Getting copyrights to a book entitles you to full or partial ownership of the book. Although copyright laws will not protect names, short phrasing or slogans, they will deem your work part of your "intellectual property." The process of copyrighting is conducted through the U.S. Copyright Office, and it will take several months for you to receive recognition of the copyright -- anywhere from 4 1/2 months to 15 months. If you are the author of the book, you immediately have copyrights to the book.
Instructions
1. Confirm that you eligible for the copyright. If you are not the author, you will need to be affiliated with the author -- perhaps through co-writing the book or as an employee of the author. Simply possessing a copy of the manuscript is not enough to file for a copyright.
2. File a claim to the Copyright Office. For a literary work, fill out Form TX. You can do this online or by handing in a hard copy. Online is the better option since it is a cheaper filing fee -- $35 versus $65 -- in addition to a significantly shorter processing time.
3. Send the monetary fee along with a copy of the book you wish to copyright to the Copyright Office. The address is listed on its website.
