dating copyright

[lorik]

I am e publishing a fiction book for a friend and am just about ready to upload it. My friend began writing the book in 2006 and the last edit was late last year.

If the copyright date is given as 2011 will he still be protected by copyright from 2006-2011?

Is a book on Smashwords more likely to sell if it is a recent date?

[Ted]

When a person started writing a book doesn't concern copyright as far as I know.

I'm not a copyright lawyer, so I don't know all the ins/outs of copyright law. I believe copyright date is the first date a work was made available to the public, not the first time a word was put to page, so the copyright date you place in the ebook should be as close to the date you upload it to Smashwords.

If the copyright date is 2011 then prior years are not copyrighted.

For example, if you upload the work to Smashwords on July 1, 2012 then you can use a copyright date of June 30, 2012. If you feel you want a copyright of 2006, and have some legal proof of copyright existing in 2006 (consult a lawyer on this point), then you could probably use 2006 for a copyright date.

A book sells if it is a good or great book or just a popular book, not by how old it is, whether on Smashwords or anywhere.