Is writer's insurance necessary?

I never heard of it, but I'm thinking if you didn't do your homework and violated copyright, I don't think any insurance is going to save you if some big corporation is bent on making a point.

What if it was your copyright that got violated, would the insurance help in that case?

I have never heard of this, so I wouldn't know.

I've never heard of anyone having that sort of insurance. It strikes me as just another way for someone to profit off the hopes and anxieties of aspiring writers.

Where did you see this?

I think these are scemes by which you pay a fee and get a certain amount of legal advice. Most of them are actually just pyramid schemes.

There are corporations that insist writers carry liability insurance, but the corporation should cover the writer under theirs, and at their expense.

I have known three or four nonfiction writers, ones who tended to write expose/investigative articles, who carried liability insurance, but I'm sure none of them ever had to use it.

Here's the thing. If you have a commercial publisher, anyone filing suit will have to take teh pubisher to court right along with you, and the publisher usually has lawyers stuck in every closet and drawer in the building.

In reality, it usually comes down to do not plagiarise, do not violate copyright, and always tell the truth. Do this, and you'll be fine.

Having a gun and the guts to us it is my insurance. Just kidding! I can't afford a gun, neither insurance. I am poor and the poor can be sued but their is nothing to be had, but an angry poor man.

Al Ross said:

Having a gun and the guts to us it is my insurance. Just kidding! I can't afford a gun, neither insurance. I am poor and the poor can be sued but their is nothing to be had, but an angry poor man.

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Very true.

The fact that you do have an E&O policy could make you look like a better target for a lawsuit. There is something to get.

Most copyright and defamation suits are against publisher and writer. In most cases your publishers E&O coverage should cover you. You would have to screw up very seriously, and as mentioned before, actually have something, for the publisher and/or their insurer to come after you after that.

Al Ross said:

Having a gun and the guts to us it is my insurance. Just kidding! I can't afford a gun, neither insurance. I am poor and the poor can be sued but their is nothing to be had, but an angry poor man.

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Poor can be sued, and the judgement can be upheld against any money you make later. If you're poor, and don't worry about getting sued, try not to make a lot of money later in life. By that time, you could owe a fortune in interest.

pohaver said:

I saw a website that sells and recommends "Media Perils" insurance for all writers to cover things like copyright issues, privacy and other similar liabilities. Realistically, how many new non fiction writers carry such a policy? Anyone out there have experience here? My book is about my experiences coaching youth soccer, and my recommendations to new parents and coaches.

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None that I know. None at all.

In terms of Copyright, you as a writer are covered by law if someone steals your stuff. But if you steal someone elses(even inadvertantly) then no amount of insurance is going to save your ass.

Privacy isn't something you can insure against, especially not in this celeb obsessed culture we have. If you don't want to be in the public eye then doing work in creative fields. I know it sucks, but it's part of the deal. It's like those actors who complain about the attention they get.

shaldna said:

None that I know. None at all.

In terms of Copyright, you as a writer are covered by law if someone steals your stuff. But if you steal someone elses(even inadvertantly) then no amount of insurance is going to save your ass.

Privacy isn't something you can insure against, especially not in this celeb obsessed culture we have. If you don't want to be in the public eye then doing work in creative fields. I know it sucks, but it's part of the deal. It's like those actors who complain about the attention they get.

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Not that you need it, but you can get insurance to cover pretty much anything imaginable, if you're willing to pay the premiums.

Writer's liability insurance is much like medical malpractice insurance. Just because you didn't do anything wrong in no way means a jury will find you not guilty, and many a doctor will say that medical malpractice insurance did save their asses when a jury found them guilty of something they may not have done.

Piracy is usually a willful act, but libel can be a judgement call. So can plagiarism. Just like medical malpractice insurance, writer's liability insurance will pay the bills when a jury says you did something you say you didn't do.