1. ManicHedgehog

    ManicHedgehog Member

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    Posting, then looking into publishing?

    Discussion in 'Traditional Publishing' started by ManicHedgehog, Jul 3, 2008.

    Hey guys.

    I know that if you're looking to publish something, the publisher shouldn't find it posted for free on a site first, or it's a no-go. I may want to publish at some point, but I really do like getting my work out there for feedback and entertainment immediately, so I post my work here.

    Is it easy enough to let the posts stay up for a little bit, then remove them? Or is it best to never post them at all?

    Thanks.
     
  2. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    ManicHedgehog,

    This topic was discussed extensively a while back.

    https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=7602

    It got somewhat heated at times, but I think that most of your questions or concerns will be addressed if you read through it.

    If not, that's what we're all here for...to help eachother out.

    Terry
     
  3. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    basically, deleting the post won't delete the work from the internet... the page could have been acquired automatically by google or whatever [i'm not sure exactly how it works] and cached, meaning it's available for anyone to see just about forever...

    which is why it's always best to never post a complete piece of work that you hope to have published some day... just post smallish excerpts to get feedback on the quality of the writing, or any problems you may have... and if you need advice on plot, post a plot outline or synopsis, not the whole thing...
     
  4. ManicHedgehog

    ManicHedgehog Member

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    Thanks for the link. It's a tight spot. I want all the feedback I can get, because I know I'm anything but perfect, but I never know when I might get the inkling to submit something I like more than the rest. Maybe I should worry about this sometime down the road and worry about honing my skills first.
     
  5. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    definitely!
     
  6. Cyberpunk

    Cyberpunk Banned

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    From what I've read, if the site's password protected, and searching Google will not net a link to the story, if it's not the entire draft, or is an early draft, I wouldn't worry about. Though I'd personally like to be in a position to really worry about the problem as I'm staring at a contract for my work.

    Also, caching doesn't really work that way. If you edit or delete a post, the only way it would be remotely visible to the public is if the site admin posts the original thread outside of password protected forums.
     
  7. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    Maybe this quote from Double-Edged Publishing (with respect to the magazines/ezines it publishes).

    Again, every publisher looks at it differently. Jim Baen's Universe magazine has slush submissions in the Baen's Bar (Baen Books' forum), where works are posted and critted by members. Editors for the magazine pick 2 or 3 every few months for inclusion in the ezine. No special membership is need, just joining gives access.

    There is no clear (one size fits all) answer. Mammamaia's suggestion to post only portions for input is probably the best and safest if one wants to be able to submit a work to any market until the piece is sold.

    Terry
     
  8. cawalabe

    cawalabe New Member

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    As far as my bread and butter goes (non-fiction), I would never post any of that on the internet. I only post things that probably will never sell, like poetry, or things I don't care much about like fiction (of which I write very little and not very well). But I think you've got the right idea to just post a bit of it and then delete it after a week or so. It won't stay cached forever (although it may for several years at some sites).
     
  9. Kody Boye

    Kody Boye New Member

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    Technically, a publisher WOULD still pick it up if it was good enough, but seeing as how you've already posted said piece online, it'd count as a reprint, since you've already given up first-print rights to wherever you've posted.

    Posting something online is considered publishing, mind you. The only way you're safe from this is if you're sharing on a private website where only a limited number of people can see it, and where search engines won't be able to pick it up.
     
  10. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    technically, that 'would' should probably be a 'could' as only a few publishers of short works will take a reprint and none would take on a book as a reprint, unless it's already sold extremely well and sure to sell more...
     

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