1. Frazen

    Frazen Member

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    Unsure about definition of publishing

    Discussion in 'Traditional Publishing' started by Frazen, Sep 4, 2015.

    I read in this link
    http://writersrelief.com/blog/2013/11/what-is-considered-previously-published-writing/
    that if you post your story on a social network it's considered as published. Now I have a question. If I'm going to get published in a magazine, do I have the right to show some of my sentences and not the whole original work to others in the social media before getting published?

    Also, if I'm unsure about the grammar of my sentences can I ask questions about it in a website and use people's suggestions in the version that's gonna get published in the magazine? I mean, the answers I've got from people may be noted in the story and therefore, the story that is published in the magazine, is not 100% my own work. Is it?
     
  2. Komposten

    Komposten Insanitary pile of rotten fruit Contributor

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    Regarding showing some sentences in social media, you might find some information of value in a thread here on the forum about whether posting stories here harm your chance of getting them published.
    Another, guaranteed safe, approach is to write a second story (or just a scene or two) and give that to people rather than your main work.

    As for question no. 2, if you rewrite parts of your story (or correct grammar, or whatever) based on critiques you've received the story will still be entirely yours. Just make sure that you do the rewriting, rather than simply copying changes made by others (at least for matters like rewriting scenes, adding details, etc.).
     
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  3. Burlbird

    Burlbird Contributor Contributor

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    Publishing of whole text or parts of the text. But I'd add: significant and relevant parts of the text. I mean, if your text includes a sentence: "My father was a great man" you can safely publish that particular sentence all over the web. Also, you can safely give the text to your mother for reading: the "previously unpublished" clause doesn't mean "previously unseen by anyone living or dead". Yeah, sure, if your mom knows what's your story is all about she might not buy the magazine and that would certainly cripple their sales :)

    Again: do NOT publish your story (the definite ready-for-publish version) by posting it publicly on a public web forum. That IS considered published, simply because it is now available for anyone to see (don't fool yourself with "it's a closed, premium-members sub-forum of an obscure birding forum"). Do ask for help from forum members, in private correspondence, and share your work with people you trust.
     

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