Fountain of Knowledge

Well, I would like to ask about copyright and intellectual property, when I am giving-out our materials (poems, short stories, novels, etc...) for contest and in my portfolio. These literary pieces can be copied by anybody which I don't know about, since I am a beginner and don't know the legal action to be taken. You know, it's very hard for me to sue the culprit which takes time to settle and can affect my present employment, if I have to. In America writers are secured, and unlike in some other countries, these literary pieces in English can be copied by any person/s and if they have a capital to push through the copied "project", they can begin at once without the knowledge of the owner. Any suggestion/s or solution/s?