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Should I post my story

  1. Yes

    1 vote(s)
    11.1%
  2. No

    8 vote(s)
    88.9%
  1. BBCotaku

    BBCotaku Member

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    Should I post online?

    Discussion in 'Electronic Publishing' started by BBCotaku, Nov 19, 2016.

    Ive been writing a book for a little while and have become rather proud of it. However I know for a fact it won't get published for a while as I am rather young (17). As a result I have been thinking of posting it online, specifically on wattpad (not exactly the king of standards I must admit but eh). But I worry that if I do indeed attempt to get this book published in the future then having an early version of it online would turn off publishers even more, especially if it only gets a handful of views.

    Would it? Or am I overreacting to something stupid?
     
  2. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    No, you're not being stupid - most publishers want "first rights" and that means the story can't have been published anywhere else before they get it.

    It'd be fine to post early versions of small parts of it, and this is probably a good idea if you want feedback. But not the whole thing, for sure. (Unless it turns into a huge online sensation, but the odds are against this.)

    Note: it's not really a problem if you're young - I'm quite sure neither my agent nor publishers have ever asked how old I am. If your prose is juvenile or your writing needs maturation, that's an issue, but the age in and of itself shouldn't be.
     
    Bjørnar Munkerud likes this.
  3. BBCotaku

    BBCotaku Member

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    That actually took a big worry off my shoulders.

    My English teacher told my class we'd have difficulty getting published unless we were in our late twenties. That always stuck in my mind, so hearing from a person with actual experience with publishing is very relieving.
     
  4. BBCotaku

    BBCotaku Member

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    I feel a bit dumb as I was completely unaware that there was a workshop section on this site. I'll be sure to give it a go some time.

    Im also planning on working on it for a little while longer before sending it to a publisher. Give it a bit more spit and polish before I hand it to a publisher,
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2016
  5. Avalon McSoley

    Avalon McSoley New Member

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    The sole fact that you are seventeen should not be an issue at all, unless you really know that your writing needs maturing before you feel comfortable putting it out there. I had a publisher when I was 16, (but I quit the project because they wanted erotic scenes that I wasn't comfortable putting my name on at that age), published my first book at 17 and is working on both a longer series and a stand-alone novel at 18.
     
  6. BBCotaku

    BBCotaku Member

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    My fear to do with age comes mainly from a piece of advice given to me by my English teacher. Though I do understand that my writing style needs improvement.
    And congrats for getting published so young. :)
     
  7. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    Well, lots of people have difficulty getting published regardless of age, and the majority of new authors probably are in their late twenties or even older, but that's because it takes a while to be able to produce something worth publishing, not because there's an actual age limit of any sort.
     
  8. G. Anderson

    G. Anderson Active Member

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    I think you should post your story online. It's a great way to get an audience AND there are many successful people who's first attempt was not very good. I know she's not a writer, but remember when Sandra Bullock won an Oscar and a Razzie on the same night? Everyone has to take chances if they want to get anywhere, and if a publisher is worth spending time with, they'd understand that everyone learns, develops, and improves with practice. But the first step is having the courage to try.
     
  9. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    If we're going into this with the assumption that the story isn't very good, then I guess I agree the OP may as well post it online.

    But I'm not sure we should be going into it with that assumption, should we?
     
  10. G. Anderson

    G. Anderson Active Member

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    I don't assume anything about the story. I simply replied to the "But I worry that if I do indeed attempt to get this book published in the future then having an early version of it online would turn off publishers even more" from the original post. 'Early version' does not need to mean bad, but I assumed that by this uote from the author meant that he would worry that publishers wouldn't like the story.
     
  11. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    Sorry, I thought all the Sandra Bullock and "there are many successful people whose first attempt was not very good" stuff was about this MS not being very good.

