Posting your Short Stories Online for Free

I was considering doing something similar myself, though directly on my own website. But I haven't exactly committed.

There's no protocol. They're your stories and you can do what you like with them. I would suggest you add a copyright note at the bottom (Copyright © Author Name 2013). Your stories are under copyright the moment you write them, and you don't have to mark them, but it's good to make it clear.

I have a few stories and poems on my site, but it's in addition to everything else I do. People usually find them either because they've read one of my published works, or they've seen me on Twitter. I doubt the stories alone would attract people.

Be aware that despite your copyright notice, if someone wants to take that story and put in on their own website--perhaps with their own name on it--there's nothing you can do about it. Yes, it's a copyright violation, but stopping it is going to cost more time that it's probably worth.

Maryn, who's seen it happen--but only with the good and/or sexually graphic

A couple dozen times--most of them either fan fiction for some person or musical group which is hot-hot-hot right now, or sexual materials.

Of course, I don't go looking for it. I don't read a lot of fiction online, unless someone recommends it.

What sort of material do you write?

I'm not a tech person by any means, but one approach might be the way images are sometimes shown online--a watermark identifying the ownership right across it, but see-through. Can you figure out a way to put an image of the text, watermarked, rather than the text itself?

Maryn, who's had work stolen, but the old fashioned way

That is really worrying. I guess it's a risk you take knowingly. A lot of amateur and published writers have short stories up on their websites for free.

If readers like your stories, they will copy them and post them all over the place. That's just how it is. IT's not only common, it's the norm.

Posting unpublished stories online won't help you build a platform, it just puts your stories in a place where you lose them. If you don't mind losing them, if you don't think they're egod enough to sell somewhere, then post them.

But if they really aren't good enough to sell, do you really want general readers, editors, and agents associating them with you?

I would say to keep trying publications. For me, it has been a long process to get into the journals and magazines. But going this route ensures that what is going to be out there with your name on it is good, good enough for someone to buy.

You'll also want to clearly read your website host's terms and conditions. There are several blog sites and free website hosts that license the copyright to themselves merely by you signing up for a site. They might not be required to pay or even notify you about deals they make to display or publish it elsewhere.

Yes, they're long and yes, they're boring to read (or to have someone with legal expertise interpret for you) but there are some real problem sites out there and it's wise to read the small print. Always read the small print.

The_Red_Wing said:

What's the protocol for this?

I was thinking of building a site and just posting some of my work for free. They haven't been accepted anywhere, so I thought I might as well get it out there somehow and, who knows, I might be able to build a platform or something.

However I have a few concerns: should I copyright the stories to protect them from being stolen? What about the "intellectual rights", so to speak?

I'm not planning to ever publish the stories I post online, so that part of it wouldn't be a concern.

Has anyone else tried this?

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Hi everyone, this is my first post under a new username as I lost the login details for my old one!

This is a very interesting topic, and something I considered doing early this year.

I think putting a limited amount your work online can only lead to good things. Yes,there are dangers and pitfalls such as people plagiarising your work, but there's is also the massive benefit of reaching a whole new audience and reaching hundreds of new readers.

I decided in January to put a new short story on my site on the last day of each month for the rest of 2013. I was hesitant at first, but then concluded that I want as many people as possible to read my words. Putting some short snippets online for free is a great way to begging building an online platform.

It would be horrible if someone stole your ideas, but at the end of the day they are just that...YOUR IDEAS! Get them on the page and get them out there I say.

There's more to consider than plagiarism/theft, which I wonder is a really big concern?

I think it can certainly be helpful to have free stuff available online - like a taster of your work. But tasters have to be good. If someone gives me a mouthful of a dish and I want to spit it out, I'm clearly not about to order a whole plate of the same thing.

You said that the stories you were thinking of putting online hadn't been accepted anywhere. I'd suggest that, before using them as free advertising, you be as sure as sure can be that they weren't rejected because they simply weren't good enough to publish. (Whoever said that there's no such thing as bad publicity was peddling bullshit to suckers.)

We've all written crap stories. I've written some that I thought were golden at the time, but really they were terrible and that's why they didn't have any takers. Likewise, I've written some that aren't selling but which I still have faith in. It's a fine line, assessing your own work.

Please note I'm not saying your stories aren't up to standard. I haven't read them, so how would I know? And it's not like I'm an expert - I've only sold a handful myself. It just seems like a common sense thing to consider, yes?

matt marshall said:

I think putting a limited amount your work online can only lead to good things. Yes,there are dangers and pitfalls such as people plagiarising your work, but there's is also the massive benefit of reaching a whole new audience and reaching hundreds of new readers.

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If what you post is GOOD, there may be benefits. If it's bad, however, you will suffer for it. You can really damage a potential career by posting fiction that just isn't very good. The last thing on earth you want is a bunch of people, including potential agents and editors, reading early, inferior work.

And if it is really good, you receive far more benefits by selling it first, and posting it only after the money is gone.

Would a book publishing company be interested in an anthology of short stories some of which are published on-line. Or does it make it harder for them to want to publish it if they are already in e-zines.

This is just my experience, but getting a publisher (or an agent) for a collection of short stories is hard enough by itself. If any of them were published online, it would make it virtually impossible.

I can see a benefit to putting them online for free if they are intended to attract readers to purchase some of your other work.

Otherwise, if you're having trouble getting the picked up in short markets, it seems like there are two other options:

1. Rewrite them based on beta critique.

2. Self publish them and charge a .99 or whatever the going rate is.

I guess I can see the allure of just wanting to put them out there to get an audience. But I do think it's worth exploring ways to benefit from the work you put into them.

Just my two cents.