book and copyright issue...

building

I am looking at putting a book together and have been recommended to register with online copyright agency. anyone got any experience of this? I am also not sure what they mean by:"Names are not subject to copyright, and phrases or slogans will not receive any benefit from registration, as they are to small to qualify for any real protection under copyright".

Not sure also when a literary agent should or should not be applied? i am new at this book business thing. thanks in advance.

CIS

Anything original you write is automatically subject to copyright laws, ie: it belongs to you, and you have the right to allow peopel to use it at your will.

I don't see how registering anything will help as your name would be on the book alongwith the copyright information, all these online agencys do is provide a central company to deal with the copyright licencing that you allow.

Instead of you getting the money and deciding who get the use, they do it for you, collect the money and take off their fee.

IIRC copyright lasts for something along the lines of the authors life + 75 yrs.

This UK patent office page will help;
http://www.patent.gov.uk/copy/

building

want me/to write up the whole thing or can i just give some sample pages with them to get to fill in the background with their researchers? sorry if ignorant! thanks in advance.

lush_walrus

It very much depends on what sort of literature you are producing. If a novel then often they wish to see the whole draft manuscript at least if you are an unpublished writer. If it is a technical manual then a sample section can be ok with a detailed outline and sypnosis.

lush_walrus

Ooops just re-rad your question, no a publisher would not provide you with the reseach for your book, that is something you have to do. If you are un-published then you are the one who is trying to convince the publishers to take you on, not the other way around. Most publishers get many manuscripts through a day from unpublished writers, so they arent looking to help anyone!

bluemoon_3

Hi building,
You haven't mentioned if you're writing fiction or non-fiction, but I wanted to post some links that might be helpful to answer some of your questions either way.

Firstly - Writer Beware. It's an American site, so the copyright laws and things are different, but it's a good site for a grounding in all the common questions and pitfalls when making first steps in the writing business.

Secondly - Holly Lisle's 'Questions about literary agents' since you asked about agents specifically. I linked to that page, but do take some time to look around the rest of the Writer section on Holly's site because it's an excellent source of information, especially if you're writing fiction. If you're writing non-fiction, it's still worth looking at the articles relating to the business side of things (most of these are listed under the 'FAQ' heading).

If you post whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction you might receive more specific advice.

building

thanks in advance

lush_walrus

For non fiction you will need to send a full first draft to publishers, some publishers will accept an entry from the book along with an outline, but for most it will be a case of convincing them that your book is worth taking on and publishing.

The things they basically want to see are whether you have an interesting subject and what your writing style is. Most small publishers are very specific as to which sorts of titles they wish to work with. There is a brilliant guide out there on publishers but for the life of me I cant remember, but its very long established and well known so Im sure someone will come along with it.

The other thing I would advice is that you send the full first draft to more than one publisher, and definately to an American publisher along with a UK one. It is possible for a book to be published under two, one UK and one US, who basically then agree to publish in only their country. Don't be too put off by rejections, you might be lucky and find the right publsiher for you, but chances are you will need to send it out to many and get many rejections along the way.

For the future the next thing to think about is whether you would be happy to sign into a 3 book deal. A lot of publishers prefer to go this route, basically the reason is so that if you are a hit in the literary world, they get to keep you for the sequals.

Two of my friends are published, one had previously been self publishing her books and taking them around to small bookshops to sell, the other spent 3 years writing his first book and had a million and one rejections by all of the small publishing houses, only to be accepted by Penguin! You don't have to approach publishers via an agent, and personally I wouldnt as Ive seen two people succeed on their own. So don't be too scared of approaching any of the publishers and dont give up. Good luck with it.

bluemoon_3

lush_walrus wrote:

There is a brilliant guide out there on publishers but for the life of me I cant remember, but its very long established and well known so Im sure someone will come along with it.

The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is what you probably mean. There's also The Writer's Handbook.

Your library will almost certainly have a copy of the first one, and probably the second one, but they are likely to be in the reference section. Make sure to get the most up-to-date copies.

I write fiction, so most of my knowledge is in that area. For non-fiction, it can often be helpful to write and publish some articles on the subject you want to write your book about. It will help you practice your writing skills, build confidence and will show a publisher that you know what you're talking about, that you can meet deadlines and have a professional attitude (as well as earning a bit of money!). Do an internet search and check out your library catalogue (nowadays these are often online) for books about writing articles and non-fiction. There's a lot of information out there and it's worth the time spent searching it out.

One more thing - I don't know what subject you're writing about, but I would imagine it helps a great deal in non-fiction if you can show why YOU'RE the right person to write THIS book (or this article). For example, if you want to write about bringing up a child with Down's Syndrome, it helps if you have a child with the condition or other relevant, personal experience. On the other hand, if you want to write a book that deals with the clinical side of Down's Syndrome, you really need a relevant qualification. It's a simple matter of reader trust. When I read a non-fiction book I want to know that I can put my faith in the author. These biographical details are often printed on the back cover, or in an otherwise prominent place because they are important to readers (and to publishers). Take a book down from your shelf and see some real-life examples for yourself.

I'm not saying this to put you off - far from it. If you believe in your idea, now is the perfect time to look at getting any qualifications or experience you might need.

Beyond that, I can't give any further specific advice because I've only briefly researched the non-fiction markets - but I will wish you the best of luck!

Rex_Mundi

In the past month. I've just finished formatting a whole book for a local author. This is his second book, written, financed, and published completely by himself.

I've just checked his copyright statement from the introduction pages. This is what he has put (basic message only, details taken out).

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM, OR BY ANY MEANS ELECTRONICALLY OR MECHANICALLY, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING, FAX RECORDING, OR BY ANY INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER.

This sort of message in a book should be enough to cover you in case you are copied.

lush_walrus

bluemoon wrote:

The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is what you probably mean. There's also The Writer's Handbook.

Ah thats the one, well done my brain was a complete blank!