What do you think?
Rate this book
Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook: Updated Guide to Protecting Your Rights and Wallet
Building on the best-selling success of the original Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook, Helen Sedwick wrote this expanded second edition to help writers stay out of court and at their desks.
Using 30 years of legal experience, Sedwick shows writers how to
• Set up their business
• Protect their copyright
• Avoid infringement
• Spot scams
• Save on taxes
This second edition covers additional topics including
• Choosing a pen name
• Using lyrics and images
• Fighting content theft
• Minimizing defamation and privacy risks
• Expanding beyond the book
Don’t lose your copyright by signing a bad contract, or waste money by buying into a scam, or lose sleep by getting sued for defamation. Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook helps writers navigate the legal aspects of writing and independent publishing.
Using 30 years of legal experience, Sedwick shows writers how to
• Set up their business
• Protect their copyright
• Avoid infringement
• Spot scams
• Save on taxes
This second edition covers additional topics including
• Choosing a pen name
• Using lyrics and images
• Fighting content theft
• Minimizing defamation and privacy risks
• Expanding beyond the book
Don’t lose your copyright by signing a bad contract, or waste money by buying into a scam, or lose sleep by getting sued for defamation. Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook helps writers navigate the legal aspects of writing and independent publishing.
180 pages, Paperback
Published June 8, 2017
140 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Helen Sedwick
8 books26 followersAuthor and University of Chicago Law School graduate, Helen Sedwick has represented small businesses and entrepreneurs for 30 years. Her self-published historical novel Coyote Winds has earned five-star reviews from ForeWord Reviews and is an IndieBRAG Medallion Honoree. Publisher’s Weekly lists her Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook as one of the top five resource books for independent authors. Helen is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Alliance of Independent Authors and a Contributing Writer for TheBookDesigner.com and BookWorks.com. Helen’s blog coaches writers on everything from saving on taxes to avoiding scams. For more information about Helen, check out her website at http://helensedwick.com
From the Author: I grew up in the wilds of New York City before there were coyotes in Central Park. My parents were theater people, and for many summers we operated a summer stock theater in the Poconos. From those theater years and from reading countless books, I fell in love with the power of the story to make us laugh, learn, love and cry. I majored in English at Cornell University and spent several years as an advertising copywriter. When I grew tired of being broke, I attended University of Chicago Law School, then moved to San Francisco where I have practiced business law for almost thirty years and raised my twin daughters.
COYOTE WINDS was inspired by my father's stories of growing up during the Dust Bowl.
My second book SELF-PUBLISHER'S LEGAL HANDBOOK was inspired by self-publishing authors taking control of their creative careers. I want to help writers publish and market their work while minimizing legal risks.
From the Author: I grew up in the wilds of New York City before there were coyotes in Central Park. My parents were theater people, and for many summers we operated a summer stock theater in the Poconos. From those theater years and from reading countless books, I fell in love with the power of the story to make us laugh, learn, love and cry. I majored in English at Cornell University and spent several years as an advertising copywriter. When I grew tired of being broke, I attended University of Chicago Law School, then moved to San Francisco where I have practiced business law for almost thirty years and raised my twin daughters.
COYOTE WINDS was inspired by my father's stories of growing up during the Dust Bowl.
My second book SELF-PUBLISHER'S LEGAL HANDBOOK was inspired by self-publishing authors taking control of their creative careers. I want to help writers publish and market their work while minimizing legal risks.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 22, 2020
THIS. BOOK, guys. If you are an indie author or looking to take that route, you need this book. It cleared up so many questions I had and explained things really well. I highly recommend this book so you can be fully equipped and prepared for the business of indie publishing. From copyright to contracts, and taxes to distributing your book and more.
October 13, 2020
Helpful!
This was a helpful overview of many questions that have come up as I've started to pursue indie publishing. I feel much more confident in my decisions now!
This was a helpful overview of many questions that have come up as I've started to pursue indie publishing. I feel much more confident in my decisions now!
