Do I need to have my childrens manuscript copyrighted before I send it to a publisher?

Answer 1

Not usually. Keep a record of what publisher you sent it to, when you sent it, and any response you receive. Reputable publishers wouldn't steal your story (which is what copyrighting protects).

You can also submit the manuscript to an agent, who can help you with the copyright issues.

Answer 2

No. But if it would make you feel better you can email it to yourself and save it in your inbox, that way it is dated. Legitimate publishers don't have time to steal work from slush piles. Just make sure you query reputable houses. Also, it wouldn't hurt for you to try your hand at finding an agent that represents children's authors. They can be found in a current edition of Writer's Market. Most of the big houses won't even consider reading a manuscript unless it comes from an agent. Good Luck!

Answer 3

it's up to you how far you want to go with copyrighting. legally, your manuscript is already copyrighted as soon as you wrote it. just putting (c) 2006 or whatever shows folks that its yours and you copyrighted it. the next and most simple thing to do is to mail your manuscript to yourself. then you can go from there to even more complicated ways of copyrighting.

Answer 4

in case you "finished it" then it replaced into already copyrighted. You own the copyright from the 2d you place your imaginitive paintings of authorship into tangible type (pencil on paper, bits in pc memory, theory on micro-cassette, etc). you would be able to OPTIONALLY sign up your declare of possession interior the US. maximum individuals do not hardship until they discover somebody has misappropriated the paintings and violated the copyright.

Answer 5

No,you don't,but be sure to have copies of the work in the event that it gets published.Good Luck!