Writing Tips

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Ask #PubLaw: Is Signing With an Agent a Business Decision?

Posted by on May 29, 2013 in Writing Tips | 1 comment

I slipped on my blogging duties this week as I wade through emails after a long weekend away. (Fresh content coming soon!) So it’s Wednesday again and time to welcome publishing lawyer Susan Spann back to Between the Sheets for our Ask #PubLaw summer series!   Today’s Ask #Publaw answers an important question: Is it okay to let emotion play a part in my decision to sign with an agent? Or do I have to make this purely a business decision? Although publishing is an author’s...

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Ask #PubLaw: Trademark Filings

Posted by on May 22, 2013 in Author Interviews, Writing Tips | 0 comments

Welcome back to Ask #PubLaw – a summer series where authors can get publishing legal questions answered by publishing attorney, Susan Spann. Authors are invited to leave their burning legal questions in the comments and Susan will answer! Today we look at part two of last week’s question: How does an author (or artist) obtain a trademark? Generally speaking, book titles cannot be trademarked, but series names, logos, publishing houses’ imprints, and other items which qualify for...

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Ask #PubLaw: How Does an Author or Artist Secure a Trademark?

Posted by on May 15, 2013 in Author Interviews, Writing Tips | 3 comments

Today we welcome publishing attorney and mystery author Susan Spann back for another session of Ask #PubLaw – a summer series where authors can get publishing legal questions answered! Today’s question and answer addresses:  “How does an author or artist secure a trademark?” This question referenced an original logo the author created, but authors can also trademark a series name (meaning the series title – individual book titles cannot be trademarked) or, in the case of...

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It’s All in the Voice (Part 2 of 2) + A Contest!

Posted by on May 10, 2013 in Contests & Hops, Writing Tips | 0 comments

In Part 1, we talked about author voice and how to peel away layers of our identity to get to the juicy stuff–the unique voice in all of us. Today we’ll tackle character voice. So how do we make our protagonist’s voice grab our readers by the throat?  We mold and shape their voice through their… Words What your characters say, the expressions they use, differentiates them from others. JUST LIKE IN REAL LIFE. I’m a thirty-something, middle class woman. How I speak is vastly...

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Ask #PubLaw! Copyright vs. Trademark–Do Authors Need to Register Both?

Posted by on May 1, 2013 in Author Interviews, Writing Tips | 3 comments

I’m psyched to announce a new program called #PubLaw! Every Wednesday for the duration of the summer, Susan Spann, author of CLAWS OF THE CAT and publishing lawyer, will break down our burning questions about author contracts—both indie and traditional—and other highly HELPFUL information authors need to know to survive the ever-shifting waters of the publishing world. We WANT to hear from you!! Please leave any legal publishing questions you have in the comments and Susan...

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It’s All in the Voice (Part 1 of 2) + A Contest

Posted by on Apr 22, 2013 in Contests & Hops, Writing Tips | 3 comments

Ever heard an agent or editor say the voice in your novel didn’t grab them? What does that mean, and more importantly, how do you fix it? Pinpointing what makes a novel’s voice alluring can be a difficult aspect to nail down. Many novice writers have trouble understanding the separation of the character’s voice from their own. What is the difference? We’ll dissect both elements in a two part series. So let’s begin with you, the writer. AUTHOR’S VOICE is the style that...

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