should I give my copyright to the publisher

Today’s post takes a look at some dangerous copyright pitfalls authors need to be aware of – and avoid. Beware Losing Your Copyrights Through a Contract. The most dramatic copyright danger is loss of the author’s copyright through contract. No “standard” publishing contract should ever contain a grant or transfer of the copyright to the publisher. A contract which contains a transfer of copyright is essentially a “work for hire” agreement, where the writer retains no rights to the work. By contrast, a standard publishing agreement–traditional OR self-pub–is not a work for hire arrangement. I see a surprising number of contracts in which the