Can someone steal your book idea?

Newcomers to self publishing often avoid talking about their book idea. "What if someone steals my book idea?" There's nothing to stop that from happening. Ideas and facts aren't protected under the copyright law.

But an original expression of your idea -- a book or other recording -- is automatically covered by copyright law, notes editorial consultant Harold Underdown. "There are very few original ideas," he says. "It's what you do with these ideas that matters."

Actually, a publisher has little to gain and a lot to lose by stealing your idea, Underdown says. The company's most valuable asset, its reputation, would suffer.




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