Legal Issues
How Can I Avoid Lawsuits When Writing Memoir?
Even lesser-known authors can experience legal issues if they don’t perform their due diligence while writing and revising their books.
Are Fictional Characters Protected Under Copyright Law?
Copyright law is written to protect stories, not characters, but over time the law on character protection has evolved.
The (Copyright) Trouble with NFTs
Hype aside, an NFT is not equivalent to registering a digital work with the Copyright Office—and it's no barrier to unlawful reproduction.
A Writer’s Guide to Fair Use and Permissions + Sample Permissions Letter
If you need to request permissions from an author or publisher, here are general guidelines, plus a sample letter you can customize.
Intellectual Property: The Big Picture for Authors
Ensure that your work continues to generate earnings for you and your heirs by staying on top of contracts, royalties, licensing, and available formats.
A Primer on Estate Planning as a Writer
Whether you start writing as a child or in your golden years, it's never too early to learn about estate planning. You may wonder which is best, a will or trust, for bequeathing your written work. Both have their advantages. Here's what you need to know.
3 Types of Contracts Every Writer Should Understand
Publishing relies on contractual relationships, but not all contracts are equally enforceable. Here's what you need to know about forms of legal contracts.
What Is Public Domain? (And Why 2019 Is a Big Year)
Photo credit: aestheticsofcrisis on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-SA Today's guest post is by intellectual property lawyer and novelist Brad Frazer
How to Choose and Set Up a Pen Name
You should consider how secret you want to be about your true identity. Maintaining secrecy is difficult. The higher the level of secrecy, the more complicated the process
5 Things Nonfiction Authors Can Get Sued For
Unlike pure fiction, nonfiction is grounded in the real world, with real people, real names and real places, and this inevitably creates an environment where a legal misstep can occur.
Negotiating Editorial Control in Publishing Contracts
Today’s guest post is from writer and Sidebar Saturdays blogger Matt Knight (@mattknightbooks). One of many worrisome areas for writers
Why Your Non-Disclosure Agreement Is Probably a Bad Idea
Asking an editor or agent to sign a non-disclosure agreement is not part of traditional publishing business practice.
What Every Self-Published Author Needs to Know About Taxes
U.S. tax code encourages new businesses by permitting entrepreneurs to offset losses from one business from other income as long as the owner has a serious intent to operate the business at a profit.
Copyright Is Not a Verb
Today's guest post is by copyright lawyer Brad Frazer. He has written two other posts for this site: Trademark Is
Do You Hold E-Rights to Your Traditionally Published Book?
Maistora / Flickr I recently received this very challenging question and scenario from traditionally published author Dr. Liz Alexander. I
Are You Worried Your Ideas or Work Will Be Stolen?
I recently received the following question from working writer Shannon Traphagen: I have been fervently working on my novel (I