Self-Publishing-Part 2

Research Permissions and Obtain Them

Not all that says free is free. An author can't see a neat photo online and decide to use it. You have to get permission. There is heavy research involved to find out what you can use free and what you can't. My book cover and my book trailer are excellent examples. A free photo has limited use. So even using a free photo website, be prepared to spend money.

If the photo is going in a YouTube trailer, you have to review the various contracts regarding the photo's use. There are standard contracts, extended use contracts, and multi-user contracts. The globe and gold bars photo I use in the trailer costs more than the others, because I use it on the book cover, my business cards, and bookmarks, as well.

You can't assume music can be used without permission. I use Mahler's 1st Symphony in my trailer. Mahler's been dead for a century, surely he won't mind. Ah, not the case. Production companies have copyrights. Performing artists have copyrights. You have to submit your intent to use their work and receive permission. All totaled, I paid right at one-hundred dollars to clear all of the copyright agreements. And I have peace of mind. I did the right thing.

When you self-publish, you have the responsibility for everything. You can't point the finger and say, "The publisher missed the word 'form.' The word should have been 'from.'" Sorry, not the publisher's fault. The buck starts and stops with you.

To view the YouTube Trailer for Room 1515 click on the following link:
http://youtu.be/yx4wLFD2GTY.

Another Chicken Soup Success

My short stories continue to find homes. Not only did I have an article published in The Write Life, Tracy Crump's growing e-newsletter, but my story, A Renewed Life, has made the second cut for Chicken Soup of the Soul's NASCAR book, coming out in February. Those who know me know I use the short story to hone my skills. Developing conflict, filling out character's emotions, and wrapping up a super plot in 3,000 words or less, provides a want-to-be novelist like myself with the skills to carry a readers' interest from chapter to chapter through a novel. My next short story, Genetics , is waiting for me to find a humorous short story contest to enter it in. I won't keep it waiting long.