Donna Ballman

Which vanity publisher is being sued by 16 authors for deceptive practices? Will ignorance of copyright law be a defense? The libel tourism bill becomes a law. Plus, whose secret identity are BBC lawyers trying to hide? And what Macmillan authors need to do when they get that little contract amendment about e-rights in the mail. These and other writing and publishing headlines are in this week's Write Report.

Big busy week for me, even though I’m on vacation. Ha!

My interview on work life balance on Women Lawyers Online is up. You can listen here

I did an article for Women On Writing titled, “Using the Law in Your Story: Character, Plot and Professions.” You can read it here.

Another article I wrote on using the law in writing is up at Selling Books

Lots of news. Which bookseller is defending a poison pill? Who's suing JK Rowling this week? Who dropped their suit against Scribd? Why did Janet Evanovich leave her publisher? These and other writing and publishing news stories are on this week's Write Report.

i recently saw the new (and most excellent) Shrek Forever After with the kids. It occurred to me that the movie taught an essential life lesson. That lesson is something all writers (and everyone else) need to sear into their brains. The lesson is: Read The Contract Before You Sign It.

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How can you protect your ideas before submitting? Should you sign a one-book or multi-book deal? How did Amazon almost put an indie publisher out of business? Are the British courts trying to fix libel law? When will the Google decision issue? Does age matter in Hollywood? These and other stories are in this week’s Write Report.

Why shouldn’t Bloomberg/Wiley authors sign the modifications the publisher is proposing? Which major sports bio went on sale despite threats and bookstores refusing to shelve? Which publisher is accused of sexual harassment? These headlines, plus more of the latest writing and publishing news are in this week’s Write Report.

Thanks so much to the Florida Writer's Association, which just named The Writer's Guide to the Courtroom as a finalist in the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Awards.