5. Who Takes Legal Responsibility for Published Work? Why Both an Understanding and Lived Experience of Copyright Are Becoming Increasingly Important to Writers

Copyright, until recently, has been an element of the publishing process little understood by authors. This can ultimately mean for many, that getting published involves being asked to sign their copyright over to the publisher for minimal returns. Baverstock points out that encouraging authors to understand copyright, and other legalities arising from writers’ desire to share their work, raises many issues from individual responsibilities and organisational ethics to business and financial interests. She explores self-publishing as an alternative avenue for authors, touching on issues associated with it, and common assumptions made about the quality of self-published work. She finally touches upon the implications of an informed authorship on the wider creative economy, concluding that in this day and age, it is of utmost importance that all authors understand their markets and know their legal responsibilities and their rights.