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.  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...

  From MSI Press author, Arthur Yavelberg -- As someone who writes, I am supposed to have an appreciation for the value of words. I do, of course...and yet.... In Zen, there is the advice: "Don't confuse the finger pointing to the moon with the moon itself." In this context, words can open our minds and hearts to the mysterious wonders of the universe, but they cannot explain the mysterious wonders of the universe. There is a reason the Bible and the Upanishads are not essays. These and other sacred texts describe  encounters between people and the divine. They are intended to spark some sense of recognition--much like stories of suffering can inspire empathy for others in pain. This may be the point when Jesus says, when asked about heaven: "Neither shall they say, 'Lo here!' or, 'Lo there!' for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21) Heaven is not a function of geography. Similarly, when the Buddha refers to nirvana, he answere...