Building on the best-selling success of the original Self-Publisher¿s Legal Handbook, Helen Sedwick has released an expanded second edition to help writers stay out of court and at their desks.Using 30 years of legal experience, Sedwick shows writers how to¿Set up their business¿Protect their copyright¿Avoid infringement¿Spot scams¿Save on taxesThis second edition covers additional topics including¿An expanded discussion about using real people in your writing,¿More details on how to deal with content theft and piracy,¿A chapter on when and how to adopt a pen name,¿More information about getting permission to use lyrics, images, and quotes,¿Additional nitty-gritty about the business side of writing, especially taxes, ¿A discussion of estate planning for writers, and¿A look at opportunities beyond print and ebooks, including audio books and translations.Don¿t lose your copyright by signing a bad contract, or waste money by buying into a scam, or lose sleep by getting sued for defamation. Self-Publisher¿s Legal Handbook helps writers navigate the legal aspects of writing and independent publishing.
Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook is the first step-by-step guide to the legal issues of self-publishing. Attorney and published author Helen Sedwick uses 30 years of legal experience to cut through the legalese and show writers how to stay out of court and at their desks. Topics include-- Business set-up. From DBAs to sales taxes to crowd-funding, Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook walks writers through the process of setting up their self-publishing ventures. Moving from Manuscript to Book. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook compares the options of engaging a self-publishing service company to doing it yourself using a print-on-demand provider. It lists which contract provisions are acceptable and which are not. It explains the mechanics of hiring designers, editors, and other freelancers. Intellectual Property Issues. Copyrights, trademark, fair use, and public domain are explained in practical, useful terms, including how to find copyright holders and ask permission. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook provide tips on licensing images and music for little or no money. Internet Regulations. Any writer with a blog needs to know about privacy policies, SPAM, COPPA, and DMCA. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook explains these regulations in easy-to-understand language. Spotting Scams. Writers are e-blasted by businesses promoting overpriced services, if not outright frauds. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook shows writers how to spot aggressive sales techniques and scams. The Scary Stuff. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook provides needed guidance on avoiding the dangers of defamation, invasion of privacy, and infringement. Writing and publishing a book is a significant investment. Writers should not be losing money (and sleep) by hiring the wrong self-publishing company or getting sued for copyright infringement. Sedwick's Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook will help writers safely navigate the legal minefield.
This accessible, reader-friendly handbook will be an invaluable resource for authors, agents, and editors in navigating the legal landscape of the contemporary publishing industry. Drawing on a wealth of experience in legal scholarship and publishing, Jacqueline D. Lipton provides a useful legal guide for writers whatever their levels of expertise or categories of work (fiction, nonfiction, or academic). Through case studies and hypothetical examples, Law and Authors addresses issues of copyright law, including explanations of fair use and the public domain; trademark and branding concerns for those embarking on a publishing career; laws that impact the ways that authors might use social media and marketing promotions; and privacy and defamation questions that writers may face. Although the book focuses on American law, it highlights key areas where laws in other countries differ from those in the United States. Law and Authors will prepare every writer for the inevitable and the unexpected.
The Fine Print of Self-Publishing (Fourth Edition) offers a comprehensive guide to the self-publishing world, and is a must-read for any author considering self-publishing his or her book.
