The story is set in present day and genre is spec-fiction. I want to ground the reader in the location, surrounding them with realia so that the fiction elements seem more believable. How permissible is it to use real brands (cigarettes, beer, take out shop, electronics, etc) in a story? None of these brands are being besmirched/derided in any way. The end market will be a self-published book, so I don't have a publisher saying "No. We like our mail room free of cease & desist letters, thank you."
This comes up twice a day around here - I suggest you do a quick search for at least a squillian replies
Thanks. Found a few - I had to try 5-6 different search terms though. I had done a search before I posted, but only 1-2 different terms.
If you are mentioning the product in it's intended use: drinking the brand soda, smoking the brand cigs, walking past the brand electronic store, etc., it is ok.
