I apologise if this is in the wrong place, but I'm still finding my way round, and I can't see an answer anywhere else. Is it acceptable to post your own original or fan fiction if it has already been posted on other sites?
Yes, so long as it is posted in the appropriate forum, and you first give two reviews on other people's pieces.
if it's your own work, you can post it as many times as you want, on as many sites as you want... the only time prior posting is a problem is if you want to sell it after you've posted it anywhere in public, as doing so uses up your 'first rights' and that's all most publishers will buy... love and hugs, maia
Well since you can't in effect sell fan fiction with out facing serious repercussions, that is an open source of writing ability.
That's interesting...I didn't know that. How does that affect your work if you've only posted excerpts, as opposed to the whole thing?
It doesn't affect it as much, but you are probably best to mention it to a prospective publisher you are submitting to I presume.
Basically, it means it hasn't been available anywhere else beforehand. A publisher won't want to spend money printing a book, which people have already been able to see for free on the internet, or wherever.
Yes, first publishing rights is something youy can sell to a publisher, if you have not squandered it by "publishing" the piece yourself first. Posting on a public site is often considered publishing in this context. Whether or not you still can sell first publication rights often is the decision point for whether or not the publisher decides to accept your work, because a piece that can be obtained at no cost is not particularly saleable.
This publishing right only applies to novels that are COMPLETED and have been posted publicly? So would posting public chapters be alright?
It depends. Even posting chapters can diminish the saleability somewhat. Also what stage they are in would be an issue- if they are unrecognisable from the finished thing, then it's less of a problem.
That's some pretty interesting information. I wasn't aware that posting work could potentially hinder your possibilty of getting published. It makes sense though.
Basically, is you are going to post something on a forum, you are best to mention it to a publisher I spose. Some refuse to publish anything that has had any part of it previously posted online, in forums and what not. Others will publish it. If you want to get published, don't post your work. Simple as thyat. Get help privately. That is what I do now 'if' I require any help with my work.
A previous site I was on had a section of the forum that limited the post to 45 days - after that, they were removed. Would that eliminate the problem of having posted it online?
possibly... but the best way to be sure is not to post work on the internet if you are wanting to send it to a publisher. It is really the only way. I posted a poem on a forum for a friend... to help her forum look active. It was archived and now I am unable to get it published unless I say it is a reprint. Which isn't as easy to get published. The poem appeared for 14 days at the very most. It just isn't worth while posting stuff you want to publish later on.
If you have password restricted areas, like critique groups, then you are able to post the work. But you also have to know how the critique groups work in order to have them on a certain board. In critique groups, only a few people view the said piece, in a open board, thousands may view it. What is the point of publishing anything that everyone has read and can read for free?
It depends on whether what you post has been archived or not. If you want to do it, you can. I mean not all publishers are that strict. Just don't post an entire chapter. Post only small excerpts of the piece. You should be able to get as much help in reviews on one excerpt to continue on for a while anyway. Usually you will notice that you have made a lot of the same mistakes throughout a piece. I guess if you post a small amount of the piece, not an entire chapter, and remove contents after a week or two, you should be fine. I never post my work if I am thinking of publishing it though.
No. It has been posted publically, and it may have been archived. You might get away with it, but it would mean you are selling something you don't legitimately have available any more to sell - first publication rights. And if a copy turns up later, your reputation may be screwed. It's even possible you could be accused of plagiarizing the piece, if there is a trail leading back to before your publishing agreement, and you cannotf produce proof you originated it. But in any case, you could end up blackballed because you entered into a contract fraudulaently. If you plan to publish a piece, post only very limited excerpts, if anything at all. And fully disclose anything you have posted of it, even if it means that publisher turns you down as a result.
So if we decide to ask feedback for a certain few lines, we would have to disclose that? I agree with you posting only small segments, if anything at all, just to be safe, but if somewhat you get stuck on a few lines or something, I don't think that would be major enough to include it. Like most said, only a signifcant amount posted would matter. As for my current story, I'm using that for feedback and a basic chillax story.
I doubt any publisher will have a problem with public feedback on a few lines of a novel or substantial short story. Even a chapter of a novel, especially if noticeably different from its final form, will probably be ok. But honest disclosure is a must, both ethically and for your own best interests.
