I heard some publishers don't accept work that's been published online. Is this true? If so, how can I make my work able to be copyrighted again? Like if I change it a bit, would that work?
Does posting my story on here void copyright?
- Thread starter SummerSurf57
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No.
Copyright is conferred upon creation of the document. Posting a portion of your story in a critique section of a password protected forum does not constitute publication. And, honestly, copyright isn't violated by the copyright owner--which you are. I think you need to sit down and do some serious research on copyright laws.
Because you're worrying over nothing.
Copyright is conferred upon creation of the document. Posting a portion of your story in a critique section of a password protected forum does not constitute publication. And, honestly, copyright isn't violated by the copyright owner--which you are. I think you need to sit down and do some serious research on copyright laws.
Because you're worrying over nothing.
I don't think it will void copyright. I think it has more to do with publishers not wanting to buy something that is already available for free on the internet.
You should be fairly okay with having your work here on AW since the Share Your Work section is behind password and thus won't show up on search engines.
EDIT: Beaten to it. I iz a slow froggie.
You should be fairly okay with having your work here on AW since the Share Your Work section is behind password and thus won't show up on search engines.
EDIT: Beaten to it. I iz a slow froggie.
Last edited:
Summer, take a breath. Then go read the forums. A lot of the questions you're asking, here and in other threads, have been answered multiple times already. Do some research.
As to this question, you are confusing copyright and first publishing rights. Copyright attaches to your work the moment you write it and you keep it unless you give it away (which you should never do, unless it is a work for hire). When a publisher publishes your work, they get publishing rights, not the copyright. You, the author, keep the copyright. Do a search for copyright.
First publishing rights are for the first time you publish your work anywhere, including the internet. But you do not give up your first publishing rights if you post in a password protected forum, such as SYW. Do a search for first publishing rights.
Good luck.
As to this question, you are confusing copyright and first publishing rights. Copyright attaches to your work the moment you write it and you keep it unless you give it away (which you should never do, unless it is a work for hire). When a publisher publishes your work, they get publishing rights, not the copyright. You, the author, keep the copyright. Do a search for copyright.
First publishing rights are for the first time you publish your work anywhere, including the internet. But you do not give up your first publishing rights if you post in a password protected forum, such as SYW. Do a search for first publishing rights.
Good luck.
Yes, I have
I just wanted to check that it didn't void my copyright in my circumstances, as it would be a shame for me to be unable to publish it
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Calm down. Really. I know a lot of people seem to be coming down on you a bit hard over questions that - to you - must seem of vital importance, but if you spend a few days reading the forums you will get answers to all your major questions, I promise.
These things are always the first questions people without experience ask, so AW covers them with stickies.
Here. In case you're struggling with finding your way around, a few useful threads you really should read. These are the first things I read when I arrived.
Newbie Guide:
Absolute Write FAQs
The thread that directly answers your question
Advice on Share Your Work for newbies
SYW House rules
I know that when you first join and you know nothing about the boards and the wide wonderful world of writing that it can be overwhelming and you can panic, but just read those threads and breathe. You have time.
These things are always the first questions people without experience ask, so AW covers them with stickies.
Here. In case you're struggling with finding your way around, a few useful threads you really should read. These are the first things I read when I arrived.
Newbie Guide:
Absolute Write FAQs
The thread that directly answers your question
Advice on Share Your Work for newbies
SYW House rules
I know that when you first join and you know nothing about the boards and the wide wonderful world of writing that it can be overwhelming and you can panic, but just read those threads and breathe. You have time.
Calm down. Really. I know a lot of people seem to be coming down on you a bit hard over questions that - to you - must seem of vital importance, but if you spend a few days reading the forums you will get answers to all your major questions, I promise.
These things are always the first questions people without experience ask, so AW covers them with stickies.
Here. In case you're struggling with finding your way around, a few useful threads you really should read. These are the first things I read when I arrived.
Newbie Guide:
Absolute Write FAQs
The thread that directly answers your question
Advice on Share Your Work for newbies
SYW House rules
I know that when you first join and you know nothing about the boards and the wide wonderful world of writing that it can be overwhelming and you can panic, but just read those threads and breathe. You have time.
Thanks. I'll check them out now. *Breathes*
Many publishers don't. But there are forums where you can post work behind a password barrier, where you can argue whether it's been technically published. Also, short excerpts don't count unless the publisher wants to be a real A-hole about it.
