Author Pen Names – Are Noms De Plume Obsolete?
P. L. Travers, Mark Twain, Robert Galbraith – these are all fictitious names used by writers. In this case, Helen Goff, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and Joanne Rowling. But you knew that, right? Most writers have read at least one...
Merry Christmas + Happy New Year
We are on a mini-blog holiday — sledding, throwing snowballs, and drinking lots of spiked eggnog. We hope your Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are festive and fun. See you again in 2017. – The Sidebar...
Negotiating Editorial Control in Publishing Contracts
One of many worrisome areas for writers negotiating publishing contracts is who has final word when editing a manuscript for publication. Publishing agreements define the right to creative control over the manuscript in the...
Using Pen Names in Contracts
Recently, a writer contacted us about signing a non-disclosure agreement using their pen name. I will not weigh-in on the reasons a writer would use a nom de plume. Enough has been said about the topic (e.g., Tricks and Traps of...
Fifth Amendment Right Against Self-Incrimination
If you’re a lawyer or a mystery writer (and I’m both), there’s a singular trope that arises again and again: the client is innocent but wrongly accused, the lawyer has the actual murderer on the witness stand, and the...