Dec 20 2008
Why Write About Permissions?
Who cares about copyrights and permissions, anyway? “I haven’t written a book,” you say. But have you ever written a letter to the Editor of a newspaper of magazine? An OpEd article for your local newspaper? No? What about a letter to a friend? A homework essay? Posted a comment on a blog? For that matter, have you ever written your own blog? Then you SHOULD care.
U.S. Copyright Law protects many forms of writing, from books to blogs to letters to the Editor, and so on. And where there is a law, there’s money involved. There’s not always big bucks involved—although there can be—but wouldn’t an extra $50 or $100 be nice to have?
Do I have your attention now?
I have spent a large part of the last ten years doing permissions editing for major publishing houses, and on more than one occasion I was told, “You should write a book!” But writing a book is a long, drawn-out process, and being honest, my topic isn’t likely to make the best seller list. At the same time, what I’ve learned through the years could help others. So I’m doing something better than writing a book—I’ve decided to share what I’ve learned on my own blog. After all, everyone involved with writing can benefit from a basic understanding of permissions and copyright.
You are right. A book on this topic would not likely make the best seller list, but it sure is important for people to know and understand. This is vital, not only to protect your own copyrighted material, but to know that you cannot simply take anything you find and like, and use it without the owner’s permission.
Thanks for your support. This sums up my goal for this blog perfectly.