The Check Isn't in the Mail
From screenwriters to journalists, writers should be wary, well-prepared and aware of what they're signing. Following is a partial reprint of an Aug. 10, 2000 article by this reporter that ran on now-defunct Office.com, a CBS/Winstar site. ..... "New writers are always taken advantage of, (but) if a studio thinks, 'Oh, this is the golden goose,' they're not going to kill you." — Midori Mahl , entertainment attorney, Midori Mahl & Associates ..... Negotiating for fair pay is not necessarily a natural born skill for many writers. But those who don't develop these muscles are prey for sharks in the business — unscrupulous publishers, production companies and studios. "You need to develop a radar about what is out there," says Richard A. Marini, who, as VP, is in charge of contracts for the New York-based American Society of Journalists and Authors . "Ninety-nine percent of the time, (bad) things are not going to happen, but it
