Writers and Editors

The Association of Personal Historians declared bankruptcy in 2017, but its code of ethics is still useful. Personal historians still need to uphold professional standards that protect the integrity of the profession and safeguard the interests of individual clients and narrators. The Code of Ethics states the core values of those of us helping others tell their personal stories (whether as memoirs, autobiographies, family histories, video tributes, and so on). Those values are to
• Conduct business according to impeccable standards of fairness and integrity.
• Represent honestly their qualifications, background,  Read More 

by Pat McNees
Ken Ackerman (www.KennethAckerman.com) led a discussion of the Washington Biography Group (4-30-12) that was interesting enough for me to resurrect, update, and rearrange items in my original e-letter. Ken began by identifying several elements of risk in writing biographies:
• The risk of lawsuits, especially if what you write is not true

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Updated October 15, 2024

 

$9 Million Is Paid to Freelance Writers in 17-Year-Old Copyright Suit (Authors Guild, 4-30-18) The class-action suit grew out of an earlier action brought by Jonathan Tasini and several other writers, which led to the Supreme Court ruling in the freelancers’ favor.
• Late Justice — the $2,935 Check I Received for Content I Wrote Twenty Years Ago (Lee Foster, Bay Area Independent Publishers Association, 5-23-18) A good explanation of the underlying dynamics, of publishers deciding it wasn't worth the time it would take to assess what they really owed freelance writers, and of writers deciding to stick up for their rights. It only took 17 years for the writers to get some compensation. That writers whose stories were published in many different places got paid only for the first re-use, in the settlement--well...so it was not a perfect settlement, but it was something.
• Electronic Database Copyright Class Action Settlement (Anne Bucher, Top Class Actions, 3-10-14) This settlement is now closed!
• Freelance Settlement Update (Authors Guild , 9-17-17 updated 12-6-17) Case history, plan of allocation, and other important background information.
• Copyright Infringement and Remedies (Chapter 5, Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17))  Read More