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Internet Publication - What is it Anyway? Thunderquill Article - December 2006 - Article updated with new information Feb. 2007 What is considered publication? You would think this would be a relatively easy question to answer, but with the new advancements in technology and the different ways that information is shared, especially on the internet, it's becoming more difficult to come up with the proper definition for the word publication. On the internet, if you actually display your story on a web page or forum, it is indeed considered publication by most editors and industry professionals. But what if you have posted a file that can be down-loaded to your visitor's own computer; is that considered actual publication? Well, I've just finished making a number of phone calls and I am waiting to hear back from editors and various legal and journalism consultants to answer that very question. Hold on, it could be awhile . . . Okay, after hours and hours of waiting, I'm back and the news is not good. Yes, it would seem that a downloadable text file, posted on a website is considered by most of the legal consulting parties involved, to be publication. And as you can imagine this does not bode well for many of the would-be authors who have decided to have downloadable text files on their site, mistakenly believing that it is not considered actual publication. And here's the funny part, they may be right, at least in part. Sorry, am I confusing you? Just wait until I do an article on copyright, then you'll be really perplexed. But allow me to confuse you on one subject at a time. While most legal sources confirmed that downloadable text files presented on a website, to be published material, they also noted it was a very grey area, hence the reason they had such difficulty in answering the question to begin with. To complicate matters, I spoke to an editor who said, he would not consider a downloadable text file on a website to be published material. For him, publication meant an article or story that was on display, like what you would see on a web-page or newspaper. In other words, there is no clear-cut answer to this question. What it boils down to, if you send a story submission to a publisher, you also had available on your website as a downloadable file, it would be up to the individual editor or publisher doing the buying, as to whether or not they consider it to be previously published material. For most publishing-industry professionals, it comes down to who, and how many people had access to the story before they did. And this would be information, you'd be obligated to furnish to such a party, if they wished to acquire your piece for their publication. In any case, one has to ask the question if having a downloadable file on your site or homepage is really a good idea. After all, publication within itself extends some form of protection, because it displays your article along with a credit byline as something created by you. In confusing contrast, making a story available for easy download, without it actually being seen on your site pages, may leave your visitors with the mistaken impression they can do whatever they like with your material if you don't state very specific terms of use and copyright notice up front and within the contents of the file itself. Of course, my own attorney (who's also a concerned family member), vehemently advised against having one's original writing available in a down-loadable file, especially if there is no way to determine who's doing the downloading. Truthfully, it just makes it that much easier for someone to steal or misuse your work, because you're giving it to them freely, word for word. And this could prove to be a very sticky dilemma for a judge to resolve, if the issues of rights of use or ownership should ever arise in court. Still there are rare instances where making a file available for download can be helpful, especially now that many internet and paper publications are allowing submissions through email. Just use common sense and do the proper research to confirm the identity of the persons asking to have access to your work and save copies of all the correspondence you have with such parties. Of course, there are other handy options for new authors, with nice side-benefits you may not have yet considered, like publication in a forum. After all once you publish your story or article in such a venue, the listing automatically tells you exactly how many times it has been viewed and in most forums you're allowed to remove the posting, if the material receives an opportunity for paper publication. In fact, you may wish to keep the piece posted, so that a buying editor has the chance to confirm the information you've given him, along with viewing any positive feedback provided by readers and other writers. And if your piece proves to be quite popular, supported by positive reviews from readers, it might actually help you make the sale to that inquiring editor. In yet another strange turn, that same editor may decide that sharing your work in a writer's forum, is similar to passing out copies to your friends and really isn't considered official publication by his or her standards. However yet again, that would be a decision left to the individual editor. But if you're lucky, you may still have a slim chance at selling first serial rights, if your story hasn't been viewed too many times. Besides if you're an unknown scribe just starting out, it's likely there will be very little, or no difference between the pay of First Serial Rights and One Time Rights. Considering all the newbie writers trying to get their work out there, it's regrettable that I couldn't offer a more clear-cut answer to this question. But if you'd like to do more research on this and many other subjects around copyright and trademark issues, you can go to The Publishing Law Center. This comprehensive site covers a number of legal areas of interest to writers, including the internet and other forms of electronic media. And if you find anything interesting, please let me know. Or better yet, write an article on the subject. Copyright © 2006 by Thunderquill. All Rights Reserved. |
