“My friend left me the rights to his book. His estate disagrees. I have email proof! What do I do?!”
“My friend left his book rights to me via an email message, and verbally. The estate claims it belongs to them. What do you think?”
legal
CreateSpace GONE as Amazon forces authors into a different program. Higher costs? Slower royalty payments? And, Angry authors! – Whispers and Warnings – 08/30/18
Amazon kills CreateSpace, forces authors to KDP Print – and people are UPSET!; Tate Publishing owners – will they EVER go to trial?; TrueLine Publishing employees claims she was drugged at Christmas Party; and more juicy stories!
AUTHOR ALERT! Can Your Book’s REVIEWS Get You Sued? Yep!
Authors often think they can use emails from readers for marketing purposes without asking permission.
“My cousin and I co-wrote a book but then she left my name off of it!”
Did the cousin, who is now deceased, do this on purpose? And, what recourse does the co-author have?
Angry Book Pirates Call Authors “Elitists” After Website Shut Down – Whisper and Warnings – 08/16/18
Authors claim Amazon banned all of their books for “no reason” * Book pirates call authors “elitists” after website gets shut down * Public figure being scrutinized after writing tell-all book * Subpoena by Tweet! * “Fair Use” Battles * Judge blasts newspaper for publishing legally obtained info.
“Can I use old yearbook photos in my book or on my blog?” NOPE!
Old yearbook photographers could seriously get into the litigation business with all of the copyright infringement occurring online right now!!
“Can I publish other writers’ short stories in my anthology without permission?”
Can you pull short stories from the Internet and include them in your book? NO!
“Can I base my fictional character on a convicted criminal?”
What liability would an author face basing a fictional character on a living politician who committed crimes…
WritersWeekly.com Whispers and Warnings for 04/12/18
‘Boy Who Came Back From Heaven’ now sues publisher * “Pro Nazi” publisher sued in Poland * California lawmaker wants to trample free speech * WriterBeware threatened with legal action? * Internet Archives’ alleged copyright infringement
PUBLIC FIGURES AND LIBEL: “I want to write a tell-all book about a celebrity I once knew. Can a public figure sue me?”
Libel, defamation, invasion of privacy, stress, and LEGAL FEES. Is writing a tell-all book about a public figure financially (and morally) worth it in the end?