The Latest Posts

• Book Covers And Copyrights January 18, 2020
  A writer this week asked about using preexisting book covers to create a new cover for a book she was publishing. Book cover copyrights are a topic I’m questioned about often.  Who owns the book cover art — the artist, the publisher, the author? Can I use a book cover if I’m reviewing a book […]
  Matt Knight
• Interview Releases — Should You Use One? January 4, 2020
  Recently, I completed a weekend intensive freelance writing course at UPOD Academy with David Hochman. I met a remarkable group of accomplished writers who have inspired me to write about the legal issues freelance writers and journalists face. Over the next few weeks, I will address these issues to help writers understand the many laws and […]
  Matt Knight
• Happy Holidays! December 21, 2019
  Christmas blog-holiday   /ˈkrisməs bläɡ-ˈhäləˌdā/ noun (plural: Christmas blog-holidays) a two-week break from blogging between December 21 and January 3. May your eggnog be spiked with plenty of rum to get you through the Christmas blog-holiday, because it’s all fun and games until Santa checks the naughty list.   synonyms: vacation, see-you-in-2020   Photo Credit: Photo credit: […]
  Matt Knight
• General Liability Releases December 7, 2019
  General releases, or liability releases, are documents releasing one party from the right to bring a legal claim against another party. General releases are helpful documents for resolving disputes between parties and preventing future conflict. Basically, one party surrenders any claims against the other party as of the effective date of the release.  In the […]
  Matt Knight
• Taxes And The Writer — The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Of 2017 November 23, 2019
  Taxes – not a favorite topic for most writers (often paired with an expletive or three) and usually the last thing on a to-do list. But important none-the-less, because if you earn income from your writing, taxation is a given. While I’m not a CPA, I did moderate a panel about taxes recently for a writer’s conference. […]
  Matt Knight
• When Free Speech Meets Social Media  November 9, 2019
  The intersection of free speech and social media has created a firestorm of controversy in 2019.  Internet platforms, like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, what some have called the modern-day version of the public square, have been criticized for not regulating content. Opponents believe internet companies like Facebook have too much power. Politicians have pushed for […]
  Matt Knight
• CockyGate Update: One Writer’s Adjective, Another Writer’s Short-Lived Trademark October 12, 2019
  Last spring (2018), romance writers lit up social media over a trademark for the adjective cocky. As you can expect, the descriptive word can be found in countless numbers of romance novels, whether on the page, in the title, or with the back-cover copy. Search Amazon for cocky + books (go on, I’ll wait) and you […]
  Matt Knight
• Merchandising Rights – Do you have control? September 14, 2019
  People who love books also love book-related merchandise. Tie-in products, also known as swag, have long-term promotional benefits, whether you are giving product away or selling it. If the book is popular, so will the related merchandise (like what’s in my nephew’s room, somewhere underneath all the clothes – a gazillion comic book action figures). […]
  Matt Knight
• Using Orphan Works – When A Copyright Owner Is Impossible To Identify Or Locate September 1, 2019
  Two weeks ago, a reader contacted me about copyright permissions after reading my Derivative Works article. The writer intended to use copyright-protected letters she thought would make a shocking exposé. After attempting to obtain permission, she failed to locate the author of the letters. Could she still use the letters? Oddly, the inability to identify […]
  Matt Knight
• Using Another Author’s Work — Is Your Derivative Work Infringing Someone’s Copyright? August 10, 2019
  Creative inspiration for writers often comes from the work of other authors.  Maybe we are inspired by someone’s story or moved by a relatable character.  Maybe we want to add something new to an existing story, or expand an unfinished plotline, or explore the nuances of a character in a different premise. Even better, sometimes […]
  Matt Knight