November 16, 2017
This book has more than legal advice. The author lays out the steps in starting an author business, with good details and examples. Very well researched and detailed, but the information is presented in a very clear way. I really wish I'd found this book when I first started my author business. It would've saved me a lot of time trying to gather this information from various sources all over the web. Some of the information I found online was outdated or incorrect. This second edition is updated and expanded.
I bought the paperback, and I'll be recommending this book to other writers. For a small investment, you can learn how to set up the author side of your business correctly. If you've already started your business, this is still a good read to figure out if you're headed in the right direction. And good reference for questions about copywrites, using images, and much more.
I bought the paperback, and I'll be recommending this book to other writers. For a small investment, you can learn how to set up the author side of your business correctly. If you've already started your business, this is still a good read to figure out if you're headed in the right direction. And good reference for questions about copywrites, using images, and much more.
August 2, 2018
***I received this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway.***
When reading books of advice and suggestions, such as this, I’m firmly of the opinion that reading widely is your best bet. While one book can help to give you an idea at what work you’re facing down, reading a number of books on the topic allows you to compare and contrast the suggestions given and therefor to parse out which ideas are commonly agreed upon good business sense, which are contentious stances on a decision, and which seem to be the opinions of the author.
With that said, Sedwick’s legal handbook will probably stay on a nearby bookshelf on standby for when I run into questions about the world of writing and publication and need a quick reference. It’s short enough and organized clearly enough that navigating it for the information I’m looking for is quick and simple. As I’ve said, I wouldn’t use it as a single source of information (and I doubt Sedwick would want us to), but it seems to serve as a fantastic jumping off point in order to identify what topics the reader needs to explore and research.
I’ve mentioned that the organization is admirable, that the book is easy to navigate, and that it’s useful. All of this speaks well to the self-published work—I personally wouldn’t want self-publishing suggestions from somebody whose self-published work I couldn’t respect. I did find a handful of typos sprinkled throughout, which gave me pause, but by the end of the book I’d decided that the information and commentary were sound enough for me to maintain faith in the author, despite a mistake in editorial choices.
When reading books of advice and suggestions, such as this, I’m firmly of the opinion that reading widely is your best bet. While one book can help to give you an idea at what work you’re facing down, reading a number of books on the topic allows you to compare and contrast the suggestions given and therefor to parse out which ideas are commonly agreed upon good business sense, which are contentious stances on a decision, and which seem to be the opinions of the author.
With that said, Sedwick’s legal handbook will probably stay on a nearby bookshelf on standby for when I run into questions about the world of writing and publication and need a quick reference. It’s short enough and organized clearly enough that navigating it for the information I’m looking for is quick and simple. As I’ve said, I wouldn’t use it as a single source of information (and I doubt Sedwick would want us to), but it seems to serve as a fantastic jumping off point in order to identify what topics the reader needs to explore and research.
I’ve mentioned that the organization is admirable, that the book is easy to navigate, and that it’s useful. All of this speaks well to the self-published work—I personally wouldn’t want self-publishing suggestions from somebody whose self-published work I couldn’t respect. I did find a handful of typos sprinkled throughout, which gave me pause, but by the end of the book I’d decided that the information and commentary were sound enough for me to maintain faith in the author, despite a mistake in editorial choices.
September 2, 2019
For Every Serious Writer
While this book is not considered to be legal advice, it contains valuable legal oversight of the publishing industry that every serious writer should know. I highly recommend this.
While this book is not considered to be legal advice, it contains valuable legal oversight of the publishing industry that every serious writer should know. I highly recommend this.
February 13, 2020
Easy to follow
I think the author laid this out in an easy to follow and understand format, and brought up a lot of answers to questions people commonly ask.
I think the author laid this out in an easy to follow and understand format, and brought up a lot of answers to questions people commonly ask.
May 6, 2019
I got this book because I learned of it in this year’s Women in Publishing Summit and thought that it would be a good addition to my writing career library.
A few of the chapters are truly important, though if you’ve been on the publishing landscape for a while you would have learned most of it on popular blogs/podcasts.
