I am new to the authoring business. I've written myself a novel and I have the intent to seek publishing because of how satisfied I am.
But I have been devoting some absurd faith to my editor. I am afraid he will copy and paste my text, write his name on it and then publish it himself for a quick buck.
If he doesn't do it, the publication agent might try. Or my beta readers.
The question I have is if that is even feasible. Can people steal your manuscript? What are measures you can do to stop it? How can I send a query (including the three example chapters) without facing the risk of having my manuscript stolen?
(I am less scared of plagerism. It is not like they'd be capable to reach my levels of autism and conceive a world like mine)
Have you ever had the same fear? I apologize for my ignorance im vorhaus.
Have you written a crime-murder mystery trashley?
>>7871824
Please answer my question.
>>7871819
Editors and agents definitely won't
beta readers might but probably won't
An editor/publishing agent by law cannot steal your manuscript, but if you were to just hand someone a copy of your manuscript before you sent it to a publisher then yes they could feasibly steal it and pass it off as their own.
>>7871835
Thanks for the insight.
Can you work the reasoning?
I know editors will probably ruin their whole lives if they cheat on a consumer that way. That is shitting on a plate and giving for the kunder to eat. Agents... Not so much. I do not trust these people. I think they'll just grab my text and disappear.
My issue is that I am german and trying to publish a book I wrote in english. I have a special paranoia that my american friend will grab my text and use geography and international law to screw me.
Am I being paranoid, /lit/?
>>7871831
No they won't steal it. But Ashley my dear, you are too stupid to write anything worth stealing.
>>7871848
>Am I being paranoid, /lit/?
yes
So, I thought about scanning the pages of my book and sending them with my name signed on every sample chapter.
Is this too much paranoia or should I just send a text file to the publishing agent?
>>7871859
pdf with your watermark on every page like Quentin does with his memes
>>7871868
Can I turn a Microsoft Office 10 document into PDF?
>>7871893
>Microsoft Office 10
>>7871901
You don't use Microsoft Word?
What do you use to write?
>>7871859
you don't send the entire novel right away, first you send a proposal with a sample chapter or whatever the agent asks for in their submission guidelines
>>7871962
I am aware.
But what is the format?
Should be PDF? Non-editable first chapters? Etcetera?
>>7871982
Try looking into query letters before your send anything.
Some agents have different rules for query letters, so be sure to come visit them with completed manuscripts in case they want book samples.
>>7871912
vim
