# can posting in here damage your chances of getting published



## grahamguitarman (Jan 8, 2012)

I was just looking at a writing forum my friend visits, to see what it was like, and came across a rather worrying thread that had been stickied.

Apparently if you publish too much of your novel online it can damage your chances of getting a publishing deal.  This is because anything previously posted online is regarded as published.  
So if you post too much of your novel for critique it could be classed as previously published and rejected by a publisher.

The advice given by those with experienced in working for publishers was that anything more than a chapter would be rather dodgy in terms of being classed as published  (it would actually be classed as a reprint)

It is okay to post into a password protected, special access group, ie one with restricted access.  Does our show case qualify as a special access group, given that you have to make so many posts before you can enter?

Any thoughts?


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## sashamerideth (Jan 8, 2012)

Even a special access password protected section of a site would possibly fall foul of some  publisher's rules. I have heard of exceptions for posting first draft material, so long as it will undergo major changes before being submitted. I do not know any more than that, and even that may be wrong.


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## Devor (Jan 8, 2012)

The Showcase doesn't show up in a Google search.  It seems likely to me that you could take down whatever you've put up here.  I'm feeling a little skeptical of whether the same is true for the portfolios, I would have to play with the system a bit.


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## zizban (Jan 8, 2012)

Posting your novel online gives away what is called "first rights". Therefore a publisher would buying reprint rights to your books. Publishing is weird that way. You'll sometimes see on a publisher's pages "If your work has published before, even on your blog, we will not accept it." It's rare, but it happens.

I only post my writing on password protected forums and behind a password on my blog.


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## Black Dragon (Jan 8, 2012)

There is a lot of misinformation and paranoia about this topic across the internet.  The reality is that there's very little to worry about. 

I researched this subject when Mythic Scribes first opened.  Here's what it comes down to:

If you are posting pieces of a work in-progress in a protected forum, that does not count as publication in any way.  First publication rights issues don't even come into play.

Our "Showcase" forum is concealed from search engines, and is not wide open to the world in general.  Posting a work in there is not the equivalent of publishing it.  It's no different than sharing a manuscript with your local writing group for a critique.

However, if you were to take a completed work and give the whole thing away for free on a website, then you could run into issues with publishers.  That could be considered a form of self-publication.  But even then it's not necessarily the end of the line.  Many self-published books have gone on to be picked up by major publishers.



> It is okay to post into a password protected, special access group, ie  one with restricted access.  Does our show case qualify as a special  access group, given that you have to make so many posts before you can  enter?



Yes, it does.  It's restricted from the general public, and is considered password protected, as a casual visitor is unable to access it unless he possesses the password of a member with sufficient privileges.



> The Showcase doesn't show up in a Google search.  It seems likely to me  that you could take down whatever you've put up here.  I'm feeling a  little skeptical of whether the same is true for the portfolios, I would  have to play with the system a bit.



With each individual portfolio entry, you can choose to make it public or restricted.  If it's restricted, only members whom you have added to your contact list can view it.  You can also choose to make your entire portfolio private, so that only members of Mythic Scribes can view it.  This is explained in the Getting Started with Your Portfolio thread.

You also possess full control over what's in your portfolio.  You can add or remove entries as you see fit.

As a rule, we recommend that members refrain from posting anything publicly in their portfolios which is intended for later publication.  However, even doing that doesn't mean that it can't be published elsewhere.  Many, many bestselling books first appeared online as blogs.


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## Steerpike (Jan 8, 2012)

Actually, some publishers do in fact consider a work published, even in a password protected forum, if it is a forum where anyone can sign up easily and get a password to view it. I don't know how prevalent that is, but I've heard that view directly from some editors over the past few years.

Know your market. Check the publisher's guidelines, and if any doubt remains send them a quick message. Better to be on the safe side.


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## grahamguitarman (Jan 9, 2012)

Black Dragon said:


> Our "Showcase" forum is concealed from search engines, and is not wide open to the world in general. Posting a work in there is not the equivalent of publishing it. It's no different than sharing a manuscript with your local writing group for a critique.
> 
> 
> Does our show case qualify as a special access group, given that you have to make so many posts before you can enter?
> ...



Thats good to know  answers my biggest concern I think.


