How expensive is it to file for copyright protection in the US?

How expensive is it to copyright a book? You don't need to hire an attorney to do this, so as long as you're filing for your book and you're one author, it's pretty straightforward and affordable. Head to copyright.gov to explore your specific situation. But essentially if you file before it's published, it's $45. But here's the price list. If you're doing it after publication, it's a paper filing so it's more expensive. It's $125. So it's ideal to file electronically and and books are eligible for what is called pre registration. A work submitted for pre registration must meet three conditions. Number one the work must be unpublished. Number two the work must be in the process of being prepared for commercial distribution in either physical or digital format. And finally three the work must be a type of work determined by the register to have had a history of infringement prior to authorized commercial distribution. Books qualify for this before launch so you can pre register.