Comments on: Writing Contest http://jenue.com/2007/04/19/writing-contest/ let me tell you a tale Mon, 05 Sep 2011 12:17:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Julie Dawson http://jenue.com/2007/04/19/writing-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-2 Julie Dawson Fri, 27 Apr 2007 20:50:58 +0000 http://jenue.com/2007/04/19/writing-contest/#comment-2 To answer your question, copyright ALWAYS remains with the author, unless you specifically give it away. When you sell a story to a publisher, you are granting them certain rights to publish the story, not ownership. Some of the most commonly used rights are as follows... First North American rights: the right to publish a story for the first time in North America. This use to be rather common, but not so much anymore in the internet age. Back in them thar old days (you know, when we still had to produce everything on typewriters!) an American publisher would often only distribute a book in North America, and then if it was successful reprint it for the European market. First Worldwide rights: The right to publish a story for the first time worldwide. More common in the internet age, as books are available around the world as soon as they appear on Amazon! First Electronic Rights: the right to publish something for the first time online. NOTE if you have previously published your stories on a blog or your own website, you cannot legally sell first electronic rights to another publisher! Reprint rights: the right to reprint a previously published story. Never enter a contest that says your stories become property of a third party. You should ALWAYS retain copyright of your work. To answer your question, copyright ALWAYS remains with the author, unless you specifically give it away. When you sell a story to a publisher, you are granting them certain rights to publish the story, not ownership. Some of the most commonly used rights are as follows…

First North American rights: the right to publish a story for the first time in North America. This use to be rather common, but not so much anymore in the internet age. Back in them thar old days (you know, when we still had to produce everything on typewriters!) an American publisher would often only distribute a book in North America, and then if it was successful reprint it for the European market.

First Worldwide rights: The right to publish a story for the first time worldwide. More common in the internet age, as books are available around the world as soon as they appear on Amazon!

First Electronic Rights: the right to publish something for the first time online. NOTE if you have previously published your stories on a blog or your own website, you cannot legally sell first electronic rights to another publisher!

Reprint rights: the right to reprint a previously published story.

Never enter a contest that says your stories become property of a third party. You should ALWAYS retain copyright of your work.

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