The Law (in Plain English) for Writers (Fifth Edition)

By Leonard D. DuBoff, Bert P. Krages II, Sarah Tugman, et al.

Book Overview

"No writer, beginning or experienced, will want to be without this book." --Jean Auel, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Clan of the Cave Bear and the Earth's Children series

A career as a writer involves much more than the act of writing itself. In The Law (in Plain English) for Writers, Fifth Edition, Leonard DuBoff and Sarah Tugman proffer invaluable advice for the myriad legal and business facets of being a writer. Readers will discover how to succeed in every area affecting a writer's livelihood, such as submissions, dealing with agents, taxes, permissions, royalties, alternatives to mainstream publishers, copyright, book and magazine contracts, and how to prevent disputes.

This newly revised edition, keeping up with the changing legal landscape, contains information on a variety of legal issues pertinent to writers of all types, including: Updated coverage on issues such as how to avoid trouble posed by the interplay between the right to free speech, privacy, and defamation lawChanges in the copyright law, procedures, and recent cases on copyright protection and infringementUpdated and revised chapters on the business of writingNew and updated Internet resources For writers of all levels, this comprehensive resource is the key to turning a writing career into a sustainable livelihood.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1621536289
• ISBN13: 9781621536284
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: Allworth
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Postsecondary to Grade 5

Customer Reviews

Excellent legal resource for writers

I am a law professor who teaches and publishes in art law and copyright, and I can attest that "The Law in Plain English© for Writers" is a tremendously useful resource for authors, playwrights, and professional and amateur writers of any kind. The expected topics of copyright, defamation and privacy law, freedom of expression, and censorship are covered here. But there is a significant danger with writing and other creative tasks if you do not know when legal issues and potential problems even exist, and the authors, Leonard DuBoff and Sarah Tugman, anticipate this, and have drafted chapters on how the law works in areas that most writers may not know might present problems in their work and activities. DuBoff and Tugman have three chapters on contracts, separating the general principles of contract law from specific chapters on book contracts and magazine contracts. There are chapters on working with literary agents and publishers, and advice on alternative outlets for publication. Lastly, the book covers tax law and trust and estates law as it pertains to writers. As the bestselling authors whose reviews are quoted on the book cover repeat again and again, writers at all levels of their practice, beginning or established, will want to read this book so they will be better able to navigate through legal issues now and in the future.