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8 Answers to Copyright Questions About Recipes and Books

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copyright-lawyer-lesley-ellen-harris

Copyright attorney Lesley Ellen Harris.

When Copyright Educator and Author Lesley Ellen Harris asked if I had any copyright questions for a blog post, I put the word out on social media. Food writers asked several questions. Lesley has generously answered them — in plain English.

Here are 8 answers to copyright questions about recipes and books:

1. When someone re-publishes my recipes word for word (headnote, instructions, variations, etc.)  without attribution, I usually write to them and try to work it out. But if that goes nowhere, is there a legal avenue?

Copyright law doesn’t protect the list of ingredients in a recipe. However, the language used to describe the recipe’s instructions and the headnote are protected by copyright. Attribution may be a [Read more…] about 8 Answers to Copyright Questions About Recipes and Books

How Old Are You in Internet Years?

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DianneJacob.photoSean-Neild

My most recent shot from 2014. I put it on my Facebook page. (Photo by Sean Neild)

I had a big birthday recently, and was rather shocked to see the photos. I had aged, and I didn’t like it.

It’s because I’m accustomed to seeing a younger me online. In Internet years I am up to 10 years younger.

The thing is, I like those old shots quite a bit. But this year, I forced myself to post a more current mug shot (right), which I still [Read more…] about How Old Are You in Internet Years?

Are You Making These 2 Mistakes When Writing Sponsored Posts?

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Sponsored-posts

Are you working for brands for peanuts? Those are $1 bills, yet many food bloggers take them.

I meet lots of food bloggers at conferences who are writing sponsored posts. Here are two stories of their first experiences that didn’t turn out well:

1. Prioritizing the brand over readers.

In the Q&A after my talk, a food blogger wanted to know why readers suddenly unsubscribed from her blog after she wrote sponsored posts.

She said she usually buys a years’ supply at a time from a particular nut company. Eventually she [Read more…] about Are You Making These 2 Mistakes When Writing Sponsored Posts?

“Blogger Blackmail” Surfaces as a Trend

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Macarons

What is “blogger blackmail?” One blogger demanded about $150 worth of macarons, marshmallows, and other goodies in exchange for a blog post.

How ironic. Last week I wrote a post defending hobby bloggers. This week the subject is “blogger blackmail!”

By now you may have heard about the Twitter thread called #bloggerblackmail. It chronicles, among other things, when food bloggers demand payment in kind for blog posts, including free meals at nice restaurants.

One story that came to a head began when a hobby blogger who writes London restaurant write-ups emailed a bakery and suggested she be “invited to review” their products in exchange for a blog post.

Here’s how things went downhill for the food blogger:

When she got to the bakery, workers offered her tea and [Read more…] about “Blogger Blackmail” Surfaces as a Trend

Are Food Writers Privileged? I Am

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Here I am, eating bonbons all day as a sponsored writer. Heh.

Here I am, eating bonbons all day as a sponsored writer.

There’s been lots of talk on my blog lately about money and food blogging. (See post about Adam Roberts and Amy Sherman’s post.)

But one thing people don’t talk about is the privilege of being a food writer, where earning money is a secondary ambition for many – not because they’re hobbyists, but because they don’t have to earn a living.

This story on Salon about obfuscating the circumstances that let us write [Read more…] about Are Food Writers Privileged? I Am

You Got a Free Cookbook! Now What?

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Package-in-the-mailPublishers send lots of cookbooks to food bloggers, hoping for publicity. If you choose to write about a book, they might supply images and recipes. If you’re not going to write about it, they might say: how about a shoutout on social media?

Do you owe them something in exchange for this free book? If so, what?

This is an area of confusion for many food bloggers. You want to be nice and do the right thing. But understand that, first of all, you owe them nothing.

Even if you requested a book, you are entitled to read it and decide not to [Read more…] about You Got a Free Cookbook! Now What?

Amateur Gourmet Shocks Fans with an Announcement

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meatwork1

Adam Roberts of Amateur Gourmet was on fire last week in the media, due to two events that reverberated on social media.

Last week Adam Roberts of Amateur Gourmet led the news among food bloggers with two major online events. On his blog, he stunned fans by announcing that his advertising income has dropped so far that he can’t make a [Read more…] about Amateur Gourmet Shocks Fans with an Announcement