With the rise of blogs it is important to know what will and will not help your writing business. To try to draw attention to their writing some authors have begun to post their writing on the internet. Published authors will usually offer a first chapter [with the permission of the publishing house] as a way to entice readers and draw them in the story. This is an excellent way to grab readers if you have strong writing and an excellent hook. This method of marketing will continue to grow as online book purchases and the proliferation of Ebook technology allows for the instant gratification of an in-store purchase.
There are, however, times when a person should NOT post their writing on the internet. In these circumstances posting the stories online can lead to major problems for authors [some of them quite costly].
1. Do not post full books, articles or stories online if you ever intend to sell them. Once a book is on the internet it is considered to be published and thus you cannot offer first rights to a publisher.
2. Do not post parts of books or full books, articles or stories if you have sold them to or contracted them with a publisher/magazine. You could be in breach of contract if you do. I have seen authors so excited about selling an article that they say “I just sold this article to a publisher. I’m so excited.” And then they post the full article on their blog. This is a gigantic no-no and can result in the magazine cancelling your story.
3. Do not post anything online that is not your best work. There is a possibility that an editor or agent WILL see it and you want them to see your best. Along these same lines to do not post inappropriate content like gross medical issues, intimate physical relationships, or other things you would not put on your resume.
4. Do not put up anything criticizing or accusing people in your industry. While honest book reviews or other materials are okay, mean spirited jabs about an editor who didn’t like your work are not acceptable and could hurt your chances later on.
The bottom line when working online is let common-sense reign. Stories [and by that I mean fiction and non-fiction] should always be well done and should be used to give a sample of your work to make others hungry for more. Your free online articles could lead to strong revenues if seen by the right people.
To read more on a similar topic follow these links:
9 ways to promote your books on the internet
Sara Paretsy and V.I. Warshawski tell secrets of selling your writing
Writing 101 Promoting your book on blogs
Comments
Article is hard to read without spacing.
Another very fine article, Tiffany. I'm going twitter it, b/c writers need to know this. I often see on online discussion groups that a writer under contract to a publisher is planning to post large segments of their book online. As you say, this is a big no-no.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!