Regarding insurance — when I produce shows, it is MY job to have a very large policy to cover any type of accident, act of God, actor screw-up, tech mess, etc., etc. It is MY job because I am creating the work environment. I am creating the "house."

When I come into someone else's "house", it is their job. I am not going to sign something that tells me I have to carry the financial, emotional, and social burden of the work environment created by someone else.

Wendy, I bet money someone would sign it anyway!

Anne, great advice. The squeaky wheel not only gets the grease – it gets sued!

In 2008, I received an offer to give a writing presentation at a local public library. They sent me a contract and an insurance waiver. I had confirm that I had workers comp insurance and liability insurance in excess of $2 million OR sign a waiver accepting full liability for anything occurring on library grounds on the date in question (nothing in the wording suggested a time limit, or any particular spaces), and even included the phrase, "..including normal wear and tear."

Excuse me? A library that doubles as an informal day camp for th homeless and is full of books being used and abused on a daily basis wanted me to assume blanket liability for everything? For a $150 stipend? That couldn't be right.

Certain I was mis-interpreting it, I had a friend who's a paralegal read it. She said not to sign it.

From speaking with some of the library's past presenters, I learned only one had ever been asked to sign the waiver – she refused and they still let her present, just as I had done one time previously. This time I refused and heard, "Buh-bye."

Perhaps their reaction had to do with the way I refused…I complained to the Mayor's office (which oversees the local libraries) saying I assumed my hard-earned tax dollars were already paying for the facility to be properly insured.

It's one thing to protect your business interests, including those regarding reputation, but you can definitely take it too far. I would suspect a lot of writers would skim it through, find out they don't understand a word of it and just sign it anyway. Then wonder why their soul now belongs to someone else. I admit, I don't always understand every little detail, but I have learned to ask others before assuming it's okay.

Excellent point, Kathy. Desperation and fear of saying no is a big motivator, and it has no place in business.

As for HarperCollins' moral clause, I give it my infamous "Screw You!" That being said, I've heard a lot of authors are fighting it and getting it removed.

Final point: Don't be so desperate to secure a job or to get a book published that you sign your life away. Remember you're a freelancer. That means no one else gets to tell you how you work or how to live your life. Period.

I'm also wary of indemnification clauses and non-compete clauses that are too broadly worded. After all, I'm a freelancer, so limiting my ability to do business with other clients is a real problem for me.