MSI Press Blog

  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  This week continues the discussion of writing, publishing, and the law. The past two weeks, we have gone into detail on various aspects of copyright and the law. Today's post is much shorter. We simply wish to fill in all the "holes" by making readers aware of a very helpful organization (with a helpful newsletter): Copyright Alliance . The organization and website cover a much broader range of topics and activities than authors need, but authors do need its coverage of copyright law. Bottom line:  Go ahead. Sign up for the Copyright Alliance newsletter. Knowledge is protection -- and guidance. See more Publisher Conversations ...

  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  Today's talk is about copyright (yes, again; it is an important topic). As an author, it's easy to think that knowing how to write and tell a great story is all you need to succeed, but understanding the law, particularly when it comes to intellectual property and copyright, is just as crucial. In a previous post, we discussed the basic concept of rights vs. copyright, but there’s so much more authors need to know to avoid legal pitfalls.  Consider: Copyright violations are more than just a risk for stealing someone else's work; they can happen accidentally. While it’s simple enough to avoid using someone else's written, visu...

  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  This week's conversation continues to look at copyright issues. Last week, the conversation was about what can and cannot be copyrighted . This week looks at the next, sad, step -- what if someone steals your work, anyway. Can you do anything about it? Yes, you can. Here are some ways to deal with this, from inexpensive to expensive. The Author of the Stolen Work If your words appear verbatim, without citation in the work of someone else, then that person is in violation of copyright law. Are more than 100 words or lines cited, even with credit, then perhaps you or your publisher should be receiving payment? Graphics, too, must be credi...

  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  This week's conversation looks at copyright again. (It can be a complex topic.) This time, the discussion focuses on what be copyrighted. It is a topic that is often misunderstood. Book Titles You might be surprised to learn that book titles cannot be copyrighted. That is why you will see several books sometimes with the same title. (Note: using a title already in existence can complicate matters and reduce sales both for you and for the person who first used the title.) Ideas and General Content You can trademark an idea that results in a product, but, no, you cannot copyright your ideas. We had one author who had a very frustrating ex...