I've written a book and was wondering how i would go about getting it published and having a copyright put on

Answer 1

I am in the process of publishing a book of poetry and songs. You can email the copy right office and they will mail you the forms you need FREE, but when you send in the manuscript to have on file, there is a $30.00 Fee. Now the hard part. Getting a publisher to accept the work, and putting it in print. It is a very expensive process. You also have to hire someone to promote your book if you cannot do it youirself, and it MUST be sent to book stores, and on and on. IF it is a good work it will pay off in the long run, but until it does be ready to shell out some money. The cheapest I have found to get started is around $500.00, and that is just getting started. Remember you get what you pay for so do some research first. Stick with a well known Publisher if possible.

Answer 2

Assuming that you've gone through several drafts you will be in a position to go to someone else to read it. Not a publisher or an agent, not yet, but find online (or offline) writing groups and critique groups. These people are not your friends and family, and should give you an *honest* appraisal of the quality of your work.

You have to listen to what they say. If one person says "this bit didn't seem right" but you're happy then you can ignore them. But if two or three people say the same thing then there will be something wrong that needs correcting.

By the time you've gone through the writing process for a while (and at least a year has passed) you may be ready to start submitting to agents. You will need an agent for any genre except SF and Fantasy.

You need to get the Writers & Artists Yearbook or Writers Handbook which lists all the agents. The W&A also contains lots interesting and useful articles about how to present yourself. You find the agents that deal with the genre you're writing in, it will say what they want (an outline, a couple of chapters whatever) ONLY SEND WHAT THEY ASK FOR. If you do anything else they will reject you instantly.

If you do not present yourself as a professional, they will reject you instantly. These people get hundreds and thousands of manuscripts sent to them every year, the only way they can whittle down the numbers is by using every possible error to reject. Even misspelling the company name on the envelope could result in rejection.

An agent will take you on IF (and only if) they think they can sell your book to a publisher. The agents know the market and if they don't think they can sell it they will not take you on.

This is one of the toughest businesses you can get in to. You will have your ego battered, and receive rejection after rejection after rejection -- potentially hundreds of them. A friend of mine, who is now a successful author, spent 15 years trying to get published and wrote 20 books that weren't accepted. He's now had four novels published and has three more in the pipeline.

You can, of course, go for self publishing. There are several options, like lulu.com, which don't cost anything and take their cut from the ones that are sold. Don't assume for a second you'll make any money out of self-publishing, a few friends and family may buy it but it would have to be an astoundingly good book for anyone else to notice and get "word of mouth" going.

But if your book's that good, you can get a real agent and publisher -- these people actually do know what they're doing.

As for copyright:

The law in almost all the countries of the world (China being a notable exception) says that you automatically own the copyright for any original created work, from the moment of its creation.

In other words: every word you write, every doodle you make, every e-mail, every drawing, every photograph, every sculpture, every tune, every software program written -- if it is an original created work then you have the copyright automatically. You don't have to do anything, it's yours, it is a right that you have.

Main exception: If you have created something as part of your employment then your employer owns the copyright. In the USA there is an official copyright form -- although you still don't have to use it.

Good luck!

Answer 3

To answer your question, yes, a kid can get published. The writing has to be damned good (and someone other than your dad has to think so; Harvard or no, your dad has an obvious bias), because the age of the author is NOT taken into account when the book is read. The publishers don't care. To answer your question: 1. Publishers are looking for marketability. They're always wondering what will sell, and who they can sell it to. Smaller publishers specialize in certain genres and look specifically for fantasy or teen novels. I don't know the specifics--I'm an amateur writer, although my mother is a professional nonfiction author--but I have the impression that publishers are extremely skeptical, especially when it comes to new authors. Do everything you can to make a good impression. 2. If you publish "traditionally" (i.e., you do not self-publish your work), you will probably choose to get an agent. You will query agents until one agrees to represent you. This usually involves a lot of waiting and a lot of rejection. If an agent agrees to represent you, he/she won't take any money unless the book is sold to a publisher. If the book is sold to a publisher, you will enter a contract with the publisher which will grant you an advance and a percentage royalty which you will make with every book sold. Your agent will get a cut of the profits as well in exchange for selling the book. I don't know how much, but I would guess it won't be a lot, especially in proportion to the amount of work put into writing. If you self-publish, you will pay to have the book printed, advertised, and carried by various places (e.g. amazon). You will pocket 100% of the profits, but you will have to make back the money you put into the publishing. 3. The odds of your book being stolen are pretty much zip. It's so hard to sell a novel that it's not worth it to steal one. If it takes you months to years publishing it, do you really think that someone would go through all that trouble to make a tiny bit of money? 4.The guy who says the thing about Golden Compass is incorrect; Pullman is an adult. I believe they meant to say Eragon, which was written by a fifteen-year-old boy. Obviously, he's the exception to the rule. I can't think of a single other successful child writer.

Answer 4

Maz:
The net is full of publishers and most will take your submission and tell you how they wish it set up. I wrote two books and self published because it is next to imposible to get any of these guys interested. They want your manuscript sent regular mail and believe me it takes up to three years to get an answer if you get one at all.
I have since found a place that take submissions and help you along with your work. Please, please, if you take this route, let me know how well it works for you so I can tell others. Browes to New York Literary Agency and there it shows you what to do. They promise to answer your query in two days and they do. If interested they ask you to send manuscript through email and show you how. They promise to get back to you in two weeks and again they do. They are not self publisher pushers. Good luck and again, please let me know how you make out.
Wayne

Answer 5

As you have written the book copyright is automatically vested in you. Send your book to a publisher and if they like it they will publish..if not they will return it to you.

Answer 6

Get a copy of 'Writers & Artists Yearbook' (£14.99 from all good bookstores) it tells you everything about getting published (who,where & how),copyrights,agents etc...I'm a writer and found it a great book to have at hand.

Answer 7

you have to get an agent. Most publishers won't even read unsolicited material. An agent can get your book read but believe me sometimes it's harder to get an agent to read it than a publisher. If I were you I would now read your book and then read it again. And then read it again. Writing a book is a snap compared to writing a good book.

Answer 8

If you go to your local library, they have books there which list publishers names, addresses, and what sort of books they are looking to publish. when you find one that is suitable, you send them your manuscript, and wait to see if it is accepted or not. As for copyright, you state on your manuscript your name and address, and print that this manuscript is you property, and cannot be printed without your permission. Good luck!!