The most frequent question in this realm is, “How do I copyright this work?”

The US copyright office defines copyright this way:

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U. S. Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following:

• reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords

• prepare derivative works based upon the work

• distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending

• perform the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works

• display the work publicly, in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work

• perform the work publicly (in the case of sound recordings*) by means of a digital audio transmission

The thing to note about copyright is that it protects the fixed creative expression of your idea(s), not the ideas themselves. That means that you can write a book about a dystopian future in which the bad guys breath carbon dioxide and someone else can do the same thing. That’s not infringement. It becomes infringement when they begin to copy your actual expression of the idea.

Copyright is automatically in effect from the time that you create the work in its fixed expression. So, your work is automatically protected. But… there are some good reasons to register the copyright with the US Copyright Office if you have concerns about infringement. Most importantly, timely registration (within 3 months of publication or before any infringement occurs) entitles you to statutory damages. If you haven’t registered before infringement occurs, you’re eligible only for actual losses / damages. In publishing, that can be somewhat harder to prove (unless you have a runaway hit on your hands).

So, if you’re concerned, go ahead and register your work with the US Copyright office (http://www.copyright.gov). It’s $35 and some paperwork. We’ll link to some resources below, but remember that we’re not lawyers — if you have questions, you should consider talking with an intellectual property lawyer to get thorough, accurate answers.

Oh, and a quick note about “the poor man’s copyright” … you’ll find all kinds of crazy ideas on the internet. One of them is that you somehow prove something in court by mailing yourself a sealed copy of your manuscript. The reality is that there’s no benefit to you from mailing yourself a sealed copy of your work. Register it with the Copyright office if you’re concerned.

Resources:

Stanford’s Copyright and Fair Use Guide

The US Copyright Office’s Copyright Basics guide (PDF)

The US Copyright Office on the Poor Man’s Copyright

Your platform is the number of people that you can directly influence in favor of your book. It’s not the number of people you can force to buy your book. It is the number of people  you have developed relationships with who look to you as a valuable source of ideas.

Rachelle Gardner, a literary agent and blogger, explained it this way:

It’s really important to understand the purpose of a “platform” in publishing terms. It’s to begin building an audience for your book. It’s to have a large group of people who already know your name and are interested in your topic and may be predisposed to buy your book.

Here are some of the common errors authors fall into when it comes to platform:

1. It’s best to build a platform after your book comes out.

The English language is great – we have really great, analogous uses of language. Take the term platform, here. What is a platform, anyway? Oh, it’s a thing you stand on, either to get a better look at something or to raise your visibility so that you can make your message clearer. Have you ever seen a street preacher standing on a soap box? That’s someone using a real platform in a practical way.

When do you need a platform most? When you have something big to say! Launching your book definitely qualifies as something big. Waiting until your book launches to start building your platform is definitely waiting too long.

2. Your publisher won’t help you with marketing / platform.

It’s possibly accurate to say that your publisher won’t help you as much as you’d like with marketing and platform. It’s definitely accurate to say that your publisher will expect you to bring your a-game when it comes to marketing and platform. But,

But, it’s not accurate to think that your publisher doesn’t care about marketing your book. Publishers are interested in both the ministry and business aspects of launching a book. It’s in their best interests to market your book. It’s in their best interests, if they’re publishing your book, for you to do well. If it’s a good day for you, it’s a good day for them. If it’s a bad day for you, it’s a bad day for them.

3. All you need is twitter and facebook to build your platform.

I’m right in the demographic that you’d expect to hear crazy promotion of social networks from. I think Twitter and Facebook can be a good part of your platform building efforts, but they should be the exclusive or even the primary way that you’re building your platform.

Rob Eagar is a marketing guru. He recently guest posted on Chip Macgregor’s blog, talking about the costs of social media.

At Book Expo 2009, John Sargent, the CEO of Macmillan Publishing stated, “Viral marketing doesn’t sell a ton of books.” He mentioned a video based on a Macmillan book that spent time in the # 1 spot on YouTube in the U.K. Yet it wound up only selling a whopping 200 extra copies

One of my author clients has a blog with over 50,000 monthly readers. He spends a lot of time maintaining his huge social network. However, none of his new books have surpassed the sales of his older titles. Instead his book sales attributed to social networking activities represent a trickle, rather than a torrent of revenue. Ironically, this author is continually surprised by how many books he sells via more traditional activities, such as public speaking, sending newsletters, or national radio and TV interview. I remind him to stay balanced and keep the lion’s share of resources dedicated on tactics that truly work.

