Publication and the Internet Question

[Three_Haligonians]

Hey all!

I was hoping to get your opinions on something, if I've posted in the wrong spot, please let me know. I've been doing some research on publishing and, as I would be a rookie in the field, I have been reading over several writer's guidlines. While these guidlines are very useful, I've noticed that most mention something to the effect of not having published the material before. Would this include publishing on a website or a series of boards, like these ones? For instance, had I writen a short story and posted it in the story hour area to get people's opinions on it, would that be considered a publication? Is it generally frowned on to do so? Is it the same as having my friends read the material and give thier opinions on it?

Anyone who has been published or knows about publishing or, heck, just wants to give their two cents, please let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance!

T from Three Haligonians

 

[Dogbrain]

IANAL! This is not legal advice.

As far as I understand matters, it is not court-defined. However, it appears that anything posted to something like ENWORLD, that anybody can access just to read, would count as "publication" for at least some purposes. Distribution on a private email list would not count as "publication".

IANAL.

 

[reanjr]

Would this include publishing on a website or a series of boards, like these ones? For instance, had I writen a short story and posted it in the story hour area to get people's opinions on it, would that be considered a publication?

Yes. Yes.

Is it generally frowned on to do so? Is it the same as having my friends read the material and give thier opinions on it?

Yes. No.

Publishers do not want to have to deal with the legalities of a previously published work. If it has been freely released, they are also competing with a product that undersells them. Also (I don't know how common or uncommon this is; could range from 5% to 95% of the time; I think it's closer to 95% though) sometimes publishers work by buying the rights to a work. You no longer own the work and therefore by already having the work published, you can't transfer ownership. I think they usually just lease the work, though. For several years or whatever, you cannot resell the work to anyone. Popular authors can get separate deals for hardcover and trade paperback editions of a book, but this is mostly in the field of novels, I think.

I hope I was helpful. I know there was alot of uncertainty in there.

 

[Morrus]

Your best bet is to ask the publisher in question - I imagine their policies on the matter may well vary slightly. Some may consider a messageboard to be a publication, others may not.

 

[FraserRonald]

Hey there.

As others have pointed out, having published a story on the internet is, indeed, considered "published" for the purposes of submitting to a magazine. As reanjr pointed it, it has to do with rights. Most magazines/journals buy First Rights (the right to present a piece for the first time), often--if the publication is based in NA--First North American Serial Rights. If this isn't the first presentation of said story, you can't sell them first rights.

Some mags and journals will buy reprints. However, very few of these venues will be interested in something put on the internet because it was freely available. The publishers of--for example--Extreme Adventure Anthology might pay to have a story that ran in Black Gate because it is unlikely every single reader of the anthology will have seen it in Black Gate. People have to pay to read Black Gate, so it has limited circulation. Something for free on the internet could have been seen a million times (though unlikely!). Further, if someone tells a friend about the great story "Swords of Halifax" in Extreme Adventure Anthology, a reader is more likely to purchase the antho rather than find a back issue of Black Gate. However, if the story is on the net, it costs nothing to hunt it down and read it.

There are areas on the internet where you can get criticism and comments in a safe, controlled environment. Check out Critters Workshop. Even better would be to get a critique group going. It's too bad I'm leaving Halifax because when I moved here, that's exactly what I tried to do. However, where I failed, you may succeed. If not, and if you can afford a monthly flight to Kitchener ON, you can join in the group I'm setting up there!

Hope this helps. Feel free to email me with any other questions you might have.

Take care all.