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Re: WGA Signatories?
Definitely email WGA, and don't take the formula response--press them for details. Chances are if they are not listed in the WGA registry, there's a problem. The first time I contacted them about a signatory agent they were vague. Only after I lodged a complaint about same did they inform me of several complants about him. If you have been burned by a particular agent or company, you can request that they strip them of their signatory status. Whether they do or not will depend on the number and seriousness of the complaints.
Definitely email WGA, and don't take the formula response--press them for details. Chances are if they are not listed in the WGA registry, there's a problem. The first time I contacted them about a signatory agent they were vague. Only after I lodged a complaint about same did they inform me of several complants about him. If you have been burned by a particular agent or company, you can request that they strip them of their signatory status. Whether they do or not will depend on the number and seriousness of the complaints.
Re: WGA Signatories?
Thanks for the info. Called the WGA today and got my questions answered. Thanks!
Thanks for the info. Called the WGA today and got my questions answered. Thanks!
A Caution About WGA
Keep in mind that WGA can only deal with the TV/film industry. It has no jurisdiction over, for example, plays; and it doesn't care. (In fact, it's not allowed to care, but that's a matter of labor and antitrust law.) Some WGA signatory agencies bend over backwards to follow the letter of the rules for dealing within that industry, and {insert graphic description of deviant sexual practices here} the writer/client for anything outside that point. It's not as rare as it should be to see WGA signatories charging substantial up-front fees and higher-than-normal commission rates to its clients when peddling books instead of scripts.
Unfortunately, too, the WGA is extremely slow to react to problems, and the less said about the integrity and speed of its system for allocating credits the better. Sadly, this is about par for the publishing and entertainment industry.
Keep in mind that WGA can only deal with the TV/film industry. It has no jurisdiction over, for example, plays; and it doesn't care. (In fact, it's not allowed to care, but that's a matter of labor and antitrust law.) Some WGA signatory agencies bend over backwards to follow the letter of the rules for dealing within that industry, and {insert graphic description of deviant sexual practices here} the writer/client for anything outside that point. It's not as rare as it should be to see WGA signatories charging substantial up-front fees and higher-than-normal commission rates to its clients when peddling books instead of scripts.
Unfortunately, too, the WGA is extremely slow to react to problems, and the less said about the integrity and speed of its system for allocating credits the better. Sadly, this is about par for the publishing and entertainment industry.
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Nor (as far as I know) does the WGA require agents to prove competence before becoming signatories. An agency can become a signatory even if it has zero sales.
- Victoria
- Victoria
WGA-East?
Am I incorrect in believing what I heard elsewhere, that while WGA West (west of the Mississippi) www.wga.org focuses on TV and film--“West Coast stuff,” there's also WGA East (east of the Mississippi but west of the Atlantic Ocean) www.wgae.org , which focuses on plays, novels, and periodicals--“East Coast stuff”? I've never had occasion to deal with either.
Maryn
Am I incorrect in believing what I heard elsewhere, that while WGA West (west of the Mississippi) www.wga.org focuses on TV and film--“West Coast stuff,” there's also WGA East (east of the Mississippi but west of the Atlantic Ocean) www.wgae.org , which focuses on plays, novels, and periodicals--“East Coast stuff”? I've never had occasion to deal with either.
Maryn
WGAe
Maryn, you're partly correct. There is a WGAe, but it is not concerned with narrative forms (novels and periodicals); it is concerned only with dramatic forms. WGAw is also concerned only with dramatic forms, but restricts itself to film and TV. WGAe includes radio and live (theater) work.
Maryn, you're partly correct. There is a WGAe, but it is not concerned with narrative forms (novels and periodicals); it is concerned only with dramatic forms. WGAw is also concerned only with dramatic forms, but restricts itself to film and TV. WGAe includes radio and live (theater) work.
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A writer friend (more of an acquaintance, really) of mine pointed out their "Writers Guild of America, West Registry." It's "an intellectual property service." You can choose Book for your Material Type and Literary for your Intended Medium. It costs $20, and they provide "legal evidence" in cases of plagiarism and unauthorized use of your work.
http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/
I was under the impression (from this site lol) you don't need to copyright an unpublished manuscript. Should I tell this guy he doesn't need to do this? I don't really know him, so if this is a waste of $20, I'll have to find a way to tell him without sounding like a know-it-all haha.
Alternatively, if someone were to self-publish, should they register copyright?
http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/
I was under the impression (from this site lol) you don't need to copyright an unpublished manuscript. Should I tell this guy he doesn't need to do this? I don't really know him, so if this is a waste of $20, I'll have to find a way to tell him without sounding like a know-it-all haha.
Alternatively, if someone were to self-publish, should they register copyright?
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You don't need to do this for novel MS, but for screenplays, there are some agents/agencies that won't read without the screenplay being registered with WGA (to protect both parties).