4. It’s all who you know.

It may feel that way sometimes. It’s crossed my mind in moments of frustration. But, the reality is, it’s all who you connect with. There is nothing (except for fear) stopping you from connecting with all the right people. You might have the occasional bad experience as you try to do so, but overwhelmingly, if your experience is like mine, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the response you get. Reach out. Get to know people. Make connections.

There are great resources available to help you develop your platform. Check out Rob Eagar’s Speaking and Selling Books course and Sheila Wray Gregoire’s “Launching Your Speaking Ministry” course.

****
I would say “Don’t lose your joy.”

Authors write because God gives us these beautiful stories to tell, the heart to read and the pleasure of words. When we remember our joy, the edit and rewrite process is alright. But when we forget the joy, the other work becomes a deep bog we get stuck in. The author and finisher of our faith is also the author and finisher or our stories. We need to trust Him completely. He will guide our words and our finished products to the place He wants them to go. And in that is joy. So . . . don’t lose your joy.

Chandra Lynn Smith
*****

The two qualities that have become most vital in serving God on the writing journey have been my “AA” of writing (and alcohol is not involved.)

Availability and Authenticity.

Availability means I show up. I make the time and plant myself in the chair and let God know I’m there for Him to use IF He choses to. I ask Him what KIND of writing He wants me to do, what stories He wants told. It sounds sort of basic, but it’s been a difficult battle, because walking through that door into my work space in the morning, I have to push through a
barrier of self-doubt, anxiety, conflicting priorities, anxiety, and discouragement. I hate that I don’t have something better to bring Him to work with – which tempts me to not show up. But instead I bring Him what I have.

For me Authenticity means that I don’t write from a place of sage-like wisdom and cleverness with all the right answers to every dilemma. I write from my broken places, in hopes that as I face my hard questions and reveal my places of failure, others can feel God’s grace.

God’s grace leaks out of our broken places into the lives of others, and so when I’d rather pretend I didn’t have those cracks and chips – instead I let my questions and scars breathe life to my characters. I raise questions I don’t have easy answers for – I don’t write from my strengths, or things I have all figured out. I write about the things I don’t understand – trusting
that God can whisper answers through the stories.

Sharon Hinck

*****
Be true to yourself and who God made you to be. Never give up!

Michelle Sutton (pen name)

*****
Continuing to grow spiritually and emotionally is so important. There is so much the Lord wants to do in each one of our hearts and lives! And the more we grow, the more beauty and depth we will see in our writing.

I recently attended a New Life Ministries conference with two tracks – Healing is a Choice and Lose it For Life. The teaching was outstanding, and the insights brilliant. This workshop puts hands and feet on so many great principles from the Word. You also have small group sessions with a counselor. My group of eight women became dear friends over the course of the weekend as we shared the issues in our hearts and worked through many of them together. That was very powerful.

Understanding myself more and how to apply the principles I learned this weekend is going to help my writing. It will give me new insight into my characters and their needs and issues, and also insight and wisdom that God offers to work through these problems.

Carrie Turansky
*****

When the snake of rejection slithers to spread its venom of discouragement, I cringe. That familiar and unwanted sensation surges through me. And nauseous, I splash in the pool of self-pity, turning moist eyes to other writers who seem to glow at their heap of publications teetering on their writer’s portfolio.

Doubt about my skill or about my misunderstanding God’s calling also adds gloom to my disposition. Excuses flutter about-my job commitment robs needed writing time, no opportunities to attend writer’s conferences, lack of technical knowledge for marketing on line, and even my blindness piled atop the mound of reasons.

And why not, I might as well add the hint of envy. Yes, with a green glow to my countenance, I shamefully admit, the nose-wrinkling attitude toward other writers’ success. And to add to the mess, I found unhealthy comfort in thinking my blindness kept me from taking that next step toward author’s glory.

Then I read this:

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.”

(1 Corinthians 3:7)

I breathed relief Knowing only God would be the one to make my writing career grow. So, I adopted the triple A insurance method:

A-Ask myself what would God want me to do next.

