A blog where the practice of law meets the profession of writing | Posted weekly by writers who are attorneys | Designed to provide a general understanding of publishing law and help fellow writers make their fictional legal scenarios realistic | Find us at sidebarsaturdays.com
The Latest Posts
- The Curious Copyright Infringement Case of Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes January 17, 2021The Netflix movie Enola Holmes is based on a series of young adult novels by Nancy Springer, The Enola Holmes Mysteries, published between 2006-2010 by Penguin Random House. The series centers on Sherlock’s teenage sister Enola, a newly created character by Springer. In June 2020, just months before Enola Holmes premiered, the Estate of Sir Arthur […]Matt Knight
- Merry Christmas + Happy New Year December 26, 2020Farewell, 2020. We’re done with you. Hello, 2021. Don’t you look cute! We are on a mini-blog holiday–drinking lots of spiked eggnog and watching cheesy Christmas movies. Have a fun and festive holiday. See you in the New Year where opportunity is the new difficulty. – The Sidebar Saturdays Team Photo Credit: floridecires […]Matt Knight
- Securing Audiobook Rights: The Rights You Need to Bring Your Audiobook to Market December 19, 2020Audio rights used to be the ugly stepsister of publishing rights, often thought of as throwaway rights to be included with a group of other secondary rights in a publishing deal. If you think back to when audiobooks made their big splash in the early 1970s with audiocassettes and Books On Tape, the market was […]Matt Knight
- DRM And Protecting E-Books December 6, 2020What is DRM? Digital Rights Management (DRM) refers to various software technologies that control the unauthorized use, modification, and distribution of digital content like e-books, music, and films. DRM is a complicated subject. For writers, DRM restricts how readers share e-books between users and devices. It’s why you can’t buy a book on Kindle and […]Matt Knight
- Happy Wobble And Gobble Weekend! November 25, 2020Visiting with relatives this Thanksgiving? Be safe. Unable to be with relatives this holiday? Don’t brag! Wherever you land, have a fun-filled Turkey Weekend with great food, superb wine, and lots of yummy pies. We’re thankful for you! See you next week when our blog returns to your inbox. With gratitude, Your Team at […]Matt Knight
- The Case Of The Stolen Content November 21, 2020A friend of mine who is a real estate broker in Los Angeles contacted me in a swivet to complain about content theft. An article he wrote about a neighborhood hotspot had been copied verbatim and published without his permission on another realtor’s website. I understood my friend’s what nerve reaction. Besides being unprofessional, seeing someone else take […]Matt Knight
- Negotiating Magazine and Newspaper Publishing Contracts October 24, 2020Many writers are keen to publish in magazines and newspapers, whether online or in print. These publications offer the perfect opportunity for name recognition, public exposure for a writer’s creative portfolio, and, depending on the publication, supplemental income. Regardless of the reason, it is in your best interest to secure a written publishing contract before […]Matt Knight
- Using Stock Photos On Book Covers October 10, 2020Book covers are created using either custom or stock photography. Custom photography is created by a hired photographer to create something unique for your exclusive use. Stock photography, on the other hand, is photos that more than one person can use simultaneously for a wide variety of projects like book covers. Using stock photos to […]Matt Knight
- Traditional And Self-Publishing Contracts – When To Say, NO! September 26, 2020When I was at ThrillerFest two years ago (a writing conference in NYC for, you guessed it, thriller writers), I moderated a panel on negotiating publishing contracts. The panel consisted of two agents, two publishing lawyers, and two authors. One question from that discussion revolved around when should a writer walk away from a publishing […]Matt Knight
- 9 Major Deal Points In Publishing Contracts August 30, 2020You finished your book. You found an agent. You have a publisher who wants to buy the rights to publish your book. Congratulations! Now what? It is time to negotiate your publishing contract. “But isn’t that my agent’s job?” you say. Well, yes. It is. However, you sign the contract. This means you are legally obligated to […]Matt Knight