Although 100,000 books are published annually in the UK, book publishing law apparently has room for only a few specialist lawyers.Taylor Joynson Garrett media partner Paul Mitchell explains that this is largely because there are not many best-selling authors with the need for legal advice.He says: 'I wouldn't call it a growth area.

I think successful authors will always need some legal help, but you have to remember that of the vast number of books published, an awful lot don't sell many copies.'While it is becoming more common for authors to use lawyers, many rely solely on literary agents who negotiate publishing deals, royalties and so on, says Mr Mitchell.

'I still think publishers are a bit surprised if a lawyer turns up to talk to them on behalf of an author.'Finers Stephens Innocent partner Nicola Solomon agrees that it is a niche market, though she admits her workload is increasing.

'The number of books published is going up and the number of rights that need attention is increasing, but it is not an area I would advise people to join.'One might envisage friction between literary agents and lawyers, not least because agents are notoriously protective of their clients, and because they may appear to compete for similar work, with many authors unable to afford both.

However, the lawyers questioned agree that the two professions work happily in tandem, rather than competing with one another.Former Manches partner, Bernie Nyman, who left the City firm in 1998 to set up his own specialist publishing law firm, London-based B M Nyman & Co, and represents high-profile clients such as Wilbur Smith, says: 'My interaction with literary agents is often good.

We each play to our own strengths.

For example, the agent will negotiate the advance and the royalty rights and leave the nitty-gritty legal issues to the lawyer.

It is a complementary way of working.'However, he adds that there is sometimes an overlap, and he has just finished renegotiating the royalty rights of a QC who has written a book.

'I got the rights up by 2.5%, which was good.'If variety of legal work appeals, then publishing law is the field to be in.

Ms Solomon says she un dertakes a wide range of work herself, rather than farming out parts of it to other departments.She explains: 'It is a small enough field, and lawyers need to do the whole thing, and this requires a knowledge of books and the book world.

They need to understand the industry, I get frightened when people -- who may be great at general contracts -- read a publishing contract, because there are so many specialist clauses involved.'Legal work in the publishing field includes drafting and negotiating publishing contracts; issues of copyright, trademarks, licensing and merchandising; assigning contracts if one publishing company is sold to another; defamation issues; fighting for the right of authors to be recognised; moral rights; and battles which emerge when authors claim their work has been edited in a derogatory fashion.Mr Mitchell, whose clients include Dick Francis and the Roald Dahl Estate, says his work could involve anything to ensure that his author clients' assets are looked after, such as tax advice.Mr Nyman says that film rights -- one of the few rights generally reserved by authors -- also generate work.

He has done film contract work for the likes of novelist Ken Follett and Anthony Burgess until his death and thereafter for his estate.He adds that more work will be generated by new European legislation -- a directive designed to bring copyright law up to date -- which should be introduced into the UK in the next few years.Ms Solomon says one of the more unusual complaints she has come across was from the author of a popular series of children's fiction books about animals.

He complained of passing off over work by another author, also about animals.She adds: 'It was a series of books written by an author who used a pseudonym.

The reason they made up this name was so that the books would sit next to [my client's] on the shelf in the shops.

It was quite ingenious really, and there was nothing he could do about it because it wasn't really passing off.'A contentious area in the publishing world at present, according to Ms Solomon, are the rights related to e-books.

She says: 'There have been noises about electronic rights for some years now.

Recently, there has been a lot of redrafting of contracts because the publishers want all the e-rights, but we advise author clients not to give them up because we don't know what's coming next.'Mr Nyman says: 'Publishers generally ask for the e-rights, not because they are currently being exploited, but because they don't want the rights to be given away to a rival who could do a competing electronic edition.'Many authors have been advised through the Society of Authors not to give away their e-rights.

My advice changes according to which client I'm dealing with because I represent authors and publishers.'Mr Mitchell adds: 'E-books are very much in their infancy at the moment.

I don't think many people in the UK would think of reading a book like that at the moment.'However, Ms Solomon says: 'We use the concept of e-ink as an example of why one should be careful about giving away one's rights.

It's unclear whether it counts as a normal book or as electronic publishing.'E-ink, she explains, is a revolutionary concept using magnets in the spine of a book, which could potentially allow readers to change the text on a page from War and Peace into a work of Shakespeare at the press of a button.Ms Solomon, who does both contentious and non-contentious work in the book world, says much litigation is started in the industry but it is generally settled before going to court.She adds: 'Authors aren't that rich apart from a few, so many can't afford litigation.

But in any case, more than other industries, publishing tends to be quite gentlemanly -- or the publishers pretend to be, anyway -- they get quite worried about their reputations which litigation could tarnish.'She claims Finers Stephens Innocent probably represents more authors than any other law firm, including several 'very famous names'.However, apart from the Society of Authors, she declines to name any of her clients because they 'are generally extremely private people'.Ms Solomon explains: 'Unlike pop awards, if you go to an authors' award ceremony, you wouldn't recognise any of them if they didn't have nametags on.

Authors are still very much a profession of people who sit in a room and write and even after they are famous they carry on sitting in a room and writing -- fame doesn't seem to change them.' One definite advantage about representing authors, the lawyers agree, is that they are pleasant people to work with.As one lawyer, who declined to be named, puts it: 'They are generally delightful people.

I have yet to come across a difficult author.

They are a hell of a lot easier to work with than some of the composers I act for.

Those in the pop world are often extremely difficult, although so are many classical composers.'Asked in what way they are difficult, the lawyer says: 'Demanding, rude, thoughtless, arrogant -- how many words do you want me to use? Authors just aren't like that.

By and large they are sweeties.'Ms Solomon says: 'Authors are the nicest people in the entertainment field.

The only downside is when they give you their book, you have to read it.

That's fine most of the time, but I was sent one by a priest and it was incredibly erotic and filled with sado-masochism -- I didn't know what to say!'