Debs,
I don't know where you live, but here in the UK you can apply the
'Copyright' law. Technically any work that you do, is yours and can be
subject to this law. But just to define it, you should mark your work with
the copyright symbol © add your name and date it. You should also print off
a copy of your work, put it in an envelope and mail it to your self. When it
arrives it will have the date stamp on it, don't open it, just keep it
somewhere safe, your work is then subject to copyright from that date.
However, none of this is foolproof because people can and do still copy your
work and if you find anyone has done this, you have to bring the law of
copyright into play and prove that they have breached it....bit of a hassle
I know and could be expensive. But, it can make people think twice before
they copy your work and it could be a deterrent. The flip side of this of
course is that you have to make sure that all the work you have, including
pictures, are in fact yours, or that you have permission to use them.
