If you live in Canada, it used to be that your work was automatically protected under your country’s copyright laws. But now you must register with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and pay a fee. In the U.S., however, there has long been a raging debate about whether to register for an official copyright from the U.S. Copyright Office or not.

Fiona and I agree that you should spend the $45 (for most books in the U.S.) and get the official registration (at www.copyright.gov). It is true that your work has an automatic copyright, of a fashion, when you publish. But if you ever need to sue someone for stealing your material, you will be out of luck unless you have the official registration.

There is another way to get protection, commonly called the poor man’s copyright. It involves mailing two copies of the manuscript to yourself via certified mail with a return receipt, and never opening them unless you need to hire a lawyer. It’s a bit complicated, and we describe it in chapter 26 of the book. Proponents of this method say that it is faster (yes, it is) and just as solid as the official copyright registration (perhaps). And it is somewhat cheaper, but you do have to pay for postage, certified mail, and a return receipt, all times two.

Some authors are more cynical and feel that even if someone were to steal their words, there is little chance they would ever know about it. So they opt for a simple copyright notice with no official backing and figure it won’t make a difference anyway.

Luckily, we have never had to test a copyright in court; this post contains our opinions only. We both think that if you’ve gone to all the trouble to write the book, you might as well go the last step and get the copyright. We are planning to do just that with our book as soon as it’s ready.

Glenna Collett is an independent book designer
and co-author of Book Design Made Simple
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