Thanks, Susan! I'll get with my lawyer here to take care of this. You rock!

I'm glad you found this helpful, Heather!

Hi Betty! While you don't have to have unique language to pass your copyrights - they will go to the heirs in the percentages described in your standard trust language - it's usually a good idea to mention them specifically, especially if you want to ensure the right people control the literary estate after your passing.

Although you may need to consult with an attorney in your state, the language normally looks something like this:

"With regard to all of my literary works, published and unpublished, and other intellectual property ("Literary Estate"), I hereby appoint [name] to serve as literary executor, with full and continuing powers of management and control of the Literary Estate, and declare that the following persons will receive the following stated ownership interests in the Literary Estate, including the rights to receive income thereon: [state people and percentages]."

Depending on the state, you may also need to set up provisions for your trust to continue to manage the Literary Estate, or arrange a testamentary trust for management of your estate - or you may simply use less complex language like this:

"I hereby leave all of my literary works, published and unpublished, and other intellectual property ("Literary Estate") to [Names and percentages], with the request that they manage the Literary Estate in a cooperative manner, and that in the event of any conflict, the decision of [Name] will control."

The real reason for consulting an attorney, however, is to ensure that if your state's law considers ongoing bequests to be a form of sub-trust (which some do) the language is properly drafted.