Q: Do I need to copyright my novel, nonfiction book, short story, essay, or poems by registering them with the Copyright Office (Library of Congress) before submitting to literary agents or literary journals and magazines for publication?

We’ve got the answer!

Writers who enjoy creating parody—novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, or poems—know how important it is to pay careful attention to copyright infringement. Parody is a literary style that uses elements from a well-known work to create a brand-new work—one that obviously calls to mind the original—and although this seems to be in violation of copyright law, parodies and spoofs are protected by law as long as they adhere to certain rules.