How to Obtain the Copyright to a Novel
- 1). Go to the U.S. Copyright Office's website at copyright.gov.
- 2). Select "Register Online" in the left pane. You will be redirected to the Electronic Copyright Office (eCO). You will need to click on the "ecO" icon at the bottom of the page, then read the securiy and privacy notices to continue to the eCO.
- 3). Register an account with the eCO by selecting "If you are a new user, click here to register" underneath the logon fields. An account requires your full name, address, phone number and email address. Also, you will be asked to choose a password and select a security question. There is no charge for this. Once you have registered, you will be redirected to your account page where you can register for a new claim.
- 4). Register a new claim by selecting "Register of New Claim" under Copyright Services in the left pane. Click on "Start Registration." You can select to register a single work. Enter the title of your novel, the date the novel was completed, the name of the author(s) and any rights and permissions that you want to specify. You will need to provide an address where your certificate of copyright can be mailed.
- 5). Pay the filing fee. As of 2010, the U.S. Copyright Office charged $35 for a basic claim. Fees must be paid by debit or credit card.
- 6). Upload your work. You will be prompted to upload your work once payment has been made. Click "Next" on the Payment Successful screen. A pop-up window will open. Click "Upload Deposit." Press the "Browse" button and select the novel on your computer in the browser window. Click "Open" to submit your novel. Your novel must be formatted in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .htm, .txt, .rtf, .wpd or .wps. You can't submit a novel larger than 170 MBs per 60-minute intervals. If your file is larger, you may need to compress it in a zip file, which is also acceptable.