Is there anyone who would constructively criticise some literary work without stealing ideas?

Question

Got some drafts of short stories-would it be prudent to copyright them before sending them to a literary agent-and how would you go about this?

Answer 1

Post them on arcanumcafe.com you'll get opinions and there is an electronic log of when you entered them.

Answer 2

You can do this at the US Copyright Office – see the last 2 links in the source box. The application is fairly simple & the cost is $45 per application.

Despite what others state, a "poor man's" copyright is NOT the same as registering it. Here's what the US Copyright Office has to say:

"The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a 'poor man’s copyright.' There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration."

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 3

Literary agents are, generally speaking, not writers. They are in business to promote authors whose work will sell well, therefore providing themselves with an income from the percentage they charge.
They are highly unlikely to want to steal your ideas. If you are truly worried, however, other people have suggested posting stories to yourself. If you do this, be sure to leave the envelopes unopened.
I teach creative writing and assess my students' work all the time. I also write fiction - but I would never stoop to using their ideas, however good they are!

Answer 4

The cheapest way to prove copyright is to post the stories to yourself. Get the postal clerk to sign the seals of the envelopes before you post them. If there is a copyright dispute then your sealed envelopes are admissable in court as proof of the date that you created your stories.

Don't open the envelopes when you get them. Store them safely in case there is a copyright dispute. When you send the stories on make sure that you have your name, the copyright symbol and the date of creation on them. I normally put them in the footer field.

Most agents are reputable but posting to yourself is a cheap way of protecting yourself.

Answer 5

Have a look in The Writers and Artists' Yearbook: it is really helpful and will tell you everything you need to know about copyrighting, agents, and publishing. There will be a copy available in your local library. Good luck!

Answer 6

I used to work for the Copyright Clearance Center as an Author & Creator Relations Intern. Thier website is www.copyright.com.

If you go into the 'for author's' section there is a FAQ section and I'm sure you'll find all the information you need to protect your ideas.

^_^

Answer 7

Aside from the previously-mentioned ideas, another good tactic would be to check out the reputation of the agent before sending anything. Here's a site that should help some there: http://www.sfwa.org/beware/agents.html and a list of places to DEFINITELY avoid: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28961

Answer 8

I agree with jorluke. but then you must spend money to prove a copyright infringement should it occur.and the only ones that possibly would not claim your words as their original thought is one who has already had similar writings of their own and those would simply serve to compare, from which another writing can be built. as it goes, we all contribute to the base of any formation as in a part of the whole.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

something about writers making two copies. you post date one by sending it to yourself through the mail and never break the seal.