Online publishing: boon or bane?
Filed under Soapbox on April 14, 2004
Tagged: online publishers, publication rights
I recently came across the website of a creative couple who were publishing a serial novel online. They were considering whether or not to get it published in hardcopy, but because of the uncertainty of success, and because they wrote simply for “the love of writing,” decided to put it on the web to share with the world first. This is a popular choice for many amateur writers, and there are numerous sites, like Elfwood or Writing.com, that offer space for posting work. Some folks simply post it to their personal webpage or register their own domain for the purpose. I even considered running such a site myself. I’d share more about it, but am still entertaining the idea and so don’t want to give away my get-rich-quick business model. (insert wink and a smile)
One of the reasons I’ve waffled is because of the harm I see to writers in using the web to publish their work. An author makes money by selling the rights to a work. Most publishers buy the First Publication rights to a work. This means, they want the right to introduce that work to the public. Publishing is publishing, whether it’s online or in ink. There isn’t much value (or profit) in publishing something the public already has access to. Many publishers include clauses in their contracts that specify ownership of electronic publishing rights. My contract with Wizards of the Coast did. By publishing a work online, the author is forfeiting their ability to sell First Publication rights for that piece.
Is publishing online necessarily a bad thing? If the writer is even considering ever getting paid for doing what they love, it is. Is it wrong to publish work online? No. For people who have no intention or desire to ever become professional writers, but still want to share their thoughts and ideas, the web is the most effective way to do so. The web is also a good way to get input on your writing that may help you to improve, much like the local writing clubs that meet at universities or coffee shops. I’m a member of a writing group that has a private forum at Forward Motion.
There are some ways to publish online without forfeiting those precious First Publication rights. Writing simply for the love of it and protecting your rights do not have to be mutually exclusive. If you only publish portions of your work, such as those you want critiqued, or you publish it in a private forum, i.e., the general public does not have access to view it, most publishers won’t consider this First Publication. Please check with the particular publisher first, though, as standards may vary.
Online publishing can be a two-edged sword. It is important for writers to be aware of what they are doing by posting their work to a website. Unfortunately, most “online writing portfolios” don’t provide any sort of warning to their users that they are potentially giving away their right to sell their work to a publisher.
