Copyright Visual Arts

Some of you asked me, when am I going to post new paintings? 😀 The truth is that I delayed the new posts in purpose for a very simple, yet important reason: Copyright issues.

I took a few weeks off last December to do some remodeling around the apartment. I did not paint, but I did read and listened to instructional videos about marketing, licensing and sharing art online. To tell you the truth, the information was overwhelming.

In short, I decided to copyright every painting I create from now on.

Below, I included a list of sites to explain some of the whys and the hows in connection to this subject. I e-filed my first copyright a couple of weeks ago through the US official site. The step by step process was easy to follow and they do have a link “How to Register a Work“. Nothing to be afraid of 😀 ! One thing I should mention is that it costs $35 for each time you submit a request. However, the good news is that you may include multiple unpublished pieces of art in one single application.

The keyword is “unpublished“.

To make it simple:

–  Published Art: A single application must be file.

–  Unpublished Art: As long as all pieces have never been published, you may include it in one single application.

This is the reason I am holding off on posting new paintings. My plan is to file an application by the end of each month. I also want to copyright some of my published pieces, but that will take time.

Remember, this includes photography, illustration and any type of visual art.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week! 😀

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Resourceful sites:

http://www.copyright.gov/eco/

http://www.copyright.gov/

http://inventors.about.com/od/copyrights/a/copyright.htm

http://www.artbusiness.com/register_and_copyright_art_for_artists.html

Beta Readers, a valuable resource.

A few days ago, I read a post about participating in a Barnes and Noble writing group. I was curious to find out if they had a group in my area, so I did some web searching. This is how I stumbled with the phrase “Beta Readers”.

I had no idea what it meant and how valuable this could be for someone like me or anyone else for that matter.

Beta Readers are people who read books with a critical eye and offer the author constructive criticism and honest feedback. At least this is what I hope. They might address issues like grammar, spelling or punctuation. They could aid on finding problems with timelines, characters or any other inconsistencies. Beta Reader might also point out what they love about the book and its strengths. At the end, I believe this process would improve  ones writing and as a result the book itself.

Forgiveness – an unexpected gift, a short story

This is my first publication! And you may download a FREE copy here through Smashwords.

I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I don’t even know how to clearly convey my feelings. I am aimlessly wandering about what people will say, where to promote my book, what should I do next, and so on. Also, hoping for the world someone to read it and give me feedback, any feedback.

Even though I have already published many posts in my blog, for some strange reason, publishing a book (even a short story) feels different. I am optimistic that every detail of the book is acceptable to the public. That there are no grammatical errors or unwanted mistakes. I did my homework. Many people reviewed the 1,164 words printed on those pages before I decided to upload the file. I followed all the steps I learned about publishing a book, but still, you never know.

I believe that publishing this short story, whether good or bad, it will be a great experience to use in the future.

So, I wait, expectant, cheerful and at ease for my first review.

About the Book

This story focuses in a powerful moment in time, on an aching heart and an amazing experience that leads to a great insight. A strange phone call helps this lost soul into forgiveness.

Excerpt 

I find myself hiding inside my bedroom, behind an unfamiliar massive wooden dresser, kneeling on the floor and peeking out as terror crawls inside of me. My heart is beating fast, my palms are sweating and my throat is dry and hurting. I swallow hard, but careful not to make any noise. I look around without moving, searching for an answer, trying to make sense out of this situation. I noticed everything is in place with the exception of this dresser. A dresser that looks like a piece of furniture my grandma would own. On the other hand, it doesn’t really matter where it came from. For now, it’s serving a great purpose and shielding me from danger.

I am confused. I have no memory of how I got here. I know I am afraid, but not sure of what though.

It is daylight, but looks brighter than ever. Maybe it’s the sun filtering through the window. I look up, trying to see past the glass frame, but my eyes squint in the glare. I turn my head to avoid the pain.

How to convert your word document to EPub format using Calibre

A few things before we begin.

For those of you that don’t know, Calibre, it is and I quote “a free and open source e-book library management application developed by users of e-books for users of e-books”, in other words, this is the software you need to download to covert your word document into Epub file. Here is the link. It is free.