Copyright

Read the Terms of Service (TOS)

Hi Folks, First, everything you write, including blog posts, is automatically protected by copyright the instant it’s “in fixed form.” You don’t have to register your copyright. It’s there whether or not you choose to register it. In other words, the instant your short story, novel, novella, essay, memoir or blog post (or any other writing) is finished, it’s protected by copyright. If you use or are thinking about using the free (or paid) WordPress.com to … Read more

On Licensing and the Importance of Copyright

Hi Folks, This special post comes mid=week because, well, it’s important. If you write at all, you need to understand the value of your short story or novel. You need to understand what you own—Copyright. Intellectual Property (IP)—and you need to understand that you own the right to license that IP. As an aside, THIS is the big reason I’ve always been so frantic about getting the next short story or novel out. Because that one … Read more

Copyright Schmopyright (or Something Like That)

Hi Folks, Note: This post was originally scheduled for 9/13/2013. It didn’t post to MailChimp, so I’m posting it again now. I’ve revised the original post so it’s up to date. No, I’m not saying copyright isn’t important. I’m saying that, like global warming, it exists without you doing anything at all. Let’s get right to it. I received an email from a former editing client. The subject line was “intellectual property?” His entire email read … Read more

Traditional Publishing: Just Don’t

Hi Folks, Via The Digital Reader, The Huffington Post (whom I would never and am not now promoting) published an article titled “The 4 Great Myths of Book Publishing.” You can read the full article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-4-great-myths-of-book-publishing_us_5988e9ebe4b08a4c247f252d/ but I’ll save you the trouble. There are actually a lot more myths about traditional publishing than four, but we’ll go with the ones they list. According to the article, the myths are that a traditional publisher will aggressively … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 3/27

Hey Folks, Dean has begun a series of posts on copyright. I’m not personally wild about the analogy he uses, but there should be a ton of good information there over the next several days. * * * I said I would update you regarding my experience with Cover to Upload. Kathy did an excellent job, put up with my requirements and changes, was very quick to respond, and even uploaded the thing to CreateSpace for … Read more