Shameless Promotion

No, this is not a rant against shameless promotion. It is shameless promotion. The updated second edition of my first book, In God We Trust, was released by KP/PK Publishing on September 30, 2015, and this week's blog post promotes it.

Throughout American history, the First Amendment has been a lightning rod for the debate over religious freedom and its limitations within a free society. Intense legal battles have been fought over prayer in school, religious symbols on public property, and the right to speak out when religious beliefs conflict with popular opinion. These battles will continue as society struggles with the degree of tolerance to give organized religion.

Does the First Amendment create a wall of separation between church and state? How important was that concept to the men who created the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? Has the Supreme Court been true to the founders’ intent, or has it distorted the First Amendment religion clauses beyond recognition?

Written in plain English for laypeople, In God We Trust provides a neutral summary of the First Amendment’s historical background and the Supreme Court cases interpreting it. This knowledge arms readers with the tools they need to answer those questions for themselves.

You can find the Amazon.com link for the paperback version here.

The Kindle version will be available later this week.

 

Thanks for letting me engage in this shameless promotion.

Sharing Blog Posts

This is not a legal blog, nor is it aimed at writers (although I do have some writers among my audience). But recently I’ve had several inquiries about using material posted on other blogs, so I thought you might be interested in how the copyright laws apply. That way, if you want to pass on an interesting post, you’ll know what to do.

Blog posts are copyrighted. They don’t require any magic words or even the copyright symbol. Just assume that you need permission to copy them for distribution.

You can provide a link, however. Research papers include a bibliography so that others can find the sources and read them. A link is simply another way of providing source information.

There are three exceptions to the general rule that you need to get permission. While they are too complicated for a blog post, I have included brief summaries. For a more detailed discussion, see my book Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words Legal (KP/PK Publishing 2013), available from Amazon.

• Titles, names, short phrases, slogans, ideas, and facts cannot be copyrighted.

• “Fair” uses. The copyright laws protect fair uses, but what uses are fair? Unfortunately, there is no bright-line test. Still, the courts usually find that parody, reviews, news reporting, and research are fair uses as long as the user doesn’t borrow more than is necessary to make his or her point. Reprinting an entire blog post is rarely a fair use.

• Material in the public domain is not protected by copyright. Works that were published before 1923 are in the public domain. Some later works are, too, but there the rules get trickier. If a blog quotes something you know is in the public domain (e.g., a sonnet by William Shakespeare), you can use the quoted material any way you wish.

If you want to share a blog post and don’t know whether your use falls within an exception, get permission or just provide the link. It’s as simple as that.

Writers in Wonderland

How can writers avoid a Lewis Carroll Wonderland of defamation lawsuits, plagiarism scandals, and IRS proceedings?

By reading my book.

Writers in Wonderland: Keeping Your Words Legal (KP/PK Publishing 2013) is coming out May 1, and it's time for some shameless promotion.

Many writers see the law as a Lewis Carroll fantasy--inside out and totally illogical. They would rather write than worry about legal issues. But authors who ignore the law are the real residents of Wonderland.

Michael Poore, author of Up Jumps the Devil, says:

Kathryn Page Camp's Writers in Wonderland isn't just informative and wise, it is FUN! A big part of writing is learning how to cause trouble without getting into trouble, and this book is an easy course for accomplishing that. You can read it straight through, or keep it on hand as a reference tool. Either way, you'll find what you need to know in here. You will find it easily, it will make sense, and the reading will be a pleasure. Finally, a lawyer who can be helpful without making us want to scream.

Writers in Wonderland was written for writers, not lawyers. It uses everyday language and shares cases with interesting facts to explain the basic legal principles of interest to writers. These include copyrights and defamation and book contracts.

Here is some information:

ISBN: 978-0-9892504-1-2
Available May 1 at Amazon.com, coming soon from other retailers.

So if you are a writer, join Lewis Carroll and his characters as they help you avoid the King and Queen of Hearts' courtroom. And if you know a writer or two, pass this information along.

Because lawsuits aren't nearly as much fun as this book is.