I am a new author preparing to publish my first non-fiction book, and have several more books in the works. I want to get a traditional publisher. I read that creating an online presence will help an agent to take me seriously. Will posting work on writer’s websites, writer’s clubs, etc, help me gain exposure? Is there a risk of anyone stealing my work? What about my manuscript? I am a little worried that putting my work out there without copyright would put me at risk for trouble later. But copyright is usually something the publisher does for you? Right? What if my articles contain excerpts from my book?
it could, depending on what you post and if you have a website, with a link to same in the sig info of your posts... there's always that risk, but what could anyone do with it?... you certainly won't be posting your entire book anywhere on the web [if you have any sense, that is], so what could anyone do with just bits and pieces of it?... your work is automatically copyrighted as soon as it's completed and exists in any tangible form... no... see above... all the publisher does is register the already existing copyright... better study up on this vital part of a writer's life/job: www.copyright.gov brief excerpts are no problem and can be a plus, if they make the reader want to buy your book, to learn more... that's part of the 'platform building' publishers want to see from authors of non-fiction books...