A-Assert my belief God will fulfill His promise in Jeremiah 39:11.

A- Accept the challenge to exert diligence in all I do.

The “Three A” method worked. Now, enthusiasm replaces envy. Renewed determination fuels me beyond rejections. And greater confidence in God’s promise propels me forward. I found the three “A” system is the best insurance protection against discouragement. So, with policy in place, I plunge ahead cheering other writers’ success, and choosing to revel in gratitude, I look up to God, who, in His timing, opens another door for me.

Janet Perez Eckles
*****

I would say write YOUR truth, even if it’s ugly. The truth resonates. Maybe that’s only for your eyes, but writing it down will help you work through it one way or the other.

Kristin Billerbeck

*****

The best advice I can give to writers is to reiterate what you said last year. You said something like:

“If you truly believe that God is omnipotent, then you won’t worry about your writing. You will believe that whatever happens, God has your best interest in mind.”

That was so freeing to me. I’ve never had much of a problem with waiting. I’ve waited as long as 2 years once before getting a rejection letter, but so many people on the ACFW will say things like, “It’s been so long, maybe God doesn’t want me to write.” Instead of trusting God, they are ready to give up.

Jeanne Marie Leach
*****

I read somewhere to put your best stuff in your manuscript – your best lines, your favorite story, your most interesting character trait – don’t hoard it to yourself. As I wrote my first book, a cozy mystery called A VASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY, I struggled with this advice. After all, I might need some of these great ideas for the next book! I hoped there would be a sequel and maybe another and…well, I couldn’t just give it all away in the first book! What if I needed it later?

Each time I would consider holding back, using something else instead, I felt a prodding within. It seemed like the Lord was saying, “Go for it! It’s a great line. Use it! You can trust Me…I’ll give you more when you need it.”

Really? Well, okay. I would use it…but almost grudgingly. I worried I was wasting it all on the first book. Then another thought would supplant that one and I’d think, There will be NO first book if it isn’t interesting enough, compelling enough, fun enough – good enough. And no
second book either. I had to take the chance and trust the Lord in this.

Yet Who better to trust than the Author of Life Himself? Where else would I find such creativity than from the One who dotted the backs of ladybugs? He was REALLY into detail! And so I chose to trust Him and gave my manuscript everything I had. Poured in all my best “stuff” and He was, as always, faithful to the call He gave me.

So…give it all away. There’s plenty more where that came from!

Cathy Elliott

*****

Great question. My advice would be to not get your identity in what you do, but in who you are before God. God told Abraham in Gen 15:1, I am your exceeding great reward.

We must remember in this solitary, introspective business to carry the reward of Jesus within our heart and mind. He is all we need. But to do that, we have to hang out with Him, get to know Him.

I’d also advise being careful about taking the business of writing too far toward ministry ideals and terms. We all minister through our work. But if we consider writing “our ministry” it is going to make the hard times and rejections so much harder – as if God is not anointing our ministry.

Writing is a job. It’s a business. Yet one in which we can be very effective ministerially. (is that a word.)

So, act professional. Treat writing as a job, a business, yet pray for God to use you to touch the
lives of others.

Rachel Hauck

*****
Consider critiques, teaching, mentoring and correction gifts.

For a person to be truly brutally honest, they must be vulnerable. If someone tells me that something I’ve written needs work, or stinks, or is not up to my potential, then they are risking my wrath.

Writing is so personal, and the goal should always be clarity. If we don’t want to be understood, why would we write? So for someone to invest vulnerability into my work is a huge gift.

Now remind me I said this the next time I face rejection or correction. : ).

Kelly Klepfer
******

I just finished a weekend of speaking at a book festival and I’m always surprised by the folks who are thinking they might like to try their hands at writing. I always make a point of saying that if one is not compelled to write, then writing is cruel and unusual punishment, and I quote Sidney Sheldon (certainly not my favorite writer) who was asked by a reporter what he would be if he was not a best-selling published author. He replied, “An obscure, unsuccessful author.” I think it takes that kind of dedication/compulsion to truly write–and certainly to publish routinely. I am so compelled to write that I often write out my prayers!

The other “essential” is discipline, and I often speak about inspiration versus discipline and/organization . It takes both. One alone will not provide a successful career as a published author. I believe that discipline and compulsion should go hand-in-hand. If you’re compelled to write, you might as well be disciplined about it!

