How to Copyright a Book or Manuscript

Whether you're querying agents, self-publishing on Amazon, or releasing a serial online, registering your manuscript creates an enforceable, dated record of your authorship, and preserves the financial remedies that make infringement worth fighting.

You don't need to register to own your book

Your manuscript is protected by copyright from the moment you write it. You do not need to register to query agents or to claim ownership. But you do need registration to sue an infringer, and to be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees if you register in time.

When should an author register?

The strategic answer is "before publication, or within three months of it." Registering in that window preserves statutory damages for infringements that happen after publication, which matters most for self-published authors whose work is exposed to piracy and unauthorized copying.

What counts as the work

You register the text you authored. Cover art and illustrations are separate works (often by different creators) and may need their own registration or a clear transfer of rights. If your book includes substantial material from others, make sure you have the rights to it.

What you'll need

• The manuscript file as the deposit copy.
• The author's name and the claimant (you, unless rights were transferred).
• The year of completion and, if published, the publication date and the book's distribution details.
• Whether the work was made for hire (for example, ghostwriting under contract).

Series, editions, and revisions

Each book is generally its own registration. A substantially revised edition can be registered as a derivative work. Unpublished collections of shorter writings may qualify for group registration, useful for poets and short-fiction writers.

File it the easy way

Upload your manuscript, tell us the details, and we'll prepare and file your single-work registration with the U.S. Copyright Office, government fee included.