By Susan Spann Happy Holidays! Today, we continue our ongoing series on writing for anthologies with a look at copyright clauses in anthology contracts. Anthology writing differs from other forms of publication, and though the contracts often look similar, authors need to be aware of the critical differences between anthology contracts and those which govern publication of single-author…
Author: Susan Spann
Limiting Grants of Rights in Anthology Contracts
By Susan Spann Last month, my #PubLaw guest post took a look at important legal issues authors face when writing for anthologies. Today, and in the months to come, I’ll be taking a closer look at anthology contracts, and at the special issues unique to anthology writing. Today, we start with a look at the grant of rights in anthology…
The Legal Side of Anthologies (Part 1)
By Susan Spann Anthologies offer a great opportunity for authors to publish creative works and find new readers. Some anthologies feature works by authors from a specific group (for example, RMFW’s own CROSSING COLFAX, which contains short stories from members of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers organization), while others have open submissions on a specified topic, like horror…
The First Rule of Publishing: Don’t Be a Jerk
By Susan Spann One of the lessons I seem to repeat most often in my #PubLaw posts has (on the surface) little to do with law. In fact, I repeat it so often that I’m officially calling it #PubLaw Rule #1: Don’t be a Jerk. It’s a slightly more “SFW” version of the gaming community’s…
“Negotiation” Is Not a Four-Letter Word
By Susan Spann Today we continue the pre-conference #PubLaw prep for the contract negotiation workshop at Colorado Gold (which I’m team-teaching with Midnight Ink editor Terri Bischoff) with an unusual look at publishing contracts: one that doesn’t talk about contracts at all. (Note: You don’t have to go to Colorado Gold to benefit from the concepts we’re discussing…