# An atypical question



## Epic (Mar 11, 2011)

It is possible this is the first time you've ever heard this specific question.

Suppose you had, by some textual medium, made a story (or many stories) you'd written available to the public. A medium other than traditional publishing, I mean. That complicates things in two ways, I believe; 1) You run the risk of plagiarism (though, considering how hard it is to get published in the first place, this one is less likely), and 2) that story loses its novelty and--without you (the author) becoming overly successful--it may not be published by traditional means in the future. 

What about non-textual mediums, such as audio? I imagine it's even less likely to be stolen, given the first obstacle of publishing and now having to type it up, but what of the second issue? If your story is available (and been distributed) in an audio format already, would a publisher refrain from publishing it textually in the future?

I'm interested to see what the consensus on this is.


----------



## strangedaze (Mar 14, 2011)

i think maybe you used too many big words and compound sentences. i kind of had to read this twice to get the gist. i assume youre talking about a podcast or something. to be honest, im not sure. i know of one fella who podcasted his self published novel and ended up getting published by a major house. but hes really atypical. i think this is a gray area. if youve done it and are worried about what publishers are going to think, i would just take down the podcasts and act like nothing happened. if youre thinking of doing it, well, i probably wouldnt.


----------



## Bad Craziness (Mar 15, 2011)

I think you should just weigh up the potential positives and negatives of taking this approach. Let's start with...

The Potential Negative: You put a lot of work into something and put it online. No one listens to it so you take it down and/ or let it disappear into the ether. You probably will never be able to convince a publisher to publish it.

The Potential Positive: You put a lot of work into something and put it online. Some people listen to it, you get a bit of feedback, buzz and potentially link in with people in a position to allow you to either get more exposure or (hopefully) make a bit of money - if someone wanted to re-produce it through their site for example. You've also potentially built up a small fan base and have evidence that your work has an audience. Basically you've developed a track record. This can be appealing in the future to people who may want to work with you.

Look, the reality is you're not going to make money/ get that big deal wth the first thing that you throw out there. But you might get a little bit of exposure from it and the chance to embark on other creative ventures that may produce money/ representation/ a career down the track.

As for this fear of thievery and copyright infringement, there's way too much fear-mongering in this area. If someone steals your shit and makes money of it, you have legal recourse. If someone steals your shit and nothing happens. Who cares? (Maybe throw a brick through their window though).

The reality is if you can say, oh I self-published this audiobook a couple of years ago and it got picked up by (insert some media/ arts site here) and had 10k downloads, there _might_ be someone out there more willing to work with you. I say go for it.


----------



## Epic (Mar 15, 2011)

Strangedaze: I think the biggest word I used was 'textual,' but yeah, there are more than a few compound sentences up there. Apologies. It's interesting to hear the story about the fella you know, though obviously one person's good fortune in a similar manner doesn't necessarily translate to others.

Bad Craziness: Your negative/positive examples were exactly what I was thinking. I was just unsure whether there were some consequences as far as traditional publishing that I hadn't considered. But, yeah, I'm looking to self-promote a bit, and give myself a boost, if at all possible.

Thank you both for taking the time to reply!


----------



## garza (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm dumping all my fiction and poetry, bit by bit as I think about it, into a freebie website - writebelize.yolasite.com. But the difference is, I don't see myself ever making any money off anything but non-fiction, so if someone steals it all it makes no difference. 

If you have plans to publish for profit you will want to think twice about putting your work out for all to see and possibly steal.


----------



## iw-michael (Mar 16, 2011)

I have two points that come to mind. First, it seems conventional or textual publishing is on the verge of being history. Second, I second your second! It would loose some novelty. Its obvious, and should be, you are worried about personal success. That is a delicate situation to offer advise.


----------



## garza (Mar 18, 2011)

Under the Cover - Does it bother you at all that you and others like you are making life easier for the writer and the reader at the expense of the big publishing houses? They are staring doom in the face. Their Bentleys are showing up at auctions, their mansions are on the block...well, it's not quite that bad yet but if you and your kind keep going a slightly used four-colour web fed Heidelberg will show up on Country 105's Swap Shop along with puppies to give away. 

Fellows like Gutenberg put the hand copyists out of work, now you are doing the same thing to the grand old publishing houses. Only a few of them are giving clear signals that they are joining the revolution. Most are clinging to the idea that traditional publishing will last forever. News flash - it won't. 

At my age I'll not live to see the final triumph of epub over Big House, but it's for sure on the way. We're at the dawn of a new age, a golden age for those who earn their daily putting one word after another. I wish I could stick around for another 70 years and be a part of it.


----------



## Baron (Mar 18, 2011)

The reality is that, even with their own web site and doing their own marketing, the majority who self publish are still not achieving massive sales.  The machine of the publishing house is a little creaky but it still has resources that are hard to match by a lone individual.  

For a start, when a writer has a web site then there's a need to draw people to it.  There are a lot of websites on the internet.  Then the visitor needs to be convinced that the product is worth buying.  The power of the publishing houses to use tv advertising and the high street shop windows is still a major factor in putting writers in the best seller lists.


----------



## Baron (Mar 18, 2011)

Under The Cover said:


> That is why you need to know how to do it.  I will not argue the point that having a cash happy publisher in your hip pocket is the not the way to go, but I will argue, it is not an option for the high majority of authors.  Today authors can build their audience, and as it grows...like a little snow ball...success is more realistic.  You don't need a best seller to be successful.  Of course, it depends on ones definition of success.  I consider success for an author as making a living at it.


 
There are very few published authors who can make a living purely from writing.  There are even less who achieve really significant sales on the internet without proper promotion.  I've had experience in both traditional and online publishing and have quite a few significant contacts.  

When I believe that someone is misinforming the members of this site to promote their own service, to the possible detriment of the members, then all posts will be regarded as spam and dealt with accordingly.


----------



## Baron (Mar 18, 2011)

> Today authors can build their audience, and as it grows...like a little snow ball...success is more realistic. You don't need a best seller to be successful. Of course, it depends on ones definition of success. *I consider success for an author as making a living at it.*



My last post was a warning, not an invitation to debate.  The claim quoted above is from your previous post and it suggests an unrealistic promise.  This forum is a place for those interested in literature, writing and publishing to share helpfully.  It isn't a place for someone to simply market their wares.

If your input shows that you have anything informative to offer members here then I have no objection to it.  If it continues to be biased towards marketing your own product then you've already received the warning.


----------

