Going To Make This Basic… As many of these blogs are, this is triggered by comments from writers that make me just shake my head. Writers, especially fiction writers, seem to have an aversion to learning copyright. It is like if they learn and understand copyright, they will catch something that will kill them instead of make them money. So over the next few day or weeks, I am going to point out some head-shaking comments by fiction writers about copyright. Again, this will be basic. Head-shaking comment… “You never want to sell all your copyright.” And that comment assumes it is all right to sell “some” of your copyright.…

All Authors I Have Heard From Are Having One Issue Or Another… Filling out these forms for percentages of a book is often just head-scratching. I now no longer doubt that some payments will be going out by November 15th, but I can not imagine the special master having to untangle some of this. Going to take time. All the stuff that writers are talking about traditional publishers claiming 100% is one thing. I got some of those I have not gotten to yet. And other percentage issues. But yesterday I had one claim number I got from them that was not on my records. In fact, the three titles…

Some Really Stupid Stuff Being Said… A lot to do with the Anthropic settlement. Seems you get a bunch of writers who know nothing of copyright worrying about getting money from a copyright settlement, things can just get stupid. Actually, the rule is pretty simple. And frighteningly enough, the courts have been moderately clear. To have a work made for hire, you have to either have worked in the office under the companies control with payroll and such, or signed a Works Made for Hire Contract and fall into nine very clearly defined categories, 95% of which authors do not fit in for fiction. Here is the link to the…

Writer’s Just Don’t Understand Copyright… This week I read a bunch of discussions about the different paths in publishing… Every one of those discussions forget the MOST IMPORTANT element,,. Copyright. And with copyright comes control of the work’s future. You sell a novel to one of the last four traditional publishers these days and they buy all rights for the life of the copyright. Period. Stupid responses I got from myth-filled writers who are going to try to sell a book to traditional publishing no matter what anyone says. “There is a reversion clause. I will get my rights back.”  In electronic publishing world, that is as worthless as the…

Not Really for Fun… Writers who don’t have the time to learn copyright seem to not like to have it thrust upon them. So most will just skip this and last night’s post. Just nature of the desire of the uninformed to remain uninformed. I think it is a rule of nature. I answered a comment I wanted to bring up here because I got similar in emails. Since 1987 or so (Actually March 1st 1989) in the US, copyright notice on a work is not needed or required. Reasons to put a copyright date on a work… — It can be a “notice” to the uninformed that someone owns…