How to Copyright a Book
Under UK law your work is protected as soon as you have written it. The Choir Press will prepare the copyright notice in the prelim pages of your book to conform with current publishing practice and declare your copyright.
You can find a lot of information about UK Copyright Law by clicking this link. The site enables you to upload or post documents to register your work. The site is a witnessing service i.e. they act as witness to the evidence of the content and the date of your work and there is lots of useful information there. Their fees start at £39 for 5 years.
However there are a few things you might like to consider:
(1) The UK Copyright Service website has the look and feel of a government department when it fact it is a privately run organisation with a share capital of £300.
(2) You could lodge the documents with your bank or solicitor.
(3) The site thoroughly rubbishes the idea that a secure way to protect your work is to post a sealed copy to yourself using a signed-for service. They state that it would be possible to cheat and insert the documents later. Well, they would say that wouldn’t they. They have a vested interest in discouraging that practice. I think you could seal the package in a secure fashion and retain the posting slip and the unopened package when you receive it. Under no circumstances should you open it except under legal guidance in the event of a copyright dispute.
It is a statutory requirement that publishers send a copy of their book to the British Library. The British Library does not charge a fee and we will send a factsheet to you as we approach the publication date of your book.
[Please contact us for more information] or visit one of these pages on the site:
[Book Cover Design]
[Copyediting / Proofreading]
[ISBN Number]
[How to Copyright a Book]
[How to Market a Book]