Monday, January 31, 2011

Should Writers Post Their Work Online?

We’ve all heard a gazillion times how important it is to have a website if you’re an author or even an aspiring author. More and more publishers and agents want to see how you can promote your brand. Are readers interested in your posts? Do you have many followers? Will people visit your site to check for blurbs or samples of your books?

Many posts have been written about whether or not to share samples of your unpublished work on your site. Here’s my take on it. I believe it’s okay to post something you’re revising if you’re looking for feedback as long as it’s clear that’s what you’re doing. You don’t want anyone to think that jumble of words represents a final product. This includes query letters and a chapter here and there. However, I wouldn’t post a synopsis or a large chunk of one manuscript on your site unless it’s a part of your promotional material from your published novel (and your publisher has given you permission to do so.)

Recently, I read about a woman who’d been given, what I believe to be, bad advice. An editor told her that she shouldn’t post her query letter online because someone could steal her idea, but that posting a chapter or two is fine. While this writer claimed to get advice from an editor, I’m not sure what kind of editor would say such things. First of all, you can’t copyright an idea. There’s no unique plot. For example, we know that a romance novel will consist of a hero and heroine drawn together, but kept apart, only to reunite in the end. The basis behind every story has been done before in some shape or form. Agents and editors will tell you that until your head is ready to explode. What makes your story different is the characters and your voice. That’s something that is very difficult to copy, so I wouldn’t worry about posting your query letter. Besides, a query blurb is only supposed to peak the reader’s curiosity, not spell out the ending. Years ago, I took a writing course where the instructor had the students use a sentence or paragraph and turn it into a story. Everyone started with the same piece, but not a single one produced the same story. So, to say that someone would read the query letter and steal the story idea is not realistic. They might start the story in a similar fashion, but would never be able to come up with the same character issues or plot twists as you because YOU ARE UNIQUE.

This editor believed a published author, who could write up a story in a few months, would grab the idea and have the story published before you had a chance to have yours published. Can you see the flaw in that philosophy? Published authors don’t go around stealing ideas from unpublished authors. They don’t need to do that. They’re published and have their own ideas. Anyway, the writer posting her query shouldn’t be worried about perfecting her query until her novel is polished and ready to go. In which case, this supposed published author and idea stealer wouldn’t have time to produce something else before this first writer had her work in front of agents and editors.

Another problem I had with this advice was that the editor claimed it was okay to post unpublished chapters online. Here’s where this can cause some issues when you’re dealing with an agent or editor. All the material you’ve posted online is now considered published. Some editors won’t touch that same material because of it. In theory, posting a sample on your website may have lost you the opportunity to sign with some publishing houses. Do you want to take that risk? The other dilemma is that once you’ve put something out into cyberland, it’s there forever. Most likely, whatever you wanted to post as a sample of your writing would be edited and polished even more once you have an agent and editor on your side. Do you really want copies of your not-so-shiny manuscript out there for the world to see? This is not to be confused with samples from a published book (as long as you have permission from your publisher to post.) These samples are exact replications of what the public will find in your book and therefore accurately represent your writing.

If you’re unpublished, what do you post on your website? How do you attract readers? I’ll get into that in another post.

24 comments:

  1. I only post my chapters to a closed membership site. The other stuff are articles/stories I've sold or given away. Good reminder that what's on the 'net stays around to haunt us.

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  2. I think you're absolutely right about posting chapters online. There are a number of reasons why it's not a good idea. As you said, it's a kind of publication and can keep it from further publication. Plus, even if you say you're asking for critique--do you really want your sucky first draft read by agents and publishers? (Yes, they do check our blogs when they're considering representation.)

    I'm not sure about query letters either. I used to think just what you said here--"It's not the idea; it's how you express it." But I'm hearing more and more about the importance of protecting your logline, especially if it's unique. Because in your query you're going to be expressing what's unique about your book, you just might be giving away something valuable.

    This is an important topic. I don't think writers should post creative work online unless they're willing to see it go into the public domain. (After a story has been published and the designated exclusive period is up.)

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  3. Your topic discussion assumes that the person posting their work on their website/blog will eventually become a published author and yet we keep hearing about how only the teeny-tiniest percentage of submitted work actually gets published.
    What's a desperate writer to do?
    Posting excerpts of my work as entries for blogfests/hops on my blog and getting positive feedback and constructive criticism has been great. It makes those rejection letters sting less and makes me want to write more.

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  4. The only times I have ever posted excerpts from unpublished work is when I have participated in critiques offered by bloggers. (And that's only been once or twice, I believe!)

    I too have heard that posting anything on your blog is considered "publishing" it and I don't ever want to ruin the chance of one of my books being published simply for the fact that I posted an excerpt on my blog.

