Should You Register Your Written Work? It’s Your Masterpiece!

So, there you are. Your article or book is complete and you are proud of your hard work. You look at your computer screen and get ready to print. Your work is excellent!

But as you look at your work you think about where it is going, you may even be asking yourself a very common question. “Should I register my written work with a Copyright Office?” I mean seriously, you’ve put a lot of work into this written masterpiece.

If you’re a new writer coming into the field of writing, be assured that you are not alone in asking this question. Several writers before you have asked the very same question. Just as movies and music have copyrights, so does your writing.

As a matter of fact, your writing gets automatic copyright the minute it is created by you. In other words, you automatically attain legal ownership of your written work once you’ve made it accessible in a tangible form such as writing it down on paper, typing it into your old typewriter, or keying it into your computer and saving it as a file.

Here is all the proof you need once your written work leaves your hands and goes through the submission process:

1. A copy of your written work
2. A dated record of your submission

If you are still leery about submitting your prized writing and wish to register it, by all means do so. That is still your prerogative. You may obtain a copyright application with instructions at:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Ave. S. E.
Washington, DC 20559-6000

Or go online: copyright.gov/forms

Please note that as of this writing (2009) registration for copyright fees are $45 (print) and $35 (online). If you decide to register your unpublished manuscript with a Copyright Office, be advised that you must inform the Editor, who later accepts your manuscript for publication, of your copyright protection.

If you decide not to register your writing, you are automatically protected under the Copyright Term Extension Act which protects your created works written during or after 1978. So, let’s thank our copyright-based business and keep those creative juices flowing. Let’s keep on writing!