Copyright exists in anything you create, as soon as you write something down or record it in some manner, you have copyright. The work must be your own, so plagiarised material is excluded. If you are employed or have a contract which stipulates that copyright passes to whoever has commissioned your work, then copyright vests with your employer.

In the UK and European Union, copyright lasts for 70 years after the death of the writer, or if the work is published after death of the writer, for 70 years after publication.

A general rule is not to surrender copyright unless you have negotiated suitable compensation. Retaining copyright gives you the right to be rewarded for your work and if successful, may continue to benefit your family for decades after your death. Look at the estate of JRR Tolkien, the author of “Lord of the Rings” and consider the royalties paid the owners of the copyright from the movies that have been made.
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Libel is where you write something that is damaging to another person. If your writing is professionally damaging to that person, the scope for redress is even greater.

Libel is a publisher’s nightmare as it can lead to bankruptcy and the end of a career for you as a writer. Caution is the watchword when handling contentious issues which may put you at loggerheads if you have something you passionately believe in.

The main defence to libel is in writing the truth. What constitutes the “truth” may be a very difficult thing to prove once you are in a court of law and you are required to back up your claims. From bitter personal experience of courts in the UK and the US, though fortunately not for libel, I have learned to appreciate that there is a huge difference between what I know and what I can prove.

Libel is something that can affect both the non-fiction and fiction writer. Writing a denigrating piece that places a product in a bad light can be considered libellous, so product or service comparisons must be made with care. Using a fictional name for a character in a novel that you are basing upon a real life individual will not protect you from a libel suit if that person is identifiable from your writing.

It is necessary to demonstrate that you have been malicious or reckless when demonstrating libel. This is why you see disclaimers along the lines of “All characters are fictional and any relation to persons living or dead is unintentional.” but you still must take reasonable steps to ensure that you are not using someone’s name who actually exists. If you were to write about a politician or business person who is corrupt, you should Google that name and ensure no politician exists out there that has the name of your fictional character.

You cannot libel the dead so essentially you can write what you want about them. It would lead you open to criticism about making allegations against someone wh is unable to defend themselves or indeed, you may indirectly libel living relatives of the deceased. Best not to get involved in either case.

If you inadvertently libel someone, the best course of action is to consult a lawyer and your publisher. Issuing an apology and a retraction tend to do the trick but libel in the UK is serious and it can be horribly expensive so take care.

When I started writing I was heavily reliant on Get A Freelancer for work and my client portfolio blossomed from there.

GAF is just one of several sites that provide work, and we have already covered others such as Guru.com which offers in my opinion, better work, better pay but you have to have something to offer if you stand any chance of competing.

Other sites you can take a peek include the following:

Freelance UK

This is a didactic resource filled with help and material to help you get your self organised but light on actually bringing writers and clients together.

Probably the best resource for getting you on the straight and narrow with taxes and accounting as well as providing good information on copywriting rates of pay.
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If you ask me what my biggest writing fault is, I will answer “I over run with my sentences.”

You can disagree and think my writing is faulted for very different reasons, but certainly, my opinion is that I get lost and ramble on when I should just “.”

When I get into the flow and my fingers are dancing on the keyboard, the words just come and it is almost like speaking. The problem is that when we speak, we make so many errors with our English simply because the brain is processing thought far faster than it can process appropriate speech. When you get into that writers groove, the written word becomes imbued with the same errors that characterise spoken English.

A sure sign of “written thought” is the cliche. When I’m up against a deadline and my commissioning agent is yelling down the email pipe “Where are my 500 words on yak fur!”; cliches abound. The problem for me is that I find it hard to recognise when I’m using a cliche, so worn are the bad habits I have acquired with my English over the years. Frankly, it takes a second reading some time beyond any practical deadline for me to pick them up, or a second pair of eyes.
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My first day back from the New Year and I would like to wish everyone a great year! I’m going to start it off right, with a story about freelancing and how to get off to a good start. Proofreaders are here to make you look good and here’s an example.

It was the year end, so I decided to take a look at a few things the other day. I couldn’t believe what I saw. I’ve got to admit that I feel a little inspired when I see how great other freelancers are doing. I looked at one such freelancer’s earnings and found him in the $70,000 USD range. That doesn’t even include work not accounted for in that particular profile.

It motivates me because that’s the potential we all have. But, I can’t help to think how much more potential I have over that writer because there were so many errors in his profile it was unbelievable. Yes, I looked. It was interesting and confusing at the same time. I guess it was an experience that humbled me a bit too.

It’s kind of a thing with me. I like to know my competition. I looked at the work he had done over the last year and I was impressed. But, I couldn’t get past the thought of wondering how in the world he got all those jobs. If I wanted someone to write something for me, I wouldn’t want to see any errors in his profile.
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