~DEADLINE EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 20!~ The SFWA Self-Publishing Committee (SPC) is happy to announce that we are open for submissions October 3–1720, 2021, for two science fiction StoryBundles that will be released in 2022. This is a great chance for independent and small press authors to sell more books! Submissions will be accepted from SFWA […]

The SFWA Self-Publishing Committee is happy to announce that we are open for submissions for the next SFWA Fantasy StoryBundle. This is a great chance for our independent and small press authors to sell more books! The theme for this bundle will be “Magic and Mayhem.” While we welcome full-length fantasy novels that involve either […]

by Karintha Parker (This article originally appeared in The SFWA Bulletin #215.)   Like so many others connected to this [small-yet-all-consuming] publishing industry, books were my first love. Legend has it that a tiny version of me set eyes on my first library and yelped “oh, Mommy, all these books are for me?!”, convinced that somehow […]

Against all expectations, the CASE Act (Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019) has become law, after being folded into the omnibus spending and COVID-19 relief bill at the end of 2020. This new law creates a small-claims tribunal within the U.S. Copyright Office to settle claims of copyright infringement outside of the federal […]

by Tochi Onyebuchi (This article originally appeared in The SFWA Bulletin #215.) What about the serial killers? What about the rapists? asks the skeptic in the face of the prison abolitionist. What about the violent crime and the predators? The real Bad People. You would just let them roam the streets? The questions are rarely […]

For updates on #DisneyMustPay and the writers who have and have not had their missing royalties and/or statements resolved with Disney, please visit the #DisneyMustPay Task Force’s website, WritersMustBePaid.org. (note added 24 May 2021) A message from SFWA’s President, Mary Robinette Kowal: Last year, a member came to SFWA’s Grievance Committee with a problem, which […]

A message from SFWA’s President, Mary Robinette Kowal: Last year, a member came to SFWA’s Grievance Committee with a problem, which on the surface sounds simple and resolvable. He had written novels and was not being paid the royalties that were specified in his contract. The Grievance Committee is designed to resolve contract disputes like […]

We know what you’re thinking. As soon as you saw that scary word—legacy—your brain turned left at Albuquerque and kept going: “I’m too young to die!”[1] “I’ll think about that tomorrow, because tomorrow is another day.”[2] “Not now, Elaine. Not now! Can’t you see I’m talking to the Man?”[3] The Legacy Kit was created in […]

  References All website links were functional as of February 16, 2023. Alberge, Dayla. “Steinbeck estate urged to let the world read his werewolf novel.” The Guardian, 2021. Buchman, M. L. Estate Planning for Authors. Buchman Bookworks, 2017. Creative Commons. “Creative Commons CC0, No Rights Reserved License.” Creative Commons website. Duboff, Leonard D. and Tugman, Sarah […]

Management of intellectual property (IP) rights begins at the time the idea is created. Ownership of IP is subject to a number of factors. These include: Was the idea created and executed by an individual, a partnership, or a large group? Was the work created and licensed/sold for publication under contract or licensed/sold through the […]