Most of the legal and tax advice is US-centric. Which means it added nothing of value to me as a South African (I learned much more from a session at my local SARS office). There’s a lot of common-sense advice that I’m sure comes in handy for newbies.
I like the cover. The layout is user-friendly. Though, there are a couple of typos/missing words throughout the book.
The Appendix is a gem – totally worth getting the book.
Star rating:
Editing: 3 stars
Premise: 5 stars
Relevance: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
Total = 4 stars
A few of the chapters are truly important, though if you’ve been on the publishing landscape for a while you would have learned most of it on popular blogs/podcasts.
Most of the legal and tax advice is US-centric. Which means it added nothing of value to me as a South African (I learned much more from a session at my local SARS office). There’s a lot of common-sense advice that I’m sure comes in handy for newbies.
I like the cover. The layout is user-friendly. Though, there are a couple of typos/missing words throughout the book.
The Appendix is a gem – totally worth getting the book.
Star rating:
Editing: 3 stars
Premise: 5 stars
Relevance: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
Total = 4 stars
July 18, 2019
I read the 1st edition of this book a few years ago and found it extremely helpful in my efforts to self-publish my first book. At that time, I happily gave it 5 stars. When I discovered the 2nd edition was published, I honestly didn't think there was any way to improve the original. But I was wrong! This 2nd edition is even better.
If you haven't read either version, just get the 2nd edition and that will be all you need in my opinion.
The 2nd edition does a great job of explaining the critical topics that indie authors need to know before publishing their book, such as US copyright laws, setting up a legal entity for your author business, options for distributing and marketing your book, record-keeping info, basic tax requirements, etc. In a nutshell, this book covers the business side of book writing that most newbie authors are not aware of. That is why I say this book is a must-read for indie authors. Get this book. You won't be disappointed!
If you haven't read either version, just get the 2nd edition and that will be all you need in my opinion.
The 2nd edition does a great job of explaining the critical topics that indie authors need to know before publishing their book, such as US copyright laws, setting up a legal entity for your author business, options for distributing and marketing your book, record-keeping info, basic tax requirements, etc. In a nutshell, this book covers the business side of book writing that most newbie authors are not aware of. That is why I say this book is a must-read for indie authors. Get this book. You won't be disappointed!
October 9, 2021
Well I'd say this book succeeded in causing me to balk at the idea of self-publishing. I'm even more overwhelmed and confused than I was before. There was a lot of information, things I never would have even been aware of without picking up this book. So maybe that's good. And maybe this book prevented me from trying to self-publish and inadvertently get myself in trouble with the IRS because I wouldn't have realized how many different tax forms I have to fill out, whether I successfully make a sale or not. But I think this book can best be summed up with advice that was constantly repeated through its pages, "consult with a professional." Even if you go it yourself, apparently it's best to not do it by yourself.
If you're business-savvy, this book may be a useful tool. Though if you're business-savvy, this book probably only repeats what you already know. If you're like me, and you've never embraced the world of running your own business, it's a lot of generalized information.
If you're business-savvy, this book may be a useful tool. Though if you're business-savvy, this book probably only repeats what you already know. If you're like me, and you've never embraced the world of running your own business, it's a lot of generalized information.
January 1, 2018
Incredibly helpful guide for us writers trying to be business people in addition to our writing. There are things in here that I can't use YET, but I will definitely come back to when the time comes, so this will be a bit of a bible for me in my writing business. Useful even if you aren't going to self-publish, as there's information for writers getting paid, too, but absolutely wonderful for those of us trying to start a business. She's personable and obviously happy to help fellow writers. I actually looked this book up after reading a guest blog post Sedwick did that helped while I was desperately exploring the legalities of my next step in writing. Fantastic resource for writers.
April 7, 2019
Nobody wants to need a lawyer. Hell, I'm a lawyer and have a hard time dealing with them. For that precise reason, good books like this are a godsend. It doesn't tell you everything you need to know, but it teaches just enough to start developing a spidey-sense about problems (like, can I use the phrase "spidey-sense" in my book, or is that copyrighted?)
