3 Legal Issues to Avoid When Writing Your Book

“Defamation is a tort, which comes in two forms: libel and slander.

Libel occurs when you publish a false statement purporting to be fact that injures another’s reputation.

Slander occurs when you speak a false statement that injures another’s reputation.

For our purposes, let’s focus on libel, since that is most relevant to authors. The first question you may ask is how do you commit libel? Each state has its own definition of what counts as libel, but generally a plaintiff suing for libel must prove four things…”