Copyright is one of those confusing gray areas in the world of self-publishing surrounded by misconceptions, but the whole process is quite simple.

What is Copyright Protection for a Book?

A copyright protects an author’s work from being stolen, reproduced, and sold without your consent. This protection establishes you as the author of the work and declares it to the government—namely the U.S. Copyright Office. A copyright mark claims the right to make copies, distribute, create derivative works, or display or perform your work publically. These rights are yours until you decide to sell them. For example, when you publish a novel or short story, you are not selling the story itself, but the right for the publisher to print and distribute your story.

How Do I Get a Copyright for My Work?

It is very simple. You already have it. From the time you begin filling a blank page with words until 70 years after your death your words are protected. Even though there is a severe taboo within the publishing industry for stealing another author’s work, to be fully protected, you need to register your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Unfortunately, this process costs money. The cost of filing an electronic copyright claim is $35 at present. You can register it at the copyright.gov portal. This certifies you as the owner of a written work, and provides you legal protection against copyright infringement, and allows you to sue for up to $150,000 damages and attorney fees if someone tries to violate it.

Do I Have to Register My Copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office?

No. But you do not get the legal protections mentioned above if someone steals your work to claim it as their own.

How Do I Present the Copyright on My Book?

Simply type the word “Copyright” insert the copyright symbol—that weird symbol with a small c in the middle of a circle like this ©. This can be found under the Symbol function on most word processors. And then add a notice of what rights you are reserving for yourself. Most people simply enter “All Rights Reserved.”

Example Copyright © 2021 Jane Doe

There are more extended versions of copyright statements that you can use if you wish. Just pull a book off the shelf and flip through a few pages in the front of the book until you find the copyright page. Replicate what you see there, find a copyright page template online, or allow your book publishing services company design it for you as part of the book manuscript format.

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What good is filing a copyright without a book? InstantPublisher is a full-service book printing and binding company serving self-published authors since 2004. We are an affordable option for self-published authors everywhere. To learn more, contact us at 1-800-259-2592, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com to get more information about our book publishing services.

What is front matter exactly? In the publishing industry, the front matter is the content in the front of the book before the book’s main content begins.

Why is Front Matter Important?

Readers expect every book to include appropriately formatted front matter. Failing to include the front matter for a book signifies that the author is an amateur or merely unprofessional. When designing the final draft of your self-published manuscript, the best approach is to design the front matter the same way that traditional publishers do it. To do this successfully, you need to know what each section of the front matter does and what it is used for.

1 – Praise for the Book or Author

In almost every book printed by a traditional publisher, the first page inside the front cover is a page of pull quotes praising the book. The praise page is something many readers will look at before deciding to purchase the book. This is why getting blurbs or quotes praising the author or the book is so important. This page provides “social proof” about the book or author.

2 –About the Author

Front matter does not always include an About the Author page. Sometimes this page is not included in the front matter and gets moved to the back matter. But if it is placed upfront, it appears on the flipside of the Praise for the Author page.

3 –Other Books by Page

If there is no About the Author page, then the Other Books By page is on the flip side of the Praise for the Book or Author page. This lists the other books the author has published.

4 – Title Page

This page lists the title and author’s name for the book–usually in large print in the center of the page.

5 – Copyright Page

Also known as the Imprint or Credit page, this page contains the book’s copyright notice, publication date, edition number, publication information, catalog data, legal notices, and ISBN. This page also may include credit information for design, editing, illustration, and production (when applicable).

6 – Dedication

Not all books have them, but when they do, they are typically on the page opposite the Copyright page.

7 – Epigraph

The epigraph is a quotation that the author includes because it has some special meaning to the book or the author. It is usually inserted on the page opposite the Table of Contents or opposite the book’s first page.

8 – Table of Contents

The TOC is a list of all the chapters or major sections of the book, commonly used in non-fiction works and occasionally in fiction works.

9 –List of Figures

Occasionally included in complex non-fiction books, the List of Figures provides the titles and page numbers for each illustration in the book.

10 – List of Tables

The List of Tables is similar to the List of Figures above. It lists the page number and title for any reference tables included in non-fiction books.

11 – Foreword

A Foreword is a letter of sorts about the book (or author) written by someone else.

12 – Preface

Prefaces often are confused with Forwards, but the main difference between them is that the author writes the Preface for the work.

13 – Acknowledgments

The Acknowledgments page is where the author thanks those who helped with the book’s creation and production.

14 – Introduction

An Introduction provides a high-level overview of the book that often includes its goals, context, and organization for the reader.

15 – Prologue

A Prologue is like an Introduction to a work of fiction. It often sets the story’s scene or provides critical background information about the tale from a character’s point-of-view within the story itself.

Providing properly formatted front-end matter is what readers expect when opening a new book, and with high-quality manuscript

InstantPublisher Delivers High-Quality Book Publishing Services

InstantPublisher has been a leader for independent, self-published authors for many years now. We know how to print your book so it is indistinguishable from a traditionally published book. Our years of experience with book printing services allow us to print high-quality books for your readers. To learn more, contact us at 1-800-259-2592, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com to get more information about our book publishing services.