A Book Copyright is the Only True Protection Against People Stealing Your Content!Book copyright methods can help you protect the content of your books. There are two methods you can choose from that can effectively protect your work. One costs a little money, the other is the cost of postage. You must choose the level of protection you want before publishing your book, though both are equally effective. Most traditional publishers automatically copyright your work when they publish your fiction using their copyright. The information on this page is more geared toward the pre-published work you create or when you self-publish your fiction. Copyrights apply to all forms of written materials including books, poetry, music, lyrics for songs, audio tapes, video tapes, and the list goes on and on. You must have a copyright in place in order to seek punitive damages as a result of stolen materials. These punitive damages include sales made as a result of your work or of the sales of your ideas. Your writing is your business and if someone else is making a profit from your business without your permission, that is highly unethical and highly illegal. Keep in mind that you don't just have to copyright published materials; you can copyright unpublished materials as well. In fact, I highly encourage you to so you can protect your fiction works in progress as well. A copyright exists the moment you create something. Proving that you are the originator or creator of the information is the main point of a copyright. If someone does take your work, if you want to pursue it in court, you must prove that the material is your original work. This is done with the use of a copyright. The first and best method you can use to obtain a copyright for your fiction is to submit your book copyright through the Library of Congress. This is the preferred and optimum way of obtaining a book copyright. This provides the maximum protection for your work since it is held in the Library of Congress archives. To submit your work to the Library of Congress, you can register either electronically or through the mail. The easiest and less expensive way is to submit it electronically. To submit it electronically, it will only cost you $35.00. The alternate method is to place a non-returnable printed copy of your book (even if it is an ebook), in a single envelope along with a completed Short Form TX, and a $45.00 application fee in the form of a check payable to "Register of Copyrights." The registration process is pretty self explainatory on the website. You must request a Form TX as none of the paper forms are available online. There is a new Form CO that can be filled in online and printed that you can also use which also costs $45.00 to register your book copyright. Your book copyright becomes effective the day they receive your work and you will receive certification of your copyright in the mail in four to five months. Put a copyright on everything you write. A proper copyright looks like: © the date "Copyright by" your name. "All rights reserved." Place your copyright on a copyright page of your book or on every page of your web site. Make it visible so there is no doubt that your work is protected. Proving the date of your original work can be an issue in this case, so this next part is very important to secure a date for your copyright. This is a more temporary method but will hold up in court in most cases. Simply place your original work with your copyright clearly marked in a self-addressed stamped envelope. You should also include a separate statement page in your envelope with specific information to show the copyright is yours, such as your full name, address, date of copyright, and a brief description of the work enclosed. Make the statement in memo format. Once all of this is done, seal and mail the envelope to yourself through your local post office. The point of mailing this envelope to yourself is to get a postmark on the envelope with a clear date on it. If you do have to go to court, this envelope will not be opened until it is opened in the presence of the court to prove you are the original writer and book copyright holder. You should keep these sealed envelopes protected in a fire proof safe or in a bank safety deposit box that way they won't get lost or burned in a fire. Both of these copyright methods are legal and will uphold your copyright in the event someone takes your work without your strict written permission. Only open one of these envelopes if you need to update your work or use it in court. If you found this information useful, you may want to check out some information on obtaining an ISBN for your fiction. END NOTE: Jason Moser and Write and Publish Fiction has no legal affiliation with the Library of Congress nor provides legal advice. Always contact a lawyer if you have any questions or you are unsure of what to do with regards to copyrighting your work. The above methods are merely suggestions to help protect your work.
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