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  5. I only publish things if I'm participating in a blogfest and I usually say in the beginning that it's a work in progress and invite viewers to comment on how I can make it better. I'm always really cautious about what I post (I think) and it's not usually more than a couple paragraphs. Great post!

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  6. Anne: You're right. Editors and agents sometimes check a writer's blog before signing him/her, but I doubt that having your work up for feedback will scare them off. Sure, they might see that you still had something to learn, but why should they care? As long as you can produce a polished manuscript, the way you go about it isn't going to matter.

    As for protecting your logline... If you're working on your query, you should be ready to send out your ms. I really doubt that in the time it takes a writer to perfect their query, someone else with a similar story is going to see their query, steal their log line, and beat this writer to agent hunting. If posting queries was such a risk, why do agents critique them on their blogs? They wouldn't do this if it could hurt potential clients.

    Heather: Very good point. If a writer isn't seeking publication, then I can't see why they shouldn't post their work online. At least this way, someone would see it, and they could even build an online readership for their work. However, if you're getting rejection letters, that tells me you do hope to be published some day. If you're looking for feedback, both positive and as constructive criticism, I suggest you join a critique group instead. That way, you'll get the feedback you need without exposing your work to cyberland.

    Great discussion. Thanks everyone!

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.lynnettelabelle.com

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  7. Lynnette, Your post really opened my eyes today. Thank you for taking the time to put this it together. In the very recent past I have made the mistake of posting snippets on my blog. I've taken them down and have removed them from my blog. Thank goodness they were just a few lines and not anything that could compromise my possibilities of getting published.

    What I did do is create and share a couple of banners to help motivate me. What are your thoughts on this method of sharing?

    ~Talina
    http://bookinitalong.blogspot.com/

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  8. Wow! Things I Did Not Know 101.

    Thank you!

    I'm unpublished. I've posted a jacket copy style synopsis w/o ending on my blog and also a brief excerpt (about 2/3 of a page). Good to know that I should do this only in draft stage and sparingly at that.

    Although I suspect that my profligate posting isn't the MAIN reason I'm not published, sadly.

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  9. Anyone who steals another writer's idea, then churns out a book, has probably churned out a pretty lousy book.

    Which means the original author is still more likely to get published.

    I try to only post my work for critique on closed membership sites, but I doubt that publishing a few chapters online would harm a person's chances of being published--now.

    A few years ago, people were quite worried about this issue, but I believe the mindset has changed. An excerpt is not the whole book, and as long as the whole book isn't available for free, then I suspect publishers would not balk at the writer having posted a few pages online.

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  10. Talina: I looked at the banners on your blog and I don't see a problem.

    Lora96: The jacket copy style could be considered the blurb in your query, right? As long as it doesn't reveal more than that, you're fine.

    jjdebenedictis: I wish that were the case, but I've read a couple of "warnings" from agents lately that says this is still a no-no.

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.lynnettelabelle.com

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  11. Personally, I never post work from my actual manuscripts online. My blog content, contest entries, etc is purely original and meant for that purpose. I don't think it's a good idea, mostly for the reasons you've stated above.

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  12. i think you cant walk around worrying about stuff like this....the odds are slim

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  13. I just started blogging, so I can't say I have a habit of doing anything yet. So far, I've been writing original stuff that I come up with that day, whatever I've come across that I'm thinking about. I don't think I would want to share my stories with my readers (even if I had more than 1 follower), just for the reason that I feel it's easier to get feedback face to face because you can get explanations if something is confusing.
    I try to draw people in by writing posts that are provocative and interesting (at least I hope that's what they are), and hope that if people like my writing style and my voice, and maybe even my sense of humor, they'll keep checking in.

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  14. This is mixed feelings topic for me.

    My writers group uses writing prompts to kick start our muse at the beginning of our sessions. One of my favorites was a last line statement; whatever you wrote had to end with exactly the sentence. It was amazing the different story avenues to get there. Even the couple that had the same themes weren't exactly alike.

    Yes, publishing your work on your blog could be construed as "published". You are giving away for free what you MAY be able to publish in other venues. I subscribe to a number of free e-zines, and enjoy reading the stories. Is posting on your own blog any different than submitting to something that is viewed nationally by thousands (or millions) or readers who don't pay for the publication? Don't agents and editors read those publications for new talent?

    I agree with Heather about the chances of an author finding a Top Agent or being published by a Big House. Yes, I hope like hell that happens for me. And if the agent/publisher turns me down b/c some version of a few scenes was first published on the blog, well . . I just don't know. More and more the publishing industry is relying on on-line exposure.

