The pen is mightier than the sword.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy

Everything you write is copyrighted automatically when you write it, writers. Just so you know.

Everything on A. Victoria Mixon, Editor is copyrighted. Because I’ve written it, now, haven’t I? That means it’s not okay to copy any of the posts and post them elsewhere without express written permission. (From me.) Not even just big chunks of posts.

Frankly, I’m pretty easy-going about letting you do this if you just ask permission. Here’s my email—drop me a line!

However, there is a little wiggle room in copyright law, and there’s a good reason for this.

1) It’s okay to re-post a sentence or two or even a paragraph or two in a periodical without permission under the copyright clause “for review purposes.” This means you’re citing it so you can express an opinion, and this loophole was originally designed to allow periodical book reviewers to spread the love without getting entangled in red tape. It works exactly the same way on the Internet so long as you cite it properly and include a link to the author’s site.

(If you don’t include the citation and link, it’s plagiarism—the very worst type of copyright violation—and you’ll get a Cease & Desist letter and possibly your ass sued by the rightful owner.)

Personally, I like to know if you’re doing this so I can keep track of what’s out there. But it’s okay, either way, so long as you cite it properly as coming from me and include a link to http://victoriamixon.com.

2) IMPORTANT! This wiggle room does not work for your published works that are not periodicals.

This means if you want to quote someone else in your book or novel, you or your publisher has to get their express written permission. Even for epigrams. Many authors—especially famous ones—charge for this privilege, because they and their publishers have a huge vested professional interest in making sure their works are not re-used by random authors latching onto their coattails.

Prentice Hall paid for the cartoons my co-author chose for re-print in our book.

3) Links are all goodness. I link to you guys, too. The Internet is one big ole snuggly interconnected network.

Remember, everyone: copyright protects you as well as the authors you read. These laws apply to your own works, keeping the world of written words fair for everyone. It’s not a profession if you don’t get paid for your work.

And writers are professionals.

Besides, no one wants to get whacked upside the head with something even mightier than a sword.

If you wonder what can happen to a good-faith editor who happens to have been online for a long time, check out the Book Editing Associates Hall of Shame. Lynda Lotman has had a lot of her material lifted over the years by the named people and associations.

For more on copyright law, try the University of Texas at Austin (or here if you’re in the UK).

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