..".a 'must' for any aspiring self-publisher..." -- Midwest Book Review FINALIST, 2nd Place, Writing & Publishing, Global EBook Awards Learn How to Achieve Your Publishing Dreams Today! "Jennette Green's Book Formatting for Self-Publishers can help you take control of your publishing career . . ." Have you written a book that you would like to see published? Today, the barriers preventing an author from getting his/her book published have vanished. No longer do authors need to send out countless query letters to publishers, who either dump them in the trash, or send a standard, cold rejection letter. Now you can take control of your publishing career. In this book, you will learn simple techniques to produce a professional looking print book or ebook. Take advantage of the author's years of experience producing professional book files for satisfied clients. Her tips and tricks to mastering the technical details of publishing a book are presented in a simple, step-by-step format that anyone can understand. Dozens of accompanying illustrations make learning the steps even easier. If you own Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro (version 7 or later), you can publish your book now.* With a well-written book, a good marketing plan, and this how-to manual, you can make your publishing dreams come true. What is stopping you? Get started today! In this book, you will learn how to: Use Microsoft Word. Learn how to format your novel or nonfiction book. Learn tips to make your book look professional. Easily Format eBooks. Use your Microsoft Word print document to create ebooks for Kindle, NOOK, and Smashwords. Convert Book Covers. Discover how to build a book cover on a template. Learn how to convert any book cover file so that it will be accepted at Lightning Source and CreateSpace. Apply for Amazon's "Look Inside the Book." Find out how to format and submit your book to Amazon's "Look Inside" program. And much, much more... Jennette Green is a multi-published, international author of both fiction and nonfiction. She has helped numerous authors and publishers prepare their books for publication. She provides technical support, book and ebook formatting, as well as her specialty of building and converting covers to meet Lightning Source and CreateSpace requirements. Her passion is to empower others to achieve their publishing dreams. * Adobe Photoshop (or Scribus) is also needed in order to produce a cover file for Lightning Source. If you would like to apply advanced Kindle formatting to your book, please note that this how-to manual does not cover the use of CSS, html, KindleGen, NCX files, or other advanced Kindle formatting issues. If this area is of interest to you, the purchase of a separate book covering these topics is recommended. As well, this manual is best suited for fiction novels, or general nonfiction books. If your print nonfiction book requires a great deal of specialized formatting, you may consider using a professional page layout program, such as Adobe InDesign. The use of InDesign is not covered in this book. For Windows/PC; Tips for Mac on FormatABook.com website
When thirteen year old Myles brings home an injured coyote pup, his father warns him -- something as wild as a coyote can't be trusted. Land is the only sure thing. His father is wrong. Set on the American western prairie in the years leading up to the Dust Bowl, this historical novel follows the adventures of Myles and his coyote, Ro, as they hunt rabbits and dodge tornadoes. Meanwhile men like his father are turning the prairie into the world's breadbasket. The American Dream is within reach. But when drought turns the land into blowing dust, Myles must save his coyote from the men who dream of conquering all.
An indispensable, quick-access reference guide that covers the full range of legal issues unique to publishing. Includes: idea protection, book development, analysis of standard publishing contracts, subsidiary rights, revision of rights, electronic and multimedia rights, film and TV rights, defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright and trademark, and more.
"A thoughtful, comprehensive, and invaluable guide for writers."--Bernard Lefkowitz, Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism "Easy to read and understand . . . should be on every publisher's reference shelf."--Jan Nathan, Executive Director, Publishers Marketing Association For anyone who has ever faced the confusing web of copyright and libel laws, this practical, problem-solving guide is a godsend. In clear, jargon-free language, legal experts provide the information and techniques you need to prepare a manuscript or multimedia work for publication. You'll learn how to: * Clear rights for all types of copyrighted materials, including quotations, photographs, fine art, motion picture stills, song lyrics, and more * Protect yourself against libel suits * Determine if a work is in the public domain * Assess if quoting without permission qualifies as fair use * Locate rights holders * Negotiate clearances Includes library of sample forms: * permission letter * interview release * model release * work-made-for-hire agreement * copyright assignment * photograph license
Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook is the first step-by-step guide to the legal issues of self-publishing. Attorney and self-published author Helen Sedwick uses 30 years of legal experience to show writers how to stay out of court and at their desks. Topics include: Business set-up. From DBAs to sales taxes to crowd-funding, Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook walks writers through the process of setting up their self-publishing ventures. Moving from Manuscript to Book. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook compares the options of engaging a self-publishing service company to doing-it-yourself using a print-on-demand provider. It lists which contract provisions are acceptable and which are not. It explains the mechanics of hiring designers, editors, and other freelancers. Intellectual Property Issues. Copyrights, trademark, fair use, and public domain are explained in practical, useful terms, including how to find copyright holders and ask permission. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook provide tips on licensing images and music for little or no money. Internet Regulations. Any writer with a blog needs to know about privacy policies, SPAM, COPPA, and DMCA. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook explains these regulations in easy-to-understand language. Spotting Scams. Writers are e-blasted by businesses promoting overpriced services, if not outright frauds. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook shows writers how to spot aggressive sales techniques and scams. The Scary Stuff. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook provides guidance on avoiding the dangers of defamation, invasion of privacy, and infringement. Writing and publishing a book is a significant investment. Writers should not be losing money (and sleep) by hiring the wrong self-publishing company or getting sued for copyright infringement. Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook will help writers safely navigate the legal minefield.
