Mention of 'copyright' on a manuscript

alaktas · Jun 18, 2015

Hello,

I wonder, should you/is it wise to mention 'copyright' (either the word or the © symbol) on a manuscript to be sent to a literary agent?
Maybe not even on the actual manuscript itself but on the title page or on a separate page that will accompany the manuscript to be sent to the LA?

For the record, I have already copyrighted my material at the Library of Congress.

**My apologies if this topic has already been addressed elsewhere on this forum.

WriterDude · Jun 18, 2015

Only if you think it's wise to insult the intelligence and integrity of someone you want to do business with.

What do you hope or expect the copyright mark to achieve and what message do you think it sends?

Ken · Jun 18, 2015

that c symbol on mss went out in the dinosaur era ;-)
anything you put your john hancock on, these days, is automatically copyrighted !

Bufty · Jun 18, 2015

You registered your copyright at the Library of Congress and then sent a presumably unpublished manuscript to a Literary Agent?

A total waste of time and money.

Copyright is automatically yours as soon as what you have written is committed to computer hard drive, paper or whatever medium you used- signed or not.

onesecondglance · Jun 18, 2015

Ahem. Some of those replies were a touch brusque...

Your work is copyrighted to you without needing to register it anywhere, but there's no harm in what you've already done. Agents, by nature of their work, understand this and there's no need to specifically call it out on your MS.

There is next-to-no risk of an agent stealing your MS if you query reputable agents - there are lots of good resources out there to help you check out agencies before you query, including our own Bewares & Recommendations board here on AW.

Bufty · Jun 18, 2015

I believe copyright will have to be re-registered if there is any alteration at all to the manuscript before it is finally published.

Cathy C · Jun 18, 2015

Yes, it will. Copyright protects only the words in the order they are on the page. It's a snapshot. Ideas can't be copyrighted, nor plots. Remove a chapter, add a character, change your MC's name, and as far as copyright is concerned, it's a different book. You might wander over to the Copyright Office website and wander around. Lots of good info there.

Mostly, I wouldn't worry about agents, provided you're sending the book to selling agents (and I presume that's your goal.) If the agent makes their money by selling your book to publishers, they don't need to steal it. 99% of agents have no interest in being an author. No worries!

amergina · Jun 18, 2015

Guys, be nice. I expect better of you.

Not everyone understands copyright law. While registering the copyright before sending it out is a misstep, it's nothing to sneer at and it can be worked around by agents.

Cathy C gives good advice. In addition, there's this lovely FAQ on copyright:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?58845-FAQ-Copyright

Becky Black · Jun 18, 2015

Definitely not needed when sending to agents or publishers. Honest agents or publishers know the copyright is yours and are not going to steal your book. Dishonest agents and publishers aren't going to steal it either - they are just going to try to extract money from you to publish it.

Always research who you are sending your work to and you'll usually be fine.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 18, 2015

Ken said:
that c symbol on mss went out in the dinosaur era ;-)
anything you put your john hancock on, these days, is automatically copyrighted !

I started writing a few months after the automatically copyrighted law went into effect, but the law did not lessen the need for the copyright symbol. Not even a little bit. Then and now, anything made public needs that symbol, and preferably, a date. This is why it's still on published books and short stories, and why anything posted online should have it.

Putting it on anything going to an agent or editor is simply insulting their integrity and their intelligence. Always has been. Back when I started, I knew a lot of writers who had been writing for years, sometimes decades, and they never put the notice on anything they submitted because they knew is would come across as an insult.

Anyway, that symbol still matters, automatic copyright law or not.

Chris P · Jun 18, 2015

Cathy C said:
Yes, it will. Copyright protects only the words in the order they are on the page. It's a snapshot. Ideas can't be copyrighted, nor plots. Remove a chapter, add a character, change your MC's name, and as far as copyright is concerned, it's a different book. You might wander over to the Copyright Office website and wander around. Lots of good info there.

Ah! That explains why books have a copyright date for the year they come out, instead of for the year the author began writing.

Ken · Jun 18, 2015

Jamesaritchie said:
I started writing a few months after the automatically copyrighted law went into effect, but the law did not lessen the need for the copyright symbol. Not even a little bit. Then and now, anything made public needs that symbol, and preferably, a date. This is why it's still on published books and short stories, and why anything posted online should have it.

Putting it on anything going to an agent or editor is simply insulting their integrity and their intelligence. Always has been. Back when I started, I knew a lot of writers who had been writing for years, sometimes decades, and they never put the notice on anything they submitted because they knew is would come across as an insult.

Anyway, that symbol still matters, automatic copyright law or not.

OK for published books; not OK for manuscripts. Got it. Thnx.

Mention of 'copyright' on a manuscript

alaktas

WriterDude

Writer?

Ken

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

onesecondglance

pretending to be awake

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong

Becky Black

Writing my way off the B Ark

Jamesaritchie

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Ken