Creative Writing Copywright: How To Protect Work When Submitting To Potential Publishers Or Literary Agents?
Hello.
I would be grateful for advice on creative writing copywright issues.
When submitting poetry, short stories, novels, or features to publishers and literary agents to consider for publication, is it an idea to protect the copywright?
If so, what’s the best way to do this?
Thank you in advance.
bgscotty
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my daughter had a problem with this and she saw a solicitor what he told her she should of done was put the original copy into a bank in safe keeping this is also proof of when the item was written as the day you put it in acts as like a safe guard as proof the item was written before this date and if any one else prints it after that date you have proof that the item is yours by the date it was put into the bank hope this makes sense to you
You do not need to register your copyright before submitting. Publishers and agents get so many submissions in a day that they don’t have the time (let alone the inclination) to steal someone’s work. They will be insulted and know that you are an amateur if you *do* register your copyright before submitting.
If they did steal someone’s work, they would instantly lose all integrity and go out of business. Publishers and agents care about helping authors get their work published.
Besides, you will have researched the agents and publishers you submit to, so you’ll know they’re legitimate. Your initial submission will likely include no more than a few pages of your work, and if anyone wants a full manuscript, you will have done *extra* research on them, so you’ll know it’s safe.
Just a note: The word is “copyright” not “copywrite”. As in, the right to copy something.
You do know that agents are only interested in books, right? They don’t handle shorter work like poems or short stories, most of the time.
You can copyright unpublished works, although you may then have to indicate on them that they’re copyrighted, in order for the copyright to be in effect. In any case, just google the word “copyright.” You should find all the how-to information you need. There’s a fee, but it’s not very high.
Your work is already copyrighted the minute you write it down. And there is an unspoken courtesy in publishing that you don’t bite off of the ideas of submitted works, so I don’t think you should be too worried about it. It’s actually rather unsportsman-like if you ask me. No respectable PROFESSIONAL agent or publisher would do that to any author. Your friends and other persons not professionally connected to the industry, however, may do differently.
To PROTECT your work, however, you can register it with the U.S. Copyright office, but I think that would be a waste of money (and I bit snarky, to be honest) to get something registered when your work has not been acquired.
If you’re terribly worried, you can register but, like I said, it’s going to be a waste of money unless you’ve been signed. (And please don’t do the poor man’s copyright: mailing your work to yourself and not opening the package. It’s not considered protected under copyright laws and wouldn’t hold water in a court of law if you ever decided to sue someone. That is, at least, according to the U.S. Copyright office.)
Good luck with the submissions!
when you complete an origonal work you auto matically own the ‘design rights’ under the intellectual property act, i would look up the intelectual property office as it will tell you more than i can. also a good way to protect yourself is to send a copy to yourself in the post and get them to sta,p across where you sealed it as this prvides an offical recognision of when you created it and if someone rips you off you can prove them wrong
copyright will always remain with the author, whether it be a letter to a friend or a manuscript, until 70 years after death.
in terms of submitting a manuscript to either a publisher or a competition what you should do is state on the title page FBSRO ‘first British serial rights offered’ this states you are not prepared to sell copyright but only the right to publish for the first time in the UK.
basically copyright of all your your work belongs to you unless you decide to sell it. which is what you should never do. if you are serious about writing and sending off your manuscripts do it in a professional way. thir are loads of reference books available.they are costlty but invaluable.