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FTJoshua
09-23-2008, 10:34 PM
I am thinking of entering a competition with a hardcopy magazine, which states:

Submissions must be original, unpublished fiction

The piece I'd like to enter was previously published online only; the site states:

(Website) acquires Exclusive First Worldwide Web publication rights for 120 days after publication, as well as the non-exclusive right to archive the work on the (website), and the one-time non-exclusive right to anthologize the work in a print and/or electronic format. Copyright remains with the author. (Wbesite) requests that any work that is re-published elsewhere contain a "First published in (website)" acknowledgement.

The piece was published online in 2007, so the 120 days has passed; but is it still considered previously published for the purposes of the competition?
Thanks!
Kryianna
09-23-2008, 11:12 PM
Yes, it's considered previously published. You can only give "First" publication rights away once -- after that, it's a reprint.
bramble
09-24-2008, 01:23 AM
Doesn't it depend how the work was posted? A WIP published to an online collaborative site for critique wouldn't be considered "published", but a work in an ezine would. Yes? No?
FTJoshua
09-24-2008, 02:05 AM
Good question. In my case, it was for an e-zine. Looking at the rights I have and don't have, I kinda thought electronic rights vs. paper rights might be enough to let me slip by, but I'm not sure.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure posting on a site like AW for critique etc. does not constitute "previously published."

But I also wonder...does an e-zine need some sort of ISSN or something to be "legit"? Anyone can start a website and publish people's stories; is that the same as being published electronically for a company that is recognized as a periodical?

If this topic belongs somewhere else, feel free to move it!
MumblingSage
09-25-2008, 07:19 PM
Anyone can start a website and publish people's stories; is that the same as being published electronically for a company that is recognized as a periodical?
For some market's purposes, even posting a story or excerpt on your blog counts as 'web publication'. In this case publication has stress on the 'public'.