More copyright info...

[Sateema Lunasi]

You can have a batch of your work, meaning several or many stories, copyrighted for $30.

Go here. http://www.loc.gov/copyright/
Fill out fairly simple forms. Then when someone steals your work, you can nail them.

Tips by Sa'Teema, the copyright Nazi.

 

[Closet Desire]

A slight misconception...

...your work is "copyrighted" the moment you produce it, even if you go on to publish it. Filing with the Office of Copyrights "registers" your work. This changed a couple of decades ago. It's still necessary to "register" your work before you can file civil action against a violator. That brings up something else...it's easier said than done to pursue a violator and if you're thinking the fed will step in and mix it up you'll be seriously disappointed. You've got to find the person, file the suit, and spend loads of money trying to prove your losses and then, if you win, try to recover from somebody who probably doesn't have any money in the first place. Truth is, major players don't steal work, little cheats do. If somebody posts it on the web you're pretty much out of luck...chasing it down is like teaching a pig to sing...it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

My advice? Save the $30 until or unless you really need to register it. If you publish the work your publisher may choose (check the contract) to register it for you. My experience is they don't usually bother because, technically, it's already copyrighted.

 

[Whispersecret]

ClosetDesire said it all. No use in wasting $30 bucks.