It's worth the few ducats to buy and the few hours it will take to read. You don't need to know the law, you just need to know when you might need a lawyer. This book helps with that.
It's worth the few ducats to buy and the few hours it will take to read. You don't need to know the law, you just need to know when you might need a lawyer. This book helps with that.
October 22, 2020
Wonderfully written!
This book covers the legal aspects of every single stage of writing, and has answered so many questions that I've been asking myself for months! Sedwick writes it all in such an easily digestable way that I almost feel like a legal expert on writing now! Even better, she has lists of resources for everything, and even names some of the "resources" (aka scams, or wolves in sheep's clothing) that are just better to stay away from.
I discovered this book via Jenna Moreci's newsletter and I'm so glad I did. I'll be refrencing it often.
This book covers the legal aspects of every single stage of writing, and has answered so many questions that I've been asking myself for months! Sedwick writes it all in such an easily digestable way that I almost feel like a legal expert on writing now! Even better, she has lists of resources for everything, and even names some of the "resources" (aka scams, or wolves in sheep's clothing) that are just better to stay away from.
I discovered this book via Jenna Moreci's newsletter and I'm so glad I did. I'll be refrencing it often.
December 18, 2021
The only negative 'thing' I can say about this book is that I didn't read it before I started self-publishing. After reading this book, I see so many things I should have done differently.
If you are considering or wanting to self-publish, read this book. It covers so much information and is a fantastic resource.
It's easy to read; it doesn't drag the reader through legal jargon, but instead breaks down legal jargon and tells laypeople (like myself) what to look for.
I'll say it again: a great resource. Everyone who self-publishes should have a (read) copy on their shelves.
If you are considering or wanting to self-publish, read this book. It covers so much information and is a fantastic resource.
It's easy to read; it doesn't drag the reader through legal jargon, but instead breaks down legal jargon and tells laypeople (like myself) what to look for.
I'll say it again: a great resource. Everyone who self-publishes should have a (read) copy on their shelves.
June 16, 2023
essential and practical guide
Helen Sedwick’s “Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook” is an essential and practical guide. Period. I’ve enrolled in several self-publishing schools, courses, and programs charging hundreds or thousands of dollars to teach the process of self-publishing, but none addressed legal and financial basics. I sure wish I had known about this book a few years ago. The advice is practical and easy to digest. This is a book I’ll recommend to everyone in my writer’s group.
Helen Sedwick’s “Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook” is an essential and practical guide. Period. I’ve enrolled in several self-publishing schools, courses, and programs charging hundreds or thousands of dollars to teach the process of self-publishing, but none addressed legal and financial basics. I sure wish I had known about this book a few years ago. The advice is practical and easy to digest. This is a book I’ll recommend to everyone in my writer’s group.
September 1, 2017
I first want to say thanks to Ten Gallon Press and Goodreads Giveaway for picking me to review this book. I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot of great information I would have never thought to do until after the fact. This book is going to save me a lot of headache, for that I am very grateful. I plan to give this book to a friend and amazing contemporary christian romance author Laura Hervey. She is one to watch!
February 25, 2021
Right On Target - Excellent advice
This is an excellent book and we'll laid out. I think Helen was well prepared for this and I am most grateful for her work. I like the way she presented all the facts and then some. This is a great work of her craft and I am deeply appreciative of her making this book available. Thank you so much Helen. I would recommend this very highly to all authors and creators of art.
This is an excellent book and we'll laid out. I think Helen was well prepared for this and I am most grateful for her work. I like the way she presented all the facts and then some. This is a great work of her craft and I am deeply appreciative of her making this book available. Thank you so much Helen. I would recommend this very highly to all authors and creators of art.
May 25, 2022
This is a helpful guide for indie publishers. I've found that many people who self-publish, particularly first-timers--and there are many of those--do so without an understanding of what they're getting into. Sedwick's book delivers more than its title implies, as it deals with the business of writing and publishing beyond only the legal matters. It's a bit dated now with a pub date in 2017, but it still has plenty of useful information. I'm going to recommend this to peers.
