It is now possible for US-based authors to register up to 50 short works published online with the US Copyright Office for a single flat fee of $65. Several writing organizations first requested this option in 2017, and the new rule takes effect on August 17, 2020. Each short work must be between 50 and 17,500 words in length, published in the same 90-day period, and be written by the same author. Still to be determined: the finer points of what constitutes publication in an online format. Learn more at the SFWA website.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
