Today's Writing Rant

[kennyc]

I've completed some short creative non-fiction memoir pieces over the last month or so (even though some were started/planned for ages) and in looking for markets I find that most of them have already ruled themselves out due to various geographic, length or time restrictions. In addition the ones I found as possibilities don't pay anything (even copies since many are on-line pubs) yet they want 'all rights.' Are they friggin' crazy? Don't answer that I know. I just find it very abhorrent that they would ask for and expect to get all rights with literally no payment.

[gmw]

Only one paragraph, Kenny? That's not a rant. It's barely a spit.

[kennyc]

I tried to be succinct.

[gmw]

Ignore me, I'm always jealous of eloquent brevity.

Maybe you need to start your own online magazine, something intended as a service to writers, rather than an exploitation of them. Instead of asking for all rights up front, publication in the online magazine could be with limited rights, and then additional rights could be requested for (and at the time of) any subsequent use - for example print editions of "best of" collections and so on.

Of course such an endeavour automatically has all the same problems that we face as writers anyway: how to get noticed. But, maybe, by collecting from different sources it might be a place people would turn to, to discover new writings that they want to follow, and so benefit both writers and itself.

[jhempel24]

I was asked by a musical institution to do online guitar videos back when I had instructional videos up on you-tube. It sounded very interesting, and they even paid if people took the courses you uploaded. I started to look into it, and in the contract they stated that they would own the rights to the video. No big deal, I was doing it for them. However after that they stated (in quite a bit of legal mumbo jumbo) that they would then own ANY video you uploaded to several different sites (youtube, muvio etc).

When I pointed this out, they said "oh that's not true, anything you create outside of us is yours". However when asked to pull it from the contract before signing, they refused. I'm still doing videos, they aren't even around anymore.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by gmw

Ignore me, I'm always jealous of eloquent brevity.

Maybe you need to start your own online magazine, something intended as a service to writers, rather than an exploitation of them. Instead of asking for all rights up front, publication in the online magazine could be with limited rights, and then additional rights could be requested for (and at the time of) any subsequent use - for example print editions of "best of" collections and so on.

Of course such an endeavour automatically has all the same problems that we face as writers anyway: how to get noticed. But, maybe, by collecting from different sources it might be a place people would turn to, to discover new writings that they want to follow, and so benefit both writers and itself.

Or a blog!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by jhempel24

I was asked by a musical institution to do online guitar videos back when I had instructional videos up on you-tube. It sounded very interesting, and they even paid if people took the courses you uploaded. I started to look into it, and in the contract they stated that they would own the rights to the video. No big deal, I was doing it for them. However after that they stated (in quite a bit of legal mumbo jumbo) that they would then own ANY video you uploaded to several different sites (youtube, muvio etc).

When I pointed this out, they said "oh that's not true, anything you create outside of us is yours". However when asked to pull it from the contract before signing, they refused. I'm still doing videos, they aren't even around anymore.

[VydorScope]

That was a pretty lame rant. I am disappointed.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

That was a pretty lame rant. I am disappointed.

You're free to write your own.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by gmw

Only one paragraph, Kenny? That's not a rant. It's barely a spit.

Guess I failed the Harlan Test.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by gmw

Ignore me, I'm always jealous of eloquent brevity.

Maybe you need to start your own online magazine, something intended as a service to writers, rather than an exploitation of them. Instead of asking for all rights up front, publication in the online magazine could be with limited rights, and then additional rights could be requested for (and at the time of) any subsequent use - for example print editions of "best of" collections and so on.

Of course such an endeavour automatically has all the same problems that we face as writers anyway: how to get noticed. But, maybe, by collecting from different sources it might be a place people would turn to, to discover new writings that they want to follow, and so benefit both writers and itself.

Actually the plan for these particular pieces is to create enough of them to put together as a collection, but was/am hoping to publish a few here and there as I go.

[proofread]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Actually the plan for these particular pieces is to create enough of them to put together as a collection, but was/am hoping to publish a few here and there as I go.

Kennyc, can we see all those collection here ? Is it possible to see that any other place?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by proofread

Kennyc, can we see all those collection here ? Is it possible to see that any other place?

Due to rules I can't provide self-promotion links but check the links in my sig and the author/promotion/blog sub-forum here. I've just started a second blog (Mansions of the Mind) for my more personal/memoir stuff to go along with the original blog which is more article/science. I've self-published a few of those.

Or PM/email me if the above doesn't work.

Thanks!

[teh603]

Originally Posted by jhempel24

I started to look into it, and in the contract they stated that they would own the rights to the video. No big deal, I was doing it for them. However after that they stated (in quite a bit of legal mumbo jumbo) that they would then own ANY video you uploaded to several different sites (youtube, muvio etc

There's one that claims all right to any content at all, in any form invented or otherwise.

It looks like we're reaching the apex of capitalism's self destructive spiral- businesses resorting to "worst business practices" simply because everyone else is.