Your Friend The Disclaimer
Most of us are familiar with disclaimers. As consumers, we have used umpteen products and services accompanied by a disclaimer. But when it comes to books and other publications, I often hear from writers that they are unsure if...
How to Avoid Unfair Delivery and Acceptance Clauses in a Publishing Contract
Of the many provisions in a publishing contract, two are extremely important to the author-publisher relationship: the delivery and acceptance of a manuscript. These provisions delineate the timing for submission and quality of...
Pilfering News Events For Your Fiction – Is it Legal?
Over the holiday, Kristin from Florida asked if she could use a current news story in her fiction without being sued. This question arises often and in various permutations, like writing about relatives, celebrities, politicians,...
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...