You don't lose your copyright by putting stuff online. The only ways to lose your copyright are (a) to formally assign copyright to a publisher, site owner, etc, or (b) die and then wait 70 years.
What you can lose are 'first publication rights'. If your stuff is picked up by a publisher, you'll have to sign a contract in which you guarantee that the work hasn't been published elsewhere. You have to admit to the publisher that it's been on a public forum.
Technically, a private forum with limited membership is not 'published', which means, literally, made available to the public at large.
With the password blasted all over the site, I doubt that any publisher or court would consider SYW as truly private. But generally, it's up to a publisher's judgment. If he's got two stories, one with clear first pub rights and the other with dubious ones, he may prefer the former. But not always.
But you can't access it unless you're signed in. So, like any other forum, only members can see these special areas.
Also remember that posting stories on blogs, etc, is considered publication.
Even when a story is published you don't lose your copyright. You own you copyright until 70years after you die (which means you can will your rights). The only time you lose them is if you hand them over to someone else legally (but in general, you'd never do this. Only understand special circumstances, like work for hire in a franchise).
When a publisher purchases rights it's like they're renting the story. But only one person can be the first to "rent" it, so those rights are in high demand. Even after first publication rights have been used you can still sell the story again to a reprint venue, or an anthology, or you can publish it yourself.
Like any other property you own you can lend it out to a select few, rent it, let everyone you meet use it, or keep it hidden in the attic. None of that "voids" copyright. I imagine the only time your copyright could be found "voided" is if you've plagerised the work and never should have had the right to sell it in the first place.
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You can also edit your posts post crit and delete them.
Should a publisher inquire about the posting the critical phrases to insert are "private," temporary," "draft" and most importantly, "subsequently substantially revised."
And just as importantly, if not moreso, search engines can't access it (because they don't automatically enter the password). Thus if an agent or editor enters a sentence from the story, they won't find the story online. If it's posted in an "open" forum or a blog, it (almost certainly) WILL get indexed by search engines, and an agent or editor CAN find it online and see that it's been effectively published online. If it can't be found with a search engine, that's good enough to say it hasn't been published online.
You can find a sentence in this thread easily enough with Google:
http://www.google.com/search?q="Does+posting+my+story+on+here+void+copyright%3F"
but try that with any post in SYW and see if Google finds the text. If it does, it's almost certainly because it has been posted elsewhere, outside of a password-protected forum.
It has nothing to do with copyright, and nothing to do with rights at all, really. Any publisher can buy and publish any story they wish to buy and publish, and reject any story they wish to reject, for any reason or excuse at all.
If you actually use first rights, say by publishing your story on a blog, and publisher out there can still buy the story, still pay whatever they wish, and still treat it exactly like first rights.
If a magazine buys first rights, the only restriction is that anyone else want to buy publishing rights must wait until after the first magazine publishes the story.
With novels, first rights aren't even an issue. All that matters is whether a publisher still believes there's a market. Enough sales through self-publishing can cause a commercial publisher to grab a novel, just as many large commercial publishers have bought publication rights to novels first released by tiny commercial publishers. Tom Clancy and John Grisham both got started by having a novel sell to a small publisher, and then having a large publisher buy rights when the market potential looked promising.
It's always abut exposure, and whether a publisher believes there a big enough market for the story, and not about whether a story has technically been "published".
If you actually use first rights, say by publishing your story on a blog, and publisher out there can still buy the story, still pay whatever they wish, and still treat it exactly like first rights.
If a magazine buys first rights, the only restriction is that anyone else want to buy publishing rights must wait until after the first magazine publishes the story.
With novels, first rights aren't even an issue. All that matters is whether a publisher still believes there's a market. Enough sales through self-publishing can cause a commercial publisher to grab a novel, just as many large commercial publishers have bought publication rights to novels first released by tiny commercial publishers. Tom Clancy and John Grisham both got started by having a novel sell to a small publisher, and then having a large publisher buy rights when the market potential looked promising.
It's always abut exposure, and whether a publisher believes there a big enough market for the story, and not about whether a story has technically been "published".
Be careful with this one - I've heard many different thoughts about it. Mainly, it depends on the publisher. Some don't want you to have published it anywhere before, including on boards for feedback. That said, I believe that's why the feedback board was set up the way it has been, with a password. If however, you go a different route, all bets are off.
You have a valid point. Well, I'll be changing it before I submit it for publication anyway.
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Summer, just to clarify, this response is geared toward publication rights and has nothing to do with copyright.
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