The Law (in Plain English) for Writers (Fifth Edition) Paperback – April 3, 2018

This 5th Edition of The Law (In Plain English) for Writers is necessary for all writers to have in the reference library. Duboff & Tugman gives a basic primer for the business aspects of publishing and having a writing business. It covers copyrights, book contracts, estate planning, and how to handle legal issues as a writer. This is the type of reference book that writers should return to often.

"The Law in Plain English© for Writers" is a tremendously useful resource for authors, playwrights, and professional and amateur writers of any kind. The expected topics of copyright, defamation and privacy law, freedom of expression, and censorship are covered here. But there is a significant danger with writing and other creative tasks if you do not know when legal issues and potential problems even exist, and the authors, Leonard DuBoff and Sarah Tugman, anticipate this, and have drafted chapters on how the law works in areas that most writers may not know might present problems in their work and activities. DuBoff and Tugman have three chapters on contracts, separating the general principles of contract law from specific chapters on book contracts and magazine contracts. There are chapters on working with literary agents and publishers, and advice on alternative outlets for publication. Lastly, the book covers tax law and trust and estates law as it pertains to writers. As the bestselling authors whose reviews are quoted on the book cover repeat again and again, writers at all levels of their practice, beginning or established, will want to read this book so they will be better able to navigate through legal issues now and in the future.