Can you quote music lyrics in a book? Like this: Stuck in traffic, main character is blasting Rage Against the Machine, Testify [insert song lyrics excerpt here] Or is that a legal issue? What if we say: Stuck in traffic, main character is blasting Rage Against the Machine, Testify. He st...

How do I do MLA citations for an anniversary edition, e.g. 30th anniversary Selfish Gene. Do I treat it as a normal edition or just ignore that it is a new edition?

I have sent 4 or 5 inquiries to agents or editors with a copy to be forwarded to myself so I can keep track of queries. I never receive the copy to the inquiry and am wondering 1. If they go through; and or 2. if there is something wrong with my computer. The agents or editors normally say we'll ...

I've come across the term "heavy handed" before, and it seems to be one of the more egregious mistakes that one can make while writing - at least that's the impression I get from critics. What does this term mean (with examples, if possible), and how does one avoid it?

In one of my novels, I took two "contemporary" real life people, and sent them back to the 18th century to fight the American Revolution. (Yours truly is one of them.) My current understanding of the "libel in fiction," as in the Red Hat Club case was that the true "backstory" of the main charac...

I'm in the process of writing my very first book and I'd like to use the internet for research information. However, I don't want to do anything wrong. I realize I need to list the source of my info but do I also need to pay royalties to that source?

I have been wondering about the distinction between "copyright" and "patent" for some time, hence my questions below: What is the difference between copyright and patent? What are some examples of works that would fit under each category? (i.e. examples that bring out the difference in Questio...