February 7, 2019
More than a guide to the legal ramifications of self-publishing, this includes a lot of the basics of how to self-publish - marketing, printing, using contractors. It's clearly and engagingly written, and it includes massive amounts of well-researched helpful advice in a short, readable format. Highly recommended.
December 2, 2019
I read large segments at a time while taking notes, because that's just what I do when I want to know something. I've obviously spent too much time in school 😅 It was a lot to take at once, but the information was very helpful with many topics I had never considered before. Overall, I feel much more prepared to start off as an indie!
March 20, 2020
Decent information on the business side of writing, but rather thin on the legal side. I picked this up looking for information about a legal question. The question was answered...and then completely contradicted two pages later. For a book that's about professionalism, there's also a disappointing number of typos (one paragraph had an entire sentence repeating twice).
November 9, 2021
Find Out What Your Legal Rights Are
If your planning on being a self-publisher, or an author who self-publishes their own literary works, read this book first. Learn what you need to know about the law an avoid getting into legal trouble and potentially getting ripped off by dishonest companies and people in the book trade.
If your planning on being a self-publisher, or an author who self-publishes their own literary works, read this book first. Learn what you need to know about the law an avoid getting into legal trouble and potentially getting ripped off by dishonest companies and people in the book trade.
September 29, 2017
Exactly what are the rules of self publishing and what are your rights. Helen Sedwick took readers comments and updated her manual for publishing. I found that it was very readable, and a good reference for writers who want to publish.
April 4, 2019
This slim handbook provides a broad overview helping the self-publishing author and creative in “…minimizing legal risks and errors.” The appendix of ‘Understanding Key Contract Terms’ was a bonus that I didn’t know I wanted/needed until I read it.
June 18, 2019
Good book for new authors
Great advice. I’m just starting out and reading this book was perfect timing. I’m almost ready to publish but then started reading to get a better idea of the business side of self publishing. Good thing I did. I learned a lot
Great advice. I’m just starting out and reading this book was perfect timing. I’m almost ready to publish but then started reading to get a better idea of the business side of self publishing. Good thing I did. I learned a lot
April 18, 2020
Absolutely fantastic in that it clearly explained answers to questions I have been developing. I learned a lot from this, and can clearly see I have some work ahead of me to figure out a business plan. I am glad I stumbled across this while reading other author-friendly self-publishing resources.
September 10, 2020
Self help
Looking for information to help me better understand the business side of publishing, I am glad I came across this book. An easy read. Highly recommend anyone interested in book publishing should give this a try.
Looking for information to help me better understand the business side of publishing, I am glad I came across this book. An easy read. Highly recommend anyone interested in book publishing should give this a try.
June 15, 2021
Worth my time to read
This book puts legal jargon into easy to understand terms. It explains copyright laws and pen names and business plans in simple detail. It also provides resources with links. Great information for any writer, especially a first time author.
This book puts legal jargon into easy to understand terms. It explains copyright laws and pen names and business plans in simple detail. It also provides resources with links. Great information for any writer, especially a first time author.
March 25, 2023
A Must for Authors
This is an absolute must for authors. I'm shocked that other authors aren't talking about this. This literally gives you everything you need about setting up your business, how to deal with taxes, etc. Buy this book.
This is an absolute must for authors. I'm shocked that other authors aren't talking about this. This literally gives you everything you need about setting up your business, how to deal with taxes, etc. Buy this book.
April 9, 2024
A reference book. Useful information in every page.
Easy read with precise information on what you need to know in legal terms for self-publishing. Highly recommended for anyone in the business.
Easy read with precise information on what you need to know in legal terms for self-publishing. Highly recommended for anyone in the business.
May 16, 2024
I highly recommend this book to all self-published authors, especially those who are first-time or newbie authors as myself. It was extremely helpful on many different levels from copyright instructions and business setup to taxes, publishing scams, and estate planning.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews