Writing a Book

[71Kem]

What is the name of your state? Ohio
My question is this:
I have been working in Day Care Centers for over 20 years...I have a ton of experience I want to write a book about those experiences however they are based on the not so good experiences....What happens after drop off, what kind of food is really being served, do you really think they are buying supplies, it would cover a lot of information but some of it not so good. Would that be considered slander or defamation? I almost have the book finished and almost ready to put on Amazon but I think I better get advise first. I am not giving out names or saying which centers I worked for if that helps.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

You would be well advised to have an attorney look over the book before publishing.

 

[71Kem]

@PayrollHRGuy..What kind of an attorney would I need and do you think this is a bad idea?

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

One that has at least some history in publishing law. You can look here https://www.ohiobar.org/LegalHelp/

If the daycare centers can be identified and you can't someday prove in court that what you wrote about it was true you could easily lose a large lawsuit. So in a word, YES, I think it is a bad idea.

 

[71Kem]

One that has at least some history in publishing law. You can look here https://www.ohiobar.org/LegalHelp/

If the daycare centers can be identified and you can't someday prove in court that what you wrote about it was true you could easily lose a large lawsuit. So in a word, YES, I think it is a bad idea.

Thanks so much for your advise! I guess it doesn't pay to be a caring person anymore. I am trying to right the wrong and not sure how to go about it! Now I am not saying that kids are being abused in anyway but if I was paying 200 a week for a service I want to make sure I am getting what I am paying for....but I understand what you are saying.

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state? Ohio
My question is this:
I have been working in Day Care Centers for over 20 years...I have a ton of experience I want to write a book about those experiences however they are based on the not so good experiences....What happens after drop off, what kind of food is really being served, do you really think they are buying supplies, it would cover a lot of information but some of it not so good. Would that be considered slander or defamation? I almost have the book finished and almost ready to put on Amazon but I think I better get advise first. I am not giving out names or saying which centers I worked for if that helps.

Are you writing it as a true story or are you writing it as fiction?

 

[Just Blue]

Thanks so much for your advise! I guess it doesn't pay to be a caring person anymore. I am trying to right the wrong and not sure how to go about it! Now I am not saying that kids are being abused in anyway but if I was paying 200 a week for a service I want to make sure I am getting what I am paying for....but I understand what you are saying.

Will it be published under your name?

 

[71Kem]

Are you writing it as a true story or are you writing it as fiction?

It is based off of what I have experienced while working....It is based off these topics
Different Types centers
The cost
The forms
Interviewing Administration what questions to ask-this is where I would put my experiences/dealings with management some of it more like how they slack on the job...they are gone during the day while we are there left to deal with things....
Interview staff asking the right questions
Each room broken down what to bring what to expect sample schedules room organization room ratios and group sizes
Meals and meal requirements-Same here how the meals are prepared, how much the child actually gets I have pictures of this....What the food actually looks like have pictures of this too.
Sickness/communicable disease with a list

 

[Taxing Matters]

What is the name of your state? Ohio
My question is this:
I have been working in Day Care Centers for over 20 years...I have a ton of experience I want to write a book about those experiences however they are based on the not so good experiences....What happens after drop off, what kind of food is really being served, do you really think they are buying supplies, it would cover a lot of information but some of it not so good. Would that be considered slander or defamation?

If what you say in the book is true or is simply your opinion then it is not defamatory even if it is very negative. Defamation consists of communicating a false statement of fact about one person to another with the result that reputation of the defamed person is damaged. But having said that, if the persons or day care centers are identifiable in your book and the book casts them in a negative light they might sue you for defamation anyway and force you to defend the claim. So you want to be sure you can back up the factual statements you make at the very least, and be prepared to pay the cost of defending a claim. Have an attorney familiar with defamation claims review the book and advise you of how much risk you may be taking on with publishing it.

 

[71Kem]

If what you say in the book is true or is simply your opinion then it is not defamatory even if it is very negative. Defamation consists of communicating a false statement of fact about one person to another with the result that reputation of the defamed person is damaged. But having said that, if the persons or day care centers are identifiable in your book and the book casts them in a negative light they might sue you for defamation anyway and force you to defend the claim. So you want to be sure you can back up the factual statements you make at the very least, and be prepared to pay the cost of defending a claim. Have an attorney familiar with defamation claims review the book and advise you of how much risk you may be taking on with publishing it.

Thanks so much for your help...do you ever feel like this just isn't right...this is how i feel every day...that feeling in your gut telling you that it is wrong....

 

[cbg]

In what way would making any of this public change anything?

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state? Ohio
My question is this:
I have been working in Day Care Centers for over 20 years...I have a ton of experience I want to write a book about those experiences however they are based on the not so good experiences....What happens after drop off, what kind of food is really being served, do you really think they are buying supplies, it would cover a lot of information but some of it not so good. Would that be considered slander or defamation? I almost have the book finished and almost ready to put on Amazon but I think I better get advise first. I am not giving out names or saying which centers I worked for if that helps.

A publishing law professional should personally review the content of your book and help you edit out or modify problematic areas. A traditional publisher often takes care of this for an author.

The legal risks in writing true stories come from defamation (of both identified or identifiable individuals and entities), invasion of privacy (publication of private facts), publicity rights (trading off famous names), revealing trade secrets, and sometimes copyright infringement.

Authors who are skilled at writing "true" stories will either get permission to write about identified or identifiable individuals/entities from these individuals or entities, or they will preserve in their stories only the important and essential facts while changing all recognizable details.

Writing true stories and keeping your real name as author can attract to your story all of those who know you - and these readers will read your story with a scrutinizing eye. They will look for evidence that you are writing about them or someone they know. They will try to discover what you are carefully trying to hide.

The literary world has many examples of authors and publishers, of both nonfiction books and books of fiction, sued over the contents of their books.

I strongly advise a personal review by an experienced attorney in your area prior to publication - and I advise you acquire insurance enough to cover a lawsuit (or two) should your best efforts to avoid a lawsuit fail.

Good luck.

 

[71Kem]

A publishing law professional should personally review the content of your book and help you edit out or modify problematic areas. A traditional publisher often takes care of this for an author.

The legal risks in writing true stories come from defamation (of both identified or identifiable individuals and entities), invasion of privacy (publication of private facts), publicity rights (trading off famous names), revealing trade secrets, and sometimes copyright infringement.

Authors who are skilled at writing "true" stories will either get permission to write about identified or identifiable individuals/entities from these individuals or entities, or they will preserve in their stories only the important and essential facts while changing all recognizable details.

Writing true stories and keeping your real name as author can attract to your story all of those who know you - and these readers will read your story with a scrutinizing eye. They will look for evidence that you are writing about them or someone they know. They will try to discover what you are carefully trying to hide.

The literary world has many examples of authors and publishers, of both nonfiction books and books of fiction, sued over the contents of their books.

I strongly advise a personal review by an experienced attorney in your area prior to publication - and I advise you acquire insurance enough to cover a lawsuit (or two) should your best efforts to avoid a lawsuit fail.

Good luck.

Thank you so much as that is very good advice and one that will help me make the right decision. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

 

[quincy]

Thank you so much as that is very good advice and one that will help me make the right decision. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

You're welcome, 71Kem. I appreciate the thanks.

I wish you good success with your book and hope it can work to create some positive changes in day cares.

 

[paddywakk]

Thanks so much for your advise! I guess it doesn't pay to be a caring person anymore. I am trying to right the wrong and not sure how to go about it! Now I am not saying that kids are being abused in anyway but if I was paying 200 a week for a service I want to make sure I am getting what I am paying for....but I understand what you are saying.

If you wanted to "right the wrong" why didn't you do something while you were still working at such centers?