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Copyright for Book Excerpts Published on Blog?

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CaliforniaMelanie

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Hey, everyone. Hope you're having a happy and productive Friday!

I have published several long excerpts from my upcoming book on my blog. Each time I've referenced that they are excerpted from [book name] due out in 2020.

Of course, those final four words are hopeful thinking (don't want to say "wishful," that's not as optimistic!), but nevertheless, I'm going great guns on my book right now and estimate that it will be ready for first edits in February.

Is this work automatically protected, or do I need to do something additional?

Thanks!
 

indianroads

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If your blog is copyrighted, then you're covered, but these things can be tricky - so all I do is set user-select to none. If they can't select it, they can't copy it.

Realistically though, I don't believe you have anything to worry about. If your book has proprietary information that is the reason people would buy it, I might hold of publishing it on line at all. A novel though? Nah. I think your fine... but I'd still turn off user-select.
 

AW Admin

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Hey, everyone. Hope you're having a happy and productive Friday!

I have published several long excerpts from my upcoming book on my blog. Each time I've referenced that they are excerpted from [book name] due out in 2020.

Of course, those final four words are hopeful thinking (don't want to say "wishful," that's not as optimistic!), but nevertheless, I'm going great guns on my book right now and estimate that it will be ready for first edits in February.

Is this work automatically protected, or do I need to do something additional?

Thanks!

1. You own copyright from the moment you create a work.
2. Registering copyright is a legal step that increases the potential damages you might receive in a court case.
3. You need to ask your publisher, not us.
4. If you're self-publishing and want to register your copyright, do it once as you have an absolutely positively no changes will be made at all ms. and a firm publication date. Read the copyright FAQs at the Library of Congress.
5. You might want to be more explicit about your copyright notice; you'd need to consult an IP attorney to be sure, but all rights reserved, etc. Look up copyright notice, and research how books etc. from legitimate publishers present themselves.
6. Don't rely on user-select settings; it's easily circumvented. And it's quite likely to screw over people relying on assistive devices to read.
7. Do consult qualified IP attorneys about copyright.
 
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