[13]           Torn between the urge to express themselves and the need to survive, authors have always been at the bottom of the ‘literary food chain.’

​

    Debates about copyright and the early copyright laws did not even mention authors as parties in the discussion. The result was self-publishing, or authors participating in the costs of publishing.

​

    The ‘Statute of Anne’ (1710) is the first legal attempt to regularise the rights to copy books. Recognising (mistakenly) that the free re-printing of books would discourage authors from writing, it granted publishers of books the right to re-print them for 14 years only.

 

    The right of renewal of the copyright was given to the author, but only for 21 years (provided the author was still alive.)

​

    Mary demonstrates here a marked innovative nature, when she’s actually asking for an advance!