How to Obtain the Copyright for your Book

This question comes up in numerous forums across the web where aspiring authors and self-publishers gather: "How do I get the copyright for my book?" This post will explain what the copyright is and how to get it for your own book.

What is the copyright?

The Copyright is a law that gives you ownership over the things you create, whether it be a painting, a photograph, a poem or a novel, if you created it, you own it and it’s the copyright law itself that assures that ownership. The ownership that copyright law grants comes with several rights that you, as the owner, have exclusively. Those rights include:

• The right to reproduce the work
• to prepare derivative works
• to distribute copies
• to perform the work
• and to display the work publicly

These are your rights and your rights alone. Unless you willingly give them up (EX: A Creative Commons License), no one can violate them legally. This means that, unless you say otherwise, no one can perform a piece written by you or make copies of it, even with attribution, unless you give the OK.
Inversely, if you’re looking for material to use or reuse, you should not do any of these things without either asking permission or confirming that the work is in the public domain, which means that the copyright has expired and all of the above rights have been forfeited. Simply put, if the work isn’t in the public domain and you don’t have permission to use a piece, you put yourself in risk of legal action, regardless of your intentions.
Because, beyond fair use and parody (issues for later essays), the holder of a copyrighted piece has near carte blanche to do what they want with their work. It’s no different than owning a car, a house or a pen. One can lend it out to a friend, sell it, modify it or even destroy it. In short, if you own the copyright to something, you have the same rights that you do with anything else and, in some instances, even more. After all, you did create it. It only makes sense that you would own the fruits of your labor. That’s what copyright law is all about.
 The moment you create your work, it is protected by copyright law, and you don't have to register it with the Library of Congress. However, having your work copyrighted with the Library of Congress protects you should the question of ownership ever come up in court.
The poor man's copyright is not a legitimate copyright and holds no merit. Save the postage. If you can't invest the fee it costs ($35.00 online, $65.00 for print application) to file for your copyright then that says you don't believe in your work enough to protect it the right way.

 How Can I Get My Work Copyrighted?

You can either print and mail your from by going to http://www.copyright.gov and downloading the form there, or you can apply online. To get started on your application, click here.

Until next time,
~Sandra~

Sources:
http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/stopping-internet-plagiarism/your-copyrights-online/1-what-is-a-copyright/
http://www.copyright.gov