Blarrrrrrghh...errrumph..gahhrrrg...I'm sick today, and that's what I feel like. No temperature, but my throat's on fire and I've got an achy body.
Okay, enough whining.
I see pop culture references quite a bit when reading books and beta reading for people. Most of the time, they're harmless, but earlier in the week, a very reputable agent tweeted the following:
Writers querying fan fiction or novels using well-known pop culture characters - please Google the phrase "intellectual property law."
So, if you're planning on having Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga or Tim Tebow make an appearance in your novel, consider yourself warned. Same goes for song lyrics. I'm pretty sure things like Coca-Cola and Scrabble and Sour Patch Kids are fair game, but you might want to check :)
Have a great weekend!
Oh, and if you happened to miss out on Stephen Colbert's interview with Maurice Sendak (author of Where the Wild Things Are) regarding the state of children's literature, it's awesome. Maurice Sendak reminds me of my grandmother~ which tells you a thing or two about my grandmother :)
Colbert-Sendak interview, Part 1
PS~ Blogger has a reply button now, so I'll be replying to comments here, instead of emailing folks :)
Hey Jess, Hope you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteThere's always too many bugs going around this time of year.
Thanks, Tina!
DeleteI hope you feel better. Left you an award on my blog because you are awesome! =) Oh, and good luck on your requests from those pitch contests! Keeping fingers and toes crossed.
ReplyDeleteAwww, you're sweet. Thanks!
DeleteFind a snuggly blankie, a hot cuppa something, and watch some great movies. For some reason, when I am really ill, I watch the PBS series, Ken Burn's Civil War. Got to be a Freudian thing.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the intellectual Property law. I would love to quote lines from books but the blurb in the front always stops me.
The '...no part of this book may be reproduced...in any form...without permission...'
*sigh*
Same here~ one of my WIPs back in the day had song lyrics and book quotes too, until I realized that was a no-no.
DeleteThanks for the heads up on the "intellectual property law" thing.
ReplyDeleteSure thing! Love the addition to your screen name :)
DeleteSorry to hear you're sick. Get better soon. Spring's a comin'! (please)
ReplyDeleteHaha to say nothing about some of Colbert's comments about the presidential candidates. Ouch
That video cracked me up.
DeleteI started the month out sick...not fun! Hope you feel better soon, and enjoy your weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, DL :)
DeleteHope you're feeling better soon. I'll definitely google this. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Beth :)
DeleteBeing sick sucks, hope you get to feeling better.
ReplyDeleteHopefully it'll just last the weekend :)
DeleteFeel better!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Loree. It wouldn't be that bad, but I have a work reunion to go to tomorrow that includes all day meetings and schmoozing :(
DeleteSorry you're not feeling well, Jess. Get well soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kenda :)
DeleteGet better soon Jess!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kelley :)
DeleteDon't you love that reply thing??I think it's cool!
ReplyDeleteI find it amazing that anyone actually thought they could query fan fiction!
Yep, the reply button is awesome.
DeleteSome celebrities may be fine with it, after all, it's free publicity, and I hate the thought of writers being so paranoid they're afraid to use artistic license, but I do know that Disney absolutely will not let its name or any of its products be reproduced anywhere without permission.
ReplyDeleteYep, Karen~ I've heard that Disney is pretty much a locked vault :)
DeleteFeel better! It's a tricky thing when you're writing anything contemporary -- on one hand, the odd brand name can really plant you in a time and place. On the other, it can be so much more trouble than it's worth!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree~a lot of things are fair game, though. I was reading Hush, Hush last night and they mention Victoria's Secret--free advertising for them! :)
DeleteI used to come across that a lot, too, when I was teaching, especially the song lyrics. Another good reason not to use song lyrics is that people don't like the same music. Something that may seem romantic to the writer might be an irritating song to the reader. Hope you get well soon!
ReplyDeleteExcellent point on the song lyrics~ the feelings they invoke are so subjective :)
Deleteawww! feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteyes- intellectual property rights are super scary and super complicated.
man, i need to watch that maurice sendak thingy...
Yeah, I get a little paranoid about it and try not to mention pop culture stuff at all~ it's tough with contemporary, though :)
DeleteFor some reason, a number of wannabe authors want to put lines from pop songs in their novels. They see this done in TV shows and movies, so they think they can do the same. But those production companies had to get permission (pay through the nose to do so). When you watch the credits at the end of a movie with a contemporary setting, you might note how many music credits scroll by. Every one of those means that the production company paid to use even a snippet of a song.
ReplyDeleteYep, Mark. So true! I don't have that kind of cash on-hand, so I tend to avoid the incorporation of pop songs in my projects :)
DeleteOoh, duly noted. I avoid pop culture references anyway so I don't date my novels, but this is still important. Thanks Jess and FEEL BETTER SOON!
ReplyDeleteThat's very true~ dating novels can be deadly in this business, when it can be years before your novel is published!
DeleteThanks for the reminder! I tend to avoid them as well, or make up references to get the point across without falling into the intellectual property trap (and dating myself).
ReplyDelete-Vicki
That's exactly what I aim to do as well :)
Deletegood to know. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteYou can thank Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown, Ltd.~ it's her tip :)
DeleteHelpful Jess--and I hope you are feeling better. Having little kids around for the last decade has made me a pop culture idiot--I mean unless the question relates to cartoons or Disney movies.
ReplyDeleteSorry that I have not commented in awhile, but I was having trouble getting my less-than-super laptop to cooperate and load your pages properly. Oh well, works fine today.
I had to look up how to spell, "Bieber," so you're not the only one behind on the times :) No worries on the comments~ thanks for continuing to try!
DeleteHope you are feeling much better. Good tip!
ReplyDeleteYay! I have tried to post a few times on your blog and kept getting a blank page. I'm so glad the previous one worked. Just had to let you know I tried :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for continuing to try!
DeleteI had one novel in which I used lyrics from an Aerosmith song. I figured I'd worry about getting permission to use it if the book was ever published. In the end (after realizing how much the band would charge me to use the lyrics), I wrote my own.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon, Jess!
Nice! I bet yours were just as good :)
DeleteI will definitely check out that interview! And now you simply must give more deets about your Grandmother!
ReplyDeleteShe's a firecracker ;)
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