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## MichaelSullivan (Jan 9, 2012)

I'm so with BlackDragon on this one. People are too paranoid about posting their work for fear of pissing off a publisher. First off the chances of any publisher finding it are smaller than a needle in a haystack. Secondly...and I can't emphasize this enough. Breaking the first printing cherry is not what it once was. Look at me as an example. I had fully published 5 of 6 book series and received a six-figure contract. It wasn't for "reprint rights" it was just for "the right to publish".  The only downside is my books are disqualified from some of the awards that require that the book was first published in xxxx year but a publisher is NOT going to walk away from a project if they discover the seal is broken.


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## Johnny Cosmo (Jan 9, 2012)

> I'm so with BlackDragon on this one. People are too paranoid about posting their work for fear of pissing off a publisher. First off the chances of any publisher finding it are smaller than a needle in a haystack.



Unless they Google search a quote or two from the work, which would make it _much_ easier to find. Not that I'm saying I disagree with you on a whole though, because I don't know enough about publishing to give an opinion on this thread.


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## Devor (Jan 9, 2012)

Johnny Cosmo said:


> Unless they Google search a quote or two from the work, which would make it _much_ easier to find. Not that I'm saying I disagree with you on a whole though, because I don't know enough about publishing to give an opinion on this thread.



Again, the showcase doesn't show up in Google.


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## Johnny Cosmo (Jan 9, 2012)

> Again, the showcase doesn't show up in Google.



Even though the thread is about posting in the showcase, I assumed he was talking about posting online in general, because the rest of the post was about his experience outside of these forums.

*Edit: *But yeah, I realise I didn't make what I was talking about clear at all.

*Edit 2: *Actually, it wasn't even important for me to say anyway. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I posted this...


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## Caged Maiden (Feb 29, 2012)

I just googled my book intro in my portfolio and it showed up third on the list under a youtube video of someone's online character by the same name.......


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## Caged Maiden (Feb 29, 2012)

Google

hmm... that's not good.


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## Caged Maiden (Feb 29, 2012)

AAK I don't want to change my title, I love it!!!!!


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## Caged Maiden (Feb 29, 2012)

Actually, here's my other one I found googling.  Google

Is it just because it's on my computer?  I hope that doesn't sound dumb, but like, If I were googling from some other computer would they not have access to Mythic Scribes' Portfolios?


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## Steerpike (Feb 29, 2012)

I wouldn't worry about the name or title threads you are getting into the area of someone's protected trademark.


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## Steerpike (Feb 29, 2012)

It is not because it is on your computer. Anyone can find it.


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## LestatPublishing2000 (Feb 29, 2012)

Instead of using your main flagship work why not use smaller works that showcase your writing style without revealing your main works. Anything published online to forums, message boards etc is considered a form of self-publishing and with large amounts of your works self-published online it could deter some publishers but if it's used a lure marketing to show some content of your book, I would always state that is what it is meant to be.  Or perhaps alternative versions that overview a chapter of your book without revealing the real story line.  I would personally start with smaller short stories, lyrics /poems etc and establish credentials in that fashion. Publishers like ours will establish lyrics/poems on a more frequent basis than entire publishing with upfront and royalty fees for large scale deals, and we'll look at the established/registered works and past dealings with publishers to make sure you have a clear understanding of the processes/paper work you'll be involved with.

If you'd like information on professionally registering  smaller scale works (lyrics/poems) with us, 
contact us through the forum, as it is a service we offer to help new writers  establish credentials with our US publishing company.


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## Caged Maiden (Feb 29, 2012)

I was just confused because I too thought that the portfolio entries were only visible to Mythic Scribes users, guests or members, only if you allowed it.  I wasn't aware it would show on a google search, but it does.  I'm not too torn up about it, as it's just the introductions to two of me books, but I will definitely have to consider future posts in my portfolio.  I put the posts up there because no one in my real life even knows I write, so nothing has been proofread by anyone but me.  I had hoped to get feedback from other writers, but now I will have to rethink it all.


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## grahamguitarman (Feb 29, 2012)

As I understand now, it the showcase is private and not visible to searches, but the portfolio is public, and therefore easily viewable to the public.  This is why your work showed up in Google.  If all you want is feedback then the showcase is where you should be anyway!


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## Black Dragon (Feb 29, 2012)

Anihow,

You can make your portfolio only visible to Mythic Scribes members.  It's explained here in the instructions:

Getting Started with Your Portfolio

Anything that's visible to guests will show up in Google searches.  But if you restrict your portfolio to members, then Google will not see it.


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