None of this may be what you are looking for, but if so, feel free to use it.

Debra Rather aka Arlene James

*****

My advice would be to find your passion and write to it, regardless of what’s popular or selling at the time. I believe we all know what our passion is but we don’t always follow it, and thus we lose out on some amazing rewards God has for us. When we write to whatever it is that makes
our hearts ache and our eyes well with tears, we discover more about ourselves, our world, and our God.

Marilyn Hilton

*****

If I could pass on a snippet of advice, this would be it. I am particularly mindful of this since last week a very frustrated undiscovered writer unloaded on a blog for writers, lashing out against a post by a gifted and gentle novelist that pretty much said getting published and staying published ain’t the end of the rainbow.

I could sense how utterly at the end of his or her rope this writer was. Step aside, the writer commanded in response, and let us who dream of being where you are take your place. I know the sorry place where this unfounded, irrational response came from. Anyone who is published probably knows it, too.

It’s that place where you think that getting published is all you want, all you’ll ever want, and why, O God, can’t it just happen? The thing is, I found out getting published is a heady step on a ladder of desires that begins with getting published, not ends there. After you’re published all you want is for your books to sell. All you want is to have the kind of publicity and marketing support So-and-So gets for her books. All you want is to be on CBD’s Top Ten. All you want is a Gold Medallion. All you want is a Christy nomination. All you want is film-makers chasing after the rights to make your story a screenplay. All you want are steady sales figures and that next contract. All you want is to go into a bookstore and have the owner say, “It’s you!” instead of “And who are you?”

Longing doesn’t end with getting published. It begins. It’s a lovely beginning but it’s an unbelievable climb to contentment, a steep ascent that can suck the joy out of your life quicker and more steadily than waiting for a contract ever did. I am not saying it’s not worth it, I’m saying it’s hard work. All the effort you put into waiting and proposing and waiting and pitching and waiting and praying and attending conferences and waiting, you will put into maintaining your joy, integrity and contentment once you’re published.

There is no natural plateau. You make your own place of rest. It doesn’t happen on its own and it doesn’t happen when you get published. It can be a truly wonderful place of rest, but you have to make it – as surely as you wrote the book that you so earnestly dreamed of seeing in print. They are both wonderful endeavors, they will both tax you to your core. And in the end, we have to find our contentment in who we are in Christ and not what we do.

Susan Meissner

*****

Jesus successfully loved His people and cared for His disciples as He walked among them. But He didn’t step fully into His God-ordained role until two breathless moments–Gethsemane and Calvary. Surrendering to His Father’s perfect will in the Garden, knowing what it would cost Him. And spilling His blood on the ground, dying to give us life. Many people successfully write words. But a writer for God doesn’t step into his or her God-ordained fulfillment until two breathless moments–surrendering our writing to the Lord’s perfect will, knowing what it will cost us. And spilling the blood of our insecurities and vulnerabilities on the pages of our work, dying so others might find life. Mary, these are the thoughts the Lord has impressed on my own heart today as I’m having a Gethsemane afternoon.

Cynthia Ruchti

You asked:

“I’ve recently started a blog in hopes of  building my personal brand. I’m already starting to worry about getting off-track. Can you suggest some questions I should ask myself before I click the publish button?”

Jay Heinlein, publishing marketing expert, replied:
Great question! Technology now allows anyone the ability to be an “instant publisher” via blogging and other online social media vehicles. That can certainly be both a “blessing and a curse.” It is a terrific idea and very productive exercise to have a “checklist” to help keep your blog posts focused before “publishing your thoughts to the world”. Your idea reminds me of the image of a pilot going through the pre-flight checklist before heading for the runaway. It is certainly a critical exercise for the pilot.
As the author of a book, you are blogging as part of your overall “platform building” process. This is the most important part of the your role in the marketing process.

Blogging is a wonderful way for you…
to help to build awareness,
extend your brand,
allow your readers to experience you,
and to “build your tribe” …

“If you are an author, your tribe members are your readers—or, at least, that’s potentially true. The only question is whether or not you will become the tribe’s leader and equip them to communicate with you and with one another.” – 7 Ways to Build Your Author Brand Online, Michael Hyatt.