    I post some excerpts hoping that if an agent/editor likes my query or story idea, but isn't sure of my writing skills, they might see what I've polished up for a blog fest entry and get to know my style a bit more. Any agent that thinks an aspiring writer isn't in need of some editing help probably doesn't accept submissions from un-published authors anyway.

    For me, its worth the risk for the immediate feedback. I've learned a lot about my writing style and polishing techniques from the blogging community. Pitting my talents against other writers - some of them so awesome I can't believe they're not published - is good writing lessons. I see what I'm doing well, and where I need improvement.

    Ah, I could rant on. I guess I understand the controversy, and accept the risks. I think I'm careful in what I post - but like you say Lynn, you can't patent an idea, and there are a lot of the same ones out there.

    .......dhole

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  15. Wow, great contradicting advice. LOL! I've seen blogs that have WIP pages, and they list, titles, and what stages their manuscript are at, what's the take on that? Nothing is quoted from the book, just title, word count, genre... like a mini fact sheet and a one line blurb what the WIP is about.

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  16. Great discussion, everyone.

    Donna: I think what it all boils down to is that the writer has to decide what he/she feels comfortable doing, but knowing the possible risks. Some will be willing to take them because they're probably small, but others will feel safer staying away from anything that could potentially hurt their chances of getting published down the line. If I was the editor of a publishing house and I wanted to publish a novel that has in part been "published" online, I'd probably ask the author to rewrite those part enough that they'd appear different. BUT, that's just me.

    Tanya: I don't see anything wrong with the "tickers" that show the reader where the writer is with his/her current WIP. There's a risk that someone could steal the title, but there's a better chance that the editor will change the title anyway, so I wouldn't worry about that.

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.lynnettelabelle.com

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  17. Lynnette Labelle - Thank you for your response. Yes. I have sent out queries and received my rejection letters. Being a published author would be great, but it doesn't seem like it's in the cards.
    I guess I am using my blog community as my crit group. And as Donna said, the immediate feedback is worth the risk.
    What no one explains is why 'Some editors won’t touch that same [published online] material because of it.'
    So what if my 65 followers have read a few chapters? Why wouldn't a publisher/editor/agent want to acquire it? What makes that taboo?
    Thanks again for the discussion.
    HMG

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  18. Heather: Unfortunately, I haven't read an actual explanation as to why publishers won't touch something that's been "published" on a blog. I have a few guess though. Editors want writers to have an online presence because they believe your followers will buy your book. Now, if these same followers have already been exposed to parts of the book, maybe they wouldn't buy it because the "new book factor" isn't there. Of course, you can flip the coin and say maybe they would buy the book because they are excited to see how it ends or they enjoyed what they'd read so far.

    So, what could it be then? Is it that publishers simply want to control what material their authors put out there because it not only affects the author's brand, but the publisher's as well? I'm really not sure.

    Does anybody know?

    As for your writing career, Heather... If you need professional assistance with your manuscript, I know of a great editor/writing coach. ;)

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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  19. Lynette,

    Question...What's the difference of putting your work on critique groups and on-line classes?? Isn't this basically the same thing as putting it up on your blog? Others can see it, it is published...

    Dawn

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  20. Dawn: If it's a closed loop like with online courses or if your blog is closed so only certain people can see it, somehow that makes all the difference. It's when the text is available for all the world to see that some agents and editors have issues.

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.lynnettelabelle.com

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  21. Lynnette Labelle - Thanks for responding. Really nice of you to take the time. I don't know why they would have an issue either. And maybe it's going out of style slightly considering the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest accepts both unpublished and self-published entries.
    We shall see.
    As for your offer, I'm sure professional assistance will be required eventually since I'm not cutting it on my own.
    Thanks again.
    HMG

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  22. Heather: You might be right about the Amazon BNA. It'll be interesting to see. As for your manuscript, you know where to reach me when you're ready. ;)

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.labelleseditorialservices.com

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  23. Interesting post! I enjoyed reading it. I'm planning on releasing one of my novels open source. (At the end of 2011, I will be a published author, as I have 2 middle grade books coming out). What is your take on that? I'm just curious. I'm set in my plan to offer my work to people for free. The purpose of publishing is to share stories with an audience. Obviously, the biggest difference is getting paid or not getting paid for doing it. But, there can be other rewards besides money.

    If you're curious you can check out my blog and read a sample of my writing...and, of course, stay tuned. I plan to start post weekly increments of my story in about 6-8 weeks:-)

    http://thelitexpress.blogspot.com/2011/01/fresh-from-my-fingertips.html

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  24. Rane: I agree with you. Every writer has his/her own reason(s) for being published. For some, sharing their work is more important than being financially compensated. For others, it's the opposite. I think most writers fall somewhere in the middle. Do whatever feels right for you. :)

    Lynnette Labelle
    www.lynnettelabelle.com

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