This follows on a previous discussion about whether putting material up on Fictionaut constitutes publication, and whether magazines would reject it for that reason.
The consensus answer seemed to be that some would some wouldn't and nobody knew for sure which were which.
A little research has turned up a few magazines that don't have a problem publishing Fictionaut posted stories or poems, however before I share them I wanted to solicit opinions on whether it was a good idea. And also whether other writers on the site could add to the list any magazines which have --knowingly-- published material from F'naut. (Not talking of stuff you managed to sneak in someplace under the Google radar. Good-on you...)
It seems to me having such a list available would save a good deal of wheelspinning and possibly angst, but what do you think?
I think some folks would appreciate it although they are too bashful to vociferate at the present moment - however the mountain must come to Broder.
Thx for this instant of explication and outrage
Thanks, Zog. I'll go with your endorsement, hoping that this isn't an exhaustive list, and that others can expand it.
Three that I think accept material previously on Fictionaut are:
Litsnack; Metazen and The Northville Review
( Though if you plan on submitting to the Northville Review, don't post the story on their page at Fictionaut.)
Of course, as always, before submitting you should check the requirements of the magazine.
Thanks David. I was wondering this very question myself.
I think jmww just accepted a piece that was pubbed here first.
Peace...
Thanks, Linda, one more for the list...
Thanks, David, for initiating this topic.
As fiction editor of Women Writers: a Zine I have solicited flash fiction from writers whose work has appeared at Fictionaut. I plan to continue to solicit work, including longer work than flash. As a writer with work at Fictionaut myself, I feel it is advantageous both to the writer and to the work if the work appears in more than one place, whether in print or on the internet. Therefore, I allow the work to appear simultaneously at Fictionaut and in Women Writers: a Zine.
I have been solicited for a story that appears at Fictionaut for Istanbul Literary Review. The editors have not so far asked me to take down the story at Fictionaut, and I hope they do not ask me to do that, partly because I wrote the story at Fictionaut for a Fictionaut audience and think of Fictionaut as its homeplate.
Mad Hatters' Review, for which I edit nonfiction, states in its submission guidelines that it does not consider work that has appeared on the interent. Specifically, that means at a website that is not "password protected." So, the answer there is "no."
At Drunken Boat, where I read fiction, I am welcome to solicit work from writers I know and to pass on their work to another reader. It has not come up yet, whether work at Fictionaut is eligible for reprint, so the answer is "maybe."
The whole question reminds me of "monogamy" (I typed "monogramy"), but I shall save those thoughts for another day.
Thanks Ann for the generous dollop of information. Are we talking monogamy as in bigamy?
Meaning, perhaps I should clarify, bigamy of publication.
I think compiling such a list would be brilliant. Certainly all those on f'naut who are already editing, reading for, running, have been published in online and paper journals, etc. might add names to the list.
I too have been wondering about whether "publishing" on fictionaut is considered "publishing" for all purposes, and thus as we avail ourself of the smart and analytical eyes of fellow writers on the site, we end up eliminating from potential consideration the very stories that might deserve actual publication.
When I googled my own name, and a random selection of other writers on f'naut just now, I see that our work is out there in the great google beyond, which is a bit worrisome. Worrisome for a lot of reasons, including potential theft by others not on the site.
What is the difference between making a story public or private on the site?
cherise, you can make a story private by going to your story page, clicking edit (at the top) and then at the very bottom click the private tab.
i have made a bunch of my stories on fn private while they await publication---
you can always make them public again with a click--
Private means that no-one can read it unless you post it to one of the "private" groups for workshopping. Beyond that I shouldn't speak, having never done so. Maybe someone with more experience with them could speak to it.
Cherise: Questions about the implications for other publication after a Fictionaut posting were pretty thoroughly aired( though not definitively resolved) in a Forum thread called "Does Fictionaut=Publishing" a couple or 3 months ago. Page 4 of the Forums by my quick research. Not that there's any problem with raising them, just to give you a reference to the backdrop.
Posting this list is a marvelous idea, David. It's important for writers here to know which publications - online and print - will accept work posted to the general wall or in public groups here at Fictionaut ... and there are many.
Some, as I've written in the forum before, do not. I edit Blue Fifth Review, and my editorial policy is that I consider work posted to the general wall and public groups to be published. That is also true for work posted to personal blogs, as well as Facebook MySpace pages and the like. One of my reasons for that policy – though I realize I don’t have to offer any – is that some of the works posted here have a larger readership than works published in many magazines – both print and online.
I will, however, consider works for publication in BFR that have been workshopped in private groups here - not accessible to the general public. That, for me, is the same as a small group of writers that meet – in the real world (Wow to the things cyberspace makes us say.).
Posting a list of publications that have no problem with works posted in public venues online would be great.
Thanks, Sam for your input, and for your clear statement of the what and why of Blue Fifth Review's policies. I think it would be great, following Cherise's suggestion, if the editors on the site would do like you and Ann did and jump into this discussion to help us compile the list.
And keep in mind: you can post something here, under a different title if you like, get a few reads, get a sense of the responses available for the piece, have some fun, make a few tweaks, and then either set it to private or delete it and Google won't find it after a week or so, so that when you DO submit it the editors (if they DO run a search on it) won't see it as being available on the web (because in fact it is not).
Regarding the publishing question - thanks everyone for the information and input, and David I will check out that earlier post.
I am not a techie, but I'm wondering, since fictionaut is invitational only (and I for one hope it remains that way) could the site become password protected? Would that solve the problem of whether work is considered published or not published? I have no idea if there is a way to do a password protected site, or if it's feasible, just wondering.
