How do I copyright
my book?
Type “copyright,” the year and your name on the manuscript!
Plus “Unpublished Work.” You may use only the word “copyright,” but
the © symbol is necessary for international protection. You are
not required to file for copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office to
secure your copyright. By law, authors are protected from the moment
a work is created. When the work is published, the copyright notice
is printed on page 2 or the reverse of the inside title page. Authors
are
granted protection for the duration of the author’s life, plus
an additional 50 years after death. You can copyright everything in
a book
except the
title.
The only reason to formally register the copyright or establish a public
record of your claim is if you are concerned about possible infringement
suits. (Generally this is not an issue.) This registration
can be made any time after publication and within the duration
of the copyright (i.e., while you are still breathing plus some!).
It costs $35 to $45 to file (depending on how you file) and can take
up to 16 weeks to receive the copyright certificate. The registered copyright
is effective
from
the
day it is
received at the Copyright Office.
To file, contact the Copyright Office (URL and mailing address
below) and request Form TX and circulars 1 and 2: Copyright
Basics and Publications of the Copyright Office. Two copies
of the book must be sent with the completed application. Send it registered
or certified mail if you wish to confirm that the application has been
received.
Register of Copyrights
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20559
202-707-3000 (information line or form request)
202-707-9100 (to request forms)
202-707-5959 (information specialist)
The forms may also be downloaded with instructions at www.loc.gov/copyright/forms.
It is advisable to check this site for changes in procedures.
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What is an ISBN and Do
I need one?
ISBN means International Standard Book Number System. It is an identification
system for controlling inventory in book stores around the world. Any
book with an ISBN is listed in Books in Print. Beginning in January
2007, ISBNs are 13 digits.
Not every book needs an ISBN. If you plan to sell your books in major
bookstores or gift shops though, you should have one. Wordrunner Press
(WP) can supply an ISBN (for $20), but this means the number is registered
with WP and you cannot be listed as the publisher. You can still use the name of your publishing house and have
an ISBN issued by Wordrunner, as long as your house is listed on the
copyright page as an imprint of WordRunner.
If you want to file
for your own ISBN as a publisher, it will cost $125 for one number or $250 for ten numbers. The U.S. agency for ISBN
is R.R. Bowker; the entire process can be completed on-line at www.isbn.org. NEW: Bowker has made it simpler for self-publishing authors to purchase single ISBNs and barcodes, at: www.myidentifiers.com
If your book is printed via Amazon's Kindle Publishing Direct (KDP, formerly CreateSpace), you can have a free ISBN, which makes KDP the imprint of record. The free ISBN entitles your book to library distributionm which is not available if you supply your own ISBN;. KDP authors may also purchase a discounted ISBN from Bowker for $99. For information on KDP's ISBN options, see https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201834170
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Is a bar code necessary?
A computerized bar code is not always necessary. If you plan to distribute
your books in local book and retail stores you should ask if they
require bar codes. To get a bar code made, an ISBN is required. The bar
code is the ISBN! The retail price of the book may or may not
be included in the coding. But when the ISBN is registered a retail price
must be included in the record.
Wordrunner Press supplies a barcode with ISBN gratis. If you buy your own ISBN numbers, barcodes are not included, but Bowker will supply them for a modest fee. If you plan on publishing more than one book, barcoding software is inexpensive, reliable and easy to use.
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Do I need a Library of Congress
card number?
Probably not. If your book is not intended for library distribution
there is no reason to apply for an LOC number. If it has fewer than
50 pages, it is not eligible (unless it is a children’s book or
a geneaology).
If you are publishing a larger book, you may apply for a preassigned
LOC number by submitting an application form called Request
for Preassignment of Library of Congress Catalog Card Number. However,
this must be submitted before the book is published and
printed. There is no filing fee.
You must have established your own publishing house, but this is as simple as saying so and supplying an address and contact information. Or this can be done through WP, which already has an account.
You may apply for a Preassigned Control Number (PCN) account
with the Library of Congress online at: www.loc.gov/publish/pcn.
This is the recommended procedure. Once an account is established,
a PCN application goes through very quickly, in a day or two.
The Library of Congress will request a non-returnable copy of the
book upon publication. If the book is selected for the Library’s
collection, the book is catalogued and the preassigned card number
becomes part of
the catalog record. Even if the title is not is not selected, the
card number may still be used as a record identification number by
libraries
or other databases.
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If I submit my book
on computer disk, does it matter which software or platform I
use?
Either Windows/IBM or Macintosh platforms are fine. Word or WordPerfect
or RTF files are best. You should call or email first before sending
files processed in other softwares. The safest thing to do is to export
or save your file as plain text. For example, Claris Works and Apple
Works do not convert cleanly on an IBM (which is where the books are
formatted). They must be opened on a Mac and “saved as” something
else (Word for IBM or text or rtf).
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How long will it take to
publish my book?
This
depends in part on the time you spend proofing (or heaven forbid, revising)
and how busy the printer is, as well as on work
flow here. Wordrunner Press is a one-woman shop. Still, drafts are
generally turned around
within
two or three days, unless this is a long, complicated book with many
photos. Finally, the printing and binding process, including galley
proofs, can take as much as six weeks, including shipping time. If
the book goes to a print-on-demand outfit, the printing and binding
is
much
faster,
about
a week.
Also allow
time for shipping. The record time for publishing a book start to finish
was about two months. Another was nine months in gestation.
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Will Wordrunner market my
books?
WordRunner Press does not distribute or market books. If WP is contacted
by bookstores (via the ISBN), the order will be referred to
the author.
Please see the marketing page for promotional
ideas.
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