Website Basics for Quill Bunnies on the Bounce |
Short Story Format and Presentation for the Web Thunderquill Article - December 2006 One of the best venues for a budding author to spread their wings, is on their own website or home page. And presenting your fiction on the web offers some colorful and creative possibilities that are just not possible with paper publication. Even so I've been a little slow to follow along in some areas. As a fiction traditionalist, I've been somewhat resistant in changing my ways in regards to formatting my short stories for the web. Besides, I rather like the paragraph indent and want my fiction to look like it does in a book. But reading a story on a web page is different than reading it on paper, because it's harder on the eye and one can easily lose their place. So this begs the question, what's the best way to format and present your short stories on a website? You'll quickly find most short fiction you read on the internet is usually formatted with single spacing with a double space in-between paragraphs. (The same format that's being used for this article.) Gone is the paragraph-indent, now being given a much needed vacation. But one would be well advised to bring it back from holiday, along with double spacing for contest entries and professional submissions to paper publications, because this format is strictly for the internet. Now this layout looks fine for articles, but doesn't look very professional for short fiction, thus the reason I've been dragging my little web-feet in making the switch. Still there are advantages to this format, because of the way readers change when they're on the internet. A devoted reader will curl up with a book for hours, but once they're on the web they click that little mouse, like a television remote with windows going up left and right. Considering this, it's best to go with a simple format that flows better and will allow a reader to easily find where they left off, if they should become briefly enchanted by another web page. Of course with of all those flirty web-links out there, you'll quickly find the need to devise other devious ways to keep your reader's attention other than writing really good fiction. And when in doubt, it's always best to give them something pretty to look at. You may even want to pick a particular background that evokes a certain type of mood or place that sets the tone for your story. Eye-strain is also something to consider here, so you may want to avoid using white or neon-colored backgrounds because they're too bright. I tend to go with dark or black backgrounds because they're easy on the eye, but they can cause problems for the sight impaired, so use a light colored font that's size 12 bold or better. Still when it comes to colors, tans, soft pastels and middle hues are the best for reading. Now some authors would say trying to make things look pretty is yet another sign of lack of professionalism. But in this case, I feel professionalism is secondary to keeping your reader's interest. And that comes back to giving them something pretty to look at. Besides, I've come to accept the fact that I have certain tendencies towards art and color, that I just can't quell. Maybe there's a support group I could join the help me with the problem. But now you're wondering if there are any fashion do's and don'ts to worry about. To start, avoid using tiny font and do not center the text of your story. Centering your story is just bad presentation and again a reader will be prone to losing their place because of the constantly shifting margins. And small font is just as distressing for the same reason. You may also want to stay away from animations. This is hard for me, given my weakness for cute little things like dancing bunnies and buttons with flapping wings. But I've done my best to tame these lurid inclinations when it comes to presenting my short fiction. However, if you simply must have that brash fire breathing dragon, put it at the beginning or the end of your story so it's not too much of a distraction. You can also use special back-grounds, animations and clip art. in the course of telling your tale, but make sure they're not too over the top, so they don't pull your reader out of the story. You must also be careful about the placement of any clipart or animations, because the line spacing and size of your font may shift slightly on the finished web page, perhaps causing the image to overlap over your story's text. As you may have guessed, editing your story to the best of your ability is a given, but being your own editor can be tricky. Strangely enough, knowing your story too well can cause you to miss critical mistakes that will be easily spotted by a first time reader. If you can, get a friend to read your story. However, if you have a lot of material to contend with, this may not be an option that's always available. But if time isn't an issue maybe you can set the piece aside for a while. Then once you've forgotten the story you thought you had written, you can come back and read the one you actually wrote. And what do you do if time is an issue? Go with the ten-time rule for your final edit. In other words, read your story at least ten times before publication. (A rule I plan to break, so I can make my personal deadline for getting these pages published.) Oh well, nothing's perfect. In any case, while these tips can be helpful, nothing tops telling a good story. And truth be told, a good story is the best way to keep your reader's attention right up to those two last words The End. Copyright © 2006 by Thunderquill. All Rights Reserved. |
