DO I NEED TO JOIN a WRITERS union TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL WRITER?

So you're wondering how, and if you should join The Writers Guild? Will becoming a member benefit me in the long run? Is it really worth the money?

My answer to all is, HELL YES! It is imperative for any professional practicing writer to join a union, or at least to have a form of copyright protection. This can also help if you are a sole trader, or freelance writer for tax and vat reasons, and for keeping track of your legal transactions with studios buying options to your work. Even if you decide to go it alone it's very important when selling your scripts professionally to know what rights you have to your own work when passing it along for production. Writers are known for getting the short end of the stick consistently when it comes to selling script work. We are notoriously taken for granted in the film and media industry, and it's the bulldogs in business who are the ones who survive, and get further commissions. Don't be in the dark if you plan on making a career out of your talent. This could be one of the most important wake up calls of your career. Don't ever think it can't happen to you.

Writers who are unprotected are the writers you hear horror stories about. These are the wonderful, talented people who get their work ripped off due to lack of creative power, or understanding of copyright when sharing their work.

A true COPYRIGHT HORROR STORY

An example of this I can easily demonstrate close to home. My own university lecturer Bill Mccoid, a brilliant screenwriter, journalist and playwright for over 25 years has shared with me his struggle as an emerging writer.

Having won a prestigious award for a stage play that took him over a year to write, Bill offered the early draft of the unregistered script to a trusted friend who owned a new theatre company. She, and her fellow actors wanted to perform the piece to showcase there in house talent. Bill agreed to let her use the script as a means of testing the material out on an audience before finalising the final script draft. The stakes seemed fair. Both parties where getting credit for their roles in crafting the performance, until the actors, without telling the writer, decided to change the script and claim copyright for the updated idea!

These actors STOLE a man's creative right to his own work just by changing a few character names and plot points, while maintaining the initial story. Boom! A simple update and the material was there's by law! Even after a difficult court case the judge ruled in the troops favour, due to the fact the script idea and characters had not been properly protected. Just because my lecturer had failed to list the story for a copyright certificate through The Writers Union, he'd had to pay for the mistake by sacrificing his own work! Still think joining your Writers Union isn't worth it?

Needless to say my lecturer learnt a hard but necessary lesson, and taught this to me as early as possible when he found out I was beginning to sell my work.

Today I will offer both a cost effective, and reliable way of copyrighting your work within the Writers Guild, and outside of the Union which could save you a lot of time, pain, friendships and most importantly a future income. This article applies to those new writers currently without an agent, or represented by a larger company whom would otherwise register the copyright for them.

OPTION ONE : UPLOAD YOUR SCRIPT TO THE VAULT

If your still on the fence about joining The Writers Guild you can register your script for copyright protection with the Script Vault. This scheme is registered with The Writers Union, and copyright payment starts from as low as a single £24 registration which will last ten years ( discounts apply to union members) . You can find the price list below. If you would like to visit the website yourself you can find the page by clicking HERE.

When you register a script you will receive a copyright certificate and order number. This entitles you to full copyright protection over your work in any format. This means even if you convert the idea into a radio drama, stage play, film etc... You will own the creative right to the story. This document can save time and money in court if you are in danger of being plagiarised. You can also upload script treatments and synopsis to register the idea without needing the completed script. This registration option also includes copyright for book manuscripts.

OPTION TWO : THE WRITERS Union BASIC MEMBERSHIPS

The Writers Guild Of Great Britain and The Writers Guild Of America, both offer tailored plans to suit every writer. When you visit there websites you will see they offer protection for various different mediums. The union has four different membership bands. Full Members pay £198 for the first year and the union also operate a banding system, based on annual income (see the bands here). Candidate Members pay £108 per year and upgrade to Full Membership when they are eligible. Student Members pay £30 per year and Affiliate Members pay £300 per year.

There are plenty of opportunities for WGGB members to get involved in the running of their union too, so you don't have to feel like you're on the outside looking in. You can do this as a member through the regional or craft committees, or by becoming a member of WGGB’s decision-making body- The Executive Council (EC). You can see some examples of their recent activity in their annual report.

The WGGB in particular offer a range of benefits to members, including free training, contract vetting, a pension scheme, welfare fund, entry to their 'Find A Writer' directory, a weekly ebulletin, plus member-only events and discounts.

The Writers Union, in this instance the WGGB, have been negotiating better pay and working conditions for writers since 1959. The national agreements they have in place cover key industry bodies, including the BBC, ITV, Pact; National Theatre, Royal Court and Royal Shakespeare Company (see some of the unions recent wins for writers).

option three : Email your script pdf to yourself

One trick of the modern trade you can use to copyright your script free, is by emailing a pdf of your script to yourself and saving it in a file for later, a little like a receipt. This proves the date and time you sent the script off and proves you own the material, so if anyone attempts to steal your work claiming they produced it first you can prove it was sent to you at a specific time and date. This is undeniable proof and can be traced back to you if needed. You can also send another copy to a trusted family member, in case your worried anyone can access your email or files online, as a backup receipt.

option four : contact the writers guild head office for free

Has a company expressed interest in your unsolicited spec script? That's fantastic! But be warned, many companies are wonderful fair and legitimate businesses who respect writers rights, however some are not so friendly. If a particularly dodgy company suspect you're new to the script game, they may try and take advantage of your ignorance. One of the perks of being a union member is you have copyright lawyers, and other copyright specialists just a phone call away to help back you up if you're in a business, or legal hot spot. A union is prepared to fight for you, and can offer a lot of extra support to all writers regardless of membership titles. You can call your local UK rep by clicking HERE.

The head office will re direct you to the person who would know your copyright situation best, and can offer you advice on how to proceed further. They are very friendly and helpful, so don't be worried about calling them and asking them the questions you don't know how to answer yet.

option five : create a freelance invoice platform

When copyrighting your work having proof of ownership, or transaction is the aim of the game. A court will need to see hard evidence that the intellectual, or creative property is yours in order for you to retain rights to the work if others are attempting to claim sole ownership, or creation. One undeniable document that proves legitimacy of ownership is an invoice document. An invoice is a proof of payment, or transaction you have made to the company, or individual using your script. This invoice should have a date and time, the names of the sender and recipient clearly labeled, and proof of purchase backed up with a contract, or agreement for the terms of purchase. This means that a company by law has to stick to what they agreed to give you in exchange for using YOUR work.

However contracts can be tricky, and make sure you are absolutely clear about what you are retaining when signing a contract allowing someone else to use your work. Look for hidden clauses and dates, and always have someone who is trusted by you give it a second look. If you can afford for a lawyer to take a look and get the most out of a contract for you, then use this option when being commissioned by big production companies. This way you are happy and clear on your role as the creative, and so are your loyal commissioners.

You can create your own free invoice platform through google drive docs. You can find out more HERE

If you have some extra time on your hands I advise you to read up on copyright law, or visit your writers union website where they offer free brochures for pretty much anything to do with writing. Contracts give you power if you know how to use them and can give you sway over pretty much anything. Practice your contract negotiation skills with family, or friends, and familiarise yourself with copyright and freelance contracts. Just don't go all Sheldon Cooper making your roommate scrub your toilet with a barbie toothbrush once every fortnight because they didn't read the fine print

Find an example of a freelancer contract HERE

Find an example of a copyright script agreement HERE