Prepare your manuscript. Make sure everything is in order before you send the manuscript to a copyright office.
Visit the Library of Congress at www.loc.gov. Go to the copyright page to file your work(s). You will need to find the file type for your literary work. Depending on what type of novel you have written, you will be instructed to select one of the following: Form TX, Short Form TX or Form CON.
Complete the paper work. Find the correct form, then combine with your manuscript and a check for $45 dollars. Send the documents together to the Library of Congress.
Show your copyright stamp of approval. Complete an acknowledgment that the book is owned by yourself. Print on the first page of the book, and include the publication date as well as the Library of Congress number.