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When you send your work to an agent, how do you make sure that your work is protected? I'm paranoid about this sort of stuff.
Protecting Your Work
- Thread starter EndlessDestiny
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Only thing for sure in this life is death and form rejections. Trust your research and instincts.
Why, yes. I protect my manuscript using only a psychic-shield put in place by myriads of sparkling fairies, invoked using the medium of dance!
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Do you mean protected physically or legally?
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Do you mean protected physically or legally?
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If you send your manuscript only to legit agents, you shouldn't encounter any problems. I have heard of alot of writers mailing their manuscripts to themselves, leaving it sealed... if there is ever any problem than you have the envelope with the postmark on it. I also email all of mine to my mom and she saves them... the email has the date on it. I feel like that's sufficient.
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Your work is automatically protected as soon as it's in a fixed format (or is it tangible format? either way, as soon as you get it out of your head and onto paper or a harddrive or whatever, it's protected.) A legitimate agent is NOT going to steal your work.
i'm assuming you mean copyright protected here.
i'm assuming you mean copyright protected here.
Second.
Plus your copyright is only worth what your expensive lawyer says it is.
Dude, you're work is already protected. No need to worry.
Besides, agents who see a copyright label are probably going to laugh at you and call you an amateur.
Besides, agents who see a copyright label are probably going to laugh at you and call you an amateur.
By only sending it to legit agents. Check the bewares sections if an agent seems sketchy.
As already mentioned, your written work is automatically copyright protected once you write it. Registering it as copyright only gives you right to sue; you already have the right to claim it as yours. You should never need to use this if you only send to legit agents. If you really want to be careful about something like copyright, though, registering it isn't the best way unless you want to sue, since it can be somewhat expensive. Instead, tuck it in a big, sealed envelope with some kind of proof of date and snail mail it to yourself. When it arrives back, leave it sealed: there's now a record of you mailing it, and proof of that you wrote it first inside the envelope. And this only costs the price of postage and printing. Again, this is completely unnecessary, but can offer you peace of mind if you happen to be OCD.
As already mentioned, your written work is automatically copyright protected once you write it. Registering it as copyright only gives you right to sue; you already have the right to claim it as yours. You should never need to use this if you only send to legit agents. If you really want to be careful about something like copyright, though, registering it isn't the best way unless you want to sue, since it can be somewhat expensive. Instead, tuck it in a big, sealed envelope with some kind of proof of date and snail mail it to yourself. When it arrives back, leave it sealed: there's now a record of you mailing it, and proof of that you wrote it first inside the envelope. And this only costs the price of postage and printing. Again, this is completely unnecessary, but can offer you peace of mind if you happen to be OCD.
From the FAQ forum, all FAQ answered regarding copyright and copyrighting: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58845
Dare we say it yet again, when it's been the subject of about 4,000 questions and threads on this site?
THE "POOR MAN'S COPYRIGHT", E.G., SENDING YOURSELF YOUR MANUSCRIPT VIA THE MAIL, IS USELESS NONSENSE.
caw
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No agent is going to steal your unpublished work. And if he or she thinks it's good enough to be published, don't you think he or she would offer representation, sell the manuscript and make money on it, instead of risking to be sued?
By the way, the minute you create the manuscript (pen on paper, computer files, etc.) you have the copyright. To prove it, you need only to show a trail. Keep good records of your files, printouts, etc. just in case someone did steal your work (by the way, registering copyright is not going to prevent theft -- but guess what, people tend to steal published works, not unpublished slush).
As others have said, the poor-man copyright thing is bogus. It's useless in the court of law, and it's highly unnecessary.
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As others have said ... send your manuscript to agents of stellar reputation --
(why would you do otherwise?)
They will not steal your work.
You can register your copyright with the Library of Congress. Here. It costs $35. This registration has legal status of a complicated kind.
The 'poor man's copyright', suggested above, has no legal status. If you want 'peace of mind', buy a gris-gris.
FWIW, an agent is likely to see a copyright as unjustified self-esteem and insulting suspicion. It will certainly be noted as cluelessness.
So perhaps you should not tell her it is copyrighted till after you are signed.
(why would you do otherwise?)
They will not steal your work.
You can register your copyright with the Library of Congress. Here. It costs $35. This registration has legal status of a complicated kind.
The 'poor man's copyright', suggested above, has no legal status. If you want 'peace of mind', buy a gris-gris.
FWIW, an agent is likely to see a copyright as unjustified self-esteem and insulting suspicion. It will certainly be noted as cluelessness.
So perhaps you should not tell her it is copyrighted till after you are signed.
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Don't register your copyright in advance; it will avail you nothing and only cause trouble for the publisher (and piss off your agent).
Not to mention put you on the mailing lists of vanity pubs and scamsters: registering an unpublished ms marks you as, well, a mark.
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No one steals from you until after you're famous.
Just send your work out to legit agents and keep writing.
Safe place to look for agents.
Don't bother registering a copyright. Your publisher will do that for you once the agent sells the work.
:editor's hat on: I don't mind seeing that little copyright symbol by your name, title, whatever, but it does tell me you're either clueless, paranoid, or suspect me of being a thief.
Not the best way to start a relationship.
Just send your work out to legit agents and keep writing.
Safe place to look for agents.
Don't bother registering a copyright. Your publisher will do that for you once the agent sells the work.
:editor's hat on: I don't mind seeing that little copyright symbol by your name, title, whatever, but it does tell me you're either clueless, paranoid, or suspect me of being a thief.
Not the best way to start a relationship.
It will certainly be noted as cluelessness
Someone who copyrights his ms before sending it to an agent
shows he is an amateur,
shows he does not understand how the publishing business works,
shows he has an unrealistic notion of the value of unpublished manuscripts.
Clueless, y'know.
Someone who copyrights his ms before sending it to an agent
shows he is an amateur,
shows he does not understand how the publishing business works,
shows he has an unrealistic notion of the value of unpublished manuscripts.
Clueless, y'know.
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An unpublished manuscript is essentially worthless. No one steals worthless things.
Legitimate agents and publishers won't steal a work because they aren't just interested in this book, they're interested in your next, and the one after that too.
Illegitimate agents won't steal your work either, because what would they do with it? If they could sell books they wouldn't have to be scammers. Their income stream doesn't come from selling books.
Legitimate agents and publishers won't steal a work because they aren't just interested in this book, they're interested in your next, and the one after that too.
Illegitimate agents won't steal your work either, because what would they do with it? If they could sell books they wouldn't have to be scammers. Their income stream doesn't come from selling books.
I don't see how.
The library of congress copyrighted manuscript can be updated (paying the fee).
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