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Disclaimer: We are not attorneys. However, Angela has been in the publishing industry for 28 years now. This episode contains our advice after hearing pretty much everything from thousands authors over the years. If you need assistance with your particular situation or book, please contact your attorney or James M. Walsh, Esq.
In this episode, Angela and Brian share real stories about lawsuits that were filed against authors, and how those proceedings affected them financially…and otherwise.
So many authors feel that, even if they get sued, they might win…so, no problem, right? WRONG! In the U.S., unless a case is declared frivolous by a judge, you might never get back all the money you spent defending yourself.
Another problem is the tremendous amount of stress authors must endure throughout the legal process, which can take months, or even years.
Listen to this episode, which is filled with examples of lawsuits filed against authors (and why), so you can hopefully avoid the legal pitfalls that could land you in court and can potentially lead to bankruptcy.
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- BookLocker’s Publishing Packages
- Author Testimonials!
- EPISODE 12: James. M. Walsh, Esq. Answers YOUR Legal Questions About the Publishing Industry! – From libel to invasion of privacy in memoirs, to illegal copies of books being sold, to copyrighting of recipes, to writing about a 200-year-old incident, …
- 13 Signs You Shouldn’t Include That Risky Content In Your Book
- Wikipedia officially bans AI-generated content — and they will be relying on human editors for bot detection
- EPISODE 16: When An Author Dies, The Vultures Will Rise!
- Featuring Real People in Your Writing? Protect Yourself From Lawsuits! – by Tom Douglas
- BookLocker Helped Turn Some Sunny Day Into A Commercial Success – by Tom Douglas
- “Why don’t I get paid royalties when someone sells a used copy of my book?”
- Author Ordered to Pay Amazon’s Expenses After Filing RIDICULOUS Lawsuit
- Hiding Won’t Protect You From a Libel Lawsuit. Just ask John.
- PUBLIC FIGURES AND LIBEL: “I want to write a tell-all book about a celebrity I once knew. Can a public figure sue me?”
- OOPS! Author Published Other People’s REAL Phone Numbers In His Novel!
- Want to Get Sued? Write About Your Ex!
- Amazon KDP Continues to INFURIATE (and TERMINATE) Authors!
- When A Book Contributor Threatens To Sue
- One for the Books: 8 Literary Lawsuits
- 10 books that caused legal battles between authors and publishers
- Post-Lawsuit, HC Publishing ‘Julie of the Wolves’ E-book
- Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Novelist Steal Another Writer’s Story?
- Is That Movie/TV Show Substantially Similar to Your Book…or Not? by Harvey Randall, Esq.
- Do you think you might be the victim of a publishing scam? CONTACT ANGELA.
- If you need legal assistance at a very affordable rate, contact JAMES M. WALSH, ESQ.
- Clayton Jones’ Editing, Website Design, Author/Book Coach, and Book Marketing Services.
- TikTok Trailers!
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Thanks for your video about copyrights and lawsuits. Maybe there’s time to double-check my submitted manuscript and make sure I didn’t mention the name of the nonprofit created by a distant cousin. She and I don’t relate to each other well. I had thought she’d be flattered and perhaps get more donations, but I don’t know that. She also has adult children I’ve never met.
I read The New Yorker article a few months ago about the author whose book was allegedly stolen by the Entangled person. It was chilling!
I just contacted you through your Publishing.BookLocker.com author account. Yes, I recommend removing that name just to be safe. 🙂
Angela
Angela, I loved just listing to you and Brian because I had never heard your voices before. I graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan and my drama professor as well as most of my friends were southerners and I just loved listening to them. That was so long ago in my life and I now sound so different and I miss them so much.
You gave me such great information in today’s podcast episode 39.
Thank you for all you have done for me and my debut novel and I continue to feel so safe with you.
Always,
Jane
Regarding the article about material that could get you sued. I would suggest mentioning The AP Style manual that includes a good chapter on libel and privacy. The older copies probably can be purchased cheaply at a used book site.
By the way,libel is a felony in Costa Rica where i ran a daily newspaper for 17 years. Been in court a lot. Still not a convicted felon.