The manuscript is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office and with the WGA West Registry (#2347869). These registrations establish a documented chain of ownership with specific dates. If any portion of the work were reproduced without permission, those registrations provide the legal foundation to pursue action. Beyond registration, I keep detailed records of every submission, correspondence, and material shared.
On activism versus awareness:
Both — but the book leads with humanity, not agenda. From the Fields is first and foremost a story about a family. The systemic injustice is the world they move through, not a lecture delivered to the reader. That said, the documented reality in the story — child labor exemptions unchanged since 1938, forced labor convictions in Florida, the ongoing Fair Food Program fight — is real and current. If readers finish the book and feel moved to act, that’s a natural response to the truth of what’s in it. But the book doesn’t tell them what to think. It just shows them what is.
I love novels that highlight topical issues, in the tradition of Steinbeck and Orwell (two of my favourite authors) and it’s good that Steven is highlighting these issues. Why did he want to copyright it? (I thought that the author automatically keeps copyright… I have no understanding of copyright laws lol)
I think it was more so because he wanted to copyright his knowledge of the food industry and the story of these people in particular. Most authors don’t get copyrights because as you said it’s already sort of there. it’s not usually necessary for our field. I think he also did it for peace of mind!
What is Steven’s process for checking if the copyright is violated?
Is there any sense of activism from the book or is it awareness?
Here js what Steven said:
Hi Evelyn, happy to answer both questions.
On copyright protection:
The manuscript is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office and with the WGA West Registry (#2347869). These registrations establish a documented chain of ownership with specific dates. If any portion of the work were reproduced without permission, those registrations provide the legal foundation to pursue action. Beyond registration, I keep detailed records of every submission, correspondence, and material shared.
On activism versus awareness:
Both — but the book leads with humanity, not agenda. From the Fields is first and foremost a story about a family. The systemic injustice is the world they move through, not a lecture delivered to the reader. That said, the documented reality in the story — child labor exemptions unchanged since 1938, forced labor convictions in Florida, the ongoing Fair Food Program fight — is real and current. If readers finish the book and feel moved to act, that’s a natural response to the truth of what’s in it. But the book doesn’t tell them what to think. It just shows them what is.
Steven
Hi there! I’ve forwarded this question to Steven so that he can answer it in his own words! I’ll post it here when he responds!
I love novels that highlight topical issues, in the tradition of Steinbeck and Orwell (two of my favourite authors) and it’s good that Steven is highlighting these issues. Why did he want to copyright it? (I thought that the author automatically keeps copyright… I have no understanding of copyright laws lol)
I think it was more so because he wanted to copyright his knowledge of the food industry and the story of these people in particular. Most authors don’t get copyrights because as you said it’s already sort of there. it’s not usually necessary for our field. I think he also did it for peace of mind!