Create an account at the website of the Electronic Copyright Office. You will have to submit some basic information such as your name and telephone number. Make sure all information is correct before submitting it.
Log in to your new account. Click "Start Registration." You will see a screen listing several types of work. If you are not sure whether your work qualifies as a literary work or as some other type of work, click on the links to see samples. Otherwise, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and choose "Literary Work" from the drop-down menu. The screen automatically changes when you do this.
Click "New" to enter a new title. Click on the drop-down menu under "Title Type" and choose "Title of Work Being Registered." If you are registering more than one work, repeat this step until you have entered all the titles you are registering. Click "Continue" when you are done entering titles.
Indicate whether each title has been published by choosing the appropriate response from the drop-down menu.
Fill in all required information. If the work has not been published yet, you must type the year it was completed. If the work is published, you must enter the year of completion, the country it was published in and the publication date. You may also enter the ISBN number for published works, although this is optional.
Click "Add Me" to add yourself as author of the work. To add a different author name to the work, click on "New" and enter the author's name. When you add a new author's name, enter his country of citizenship or residence using the appropriate drop-down menu.
Click the appropriate text boxes to indicate the author's contributions; i.e., the text, photographs or artwork. You may choose more than one contribution.
If you want to enter another author's name, click "New." Otherwise, click "Continue."
To add yourself as the copyright claimant (the person who holds the copyright) click "Add Me." To add another person or a company, click "Add Claimant." Enter the name of the copyright claimant. You may enter multiple claimants by clicking "New" after you complete each entry.
Enter information about any pre-existing material that you used in your work. Pre-existing material is material created by others that you received permission to use or material that is in the public domain. This material is not covered by your copyright.
Fill in contact information for the person or organization who will grant permission for others to use your work. You may use your own name and address if you wish. You can also designate another person or an organization as your representative for this purpose.
Enter contact information for the person or organization that the Copyright Office may contact if they have questions about your application. Then enter a name and address where the Copyright Office should mail the certificate of copyright after it finishes processing your application.
Sign your application electronically by checking the box saying it is complete and typing your first and last name.
Review your information. If anything is incorrect, click on the appropriate section's link to return to that section and correct it. If everything is correct, click "Add to Cart."
Click on "Additional Services" to register another work. Click on "Checkout" if you are finished registering works.
Choose your payment method. The fee for each work is $35 as of 2010. You may pay by electronic transfer from your bank account or by credit/debit card as well as by deposit account. Enter all required information to complete payment. When the system confirms your payment, click "Continue."
Indicate whether you intend to send a copy of your work electronically or via postal mail. Click on "Upload Deposit" if you want to send an electronic copy of your work. You may only upload files under four circumstances: your work is completely unpublished, your work is published only in electronic format, you are uploading it merely for identification purposes, or you have a separate agreement with the Library of Congress to send a hard copy.
Upload files by clicking "Browse" and choosing the correct file. Enter the title of the work next to the file. Click "Submit Files to Copyright Office."
Click "Create Shipping Slip" if you are shipping work by postal mail. The system will give you a link. Click on the link to view and print the shipping slip. Print a slip for each work you want to copyright. Attach the slip to the work and mail it to the Copyright Office.