How to Copyright an Idea for a Book
- 1). Write the book. Under United States copyright law creation of the a book or any other work automatically establishes copyright. No other action of the author is required, but some other actions may be beneficial.
- 2). File copyright registration. Registering a work with the United States Copyright Office fixes a creation date that can document its protected existence before any intellectual infringement occurs. The registration date is determined by when the work is received in the Copyright Office.
- 3). Affix a "Notice of Copyright" to the book or other visually perceptible work. The letter "c" enclosed in a circle, with the year the work was created and the author's name constitute a notice of copyright in the United States.
- 4). Publish and distribute the book. While no longer required by United States copyright law secure copyright, publication also establishes an author's ownership of any work.
Source...