The Writer's Legal Guide: An Authors Guild Desk Reference

by Tad Crawford, Kay Murray

In an increasingly digitized and complex publishing world, writers need to know how to protect themselves against copyright infringement, legal trouble, and unwise concessions to publishers. Still the author’s foremost advocate for copyright protection, fair contracts, and free expression, the Authors Guild has once again partnered with Allworth Press to update this invaluable reference. Thoroughly revised to reflect the many changes in the publishing industry, the fourth edition offers plain-English explanations of legal and business aspects of the trade, from electronic rights and ebooks to contracts and accounting. Other topics include: 

Genres: Writing, Reference, Nonfiction, Business, Legal

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

My new novel, A Woman in the Wild, has just been published by Arcade Publishing (distributed by Simon & Schuster).
The novel tells of Thea, a psychologist in crisis who leaves her established practice in the city for an open-ended retreat in the mountains at the Institute for Healing and Transformation. Feeling lost, betrayed, and stricken by guilt not to have saved her daughter from sexual abuse, she hopes to find a new path to ease her pain and uncertainties. Soon after her arrival, a “wild” man who roamed the forest with a bear is brought to the institute. When the man is given to her care, she performs a suspenseful balancing as she seeks to heal him as well as herself. Hiking and meditating each day, she initiates an inner journey that shakes her free from the familiar. As the months pass, she engages her guilt and sorrow, confronts her failures, weighs the limits of therapy and self-forgiveness, and seeks to unleash the healing powers of the unconscious and of love.

I'm happy to do book clubs and library talks about the novel.

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good reference book about the ins and outs of publishing, copyright, contracts, agents and self-publishing. Adding it to my list so I can refer back to the chapter on Taxes.

[Martha Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won "The Writer's Legal Guide" on the First Reads give away and am so happy that I did.

It came just in time for me to review tax information for writers just prior to sending off my yearly tax return. Although this is my third year as an author to file taxes, I learned quite a bit of useful information from this book that helped me this year in filing. Another issue that I had been concerned with is dealt with in the last chapter on estate planning, wills for authors. I have found it difficult to find information on this subject elsewhere, so I was happy to find an entire helpful chapter devoted to it.

The best thing about this book is that it includes exactly what words to use in legal author matters as well as many sources on legal questions for authors, including websites that are helpful.

Martha Char Love
author of "What's Behind Your Belly Button? A Psychological Perspective of the Intelligence of Human Nature and Gut Instinct"

[Irene Stern Frielich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very helpful book for basics of law for writers.

[Pamela D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through the GoodReads First Reads giveaway.

Before I review this book, I should say that I am not a professional and nowhere near publishing a book. For this reason, I cannot speak to whether the information is correct. Of course, with books that discuss legal matters, it is always a good idea to check out sources too (laws have a habit of changing). The book discusses a variety of important topics for writers including ebooks, copyright, and taxes; however, because the book is less than 350 pages and not a massive tome, he does not go into substantial detail on each subject (again, a good reason to check other sources). One last thing to know is that the book is a bit dense (lots of law to squeeze into a short book!). Overall, this is a great go to book for writers who need some legal help.