photo by wokandapix | CC0

On May 21, 2014, Authors Alliance officially launched with a party at the Internet Archive in San Francisco. Our blog began with a Q&A by co-founder Molly Shaffer Van Houweling about Authors Alliance, our mission, and the vision for the newly-launched organization:

“We aim to help authors sort out these issues by providing educational materials, legal tools and forms, and testimonials from authors who have successfully overcome challenges to disseminating their works. […] We also plan to advocate (within the limits imposed on charitable organizations) for public policy that helps authors manage their rights and disseminate their works.”

In the past four years, we’ve accomplished all of that and more. We’re especially excited about our latest initiative, “Know Before You Sign on the Dotted Line,” a Kickstarter campaign to support the creation of our fourth educational handbook, a guide to understanding book publication contracts. The guide will help authors unpack contract terms and make smart and savvy negotiation decisions.

You can help us celebrate our birthday with a pledge (starting at just $1!)

Since our last anniversary, our membership has grown to over 1,500 strong. In partnership with Creative Commons, we released rightsback.org, a tool that helps authors navigate the complexities of the termination of transfer provision of copyright law. We released our third educational handbook, a guide to fair use for non-fiction authors. We traveled around the U.S. and abroad to host workshops and attend panel discussions. And we continue to advocate for policy positions that champion the rights of creators.

As we celebrate four years of empowering authors in the digital age, we encourage those of you who are not yet members to join. Basic membership in Authors Alliance is free, and our members are the first to hear about our news and resources. Sign up today!