Copyrighting words: How to protect a book
1 December 2024
If you are like many authors and have poured blood, sweat and tears into your novel, you want to feel your work is protected. You have spent weeks and months editing, proofreading and fine-tuning your creation. You want to make sure no-one else can claim ownership before the manuscript is published. So you need to find out how to copyright a book.
As you may know already, there is more than one publishing route to take. If you have already have an established traditional publisher to look after you, you needn't worry too much. But for those self-publishing, or without a clear plan, it's crucial to cover yourself in the event of a dispute, before printing takes place.
Copyrighting your book in the UK
In the UK, there is no formal copyright service for books. There is no government recognised official procedure to do this. The same is true for most EU countries. Some other countries, like the US, offer a copyright registration service, which has a fee attached.
As the writer of the book, you are the original creator and the author of the work. You automatically own the copyright. Anyone wishing to use it, in any way, would need your permission. You have copyright protection for up to 70 years after your death.
There is nothing official or legal you have do to copyright your book. UK Copyright law automatically protects you. You are covered before you publish the work, when you are trying to attract editors and agents, and once once it is published.
Using a copyright page
Most books have a dedicated copyright page near the beginning. It's a good idea to include this in your own book as it shows you are serious about claiming copyright to the work. It also looks much more professional and can help to warn off any potential plagarism.
The copyright page should include the copyright symbol ©, along with your name, the first year of publication and some further information about your copyright details. For example, All rights reserved.
Proving Ownership
Sometimes another author claims ownership of your work, and you may need to prove to the courts that the book belongs to you if an infringement claim occurs. To resolve a dispute such as this, each writer must provide dated evidence that they were the first to write the book.
It can be really important to keep a concise record of your book, the drafts and different versions, and when it was created, preferably with the data secured safely in a location held by an independent authority. This date proves ownership and gives you rightful protection.
Using Copyright Solved
Our service is an excellent way to validate ownership of your work in an efficient, secure and accurate way. We record all the details of your book, including the title, the authors, the filename and the date of upload. We link these details to a digital certificate, which is stored securely on our servers, ready for you to download anytime you wish.
Register with Copyright Solved now to start your protection journey.