Publishing & Literary Rights

We know publishing.

From indie to Big 5 publishers and everything in between, we know the publishing industry from personal and professional experience.

Let us help you navigate your way through contracts, negotiations, subsidiary rights, and option purchase deals.

We offer hourly and flat fee rates to meet every budget.

Author Tisha Morris

We love authors.

As a best-selling author of five books, Tisha Morris, founder of Legacy Arts Law, specializes in protecting, preserving, and exploiting literary rights of authors, publishers, and estates.

We represent authors and publishing companies in negotiating and drafting publishing agreements, legal review of manuscripts, and all subsidiary rights, including books to screen, shopping agreements, ghost writing agreements, collaboration agreements, option purchase agreements, and much more.

Legal Vetting Manuscripts

Legal clearance for authors, publishers, and literary agents seeking a pre-publication legal review before release.

Before your manuscript goes to print, a legal review can help identify and reduce potential legal risks while preserving the integrity of your story. We specialize in reviewing nonfiction and fiction manuscripts for any legal considerations that may arise from real people, events, or third-party content.

Whether you're writing a memoir, investigative nonfiction, biography, or a novel inspired by real life, our goal is to help you publish with greater confidence within First Amendment protections and to identify any potential issues and offer practical solutions that protect both your work and your creative vision.

  • One of the more common legal claims when it comes to including real, identifiable people in a book.

  • Privacy rights vary from state to state, but are one of the most common red flags I find in manuscripts when writing about personal, sensitive issues involving other people.

  • Using other’s material in the form of copyright or trademarks is an often overlooked area for authors. It can also be one of the more gray areas to evaluate when it comes to fair use.

  • It’s easy to forget about an NDA you signed years ago that prohibits your from discussing certain events. A legal review can narrow in what is okay and not okay based on prior NDAs.

  • Knowing what is and isn’t off limits when it comes to including famous people living and post-mortem can be tricky, particularly with California’s new postmortem rights around name and likeness.

  • While companies can’t be defamed in the same way individuals can, they do have certain rights when it comes to disparagement.

  • This is uncommon for books, however nonfiction or self-help books written by doctors, medical professionals, or other licensed practitioners with a higher standard of care should be mindful of the extent to which they give advice. The same can apply to personal negligence, although the standard of care is lower than professional.

  • Although not a common claim, a legal review takes into account any viable tort claim that could be brought against the author.

Legal-vetting fees are priced as a flat fee based on word count

Please inquire for more information.

See below for FAQs.

Legal Vetting Process
FAQs

  • Once we have confirmed the scope of the review through an introductory meeting or email, you will receive a fee agreement outlining the services and flat fee. The review begins after the agreement is signed, the first payment is received, and all necessary materials have been provided.

  • The standard review includes:

    • A legal opinion letter analyzing the potential claims and legal concerns identified during the review

    • Recommended edits and comments redlined directly in the manuscript

    • Recommended disclaimer language, when appropriate

    • A review meeting of up to 30 minutes to discuss the recommendations, if needed

  • You will receive your manuscript with recommended edits and comments, together with a legal opinion letter with an analysis of the issues identified, a risk assessment of those issues, and the recommended steps for reducing legal risk.

  • The typical turnaround time is two to four weeks, depending on the manuscript’s length, the complexity of the issues, and the firm’s current workload. The anticipated delivery schedule will be confirmed when the engagement begins.

  • One-half of the flat fee is due when the fee agreement is signed. The remaining one-half is due upon delivery of the legal opinion letter and reviewed manuscript.

  • The quoted flat fee covers the services described above. Additional work will be performed only with your advance approval. Work that may require an additional fee includes:

    • Reviewing ancillary documents or materials outside the manuscript

    • Conducting a separate or more extensive fair-use analysis

    • Reviewing revised or newly added sections after the opinion letter has been completed

    • Additional meeting or consultation time beyond the included 30 minutes

  • If the manuscript uses third-party material that may require a more detailed fair-use analysis, the attorney will identify the issue and explain the recommended scope of the additional review. No additional work or charge will be incurred without your approval.

  • Yes. The initial fee includes the recommendations and redlines provided with the completed review. If you would like the attorney to review revised or newly added material afterward, that follow-up review can be provided for an additional fee with your advance approval.

Let’s work together.

Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your project and to see if it’s a fit to work together.

Serious inquiries only.

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