D. Fierst

I had always pursued traditional publishing routes, so I never put much thought into this.

But now, well, now it’s something I can’t ignore. I have no choice but to understand the steps involved, ensure they are correct, and consider any potential negative consequences.

Copyright. I’m talking about copyright. See? It’s already confusing. There are plenty of ways to prove something belongs to you. For example, I have archived and dated emails of the progress of drafts and notes. Of course, there are also the formal methods, which differ depending on location and expected geographical range.

Regarding the Tiger Boat world, the most recent question is: to what extent should I copyright everything? Only the written content? Images? Characters? Titles?

This raises an interesting point, not only one of ownership, but in viewing my work as a commercially viable product. What’s the point of copyrighting something if not to ensure any commercial productions of- or associations to- end up with cash coming to my pocket?

The obvious “debate” is toes the line of artistic verses sales perspectives. Does something lose its artistic value if viewed as a commercial product, and the other way around? I would argue not. For me, the Tiger Boat world was always meant to expand beyond the written word into merchandise and I would love to see an animated/stop-motion version of it (and how!).

Here this topic moves, for me anyway, to the larger question about my intentions. I had defined this from the beginning when I decided to take my time and energy and plunge into this whole writing thing. I started and continue to pursue this not only to make the written end products, but to sell the end products to enable myself to make even more.

Do I really think I can sustain myself and my family by writing alone? No, not really. But if I could strike a balance of part time day job and part time writing, I would be one happy camper. With that said, I am aware (like making and releasing music) book royalties alone won’t cut it, but combined with merchandise, spin-offs, and workshops/talks, it becomes more long-term realistic.

With this clear goal in mind, for myself the decision is really a no-brainer. Of course I’m going to copyright everything. Now, I just need to understand what that entails and take the necessary steps.

On one side it’s another block in the road to finally bringing book one out, but I think one that is well worth the time and effort.