Do you write books or scripts that revolve around a particular character (or characters) and their world(s)? You may be wondering to what extent copyright law protects you and your rights in those original and distinctive characters. Join Johanna Clarke and Theo Jones as they discuss the impact of a recent ruling from IPEC which extends copyright to cover this highly important and lucrative area – across books, stage and screen – to a level not previously ascertained.

Show notes:

• Not an SoA member? Join today with discount code PODCAST20 to get 20% off your first year’s membership.
• This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan | Hachette UK 
• Watch Daisy Jones & the Six - Season 1 | Prime Video (amazon.co.uk) 
• Children’s Laureate of Wales wins Imison Award - The Society of Authors 
• BBC Radio 4 - Drama, The Making of a Monster 
• BBC Radio 4 - Drama, End of Transmission 
• Authors lose appeal over Da Vinci Code plagiarism | UK news | The Guardian 
• Klinger v. Conan Doyle Estate, Ltd. | Case Brief for Law School | LexisNexis 
• Shazam Production Ltd v Only Fools The Dining Experience Ltd & Ors. - Find case law (nationalarchives.gov.uk) 
• Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (legislation.gov.uk) 
• Copinger and Skone James on Copyright - Paperback | Intellectual Property | Sweet & Maxwell (sweetandmaxwell.co.uk) 
• Exceptions to copyright - Guidance for creators and copyright owners (publishing.service.gov.uk) 
• Colin the Caterpillar | Food News, Inspiration & Recipes | M&S (marksandspencer.com) 
• Aldi Stores UK on Twitter: "Where else would we announce it? #CuthBack https://t.co/DWOJzBceoL" / Twitter 
• Search for a trade mark - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

The SoA’s new campaign, Tree to Me, adds your voice to existing efforts to make publishing more sustainable and encourages your publisher to act now – in the materials it uses and the energy it consumes, in its investments and emissions targets, and more – and to raise awareness among your readers as they improve their practices. Children’s author and chair of the Society of Authors’ sustainability steering committee, Piers Torday, joins Johanna and Theo for this bonus episode to discuss the campaign in more detail.

Show notes: 

• Not an SoA member? Join today with discount code PODCAST20 to get 20% off your first year’s membership.
• Tree to Me - The Society of Authors 
• Society of Authors creates new campaign to help writers hold publishers to account on sustainability | Society of Authors | The Guardian 
• Meals and deals: five biggest trends from London book fair 2023 | London book fair | The Guardian 
• Home - Piers Torday 
• The Wild Before - Piers Torday 
• The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells | Waterstones 
• The Wind in the Willows Wilton's by award winning author Piers Torday - Wilton's (wiltons.org.uk) 
• Theatre Green Book | 

Need some tips on negotiating? Not sure what publishers are looking for or what a good deal looks like? Struggling to feel empowered? Join Johanna and Theo as they talk to authors Vaseem Khan and Margaret Skea at Author HQ at the London Book Fair as they share their experiences and advice on getting the best deal possible. They assess the different types of publishing, thinking strategically about the themes, characters and submissions of your books, as well as negotiating on money and contracts. Also tune in at the beginning to hear Johanna and Theo’s feedback on this year’s fair.

Show notes:

• Not an SoA member? Join today with discount code PODCAST20 to get 20% off your first year’s membership.
• Industry Insider - Making the Most of London Book Fair on Vimeo 
• The London Book Fair - Session Details - How to Get a Badass Deal? - 18th Apr 
• London Book Fair 2023 - The Society of Authors 
• Meals and deals: five biggest trends from London book fair 2023 | London book fair | The Guardian 
• Tree to Me - The Society of Authors 
• Vaseem Khan | Website of Vaseem Khan, author of the Baby Ganesh Agency series and Midnight at Malabar House 
• Home - Margaret Skea, Author 
• What type of deal is that? - The Society of Authors 
• Is it a steal? - The Society of Authors 

Have you been asked to pay someone to publish your work? The Society of Authors and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain’s 2022 report exposed widespread bad practice among companies that charge writers for publication, so what’s so bad about them?

Join SoA Contracts Advisors Theo Jones and Johanna Clarke as they uncover the world of hybrid publishing and talk through the pros and cons of the various types of publishing deals available to writers. There is no absolute right or wrong way to publish a book, but authors should always think carefully before they sign on that dotted line...

Show notes:

Recommendations: Johanna –Kit de Waal’s Without Warning and Only Sometimes and Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever on Netflix, Theo – The Capture BBC series 2

• Not an SoA member? Join today with discount code PODCAST20 to get 20% off your first year’s membership.
• What type of deal is that? – The Society of Authors
• Is it a steal? – The Society of Authors
• The Radiance of Banality – Part One – Erotic Review (ermagazine.com)
• The Radiance of Banality – Part Two – Erotic Review (ermagazine.com)

The Audiobook market is growing exponentially. For authors this presents new opportunities: unlocking rights; discovering new readers (listeners, if you like!); and benefiting from fresh revenue streams. But as a self-published author (or a traditionally published author who has retained audio rights), how do you go about producing your work in audio format? What are the various options out there and how do you build a strategy that works for you? 

Join SoA Contracts Advisors Theo Jones and Johanna Clarke as they discuss the current audio landscape, how the production process works and the agreements you’ll require. As well as some tips on retaining creative control of your books and how best to market them in the world of audio.

Show notes:  

Recommendations: Johanna – The Yellow Kitchen by Margaux Vialleron and Men by Raven Smith, Theo – Industry BBC series 2 

• Not an SoA member? Join today with discount code PODCAST20 to get 20% off your first year’s membership.
• Professional Development - The Business of Self-Publishing an Audiobook on Vimeo
• Professional Development - Narrating your own Book on Vimeo
• Professional Development – Your Podcast: Taking It from Good to Great (Part I) on Vimeo 

Join Society of Authors’ Contracts Advisors, Theo Jones and Johanna Clarke, for this limited series in which they discuss the key industry topics, issues and challenges affecting authors today. This podcast intends to guide and empower authors of all types, whether you are a member of the society or not, and is bought to you by the SoA Advisory Team who are always on hand to help members with any contractual or industry queries/concerns. 

The first episode will be available soon, so hit subscribe to be notified.

Not an SoA member? Join today with discount code PODCAST20 to get 20% off your first year’s membership.