Question re copyrights and stuff

[Kissmequick]

Well I've been testing my novel with some blind test reading of the first few chapters( ie being read by people who don't know me and therefore have no vested interest in telling me they like it). It's gone pretty well, all bar one asked for more, in fact so well one guy is desperate to read the rest.

Now, do I send it to him? I don't know the guy, though he seems nice enough on our e-mails. It's flattering that someone likes it that much, but what are the hazards of basically giving my work to someone?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Marky Lazer]

Tricky enough. It's all a matter of how much you trust your proofreaders, I guess. It's hard to judge this...

[iansales]

People stealing books and passing them off as their own isn't that common. And you can quite easily prove the novel is yours because others have seen it. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Kissmequick]

It's true I could prove it's mine - if I knew he'd passed it off as his. But as he doesn't live in the same country as me, I wouldn't nescessarily know he had, especially if it ended up translated. Hence my dilemma.

although this is probably a moot point considering the trouble I'm having getting the damn thing published lol

[iansales]

I wouldn't worry about it. I've put stories through online writing workshops, and I've never heard of anyone passing of other work as their own. Of the top of my head, the only recent cases I can think of are: a vanity-published fantasy "ghostwritten" by con-artist-posing-as-agent Christopher Hill for some gullible woman, and a mainstream novel by a US student that was quickly withdrawn when it was shown it had been plagiarised.

[Marky Lazer]

I wouldn't worry too much either. It's just your own gut-feeling, I think.

[Kissmequick]

Hmm maybe I shall go for it then, and just keep an eye on the Norwegian publications lol.

[Ursa major]

Just think: there might be two of you trying to get the book published.

(And as you won't have signed a contact with this free agent, he can't take a cut!)

Oh, and as Ian said, you should be able to prove it's by you.

[Giovanna Clairval]

Hi,

Before emailing your beta-reader, send the stuff through the snail mail to your untrusting self in a sealed business envelope.

And you're not supposed to open it upon reception

[Kissmequick]

Would having several different copies with various dates in my hard drive do? because posting it would cost me a fortune lol.

[Teresa Edgerton]

Originally Posted by Giovanna Clairval

send the stuff through the snail mail to your untrusting self in a sealed business envelope.

And you're not supposed to open it upon reception

They say this doesn't really hold up in court.

The files on your computer, along with any notes you have, and the number of other people who have read it would make more compelling evidence.

[Kissmequick]

Originally Posted by Teresa Edgerton

They say this doesn't really hold up in court.

The files on your computer, along with any notes you have, and the number of other people who have read it would make more compelling evidence.

Ahh good - I've got three seperate drafts on my PC and there are several people who I know IRL who have read it.

I was wondering this before, what safeguards you would need for various reasons, but I've never had anyone to ask....

Thanks guys

[Ursa major]

A more serious post from me, this time.

I wonder what the position would be if your book appeared on the Web in its complete, if draft, form. Would it be seen to have been published? What redress do you have? What would the opinion of potential agents and publishers be?

I know that these are unlikely consequences of mailing the document to this man, but I'd like to know what those more experienced with the industry think about this.

[Commonmind]

What are the odds this gentleman would steal your work? What are the odds that if he did steal it, he would present it to a publisher with the intention of selling the work? What are the odds the publisher will like what I assume is an unpolished draft? What are the odds that if the publisher does like the work that this gentleman will be able to edit or cut parts of the manuscript per the publisher's request, not understanding the work as intimately as you do yourself?

How often do we hear examples of writers having their work stolen and published? Not very often, because the odds of it happening are very slim.

Writing is no way to get-rich-quick, and I think potential thieves will interest themselves with other, more lucrative endeavors.

[Ursa major]

Commonmind,

Risk is a combination of likelihood and consequence. That's why we insure our houses: not because we believe our house will, for instance, burn down during the term of the policy, but because of the loss we would sustain if it did.

If the consequences of your work being posted somewhere public are very bad, why would you risk it? If there are no adverse consequences, then you could happily send your "baby" to whoever asks for it, within reason.