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In a previous post, I discussed author-unfriendly submission and contest terms at FieldReport.com , a site that encourages writers to submit true stories from their own lives for others to read, review, and rate. Among other things, FieldReport required contest winners to give up their copyrights, and also claimed rights in any derivative works based on winners' entries. Update: FieldReport is sending contest winners agreements to sign, with an email that claims that changes have been made to the Submission Agreement "in favor of our authors. Instead of assigning all rights you just do a license." In fact, however, little has changed. The agreement requires writers to "license on an exclusive basis all rights, title and interest, including copyrights , in and to the FieldReport to Publisher" (my emphasis). To be honest, I'm not clear on whether one can license copyright--copyright itself, that is, as opposed to assigning it, or licensing specific rights fr...

In a comment left on my last post (which is not quite the hot topic it was, but is still simmering), Deb said, I wonder whether the "research" web sites might reconsider their dichotomous listings of publishers. I.e., a house is either listed as "not recommended" or no warning of any kind is listed. Example: "a publisher". Perhaps a rating system would be more apropos. Pubs who have had legitimate, verifiable complaints against them, in a certain narrow range such as: breach of contract, nonpayment of royalties, failure to distribute, etc., might result in a "D" grade, whereas a publisher without complaints would merit an "A". A system such as this would certainly be more work. However, it would warn authors off from the well-intentioned non-scam pubs who haven't performed as they've promised. Scams, of course, would merit a big fat razzberry "F." Although Writer Beware doesn't list or recommend publishers, the i...

PORT TOWN PUBLISHING For some time now, there have been rumors about the alleged bankruptcy of Port Town Publishing, a small publisher located in Wisconsin, run by Jean Louise Hackensmith (who, it turns out, has a 1996 conviction for theft in a business setting, a class C felony--she started Port Town while still on probation for that conviction). Writer Beware has seen documents that confirm that Jean Louise Hackensmith and her husband, Ronald Lee Hackensmith, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in January of 2008. (Chapter 7 provides for liquidation, with the debtor's non-exempt property sold off to pay creditors.) Creditors included several Port Town authors, a phone company, a printer, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, and a number of collection agencies. The case was closed on April 22, 2008. This was the second time around for the Hackensmiths: they'd previously filed for bankruptcy in 1995. Over the years, Writer Beware received a number of complaints about Port Town, inc...

Items that piqued my interest over the past few weeks... Your name up in lights (well, headlights) This is the kind of thing that makes me shake my head, because it's nearly indistinguishable from satire. Per a recent article in the UK's Daily Mail, successful British crime writer Peter James and his publisher, Pan Macmillan, have agreed to sponsor a police patrol car . The car has all the usual police markings, but is also painted with the author's name and slogans like "Peter James - No 1 For Crime Writing." According to the Chief Superintendent, "The car will not be used to respond to emergency calls but is solely for use in the local community, to provide visibility and reassurance, and to provide a quick way for officers to get to their local neighbourhood areas." I wonder how the officers feel about this. Paper books not doomed after all (maybe) According to a recent survey by Scholastic , "75% of kids age 5-17 agree with the statement, '...