Contest Win = published?

[geekyMary]

I wrote a short story. It won a small contest and was therefore printed in the program book at a con.

Does that count as previously published?

I hate to cheat.

[MJNL]

Well, to be honest I've met people with a whole lot less who proudly proclaim to be published. So, depends on who you ask. It's not professional or semi-pro (which are really the only useful levels of publication--with a couple of exceptions--for cover letter use.) unless you were paid accordingly. Technically if it's in print and available to the public it's published.

But not all publications are created equal.

[Smish]

It was printed and distributed at the conference? Then yes, it's been published.

Are you asking because you intend to submit it elsewhere? Or are you asking because you want to use it as a publishing credit? In either case, honesty is the best policy.

ETA: By the way, congrats!

[MJNL]

Yes, congrats :)

[katsincommand]

Yes that would count as published, but check with the contest on your rights. If they revert back to you after that printing, you can pursue secondary publication. (republishing).

[Jonathan Dalar]

If it were mine, I don't think I'd consider it published. You can most definitely use it as part of your writing resume in a cover letter, though. I would personally say, "won such and such contest" vice "published in".

I'd be curious to view others' thoughts on this topic as well.

[pdr]

you are asking because you want to send the story out to market, be careful.

Check the magazine/zine/journal/soundzine/audio market's guidelines. Some editors consider any story as published even if it was on a writer's own website, in online writers' forums or in a competition booklet. For these editors First Rights have gone.

Other editors are more flexible. You can ask them.

But generally speaking if your story was printed in a booklet and people could read it then you have to consider it published. That is the definition of published for most editors.

[GlobalWolf]

If you're looking for a publisher, then they're almost definitely going to consider it to have been previously published. If it's been posted up in a form that is accessible to the public, then it's going to be considered previously published. How far different companies are going to be willing to go with that is hard to say, but if it's been in a book, then there aren't going to be any who are willing to take it up saying that they're its first publishers.