Where Can I publish My written Work For Free?

Question

I started writing a novel and I want to copyright it so that I can put it on my web page.
Do you know any free copyright companies on the Internet???

Answer 1

No ... it costs money to copyright. The only way you can do it is through the US Copyright office. If you want to post online, why not consider doing it in PDF format which cant be copied? I have seen some people doing that. But I think a lot of people here have said that they learned their lesson the hard way about publishing online. It gets stolen no matter what. I had a great story posted on a very famous online site once. I later had it sent to me by somebody who said 'You gotta read this story!" It had another name on it but it was mine - word for word. The only thing I could do was write to Yahoo and have the site with the plagerized story taken down. But it took months to prove I published it online first. Total hassle and not worth it. I just chalked it up to losing a great story.

Also, how will it earn you any money if you post it online? Is it just for friends to read or anyone? You'd be better off to try and publish it more traditionally or enter it in a contest. Have you heard about the First Chapter Contest?

If you just want friends to be able to read it and follow along with your progress, post it but password the site and only share the password with those you want to be able to read. I have some stories on a passworded site for my friends.

Another thing you have to realize is if there is any adult content you have to post a disclaimer that says the site is for people over 18 and make people check something that says Im 18 and over. Mine says if you arent 18, you should go visit Justin Timberlake's site. If you check No - Im under 18, it directs you to Justin's site automatically. I am such a devil! LOL You are resoonsible for content you place on the internet so consider that too..
Lesson is - posting stories poems etc on the internet is like setting up a buffet in your front yard and anyone who walks by can stop and have a couple chicken wings. Anybody can take it if they want to. C.

Answer 2

I don't know who started the whole crackpot scheme of mailing something you wrote to yourself and not opening it to copyright it.

Once you put pen to paper and create a piece of original writing, it is yours. You can pay $45 for a US copyright, which is ridiculous - all the thousands upon thousands of writers, published and unpublished, do not pay for copyright on each and every piece of writing they create. And it's absurd to think they mail themselves their own work to copyright it as well. If you're extra paranoid, print the your name, the date and the copyright symbol (c) in a circle or the word "Copyright".

Also, keep meticulous records, date everything and make sure your name is on everything.

I'm so tired of seeing that whole "mail it to yourself" junk.

As for publishing your work for free, you can put any of your writing on the Internet for free by establishing a web page or a blog. Why you would want to do this, I have no clue.

Answer 3

http://www.copyright.gov is the only legitimate U.S. copyright web site I know of. I wouldn't take a chance on anything else when it comes to copyright. They charge a fee, but I'm sure you're working your butt off on it and don't want to take chances with your work.

Answer 4

The ONLY way to copy-write something and protect it without paying is to send a copy to yourself. When you are done writing it, put a copy into an envelope and send it to yourself. When you get it in the mail, DON'T open it. Just put it away in a safe place. Then after you publish it if someone else tries to steal it, you can take the unopened envelope to court with you, if need be, to PROVE beyond a reasonable doubt that YOU wrote it.

Answer 5

Simple! lulu.com!
And next time check if someone has asked this before! Cos many people do...