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Author JK Rowling has won her legal battle in a New York court to get an unofficial Harry Potter encyclopaedia banned from publication.

Judge Robert Patterson said in a ruling Ms Rowling, 43, had proven Steven Vander Ark’s Harry Potter Lexicon would cause her irreparable harm as a writer.

Ms Rowling sued Michigan based publishers RDR Books last year to stop publication of Mr Vander Ark’s book.

He wrote the book after running a popular Potter fansite.

Following the ruling, Ms Rowling said her legal action had aimed “to uphold the right of authors everywhere to protect their own original work”.

She said: “The proposed book took an enormous amount of my work and added virtually no original commentary of its own.”

The statement added: “Many books have been published which offer original insights into the world of Harry Potter. The Lexicon just is not one of them.”

‘Gone too far’

The book had been originally due for publication on 28 November 2007, but legal proceedings prevented it from being released.

Ms Rowling had originally supported the Lexicon website, but she said there was a difference between fans publishing information for free on the internet, and selling it in the form of a book.

Making his ruling, Judge Patterson said reference materials could help readers, but Mr Vander Ark had gone too far in this case.

He said: “While the Lexicon, in its current state, is not a fair use of the Harry Potter works, reference works that share the Lexicon’s purpose of aiding readers of literature generally should be encouraged rather than stifled.”

He said he had made his decision because: “Lexicon appropriates too much of Rowling’s creative work for its purposes as a reference guide”.

‘Not about money’

In April, Ms Rowling gave evidence in court and said the encyclopaedia amounted to “wholesale theft”.

The author has always denied the case was about money.

She had been planning to write her own definitive encyclopaedia, the proceeds of which she had intended to donate to charity.

However, she told the court in April she is not sure if she has “the will or the heart” to do it after all.

At the time RDR Books argued that it is little different than any other novel reference guide and should be allowed to go to press without interference.

Source: BBC News Online

Stuart Rothgiesser

Writer, Researcher, Editor

PO Box 27755, Rhine Road, Cape Town 8050

2F, Beckham House, Gardens, Cape Town 8001

+27 21 424 8631 (office)    

+27 72 496 2483 (mobile)

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1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

The Washington Post’s Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year’s winners:

1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
2. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting sex.
3. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
4. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
5. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.
6. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
7. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.
8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease.
(This one got extra credit.)
9. Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.
10. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
11. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.
12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
13. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.
14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
15. Caterpallor (n.): The colour you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you’re eating.
And the pick of the literature:
16. Ignoranus (n): A person who’s both stupid & an …hole.

August 26, 2008
by  Chuck Sambuchino
Before you dive in, check out these essential tips on submitting your work to an agent.

1. If you write across categories (let’s say you write both picture books and adult fantasy), look for an agent who handles everything you write. She might just be your perfect fit.

2. Mass mailing (or e-mailing) agents without considering each one’s specialties is a waste of time and postage. Not every agent listed here will be a good fit for you. In fact, the fewer true matches you find, the more you’ve done your research. Agents love when you query them individually and provide a reason, such as, “Because you represented such-and-such book, I think you’d be a great agent for my work.”

3. Make sure your work is edited, revised and polished. Rewriting is a crucial step to bettering your work, so be sure to have trusted peers give you an honest critique, or consider seeking a professional freelance editor to evaluate it. And never query an agent for a novel until the work is complete.

4. Single-space your query letter, and keep it to one page. Double-space your manuscript and synopsis.

5. If you lack a good opening for your query letter, just give the facts. A simple yet effective opening line would be, “I am seeking literary representation for my 75,000-word completed thriller, titled Dead Cat Bounce.” In one sentence, you can tell the agent the length, genre, whether it’s complete and the title. After that, follow with the pitch and a little biographical information.

6. Follow submission directions (found at writersdigest.com) to a T. If an agent requests “no attachments,” your query will likely be deleted should it arrive with an attachment. If they say “query first,” do just that. If they reply to your query and ask for an exclusive read of your manuscript for four weeks, make sure you give them that exclusive look. 

7. If you have an automatic spam filter, turn it off. If you’re lucky enough to garner a reply from an agent interested in your work, the last thing they want to deal with is a spam filter requiring them to prove their existence.

8. Remember that publishing is a business and there’s much to learn. If you’ve finished a novel, make sure you know how to construct a good synopsis. If you’re pitching nonfiction, you’ll likely be asked to submit a full proposal detailing the book and how you intend to sell it. If you don’t know everything that goes into a book proposal, now’s the time to learn.

9. Realize that these listings are an excellent start, but there’s still work to be done. Research the agent’s website to confirm that he is indeed still seeking “electronic queries for romance novels,” etc. Also, remember the frustratingly sad reality that the publishing industry is constantly in flux. Agents quit; they switch agencies; they suddenly stop representing fiction and move completely to nonfiction. The best way to deal with this is to cast a wide net.

10. Be persistent. Every famous author has a story about how many agents rejected their work before they made a connection. Work hard, work smart and don’t give up.

http://writersdigest.com/article/10-submission-tips-for-querying-an-agent/

I’ve worked in this study for 21 years. It used to be decorated in muted greys and neutrals, office-style. Then, a few years ago, I rebelled against this and put in the bird wallpaper and the heavy, red and gold fringed curtains and the straw-coloured carpet, and I still feel ridiculously pleased with these changes. My whole house is full of bright colours.

The computer desk is an ugly, ancient thing – but I don’t suppose I’ll ever replace it. I’ve written 13 books on it. And I’m the kind of person who can feel sentimental affection for a teak plank. The illuminated globe on the desk helps me remember what a small place Britain is in the vast, teeming world. Richard (Holmes) gave me the globe in 1992, on the first Easter weekend we spent together, and near it is a photograph of him I took on Paxos that same year. Living with Richard is a joy that I shall never take for granted.

On my other desk, where I read and make notes before transferring a piece of work to the computer, is a photograph of my daughter, Eleanor, taken seconds after my son-in-law proposed to her in a horse-drawn carriage in New York City. She’s wearing a Russian hat and crying tears of rapture, and this picture gladdens my heart whenever I look at it.

Often, I lift my head from the work in hand and gaze out at the garden. All writers spend great drifts of time staring into space – a habit not tolerated easily by those who aren’t writers – and my green space falls away towards a dark shrubbery and a phenomenal Scots pine tree, which was probably a sapling when Charles II was on the throne. To the right of the window are two significant photographs: of Angus Wilson, my long-lost mentor, hoeing his garden in Suffolk; and of my grandmother, holding a baby on her knee. The baby is my mother, whom she never truly loved. I keep this picture before my eyes in case I should ever forget what a bitter and corrosive thing lovelessness can be.

Source: guardian.co.uk