, in language an eighty-year-old can read, and gets their yes in writing.
An interview release form is the signed yes from each person a writer interviews for a memoir. It covers recording, the use of their words, what stays off the record, whether they see their quotes first, and a date after which they cannot withdraw. Ask for it before the recorder starts.
- Who signs
- Each person interviewed for the book, other than the client. For anyone under 18, a parent or guardian.
- When
- At the start of the first interview, before the recorder goes on.
- Length
- 9 clauses, each with a plain-English note
- Formats
- Word and PDF. Free, no sign-up.
Not legal adviceThis is a template, not legal advice. Laws differ by country and by state. Have a lawyer where you live read it before anyone signs. I am a writer, not a lawyer. These are the documents I would want in place, written in plain English so you can see what each line does.
The form, clause by clause
Each clause reads as it does in the download. Words [in brackets] are yours to fill in. A line with a box (☐) is an option: keep one, strike the rest.
Who and what
1.1My name: [INTERVIEWEE FULL NAME]. My relationship to the subject: [RELATIONSHIP].
1.2I am being interviewed by [WRITER NAME] for a book about [SUBJECT NAME], commissioned by [CLIENT NAME] (the “Book”).
What it meansPlain names and a plain description. The person should know who is writing, who is paying, and who the book is about.
Recording
2.1I agree that my interview may be recorded in audio ☐ and video ☐. The recordings and transcripts will be used to write the Book, kept securely, and not shared with anyone outside the people working on the Book.
☐ I agree that short clips of my recording may be published with the Book, for example in an audiobook or a family website. (Leave blank to say no.)
What it meansRecording for writing is one thing. Publishing your voice is another. Two separate ticks, and the second one is off unless they tick it.
Use of my words
3.1I agree that what I say may be quoted, paraphrased or described in the Book, in every edition, format and translation, and in publicity for the Book.
3.2I grant [CLIENT NAME] a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence, for the full term of copyright, to use my words in this way. I keep the right to tell my own stories elsewhere.
What it meansA licence, not a transfer. The family can use the words in the book forever, and the interviewee can still tell the same story at their own grandson’s wedding.
Off the record
4.1If I say something is off the record, before or while I say it, it will not be quoted or attributed to me in the Book.
What it meansThe most used clause on this form. People say more when they know they can stop the tape in words.
Seeing my quotes first
☐ I would like to see the passages that quote me or describe me before the Book is final. I will reply within [14] days, or the passages will be taken as approved.
What it meansOptional. It means extra work for the writer, but it catches errors, and it stops an angry phone call after the books arrive.
Changing my mind
6.1I may withdraw this consent by writing to [WRITER EMAIL] before [DATE OR “THE FINAL MANUSCRIPT IS DELIVERED”]. After that, my words may stay in the Book.
What it meansPeople can change their minds, up to a point. Once the book is at the printer, pulling a chapter is not possible, so the cut-off is a date everyone can see.
My personal information
7.1I understand the recordings may include personal and sensitive information about me, such as health, religion or family matters, and I consent to it being recorded and used for the Book. Recordings will be deleted [WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF PUBLICATION / WHEN THE CLIENT DIRECTS].
What it meansPrivacy laws in India, the UK, the EU and elsewhere want explicit consent for sensitive information. This sentence is that consent, with a deletion date.
No payment
8.1I am not being paid for this interview, and I understand the Book may be sold.
☐ I would like a copy of the finished Book.
What it meansRemoves any later claim to a share of book sales. A copy of the book is the thank-you most families give, so ask. There is no release of claims for defamation or privacy on this form, and that is deliberate. Commercial releases ask a person to give up every claim. A family form that asks your aunt to waive her right to object to a false statement about her would be the wrong document to put in front of her.
Consent on the recording
9.1If I would rather not sign, I can give consent at the start of the recording, in these words or close to them: “My name is [NAME]. Today is [DATE]. I agree to be recorded for a book about [SUBJECT NAME], and I have heard the terms of the consent form read to me.” The writer will note on this form that consent was given on tape.
What it meansSome people will talk for three hours and still not sign a form. An eighty-year-old with poor eyesight is one. A spoken yes at the start of the tape, after the form has been read out, is the next best record. Keep the recording.
Signatures
Take the form with you
Interview Consent and Release Form: Word (.docx) to edit, PDF to print. Free, no sign-up. Blanks are highlighted.
India and other countries
India
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 asks for consent that is free, specific, informed and unambiguous, given by a clear action, for a stated purpose, and the person can withdraw it. This form is built to that standard. The Act’s rules are being brought in over 2025 to 2027, so check which duties apply on the date you sign. A person’s words are their own work under the Copyright Act 1957, which is why the form grants a written licence. Privacy and defamation are separate from consent: a signed release does not make a false statement about someone else safe to print.
UK
UK GDPR treats health, religion and ethnic origin as special category data. Explicit consent is one lawful basis for using it, and it can be withdrawn. There is also an exemption for journalism, art and literature, but explicit consent is the cleaner route for a private family book. The interviewee owns the copyright in their spoken words once recorded, so the licence clause matters.
US
The US Copyright Office assumes the interviewer owns the questions and the interviewee owns the answers, unless one of them transferred their rights in writing (Compendium of Copyright Office Practices, section 719). That is why the form grants a licence. There is no federal consent law for interviews. Many states require every party’s consent before a conversation is recorded, including California, Florida and Washington, so get it in writing before the recorder goes on. Rights of publicity vary by state and protect commercial use of a name or likeness.
UAE
The UAE Personal Data Protection Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, applies to personal data and needs clear consent for sensitive data. Recording a person without consent can be a criminal offence in the UAE, so take signed consent first and keep the form. DIFC and ADGM have their own data protection laws.
Singapore, Canada and Australia
Each has a privacy law that covers personal data: the PDPA in Singapore, PIPEDA and provincial laws in Canada, and the Privacy Act 1988 in Australia. Recording consent rules differ by province and state in Canada and Australia. Signed written consent satisfies all of them.
Questions people ask
Do family members need to sign a release to be in a biography?
Anyone interviewed should sign one. It confirms they agreed to be recorded and quoted, and tells them what happens to their words. People only mentioned in the book, not interviewed, do not sign, but the book still has to be true and fair to them.
Can someone withdraw from a biography after the interview?
Under this form, yes, until a cut-off date both sides can see, such as the delivery of the final manuscript. After that their words may stay in the book.
What does off the record mean in a book interview?
Anything a person says is off the record, before or while they say it, is not quoted or attributed to them. The writer can still use it to understand the story.
What should a release form include?
The person’s name, the project, permission to record and quote, what is off the record, whether they review their quotes, a withdrawal cut-off, how long recordings are kept, and a signature or a recorded yes.
Can you write a biography about someone without their permission?
In India, the UK and the US, yes, but you carry the risk of a privacy or defamation claim from any living person you name. Print only what you can show is true, keep a release from each person you interview, and have a lawyer read the final text.
Can you get sued over a memoir?
Yes, for defamation or invasion of privacy, by a living person who is named or can be recognised. Releases, a writer who flags risky lines, and a lawyer’s read of the final manuscript are the defence.
Do I need an interview release form to publish a book?
Publishers ask for one from every person quoted at length. A self-published family book needs one too, because an aunt who agreed in 2026 can object in 2029.
Hiring a writer for a family book?
Send me the contract you have been offered, or ask for mine. I respond within 48 hours, in confidence.