# Publishing First Rights



## Baron (Jun 16, 2011)

The issue of publishing first rights is one that causes paranoia among many who post on internet forums.  The belief that work may not be accepted if it has first been shown on a blog or writing site is one of the greatest modern myths.  The only time this appears to be a real issue for poetry and short stories is with some of the newer e-zines that have appeared over the last few years.  With novels it's more relevant but even then publishers don't raise an objection if extracts have been shared because it can help with the promotion of the finished product.


I have never found that having poetry or short stories published on the web has been a block to getting published elsewhere.  With poetry specifically, I tend to remove much of my work from the web after a period because people aren't going to pay for something if they can get it for free.  Even so, I usually leave a few works out there as a taster.


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## Sam (Jun 16, 2011)

I had my novel accepted even after publishing it myself through Lulu.


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## Baron (Jun 16, 2011)

The policy adopted on publications that I'm involved in is to not restrict writers'/artists' rights.  We do not insist on first rights nor do we ask sole rights.  The aim is to promote writers and artists, not to restrict them from possibly greater success.

Apart from that I have had pieces which have also been previously published on forums and blogs published in magazines and anthologies.  I've only ever posted segments of novels on the web but this hasn't been detrimental in any way.


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## Vertigo (Jun 16, 2011)

I can't say I have much paranoia about putting my writing up on the web for simple reason that there's no idiot publisher in the world who would currently touch it in any way, shape, or form.

Still, it's nice to know that if I ever get a story into a high-grade form (often through getting help from people via internet forums) that I could still find someplace to publish it, probably.


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## powerskris (Jun 16, 2011)

Thanks for the information, Baron. I thought that some of the things people were saying here and elsewhere seemed a little paranoid!


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## Olly Buckle (Jun 16, 2011)

I have wondered if any of the e-publishers want exclusive access, like if I published on smashwords would lulu still take it?


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## Baron (Jun 16, 2011)

Olly Buckle said:


> I have wondered if any of the e-publishers want exclusive access, like if I published on smashwords would lulu still take it?



Both Smashwords and Lulu are non-exclusive.


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## Candra H (Jun 17, 2011)

powerskris said:


> I thought that some of the things people were saying here and elsewhere seemed a little paranoid!



What have people been saying?


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## Bilston Blue (Jun 17, 2011)

I have come across short story competitions whose entry rules stipulate the stories must not have been published elsewhere, including on the internet. So, does having them posted on here count as being published? 

I think the workshop section on here is a good way around this potential problem, though I've still deleted the work I've posted in that section before submitting them.


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## Baron (Jun 17, 2011)

Work posted on an internet forum does count as published unless it's in a forum with limited access.  The Workshop is one way around that.


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## powerskris (Jun 17, 2011)

Candra H said:


> What have people been saying?



That if you put anything on the web from to one of your stories, or an exerpt of your novel, that no one will touch it with a ten foot pole.


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## ankles (Jun 17, 2011)

Better to be safe than sorry.


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## Rustgold (Jun 17, 2011)

Bilston Blue said:


> I have come across short story competitions whose entry rules stipulate the stories must not have been published elsewhere, including on the internet. So, does having them posted on here count as being published?


I've read the Reader's Digest scam.  And yes I call it a scam when you have to pay to submit a work that they probably won't publish, and then they pay peanuts if they do.
I don't think that those places help you at all, and I'd go elsewhere.


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## Baron (Jun 17, 2011)

ankles said:


> Better to be safe than sorry.



I can name three writers from this site who regularly post work on forums and blogs and who have had work accepted by publishing houses.  Posting extracts for critique can actually be useful for advance promotion.  If people like the writing there's a chance they'll be the first to buy the book.  I'd say few of those who spread paranoia over this issue have actually been published.


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## powerskris (Jun 17, 2011)

Bless you, Baron.


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## elite (Jun 18, 2011)

I don't worry too much about it. Maybe it's because I write as a hobby, but whatever I post is something I don't intend to make profit of anyways. If I post something on a blog or publicly accessible site, It wouldn't feel right to send it for publishing. It would feel as if I was trying to make profit out of a second-hand work instead of giving my all on something new and exciting.

Well, that's just my opinion.


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## Candra H (Jun 18, 2011)

powerskris said:


> That if you put anything on the web from to one of your stories, or an exerpt of your novel, that no one will touch it with a ten foot pole.



Thats extreme.



Baron said:


> I can name three writers from this site who regularly post work on forums and blogs and who have had work accepted by publishing houses. Posting extracts for critique can actually be useful for advance promotion. If people like the writing there's a chance they'll be the first to buy the book. I'd say few of those who spread paranoia over this issue have actually been published.



I don't speak for anyone but myself. But the way I see it is this. If I submit work and it gets accepted, the least I can do is give the publisher the chance of being the first to print/display my writing. I call it a common courtesy to remove my work from forums beforehand because if people can log in to a forum and read it for free, why would they pay to read it in a magazine or a book? So what I'm doing is trying to help get as many people to buy/read the magazine as possible and keep it in business so other writers can also get their work published. If the magazine/publisher allows it, I'll post a snippet on my website as a teaser but thats for advertising purposes and different from it being previously published on an internet forum or online generally in its entirety. 

It's not about paranoia, it's about common courtesy for me and every other hopeful writer out there. Fair enough, people get into extremes about things but going to the opposite extreme and saying magazines/publishers shouldnt expect the right to be the first to publish a good story because everyone has the right to post their work wherever they want is just as bad in my opinion.




powerskris said:


> Bless you, Baron.



So is that.


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## Baron (Jun 18, 2011)

Candra H said:


> Thats extreme.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The questions isn't about removing pieces that have been submitted or accepted, it's about whether they should be posted in the first place.  I remove my own stuff if it's published but that doesn't mean I'm shy about putting it up for critique before I submit it.


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## Candra H (Jun 18, 2011)

Who makes those decisions? Do you have the exact wording from some magazines so we can all be sure about the difference?


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## Baron (Jun 18, 2011)

Candra H said:


> Who makes those decisions? Do you have the exact wording from some magazines so we can all be sure about the difference?



I'm not sure what you're asking.  This topic was started because of a myth spread on some internet writing forums.  I can state from experience that posting on forums has never hindered getting my work published.  In truth it's a technicality that work posted on a forum may legally be regarded as published.  For work to receive an actual publishing credit it needs to have gone through a selection process and that is certainly not the case for work posted on critique boards.


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## powerskris (Jun 18, 2011)

Candra H said:


> Thats extreme.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I know it's extreme. Look out in the internet and you'll see what I mean. "So is that"? What's that supposed to mean?


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