Should I do it?

[Clinton Seeber]

Would it be deemed safe to post excerpts and information about my pending novel here? I have never been professionally published before; I have not signed a deal, and I don't have anything officially copyrighted. But I do have my original handwritten manuscript (still being worked on) which is dated every day that I write something new. That should be enough to prove that it is my intellectual property, right?

[lorin]

Congrats on the accomplishment of actually finishing! Feel free to post in the Hall of Gifts or The Writer's Circle. I would suggest that first you submit your work for copyright. These are public forums and it's a cruel world out there. If it's hand written you can mail it in. I did that years ago. Of course, if it's fan fiction, all bets are off.

Here is the link to do it online. Only costs $35.00.

www.copyright.gov/eco/

[Harbinger]

Put in on a stick and mail it to yourself. Lock in fireproof safe. Don't open.

Small document size fireproof safes are >$50. Foolish to not own one.

[I'm Murrin]

You automatically have copyright on anything you've written, without needing to pay anything.

The main issue with posting things online is sales rights: If something is posted publicly online, then it counts as published, and a publisher can no longer get first publishing rights on it, so will be unlikely to buy. It's more a concern for things published in their entirety, though - like short stories - rather than short excerpts of a long work.

I really would not ever worry someone's going to cut and paste your excerpt and steal it.

[Avatar]

As I mentioned before, the Writers Forum is private and hidden, so there are no public domain issues.

I've added you to the group, so the Writers Circle should be visible on your index page.

That's probably the best place to do it. We're a bit slow though. Just warning you.

--A

[Clinton Seeber]

Thank you, and your slowness does not bother me.

[Clinton Seeber]

You automatically have copyright on anything you've written, without needing to pay anything.

The main issue with posting things online is sales rights: If something is posted publicly online, then it counts as published, and a publisher can no longer get first publishing rights on it, so will be unlikely to buy. It's more a concern for things published in their entirety, though - like short stories - rather than short excerpts of a long work.

I really would not ever worry someone's going to cut and paste your excerpt and steal it.

I was thinking the same thing. I read something by an editor or some such in the business who stated almost exactly what you did in the first paragraph of your post. It wouldn't do anyone any good to try to pirate excerpts from my work anyway, as they wouldn't have the full story.

[lorin]

You automatically have copyright on anything you've written, without needing to pay anything.

As I mentioned before, the Writers Forum is private and hidden, so there are no public domain issues.--A

I guess I really don't understand this whole copyright process. Explain to me how being a private forum protects the product. Isn't a copyright a sort of date stamp verifying when the document was written, in the case someone else claims to have written it or something significantly similar?

Now don't you boys get all hoity-toity with me, just explain it.

[I'm Murrin]

Just the way the law works. From wikipedia:

In all countries where the Berne Convention standards apply, copyright is automatic, and need not be obtained through official registration with any government office. Once an idea has been reduced to tangible form, for example by securing it in a fixed medium (such as a drawing, sheet music, photograph, a videotape, or a computer file), the copyright holder is entitled to enforce his or her exclusive rights.

As for the private forum - something published openly on the net is considered "published", in that first worldwide publishing rights have already been exhausted. Publishing in a limited, private forum is often considered differently by publishers (though it's probably sensible to remove it once you start trying to sell the work).

[lorin]

Just the way the law works. From wikipedia:

In all countries where the Berne Convention standards apply, copyright is automatic, and need not be obtained through official registration with any government office. Once an idea has been reduced to tangible form, for example by securing it in a fixed medium (such as a drawing, sheet music, photograph, a videotape, or a computer file), the copyright holder is entitled to enforce his or her exclusive rights.

As for the private forum - something published openly on the net is considered "published", in that first worldwide publishing rights have already been exhausted. Publishing in a limited, private forum is often considered differently by publishers (though it's probably sensible to remove it once you start trying to sell the work).

So say I wrote something, either on a flash drive or hand written. Another person comes along and says "Hey!!! I wrote that and she stole it from me! I am going to sue her because she is a thief." So we both go to court and the judge has to decide who is the writer and who is the thief. How is it decided?

[I'm Murrin]

Presumably that person would have no evidence to back up the claim.

[wayfriend]

Clinton, let me caution you about another thing - don't presume that by posting your work that useful, critical reviews will be rolling in of course.

[peter]

Clinton, let me caution you about another thing - don't presume that by posting your work that useful, critical reviews will be rolling in of course.

Now now, Wayfriend.

[Avatar]

Haha, that's what I meant about us being slow. Sometimes I'm too subtle for my own good.

--A

[Clinton Seeber]

As I mentioned before, the Writers Forum is private and hidden, so there are no public domain issues.

I've added you to the group, so the Writers Circle should be visible on your index page.

That's probably the best place to do it. We're a bit slow though. Just warning you.

--A

I recently came back looking for the Writer's Circle, but I cannot find it. Could you send me a link to it either in a private message or by email?

[Avatar]

It is on the index page, but I sent it to you anyway.

--A

[ChoChiyo]

I would also like to be added to the writer's forum.

[Avatar]

Ok, you're added.

--A