    But if we aren't making that assumption about the MS, then I really don't agree with you that the OP should post the entire piece online. If the OP wants to seek publication for this piece, then it's not a good idea to do something that will make a significant number of publishers lose interest. And most publishers want first publication rights, which would be gone if the OP posts the story on the internet.
     
  12. G. Anderson

    G. Anderson Active Member

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    No worries, I can see why it could be misunderstood :)

    I see what you mean about publication rights (though I still believe it's better to take a chance on this), but I also meet people who see it as a big asset if someone has actively shared their stories themselves.
     
  13. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    BBCotaku,

    One of the first things I think you should be asking yourself about this is: What is the purpose of posting online, a novel that you hope to one day find a publisher for? Once you identify the reason(s), decide if they would further your goal of getting the novel published (and if so, how) and how publishing it online might prove to be an additional hurdle (and why).

    Then, weigh the benefits and the costs., and proceed as seems most reasonable to be in line with what you hope to achieve.
     
    bonijean2 likes this.
  14. BBCotaku

    BBCotaku Member

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    My main reason for considering to post it is feedback. My usual beta reader hates high fantasy with a passion and refuses to read it and no one else around me really likes reading, period. I thought that posting it online may open it to a wider range of people.
     
  15. NigeTheHat

    NigeTheHat Contributor Contributor

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    If only you had access to some kind of forum... for writers... :p

    Seriously, try posting a thread here asking for betas. Plenty of people here who like fantasy who might fancy giving it a go, and you won't have any first rights issues. Otherwise, once you've got your post count up a bit, you should be able to post a chapter in the workshop without publishers complaining.
     
  16. Laurin Kelly

    Laurin Kelly Contributor Contributor

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    If you want to be on the safe side, don't publish online. There are enough people here I respect who give that advice that I'm willing to accept it must be true in most cases.

    That said, I posted my first novel as a WIP on LiveJournal and it was accepted by Less Than Three Press. My friend Cordelia Kingsbridge posted her novel Can't Hide From Me the same way, and it was just published by Riptide a couple of months ago. The first two books of Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat were posted on LiveJournal and have been published by Penguin/Berkley, along with a third book that was not posted online. So if you're writing m/m romance at least, I can tell you there's at least three publishers that won't hold posting your work online against you based on past behavior.
     
  17. EnginEsq

    EnginEsq Member

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    Then I suggest joining critters.org. It's free, and posting there does not count as publishing so you won't have that as an obstacle to getting really published.

    It works like this: you join, you write some critiques of other people's stuff for a bit (0.75 critiques per week, average, to be in "good standing," and you queue up your own work to be critiqued. You can queue it immediately, you just need to be "in good standing" when it reaches the front of the queue. You choose what to critique, and they are usually short stories or excerpts that are 3000 to 7000 words long.

    New items are taken from the queue each week and sent out for critique. The queue is currently a month long. Do enough critiques and you can earn "most productive critter" awards that let you skip to the front of the line once per award, when you choose to.

    The critiques I've received have been very useful. And reading and critiquing other people's works has been educational.
     
  18. BBCotaku

    BBCotaku Member

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    sounds interesting. I'll give it a look :)
     
  19. Seren

    Seren Writeaholic

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    As a writer on Wattpad myself, I'd agree with what most users have said about this situation. Putting your entire novel on Wattpad is probably not a great idea if you want to be on the safe side (though I don't believe it's a recipe for total disaster - I've seen books that were once on Wattpad get published) and if you did, you would be unlikely to get much useful feedback. I never post anything on there that I wish to publish, and what I do post has a very small audience that mostly consists of people who regularly comment on specific lines with "Awww" and other words to that effect. That being said, I'm so glad I joined. Once you get to know fellow writers and start commenting on their work in return, there is a lovely community feel. I'd say it's worth putting something up there and seeing what other users think, and occasionally someone can say something very useful. Writing something short and new would be a good way to get views on your work without compromising what you wish to publish. Posting an excerpt from your book might also be fine. Quite a few authors do it.
     

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