Matt Knight is a San Francisco-based writer and intellectual property lawyer. His writing crosses two genres: near-future fiction that explores the misuse of modern technology, and women’s fiction focused on love, crisis, and personal growth. He holds a BS in pre-med from Pfeiffer University, an MS in biochemistry from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and a JD from the University of Houston Law School. Various careers seasoned his life in North Carolina and Texas – chemist for the EPA, researcher of urinary bladder cancer, editor of the Houston Law Review, and clerk for the Civil District Court of Texas – before culminating in a fifteen-year career in California as a biotech patent litigator specializing in genetic engineering. His publications have appeared in the New York Times, Independent Book Publisher Association Magazine,  Houston Law Review, and San Diego Union-Tribune. Matt’s GPS coördinates are split between San Francisco and Maui. When he finds snippets of spare time, you can pinpoint him swimming laps, surfing waves, painting a canvas, or unleashing his inner Julia Child.
Read more about his books at www.mattknightbooks.com.
Last spring (2018), romance writers lit up social media over a trademark for the adjective cocky. As you can expect, the descriptive word can be found in countless numbers of romance novels, whether on the page, […]
CockyGate Update: One Writer’s Adjective, Another Writer’s Short-Lived Trademark Read More
People who love books also love book-related merchandise. Tie-in products, also known as swag, have long-term promotional benefits, whether you are giving product away or selling it. If the book is popular, so will the
Merchandising Rights – Do you have control? Read More
Two weeks ago, a reader contacted me about copyright permissions after reading my Derivative Works article. The writer intended to use copyright-protected letters she thought would make a shocking exposé. After attempting to obtain permission,
Using Orphan Works – When A Copyright Owner Is Impossible To Identify Or Locate Read More
Creative inspiration for writers often comes from the work of other authors. Â Maybe we are inspired by someone’s story or moved by a relatable character. Â Maybe we want to add something new to an existing
Using Another Author’s Work — Is Your Derivative Work Infringing Someone’s Copyright? Read More
You finished the manuscript. You queried umpteen agents and received umpteen rejections. Finally, an agent expresses interest in representing your work. What next? Rush to sign the agency contract? Not so fast. Not all agents
The Basics Of Agent-Author Contracts Read More
P. L. Travers, Mark Twain, Robert Galbraith – these are all fictitious names used by writers. In this case, Helen Goff, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and Joanne Rowling. But you knew that, right? Most writers have
Author Pen Names – Are Noms De Plume Obsolete? Read More
