Book Covers And Copyrights
A writer this week asked about using preexisting book covers to create a new cover for a book she was publishing. Book cover copyrights are a topic I’m questioned about often. Who owns the book cover art — the artist, the...
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...
Seven Legal Myths About Pen Names
Howard Allen Frances O’Brien, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Erika Leonard, and Joanne Rowling – they all adopted one, maybe even two. No, not children. A nom de plume, more commonly known as a pen name. In this example, Anne Rice,...
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...
Tricks and Traps of Using a Pen Name
If you are a surgeon, do you want your patients to know you crank out thrillers with high body counts? If you dabble in bondage fiction, do you want to share that information with neighbors, employers, and your church group? The...