I think this would be the correct forum to pose this question in...if not, please feel free to move it to its appropriate place.

I tried uploading a couple of chapters from an incomplete novel I'm working on, but with one thing and another - it all went wrong and now I'm wondering whether it was cosmic/divine intervention after a comment that if unpublished work is uploaded on sites such as WriteWords it would be considered by some publishers as having already been published. 'Lots of comps & publishers want first publication rights and there seems to be some dispute about sites like WW - whether they count or not. If you put stuff just for WW members, then it has just been shown to 'club members' and therefore you are OK on the 'never ben published' clause. Allegedly. I know it's a long shot that a publisher would find out, but apparently some do check.' TC - I hope you don't mind me quoting you as you put it so well.

I can understand where the publisher is coming from when it comes to poetry and/or short stories because once they're seen/read online then they might think why would anyone want to spend money on a book, but would this be true for incomplete works i.e. a couple of chapters from a novel, or a work in progress which might ultimately be completely different once published?

I'd be interested to know what everyone else thinks about this and get the opinion of publishers and agents regarding the uploading of work for either all or some people to see before they do. What are the guidelines, the no-no's etc?

Thanks

Nahed

Oh Nahed, you do pick your moments.

I'll think about this and get back to you tomorrow.

Dee.

Bloody good point that!

Still you can always take it off the site!

Geoff

The key must be here that the work is incomplete. Any work that I've posted on the site has been re-visited after the comments I have received - after all, that is why I posted it. I wouldn't, however, put a full synopsis on the site, nor would I put any key chapters to the book. This is because of the reasons you outline above, but also to safeguard my ideas. I also make sure the work is for WW members only and not for general viewing.

I do think the site is an extremely useful tool. Where else can we get opinions, advice as well as this forum for discussion from so many like-minded people! Each writer has to decide how much and what work is posted and their reasons for doing so.

Sue

Surely posting work on this site is the on-line equivalent of going to a local group and reading it out to them. We’re not publishing – we’re simply seeking the opinions of other writers.

But that’s just my view. Perhaps Katie could give us some guidelines on this.

Dee.

WW

this topic has come up several times since I have been a member I suggest you always pick the writewords members only option when selecting to whom you display your work ( which is partly why David Bruce added it) and the general consensus is thus as Dee suggests we are a club commenting on each others unfinished work and thus no different form a writers circle.

hope this helps

david

David and Dee have got it right: we're a writers' community, like a workshop. As for short story writing, the site is not a magazine on-line or paper, therefore work put up here can't be considered as published, and already published work that goes up, shouldn't cause the publisher of it any problem. I couldn't claim that all the stories I've posted on WW are published pieces if I was doing a writer's biog for someone could I?
With the novels, only sections of them get uploaded for criting, they're incomplete.
You enter into a contract when you get something published,- even in short story writing,- we don't here.
All the best,
Becca.

Dee, 'picking my moments' is something I'm famed for in my own little world . What's up dudette? Hope all is okay.

Thanks for all of your comments, and as a writer I agree with all of them wholeheartedly, however, publishers may have a different opinion or view on protecting their investments (publishable work). I agree that allowing only WW members to view the uploaded work could be compared to attending a writer's workshop in real time and getting the opinions of fellow writers and having the advice, opinions, critiquing, encouragement etc of fellow writers is invaluable. I think my mind would be put at rest if a publisher/agent is able to define the rules as this does seem to be rather a grey area.

Nahed

Nahed, we've had this debate before in other forum threads- one problem seems to be that the Net is still in infancy when it comes to legal areas like this, and so there may not be a definitive answer- but the best thing to do , yes, if you are really worried, is make it ww members only. I don't think we're going to suddenly find one publisher or agent who will be able to say with authority that publishing on WW or similiar sites is or isn't publishing in the accepted sense... but we'll keep investigating, as it's going to crop up more and more.

Thanks Anna :-)

Hi,

I have changed my mind on this question and made all my work available only to WW Members for Anna is absolutely correct. The situation is unclear but it fast becoming clearer as the Net includes more and more material. It is becoming 'accepted practice' to refer to any material as 'published material'.

In view of the fact that one can be prosecuted for 'publishing' obscene, indecent and such material as well as downloading such 'published' material is sufficient to establish the 'meaning' of the word 'publishing' in relation to the net. It would be pointless to claim that one was a member of a (Very Undesirable) 'Club'. The fact is that the Net is simply another way to make your material as widely known as possible... that is publishing.

Len