Posted in Blog Means Published?

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thewritegirl

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I wasn't sure where to post this.

I have read conflicting opinions about blog posts. So, thought I'd ask here.
If you posted something on your blog-- is it considered published?
 

Wayne K

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I'm not an expert, but I would vote No.

I consider being published an acceptance of some kind. A deal whereby I'm selling my writing.
 

AnonymousWriter

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I am not an expert, either. This is just my opinion.

I'm swinging towards Yes. If the writing is on view to public eye then I would consider that published.
 

Wayne K

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I can start my own blog and post something, and then consider myself published?
 

AnonymousWriter

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It seems to me that the OP is wondering if they can submit a piece to a publisher (short story, article, whatever) if they have it on their blog.

It would seem strange of the publisher to print their work, and expect people to pay for it when the writer has made it available online for free.
 

Wayne K

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Then I'm not reading the question right.
 

dgrintalis

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Anonymous, I think that's what the OP is asking, IMO.

And I agree with your response. I posted a short story on my blog, then some of my fellow horror writers told me I should send it out into the world, so I pulled it off my site right away.
 

thewritegirl

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It seems to me that the OP is wondering if they can submit a piece to a publisher (short story, article, whatever) if they have it on their blog.

That's, pretty much, what I was asking. I had a poem that I had put up on my blog, but have removed. I was wondering if it would be considered previously published, since it was on my blog ( though not for long ).
 

AnonymousWriter

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I'm just guessing but I think if you've removed the poem now then you should be okay. Just as long as the only place people can read the poem is through a publisher you're submitting to, then I'm guessing it's fine.
 

Izz

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The short answer is 'Yes, it is considered published, unless the magazine guidelines say otherwise.' As CT said, there's plenty of threads that go into the whys and wherefores, etc, and that can easily be found using the search function. :)
 

veinglory

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If you have posted it online you have used first electronic publishing rights. Publishers may still be interested in it but I would suggest being open about it.
 
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KTC

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I'm not an expert, but I would vote No.

I consider being published an acceptance of some kind. A deal whereby I'm selling my writing.


Well...the writing is up on a blog, so it's been seen by eyes. This means it's been read for free. The answer is yes. Why would anybody want to pay to publish your work if people can read it for free on a blog? First rights are already taken when you post it to your blog.
 

KTC

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I can start my own blog and post something, and then consider myself published?

Oh, there is a sea of wonder in this one. Some self published authors would seriously consider themselves published...even though they published themselves. This is a can of worms you really don't want to open. It's one of those questions that can have 48 pages of back and forth argument on.
 

KTC

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Quite a lot of submission guidelines will say specifically that they do not take previously published work...and they will list what they consider previously published. These days, that list quite frequently includes blogs and internet sites. Interestingly, over the past few months I've seen something new appearing in guidelines. They are more and more saying that work posted to a password protected writing critique site is okay...they do not consider that published. I guess more and more places are realizing this happens...I found it interesting that this is showing up a lot lately.
 

Wayne K

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Wait. To post something in SYW is considered published?
 

KTC

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Wait. To post something in SYW is considered published?

No. It's just that now some publications are actually clarifying that this is okay...not something you saw a lot of until recently.
 

Wayne K

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Oh good. The champagne will stay corked then.




Unless the vodka runs out.
 

benbradley

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That's, pretty much, what I was asking. I had a poem that I had put up on my blog, but have removed. I was wondering if it would be considered previously published, since it was on my blog ( though not for long ).
Probably when submitting you should say "I had this on my blog for two weeks" or however long it was.
Wait. To post something in SYW is considered published?
Not like posting something on a blog. SYW is password protected, so it doesn't get index in Google or other search engines. It takes enough extra effort for some 'flyby' surfer to to read something in SYW (they have to find the page with the SYW password, then go into that forum and read your work), that it's not considered published (you could legitimately sell "first electronic rights" of something posted in SYW to an online publisher).
Which is looking good.
It's looking good that the vodka is running out?

You speak in so many parables...
 

Izz

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Probably when submitting you should say "I had this on my blog for two weeks" or however long it was.
A lot of magazines accept reprints, but pay at a different rate and ask that the cover letter specifies where the piece was published, which is especially where ben's advice comes in handy. Remember, that even if you've deleted something from your blog technically it has still been published--much like you can sell a story to an ezine and after the contracted period ask them to remove it from their archives, but even though no record will exist any longer of it having been published by that mag, it still has been. Of course, everybody has their own ethical and moral standpoint as t0 whether they would delete something from a blog and sub it as brand new.

I've come across two magazines who specifically say that they *don't* consider something posted on a blog as published, but unless they say that then one needs to assume that they would consider something posted on a blog as published.

And if they explicitly state 'no reprints' then it would be best not to sub to them.
 

bsolah

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...much like you can sell a story to an ezine and after the contracted period ask them to remove it from their archives, but even though no record will exist any longer of it having been published by that mag, it still has been.

A side question, related to this. I had a short published in 2004 on a website, Vibewire.net but it's no longer on their website. Also the same for an ezine that no longer exists in any form at all.

If I cite these as publishing credits, who's to say I'm not just lying?
 

Phaeal

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A side question, related to this. I had a short published in 2004 on a website, Vibewire.net but it's no longer on their website. Also the same for an ezine that no longer exists in any form at all.

If I cite these as publishing credits, who's to say I'm not just lying?

Don't know how much this will help, but when I'm published online, I make a paper copy of the work, including the website's skin and all that. That's what I put in my file for that piece, instead of an actual paper mag or journal containing the published piece.
 
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