Helen Sedwick's Blog

How to Use Images of Real People Without Violating Privacy and Publicity Rights

Suppose you find the perfect image for your book cover on the internet—a plucky redhead with a perfect pout. Even better, the photo is available under a Creative Commons attribution-only license that permits commercial use. What a money saver!

But wait. Do you have a release from the plucky redhead? Do you need one?

Or you attend a writers’ conference and take photos of a famous author speaking at the podium. Later, you capture that same author when he is sloppy-faced and drunk at a large rec...

Answering Questions About Copyright

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I love my readers.

Not because they buy my books. I like that.

I love my readers because they ask interesting questions. I read your emails, sit back and give an audible hmmmm. Your questions challenge me to take abstract legal concepts and apply them to real people, real books, real problems. Often with a new twist.

From time to time, I like to share some of the general questions readers send me and my responses. I have revised the letters to make them more generic and removed all identifyi...

Submission Releases Find Their Way into Book World

[image error]Suppose you are about to submit a query and sample chapters to an agent. A pop-up window appears requiring you to agree to a bunch of legalese including the following:

I will not assert against Agent any claim based upon infringement, plagiarism, breach of confidentiality, breach of implied contract, unfair competition, theft of ideas, concepts or characters, or any other claim arising out of the use or alleged use of my Manuscript by Agent or anyone gaining access to the Manuscript through A...

Book Disclaimers Don’t Have to be Boring!

[image error]Many authors assume the legal disclaimers at the front of their books are supposed to be boring. They presume some pricey lawyers devised standard legalese, and they dare not depart from the norm.

Not so.

The law does not require a disclaimer to be boring. In fact, just the opposite is true. The more interesting the disclaimer, the more likely it will be read. From a lawyer’s point of view, a well-written, well-read disclaimer is best of all.

Many writers have a lot of fun with their disclaim...

Sales Tax Basics for Writers

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If you will be selling books either in person or through your website, then the law says you are to collect and pay sales tax, unless you’re lucky enough to live in a state without sales tax.

And calculating sales tax is ridiculously complex, considering we are talking nickels and dimes here.

Even I hate it, and I am used to nit-picky forms.

While I can’t make the sales tax headache disappear, maybe I can make it easier for writers. I’ve hit the highlights below.

First Step – Register with...

Join Me Today at the Non-Fiction Writers Online Conference

Today, at 5 PM Eastern Time (2 PM Pacific), I’ll be giving a presentation called Protecting Your Rights and Your Wallet. I’ll discuss copyrights and how to protect them from ‘theft by contract.’ My goal is help writers spot overreaching contract provisions. Below I have pasted some samples I will use in the presentation. Hope you can join me.

Sign up here: Non-Fiction Writers Conference

Sample Overreaching Granting Clause

Grant of Rights. The Author agrees that the XYZ has the exclusive right...

Have the Courts Given Google a License to Steal From Authors?

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If I were to scan Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, post 16% of it on my website to attract visitors, and then sell advertising at prices justified by the number of visitors, I would be infringing on Hannah’s copyright. I could (and probably should) be sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But when Google does the same thing with millions of books, it is not infringing. Instead, Google is applauded for expanding “public knowledge and understanding.” Is this legal?

This is one of the key...

Business Set-Up For Indie Authors Now Available

Yesterday, I did a live webinar with Joel Friedlander on how to set-up your self-publishing business. including information about business names and taxes. You can view it here. Why Authors Who Want to Self-Publish Need a Business Hat

For more details about business set-up, Joel and I put together a product full of information and forms, including form releases and contracts. As a bonus you’ll also get a free e-book of Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook. Interested? For more info, click HERE.

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Free Webinar on Business Basics for Writers

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What are you doing Thursday, Feb. 11 at 1 Pacific time/4 Eastern time?

I’ve teamed up with Joel Friedlander to present a webinar on business basics for writers, particularly the nuts and bolts of setting up your self-publishing business.

And it’s free.

Among the topics we’ll discuss:

When to form a corporation or limited liability company Why and how to select an imprint name What business permits and licenses every business needs Whether to set up separate bank, PayPal and other busines...

Translation Options for Indie Authors

[image error]David Vann is one of the most accomplished U.S. authors you’ve never heard of. His award-winning works have been translated into nearly 20 languages, and he’s a former Guggenheim Fellow and Stegner Fellow.

Even though Vann’s books are published by a major publisher, he receives more attention and more sales abroad. He claims he has sold more books in Barcelona than in the entire U.S.

Are you next?

International sales represent a golden opportunity for writers.

Not long ago, selling rights int...