I’m out of the office and away from the computer today, so our regular Publishing legal feature is taking a one-week hiatus. That doesn’t mean you have no #Publishing Law today, however! This summer, friend and fellow author Heather Webb, whose debut novel BECOMING JOSEPHINE will release in Winter 2014 from Plume, is hosting me every Wednesday! The series features authors’ questions (and answers) about anything and everything publishing and intellectual property related. This week’s feature answers the question “How do I register a trademark?” and you can find my answer over at Heather’s blog, BETWEEN THE SHEETS! The regular summer series on
Read moreMonth: May 2013
Colonial Corals on the Move
Most corals live in colonies. In some species, the individual animals conjoin themselves in a single mass: While others live as collections of separate polyps joined at the bases. Palythoas (like the coral pictured above) and zoanthid species are among the types that live as separate, conjoined polyps. The colonies normally spread by forming new polyps around the outside edges of the existing colony mass. The colony gets larger and wider over time, until the polyps form a bushy-looking cluster like the brown and teal ones in the photo. But not always. Like many other coral species, a palythoa polyp
Read moreAn Interview With Amy Sue Nathan!
Please help me welcome AMY SUE NATHAN, whose debut novel THE GLASS WIVES (St. Martin’s Griffin, May 14, 2013) releases tomorrow! AMY SUE NATHAN lives and writes near Chicago where she hosts the popular blog, Women’s Fiction Writers. She has published articles in Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune and New York Times Online among many others. Amy is the proud mom of a son and a daughter in college, and a willing servant to two rambunctious rescued dogs. Evie and Nicole Glass share a last name. They also shared a husband. When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their
Read moreJapanese Lotteries – Old and New
The Ashikaga shoguns ruled Japan during the Muromachi period. Although not strictly considered a hereditary position, the title of shogun remained in the hands of the Ashikaga clan from 1338 until 1573. The office most commonly passed from father to son or from older to younger brother, but on occasion it passed in entirely different ways. One of the strangest? A lottery. The fourth Ashikaga shogun, Yoshimochi, held the title of shogun from 1395–1423, at which time he retired in favor of his son, Ashikaga Yoshikazu. Unfortunately, Yoshikazu died only two years later. After his son’s untimely death, 40 year-old
Read moreCounting the Duties – and Costs – of a Literary Executor
Welcome back to our continuing Wednesday series on literary executors. Although a general executor can handle the author’s entire estate, including literary issues, authors who name or arrange for a specific literary executor should be aware that literary executors (or trustees) manage only the author’s literary estate. This includes: 1. Copyrights and other intellectual property rights (including print and e-book, film, TV, and stage adaptations). 2. Managing publishing contracts and licenses in force at the time of the author’s death. 3. Derivative works licensing (mainly for sequels and/or formats not exploited during the author’s lifetime). 4. Collection of royalties. 5.
Read moreThe Reef in Review, April 2013
Last month I started a new feature: – the Month in Review, Reef Edition. And so, with no further ado, let’s take a look at what happened in April, 2013: The best shot of the month goes to Cyg & Ceti: a mid-water clip from their mating dance: Elsewhere on the reef last month: Lots of algae meant a need for additions to the clean-up crew. This time, that meant large turbo snails and also nassarius snails, which spend most of their time burrowed in the sand and emerge at feeding time to clean up the aquarium floor. (They’re fully
Read moreIn Honor of Teacher Appreciation Week
I’ve had many fantastic teachers over the years, if asked to name the most influential, I’d have to name my ninth grade English teacher. Ms. Teare – the honor belongs to you. She started me on the path to writing long-form fiction by assigning a short-story project which became my first full-length manuscript. A manuscript she not only read, but edited over the course of many months, on her own time, in hours no doubt stolen from far more interesting pursuits. (I’ve read that manuscript again, as an adult, and realize just how big a sacrifice she made on my behalf.
Read moreAn Interview with Anne Easter Smith
Please welcome Anne Easter Smith, author of the upcoming historical novel ROYAL MISTRESS (Touchstone, May 2013) Anne is an award-winning historical novelist whose research and writing concentrates on England in the 15th century. Meticulous historical research, rich period detail, and compelling female protagonists combine to provide the reader with a sweeping portrait of England in the time of the Wars of the Roses. Her critically acclaimed first book, A Rose for the Crown, debuted in 2006, and her third, The King’s Grace, was the recipient of a Romantic Times Review Best Biography award in 2009. A Queen by Right has
Read moreMonthly Observances: May 2013
April showers bring May flowers, but May brings observances of its own. In 2013, May is official: Better Hearing Month (Sorry…what was that again?) Potatoes and Limes Month (Don’t eat them together. The coconuts get jealous.) Ultraviolet Awareness Month (UV-A … I see what you did there.) Vinegar Month (Your fly catching numbers will be down*) * Extra points for getting the reference. Gardening for Wildlife Month (some of my friends, who live near deer, do this all year round…) and, Last but not least… Get Caught Reading Month. And, in the spirit of “get caught reading” – please click
Read moreChoosing the Right Literary Executor
Today we continue our estate planning workshop with a look at choosing the right literary executor. Although your general executor (or, in the case of a trust, trustee) can also handle intellectual property and copyrights as well as standard probate issues, many authors – especially those with significant numbers of works in print – may want to consider appointing literary executor to handle the intellectual property portion of the author’s estate. Some points to consider when choosing a literary executor: 1. Pick someone familiar with business, and the publishing industry in particular. A general attorney may not have much familiarity
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