The Reel Deal
So You Want To Be In Pictures? It’s every writer’s fantasy — Hollywood buys your story and before you know it, you’re watching your name roll down the credits of a summer blockbuster. Likely? Of course not. Nevertheless, the chances of your work being considered for film or television might be greater than you think — if you know the ropes. Film and television...
Read MoreA Very Brief History of Litigation
Litigation is as old as civilized history: evidence of trials exists in the hieroglyphic stone tablets of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the scrolls of Rome and Greece, and even the ideographs of the Chinese dynasties. For instance, Pliny the Youngest (Caius Plinius Caecilius Secundus Junior) wrote: “If a citizen’s concubine falleth beneath the wheels of a neighbor’s horse cart, the Praetor...
Read MoreQ&A: Permissions
Q. When do I need permission to use someone else’s material, such as song lyrics or poetry, in my novel? A. The answer is simple: whenever the failure to seek permission will result in copyright infringement. Since 1976,U.S.copyright is automatic when an original work — text, art, photos or music — is created and fixed in a copy or recorded for the first time. Neither...
Read MoreQ&A: Cross-collateralization
Q. What is cross-collateralization, and is there a cure? A. Cross-collateralization is an accounting concept (stay with me here) used in publishing agreements (and also commercial loans). It refers to the right of the publisher to charge your royalty account for any amount owing to the publisher under any other agreement. Unfortunately, many writers fail to understand the impact...
Read MoreRights 101
Everyone talks about them, but few really understand. What are the “rights” you sell to a magazine or a publisher? First, let’s review the basics. You already should know that the author of an original work owns its copyright the instant it is “fixed” on paper, disk, video, photograph or other tangible medium (unless it was “work for hire,” see below). Registration of the copyright with the...
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