ethics

Where’s the Line between Spamming and Sharing?

February 14, 2013 Writing Stuff
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Anyone reading this post probably doesn’t intend to be a spammer, but it’s possible to cross the line and not realize it. If we’re lucky, a friend will let us know. However, how we react to that observation is yet another minefield in the impression we leave behind in social media. A strange thing happens sometimes when [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, blogging, branding, conferences, ethics, Jami Gold, Kristen Lamb, paranormal author, professionalism, social media

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Fan Fiction to Published Book: A Case Study

December 13, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Last time, we discussed the different options for publishing a story that had its genesis in fan fiction: name-change-only, reworking, and rewriting. Whether we believe there’s ever a “right” way to publish a story that began as fan fiction (fanfic), authors who completely rewrite their story should be recognized for at least making the attempt to avoid [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, ethics, fan fiction, guest blogs, Jami Gold, paranormal author, plagiarism, premise, professionalism, risk

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Can Writers Reuse Their Own Work?

December 11, 2012 Writing Stuff
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On the surface, this might seem like a clear-cut question. Unless we’ve turned the copyright over to another entity, it seems like we should be able to reuse our own work. However the issues surrounding what is sometimes termed “self-plagiarism” are more complicated than they might first appear. Many of us who blog will occasionally rerun [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, paranormal author, plagiarism, premise, professionalism, risk

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How Fake Reviews Hurt Everyone

September 25, 2012 Writing Stuff
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I had the idea for this post over a month ago after seeing a Slate article about the “epidemic” of niceness in online book culture. Their point boiled down to whether all the friendliness on social media made people feel they couldn’t say bad things about books. I was going to write about how, yes, [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, authors, ethics, Goodreads, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism, self-publishing, social media

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How Much Are We Responsible for our Guest Posters?

September 13, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Most of us who blog think having guest posts is a “good” thing. We bring in others outside our expertise. We expose our blog to their followers. We get to take a break in our blogging schedule. Heck, I’ve written about the benefits of guest posts. But there’s a hidden risk in allowing others onto [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, agents, blogging, branding, contracts, epublishing, ethics, guest blogs, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, perfectionism, professionalism, risk, RWA, self-doubt

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An Author’s Guide to Fan Fiction

May 31, 2012 Writing Stuff
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Recent events have brought fan fiction out of the hidden realm of über-fans and into mainstream media.  For the first time, many authors are learning of the existence of fan fiction and wondering how it might affect them. Let’s take a look at what fan fiction is, what it means to authors, and what they [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, paranormal author, professionalism

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Is Taking the Hard Road a “Waste”?

March 15, 2012 Writing Stuff
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My post about the ethics of fan fiction went viral this week, spreading beyond even the Twilight fandom.  From a post on mediabistro/GalleyCat to mentions at Dear Author, Jezebel, The Paris Review, and AbsoluteWrite, people have been discussing ethics in regards to writing and the publishing industry. I don’t bring that up to brag but to [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, dreams, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism, risk, self-doubt

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What Makes a Character Unique?

March 8, 2012 Writing Stuff
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“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare Wow, Bill, you have no idea how ahead of your time you were.  I know it must be hard to believe, but hundreds of years after you made this insightful observation through [...]

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Tagged as: advice for writers, character archetypes, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, Janice Hardy, listening to characters, paranormal author, professionalism, RWA, strong characters, subtext

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When Does Fan Fiction Cross an Ethical Line?

March 6, 2012 Random Musings
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Fan fiction, also known as fanfic, refers to stories written by fans about the characters, situations, or world of existing works created by others.  This definition sounds broad because the world of fanfic is broad. On some level, everything from Wicked, inspired by The Wizard of Oz, to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies could fall under the umbrella [...]

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Tagged as: authors, ethics, fan fiction, Jami Gold, Jami's rants, paranormal author, professionalism, story seed

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