How can writers prepare for their creative works to be licensed, adapted, republished, and protected once they are gone? Who will manage your intellectual property, and what outside professional support might they need? Authors, playwrights, and related artists are all invited to learn from experts who actively oversee creative intellectual property in this free webinar hosted by the Authors Guild Foundation.

We’ll hear all about estate planning and management for authors and dramatists from Michael Barra and James Meader of International Literary Properties, which acquires the rights to notable works and serves as the steward and champion of many estates. Charlotte Jones Voiklis, who manages the literary estate of her grandmother, Madeleine L’Engle, and advises authors, literary estates, and those who work with them through Tesser Well Consulting, will share her experience with the practical challenges of managing a literary estate. Entertainment lawyer Michelle Elsner of Levine Plotkin will offer her perspective as counsel to artists, estates, and publishing entities.

The discussion will help you understand:

• Must-know copyright and IP basics for estate planning
• Who is qualified to be a literary estate executor and what the work entails
• How licensing deals can prolong the lifespan of your creative work
• Considerations when hiring someone to manage your IP
• Legal issues to expect when planning for your heirs and beneficiaries 

A Q&A will follow the presentation; you can pre-submit a question when registering for the event. A recording will be made available for those who cannot attend live.

The event will take place via Zoom with automatic closed captioning. To request any other accessibility features, please email support@authorsguild.org and we will make every effort to accommodate.

Panelists

Michael Barra joined ILP in 2024 as the co-founder of ILP Theatrical, and was elevated to CEO of ILP in 2026. He brings over twenty years of experience as a media and entertainment executive, most recently as the founder and CEO of Lively McCabe Entertainment (Clue). Prior to LM, Michael served as an executive at The Walt Disney Studios and Disney Theatrical Group (The Lion King, Aladdin); The Araca Group (Wicked, The Outsiders); and founded the theatrical licensing division for Broadway Producer Daryl Roth (Kinky Boots). Michael has covered entertainment industry trends for media outlets including Fortune, is the President Emeritus of The Players in NYC, and serves on the national board of the Educational Theatre Foundation.

Michelle Elsner is a media and entertainment partner at the law firm Levine Plotkin LLP, where she focuses on literary publishing matters. Michelle’s literary practice includes counseling authors, their heirs and estates, literary agents, literary agencies, publishing executives, independent publishing companies, collaborators and others in the publishing industry on the development and exploitation of literary properties across all different media. Prior to joining the firm, Michelle was Associate Principal Counsel at Disney Streaming and an intellectual property associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.

Charlotte Jones Voiklis is the president of Crosswicks, the literary estate of her grandmother, Madeleine L’Engle, and the founder of Tesser Well Consulting, where she advises authors, heirs, and literary estates on the long-term stewardship of creative work. For more than two decades, she has worked across publishing, archives, scholarship, licensing, and adaptation to support the continuing life of L’Engle’s work. She is also a producer of the forthcoming stage musical adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time.

James Meader is President of Publishing at International Literary Properties. He has nearly 25 years’ experience in book publishing, most recently as Associate Publisher of Penguin Random House’s Vintage Books, where he oversaw Vintage Classics, Everyman’s Library, and the publisher’s vast backlist, and before that as Associate Publisher of Macmillan’s Picador imprint. In a career spanning publicity, marketing, and editorial, James’ primary focus is in working with authors, estates, and their agents to secure vital legacies while identifying fresh opportunities, introducing classic works to a new generation of readers.

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