So here are some suggested questions to start the ball rolling:

Does this post…

• speak to my identified audience- the audience that I want to reach?
• properly and accurately represent me as “a brand” – does it leave the impression that I wish to communicate with my audience?
• share compelling, helpful and useful information, relevant information, and topics/subjects?
• help me to develop real, meaningful relationships with my audience? Am I genuinely interested in them? Is this a “give-give” post?
• encourage networking -provide an opportunity for my readers-intended audience to interact and connect with me, each other, and with other like-minded individuals?
• give the readers a valuable “take away” as they have experienced my writing.
• What is it that they will take away?

Now, after contemplating those questions…
I would suggest “making them yours” -that is tailor the heart of the questions to your own voice, and add 2-3 more questions of your own…

…some helpful posts for further  research and consideration:

13 Things I’ve Learned about Successful Blogging (Problogger)
8 Blog Tips from Tim Ferriss (via MichaelHyatt.com)

Thanks again for your excellent question. Please drop back by and tell us how it’s going!

You asked,

What is the key to a fiction cover that customers will pick up?

As publishers and designers, we’re always trying to figure this one out and are never quite sure we do! But noting what has worked in the past, looking around in bookstores, reviewing best-seller lists, talking to fiction readers and being fiction readers ourselves, we can identify a few keys, some obvious, some perhaps not.

Romance
Romance defined broadly is a sense of adventure, of being carried away into another life and another world. By means of imagery, typography and design, the cover must elicit a taste for the beauty or intrigue or terror or warmth or tension of the author’s imaginary world. We want the reader with an affinity for a particular kind of fiction to pick up the book, feel his pulse quicken, and say, “Yes! I want to go there.”

Simplicity
It follows that whatever atmosphere is being depicted by cover art must be clear and simple, quickly apprehended. Usually it’s less about getting all the characters, settings and props crammed onto a cover than focusing on one element of the story that captures the feeling of it: The murder weapon and a torn piece of paper. A rose with a fallen petal. A glowing window in a cabin, a face turned away…tired motifs, but you get the idea! Uncluttered layout and design help here too. Our lives are busy and messy and we’re attracted to visuals that are airy, light, orderly and clean. That’s part of shelf appeal.

Genre Accuracy
The cover must match the genre. If it’s a romance, don’t make it look like a thriller. Of course, audience is important here too. There are books, for example, that men will never pick up regardless of the universality of the content. So the cover must fit with the content and the audience.

An Air of Mystery
Being clear about genre and accurately conveying the “romantic” atmosphere of a story doesn’t mean you give it all away. Some element on the cover that raises a question or seems slightly out of place can work to generate interest. Why is that Amish grandmother wearing headphones? Well, probably not.

New, New, New
Try to be unique. Avoid same old overused fonts (I’m talking about you, Papyrus) and tired motifs (see above). Be approachable but fresh!

Sometimes, though, it’s helpful to see some of the benefits of platform at work. The other day, Tim Challies posted the results of a survey he put up last week about where and why his audience buys books. If you don’t know Tim, he’s a Christian who’s been blogging daily since 2002. He’s consistent (he’s blogged for 2,386 days consecutively as of this writing), he writes well, and he’s developed quite an audience. His first book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, came out a couple of years ago. He’s writing his second book, The Next Story, and posts occasionally about the process.

Tim posted his survey and got over 2,000 responses. (The people at Gallup and Barna Research were jealous.) Now, it probably wasn’t as statistically “dispersed” as the official pollsters try to force their data to be — but from a research perspective, the study would be defined as “Where does Tim Challies’ Audience buy books?” so the population sample is perfect. Tim Challies’ audience answered the survey! He found out which publishers his audience likes (and dislikes), where they’re most likely to buy books (and why).

The platform lesson from his survey is this: when you’ve developed your platform, market research becomes a natural bi-product of what you’re doing. I don’t think Tim was doing this for market research purposes (the way he assesses the data indicates that), but there is a whole lot of great market research data there.

This is just one of the benefits of having built trust and rapport with your audience. I didn’t hesitate to give Tim answers to his questions. I trust him to handle data with integrity, to be open and honest, and I like him. Your audience—when you develop it, when the people who make it up trust you—can and will give you everything you need to know about how best to get your message into their hands.

Just another reason that platform is so important.