Dear O'Abby: Do I need to copyright my work?

Dear O'Abby,

I'm about to start querying and I was wondering if I need to copyright my book before I start sending it out.  I've heard some horror stories about writers having their books stolen and published online under other names.  After spending close to ten years sweating over this story, the last thing I want is for my work to be plagarised if a copy of my manuscript ends up in the wrong hands.

Sincerely,

Not A Copy Cat

Dear Not A Copy Cat,

No, you don't need to copyright your book before you start querying.  

As soon as you started writing that story, it is copyrighted as your original work.  And every subsequent draft is also copyrighted.

What you are actually asking is if you should register your copyright and the answer is still no. 

Copywriting your work costs money and if your book gets picked up by a publisher, they will then need to pay more money to amend the copyright.  Copyrighting your book is part of what a publisher does - it's part of every standard publishing contract.  If you have already done this yourself, the publisher will then have to amend the copyright and that cost even more!

Not to mention, copyrighting your work before querying shows both a distrust for and an ignorance of the publishing industry and that's not how you want to come across when querying. Would you really want to start an important business relationship knowing the other party thinks you might steal from them?  And showing that you don't understand how publishing works is a red flag that might make an agent think you're going to be way too much work as a client.  Copyrighting your work may also open you up to questions about whether or not this story has already been published, which you don't want while querying.

I know there are stories out there about writers having their work stolen, but they are more urban myth than reality.  Agents aren't looking to steal anyone's work.  They're looking for compelling stories, strong voice and evocative writing that they can sell.  I would worry far more about whether I'd achieved that, than about having someone steal my book out from under me..

Hope that helps!

X O'Abby