MSI Press Blog

  Authors, especially first-time authors of non-fiction books, must and should rely on available, already published information. The question is how to handle the use of it in your own work. Yes, of course, there are guides on how to cite something (APA Manual, Chicago Manual of Style, etc.), but what you can cite is something else. How do you avoid violating copyright law and finding yourself in a big unhealthy pile of muck and perhaps even having to take your book off the shelf? Here are some basic guidelines. 1. Lyrics & Poetry Even a single line of song lyrics or poetry is usually protected. Publishers almost always require permission and payment for reproduction. Safer route: paraphrase the sentiment or describe the effect instead of quoting. 2. Books & Prose Short quotations (a few lines) may fall under fair use , especially for commentary, criticism, or scholarship. Extended excerpts (e.g., 100+ lines) almost always require permission . Rule of thumb: i...

  Authors of non-fiction (and even fiction) books depend on other sources for expanded information about their content and for self-informing. In today's media environment, this kind of research can be fraught with missteps, especially gathering information that turns out to be erroneous, fake, and misleading. The first misstep often occurs in scanning headlines to know whether to keep on reading. A lot of time can be lost in following rabbit holes into the ground where headlines are misleading. Here are some ways to save that time, to know whether to click on a headline or not. 1. Spot the Signal vs. the Story Headlines are designed to grab attention, not to tell the whole truth. Treat them as teasers —always read the full article and check the original source before citing. 2. Check the “Five W’s” Who is actually involved? (politicians, corporations, regulators?) What is the evidence? (lawsuit, report, poll, or just speculation?) When did it happen? (under which administra...

  Authors frequently confuse LIST and NET and, in this way, end up with contracts that pay lower royalties when they believe that they are getting a good deal. Often, they cannot negotiate in ways that benefit themselves because they do not understand this difference and its significance. Let's break this down. List refers to the retail price of the book. Payment on list means a percentage of the retail price of the book. If royalties are 8% of list (5-8% is typical), then on a $10 book, royalties would be 80 cents; if they are 10%, royalties are $1, on every book sold. Easy to calculate, easy to predict income, and always standardized, no surprises or overestimations. Net refers to what is leftover after expenses. Gross revenue gets adjusted by a number of expenses: printing costs, printer set-up fees, shipping costs, handling fees, distributor percentage of sales (typically, 40%-55% per book), distributors' initial and continuing catalogue listing costs (without which online ...