A Self-Publishing Primer

(Author’s Note:  this post, first published in 2002, has become somewhat outdated because of the phenomenal rise of e-books.  However, much of it still is useful)  Self-publishing is hot.  Compared to traditional publishing, your book can be in print faster, you’ll have more control, complete ownership, and you won’t have to share revenue.  Even authors who have been successful with...

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Copyright Basics

What Is Copyright? Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors of original works, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. Copyright protection is provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) and most other countries, and is available both to published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act...

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What Lawyers Do

Or, Big Words Sound The Same In Any Language. Contrary to what you were taught in school, the true religion of most of the population of the United States is litigation. The word “litigation,” by the way, is derived from the Latin word litis, meaning “ritual,” and agere, meaning “screwing.” It is said that litigation touches everyone all the time, occasionally...

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Negligence Primer

Negligence Basics Defenses Professional Negligence Strict Liability Intentional Torts Workers Compensation Negligence Basics What is “negligence?” Negligence is conduct which breaches (violates) your duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent harm or injury to another person. If, for instance, you like to imitate movie car chase scenes and you drive your Camaro at seventy-five miles an hour...

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Contract Basics

Why Contracts Are In A Language You Can’t Understand Negotiation Contract Law Basics Breach of Contract The Reasonable Person Remedies Special Types of Contracts Why Contracts Are In A Language You Can’t Understand Every profession has its own jargon, and law is no exception. Law’s language is called legalese. Lawyers don’t necessarily use legalese to obfuscate, although...

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