Review in Practice – The Magic Bakery
Posted: December 6, 2021 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, Nonfiction, Review, Writing, Writing Reference | Tags: Book Review, Copyright, Copyright laws, Copyright permissions, Dean Wesley Smith, Publishing, The Magic Bakery, Writing, Writing to be Read |3 Comments
Authors make their livings off of the intellectual property they’ve created, but while they pay lip service to copyright, it’s mostly in the context of protecting their work from plagiarism, and many don’t realize what copyright is, how it is acquired or what it truly means. The Magic Bakery, by Dean Wesley Smith is a must read for anyone who is serious about making a career out of writing. Smith draws from decades of experience in the publishing industry to explain what copyright is and how it can be used to leverage intellectual property (IP) and maximize profits from your creative endeavors.
Smith uses the clever metaphor of a magic bakery, where the pies replenish themselves no matter how many pieces you sell, to emphasize the idea of writing as a business and simplify the explanation of how copyright works, so authors may place proper value on their work. As a seasoned author, who has published both traditionally and independently, Dean Wesley Smith offers a fresh and sensible outlook on the publishing industry and the business of writing.
The Magic Bakery offers a sensible approach to managing intellectual property and copyright for authors. Serious authors will benefit from consuming the delectable ingredients that make up this pie, so pull up a chair and savor a piece. I give it five quills.
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074D7K3ZD
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This sounds like a very interesting read, Kaye. Thanks.
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It is filled with valuable information for authors who are serious about making writing their business. I definitely recommend it, Robbie. 🙂
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[…] So, if I sign a book with a traditional publisher, I sign away all rights to that book. The publisher decides when and how the book will be released. They have the right to change the title, choose the cover, and they may even have the right to tell you to change the wording or the whole direction that the story takes. But, if I publish independently, or at least be aware of the wording on any contract I do sign, I can retain control of my copyright. (With short fiction anthologies, usually your copyright is signed over for short time, 3-6 months, and then it reverts back to you, but you must make sure this is in the wording.) That enables me to turn around and use that same book in a box set collection, or that story in a short story collection of my own, giving it even more value. This is important because IP is an intangible that can be passed on to your family after you die. It is a part of your estate. It is best described in a book by Dean Wesley Smith, called The Magic Bakery, which I talk about in my “Review in Practice“. […]
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