-
The Life and Times of a Copyright…
How One Short Story Made A Lot of Money… So many writers do not understand the value of a single piece of copyright. In this case, let me tell you the story of the life (so far) of a short story titled, “In the Shade of the Slowboat Man.” Back in the early 1990s, about thirty years ago, I was invited to write a story for a vampire anthology and like a fool I said yes. I hate vampires. So I put it off until a writing retreat on the Oregon Coast with eight other writers in one house for the weekend. I sat down at my then-massive computer sitting…
-
Indie Publishers and Copyright
A Court Case… More than likely, this is something almost no indie writers and publishers even know about. Seven years ago, WMG Publishing got a demand letter from the copyright office that we needed to submit two of our best copies of every title we had published. Or pay a $250 fine per title. Yikes… Yeah, I know you didn’t know about this… Not something talked about in indie publishing circles and because most writers refuse to learn copyright, not something that would ever come up. Until you get the demand letter from the Copyright office like we did. Kris and I knew about it from our days at Pulphouse…
-
Derivative Rights in Bite-Sized Copyright
Talking Derivative Rights for Next Three Weeks… That’s right, for those of you who think you know copyright, or are planning to learn it any day now, it is going to take me three full weeks of Bite-Sized Copyright class to just do the basics on derivative rights. And you can’t understand licensing anything unless you understand how derivative rights work first. Bite-Sized Copyright class has no assignments, so it fits with just about anything. You just get the videos every Monday morning every week for the full year. Yes, you can take it quarter by quarter and all the first weeks remain, so you can catch up on your…
-
Only Talking Valuation…
Not What You Do With It… I was not talking estates, or taxes, or Thor Power Tools… (Don’t ask.) You need to at least begin to understand valuation before you get to estates, taxes, or selling your catalog of copyright. So I was only talking about some basics of valuation. What you do with the valuation is up to you. SOME POINTS… All catalogs, no matter the size, will have a valuation. I know early stage writers and publishers think none of this is important, just as they believe copyright is something to learn down the road. And even more scary, even some long-term professional writers don’t understand the value…
-
Valuation, Bite-Sized Copyright, and The Decade Ahead…
New Videos Every Monday Morning.. Not sure about the folks who are signed up on either Bite-Sized Copyright or The Decade Ahead classes (which get new videos every Monday morning for this entire year), but I am having a blast with both classes. 48 weeks to go on both. Wow, that is going to be a lot of information, so don’t hesitate in jumping in on either or both of the classes. It won’t talk long to catch up with the first four weeks and then have new videos awaiting you every Monday on both topics. Find them on Teachable. Copyright Valuation Topic… Why there has not been another post…
-
And a Lawyer Friend Said, “I Told You So.”
Writers Insist They Know Copyright… Without even beginning to learn it. Right? Copyright seems so simple on the surface. My work is mine, all mine, and nothing else matters. At least until it does. And then writers, full of bad information, make the worst decisions and someone takes advantage of them and they often lose their work and wonder what happened. But for a writer to get prepared for critical and money-making decisions ahead of time… that is just too much work, too much time, too much money. Kris and I came up with a way to make the time and work easy with Bite-Sized Copyright every Monday morning, and…
-
More IP Valuation
Thought I Better Do a Basic Friday Night IP Quiz… Before moving on to the second and most commonly used way to value IP, in this instance copyright. So be honest with yourself And do not tell me how many you got or didn’t get. These are so basic, if you are a professional fiction writer, these are silly easy. The answers will actually be at the bottom of this post, but don’t cheat doing them for yourself first. 1… When Publishing a Book wide, which elements contain copyright protection? a…the overall story b… the cover c… the sales copy 2… In your story, which elements contain copyright protection? a……
-
Bite-Sized Copyright
Learn Copyright Every Week Painlessly… Yup, I know. You have been meaning to get to learning copyright, but it just doesn’t seem important enough yet. You are making great money “selling” your stories on Amazon and other places, and the entire licensing thing just seems pointless. Sadly, most writers feel that way right up to the moment something happens. Copyright is like learning craft in fiction writing. The more you know, the more you realize you need to know. And the more you know, interestingly enough, the more money you make overall. But learning it on your own is difficult at best. And for many writers, tedious, so it gets…
-
Sucked Down a Copyright Hole…
I Do That To Myself At Times… I am such a copyright junkie, when given the excuse, I find myself going deeper and deeper into legal articles and having so much fun. That’s where I lost a few hours tonight. If you have no idea why I would think copyright is fun, take the Magic Bakery classic workshop. Or read my book on the topic. Copyright is magic and is why WMG Publishing exists, five employees have their jobs, and Kris and I live in this fantastic new place. One place I played tonight was the 35 year rule. For example, I signed maybe 60 Work for Hire contracts in…
-
I’m a Copyright Junkie…
I Know…. Sounds Painful… Today, I found some amazing articles on copyright and trademark. Basically IP. One pretty amazing article was on copyright, bad agents and lawyers, really bad contracts, divorce, and more twists and turns than anyone will be able to figure out because of all the stupidity over the decades. It concerned the Tom Clancy’s estate and Jack Ryan. I am not going to link to it because the copyright and trademark concepts in it will just give anyone who is not a copyright junkie the wrong ideas. A second court case article was posted about Dwight Yoakam suing Warner Brothers for continuing to sell his songs. Actually,…