Editor stealing my entire book!

You should copyright it first. I have a friend in a band. They send their music to get it copyrighted straight out of the studio before they even get the tracks mastered.

I would first send a copy to yourself through the post getting a date stamp. I don't know where you are in Europe, but if you have though post office plastic bags where the only to open them is by breaking the plastic then that would be great. Recorded/special delivery would be great. This will prove without doubt that at that date you were in possession of that material. With being able to show that you are the first person with that material, then you will prove beyond doubt that you hold the copyright. This was taught to me by a magistrate friend of mine.

Just copyright it. Most editors won't steal your work, though. They wouldn't want that negative exposure or possible lawsuit.

Hire a professional editor that has lots of experience and testimonials to back it up. Someone who is serious about their business will not steal your work.

In Portugal we use Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores. 150€ and you're legally protected worldwide, and the SPA takes care of every case in court with specialized lawyers.

Cool huh? We can be the trash can of Europe, but our copyright issues are secure.

Congrats on getting your book completed.

Alexa is correct on this one.

In the U.S. copyright covers both published and unpublished original works. And your book would fall under that.

However, registration of copyright is good for many reasons.

I'm not sure how different the laws are in Europe vs. the U.S., but a good, easy to understand FAQ on U.S. copyright can be found here: U.S. Copyright Office - Copyright in General (FAQ)

Wish you the best on your new book!

OP can use Google to search for "country + authors copyright" in his native language. Perhaps it's the most effective way to find out how to protect his work.

A copyright is a good idea, but as mentioned if someone is seriously determined to steal your idea you may end up in trouble.

You can try using a non-disclosure agreement, and also try to find a local editor to work with you. If the thought of someone stealing your idea is causing you a lot of stress, being able to meet face to face with an editor who lives near you might help alleviate some of your fears.

Hire a professional editor, not one from elance.

You can get a poorman's copyright, by putting the transcript -- or probably burned CD with transcript on it -- in an envelope and mail it to yourself.

That has been tested in court as proof that you had the copy before the editor, if litigation becomes necessary.

I only see a problem if you hire a $5 article writer to edit your book.

But real editors only want to be paid for their time.

Wow A lot of different views.

It gets even more tricky since I don't have a permanent place where I live and have been travelling the world for the last couple of years. I guess the way to go is to get a real professional editor, Does anyone have any people they can recommend before I go Google searching?

For those who may not know, you can register a copyright in the US entirely online.

U.S. Copyright Office - Online Services (eCO: Electronic Copyright Office)


Paul

Several issues here:

#1 - WHY would an 'editor' steal your content? An editor EDITS.
A writer WRITES. A publisher PUBLISHES. An editor might want to
'steal' your editing clients - or get you to refer them new ones.

#2 - All along the line of publishing your content, there is the
potential for ANYONE to steal your work. What prevents a publisher
or reader or bookstore owner or anyone else who has access to your
work from doing it?

#3 - Creating content (even exceptionally high quality content) has
become more or less a commodity. Highly talented writers are
willing to put your ideas into words for a pittance. Writing or
creating content by itself has grown less valuable.

#4 - Marketing is the key differentiator to your content being
"successful" or not. Too many content creators get hung up on the
potential value of what they put out, not realizing that value is
a PERCEPTION your marketplace puts on your work. The heightening
of that value perception comes from effective marketing.

#5 - WHAT is your purpose in publishing your book? In most cases,
there are MULTIPLE benefits from content publishing - and most of
those are BENEFITED by wider distribution of your work, even if by
cheats, crooks and pirates. It's smart strategy to send your
content out (in a way that'll make you enough money to cover your
costs and leave a tidy profit) - and then benefit FROM the wide
distribution. Some ideas:

* a sequel
* a series of promotions/offers within the work
* brand building
* spotlighting other services you offer
* gaining a following

I hope you see where I'm going here. If you let yourself get tied
down by worries about your content "getting stolen" and lock it up
under too many barriers and protective coats, you're doing yourself
and your audience a disfavor.

Set it free. Let the great ideas spread. And you'll reap a rich
reward far in excess of what you'll make from a mere few extra book
sales.

But also do it the smart way, with copyright protection, working with
professionals who are less likely to scam you, and guarding your
brand and authorship/ownership fiercely to ward away content thieves
to the best extent possible.

Just realize it won't ever be 100% proof!

Hope this helps

All success
Dr.Mani

let him edit the book in your presence, then you can also learn from him

If you have an NDA then you have absolutely nothing to fear, and that will hold up in any court. It's a contract, signed by both parties, for that specific reason.

The envelope copyrighting trick is certainly legal in the UK and Ireland, and no you can't steam it open lol. Though, you would be better to post it to your attorney than to yourself. Courts are able to tell if an envelope has been steamed open. For one thing it makes the paper go crinkly where the steam has hit it, though in any case there are tamper proof mailing bags now, that rip when you open them.

In any case, I'm always amazed at the number of people working without an NDA. It protects both parties and is a necessity. Sure, if you've worked with the person for years and know them, it may not be necessary for you, but otherwise you need an NDA. Simple as that!