Whether you are a seasoned author or a new author writing your first book, Protect Your Writings will help you avoid common, costly legal mistakes. In this practical guide, author and licensed attorney Maria Crimi Speth provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand description of the applicable laws that affect authors and their works. Illustrated with examples from real cases and real situations, Protect Your Writings covers the four main areas of intellectual property law and the interplay between these areas as they relate to authors. The guide focuses strongly on copyright law-the main area of law protecting the written word-and also includes sections that discuss the copyright registration process in detail, how to avoid infringement claims against you, international rights, online writing, and the contracts that authors are most likely to encounter. A valuable resource for writers in any stage of their career, Protect Your Writings succinctly and completely covers the legal information that authors need to safeguard their creative works. It answers the questions writers may have as well as the questions they might not know to ask.