Here's an older discussion with some interesting points: http://www.fictionaut.com/groups/wigleaf/threads/15
metazen will publish stuff that previously appeared on fictionaut. personally, though i think this goes for the other editors as well, we are glad that fictionaut exists because it is easier and more enjoyable to pick a text out of a live pond like fictionaut with so much energy below the surface - with author's notes, comments, contests, characters and community surrounding the text. a far cry from the purity of a dry e-mail "submission: by ". we like to know and like our authors and we like them to return, too. beginning today (with the sunday feature at http://metazen.ca/) you will see interviews with new (and old) authors on our blog, http://metazen.tumblr.com/ and more outreach activities. writing is social. not only, but social, too.
Jurgen, that earlier discussion was very interesting, and I think, from the Fictionaut end showed what writers were anticipating as the site grew larger,"exploded" was the word. Seems like that's happened, though I don't know what the present numbers are. Anyway, I'll withhold further observations in the interest of moving on, but thanks very much for posting it and I'd urge others to read it.
One question though: I inferred that Wigleaf and Pank would both accept works previously on Fictionaut? Do you know if that's right? Or could someone else supply that info?
Thanks so much Finn for jumping in with a further explanation of Metazen's open policy. If I can editorialize for a second, I think it's great.
For Ann Bogle: Hi! You don't have to worry about taking your story down from Fictionaut.
Susan and I don't expect to have anyone remove their story just because it has been accepted for the Istanbul Literary Review.
Just wanted to tell you this so you don't worry about it.
The only time I frown on printing work is if it has been published before in a magazine.
I tend to want unpublished work for the magazine. Anyway, anything posted on Fictionaut is fine.
Gloria, I'm glad you wrote in reply to Ann's question about the Istanbul Literary Review, because I myself wasn't quite certain how we would handle that. I'm happy to know that we will be able to accept F'naut stories, and they can still remain posted on F'naut (since technically this is not an online magazine).
There is a huge amount of fabulous writing posted on this site. Gloria and I have accepted quite a few F'naut stories/poems for our upcoming spring/summer issue and anticipate publishing many more in future issues
i'm sure many will be pleased to know about the Istanbul Review's open policy for Fictionaut writers.
Thanks Gloria and Susan.
The list so far of magazines accepting works that have appeared on Fictionaut:
Litsnack
Metazen
The Northville Review
jmww
The Istanbul Review
Women Writers:a Zine (Ann Bogle will contact writers)
Drunken Boat(maybe)
Blue Fifth Review( will consider only works that have been workshopped in Private Groups)
Works on the public story page: No
It should go without saying that this an anecdotal report and that anyone planning to submit should check the Submissions Policy of the magazine.
Thanks to Scott Garson for replying affirmatively to the question of which magazines would consider for publication, works previously posted on Fictionaut:
You can add to the list below , Wigleaf.
Er, make that the list Above.
enjoyed reading through this thread. Thank you for putting together this list, David, and thank you for including Metazen.
I hope you don't mind if I add this thought (understanding that I'm speaking w/ my editor's hat on), but perhaps even more important than individual submissions is collective readership. Please visit the sites listed here to support what we do so that we in turn can continue to showcase your fine works. Fortunately, Fictionaut writers are great readers -- so hopefully, it's a happy marriage all around.
And bonus: a submission from a writer who's also a reader of the 'zine tends to stand out.
Thanks, Julie, and I'm very glad you pointed out the importance of supporting, through reading and response, the 'zines that are the outlets for our work.
As awesome as this list is, I sure would like to know what is wrong with our works popping up on a Google search. Not that I'm against anything everyone is saying about Google. It's just that everyone talks about Google as though most of us, like me, actually understands the situation. I really don't and I'm sure many others are in the same boat with me.
I know Google is the Microsoft of the internet, trying to take over the world and what not ;), but I would like to know what the threat is, so I can be ready to take on a million Google Lawyers.
I wrote a recipe once that got cached by google. I posted it on a fat boy motorcycle forum. Does that mean I can't put it in a cook book that will take down all cook books.
H.M.--I was hoping someone else would answer your question because I'm not sure I fully understand the ins and outs of this either.
As I understand it, people are concerned A) that editors of magazines count posting on Fictionaut as a form of publication and therefore consider works here previously published B) that a google search will turn up such works thus "exposing" the writer as having previously "published" it.
There are some possibly questionable assumptions here. Do editors actually search submitted works for previous publication? Maybe so, maybe not. Do writers have ways of concealing works they've put up on fictionaut from "exposure" to such searches? What do you think?
However, I think the best bet is to play straight with editors which means submitting works published on Fictionaut to magazines like those above that don't have a problem with pieces posted here. Not a bad deal for both parties, when you think about it.
I don't know David.
Maybe its because posting on the internet equals free product for people. Publishing that same work on the internet into a book for Barnes and Noble would turn lost profits, because the product is already free on the internet. Even Ficionaut.
But that doesn't seem to be the case. The population count and the readership count here on Fictionaut is but a microbe compared to the population count and the readership count of one published Harry Potter Novel. Not accounting the other published works sitting on store shelves.
For certain lengths of works here on Fictionaut, many members and readers here have projected themselves with a sense of apprehension to reading those certain lengths. They would prefer to buy a book and read that instead. Thus we have the assumption that ALL readers think like that.
So when you have a small population of writers and readers like Fictionaut and a significant amount of that group willing to buy a published book, then the questionable assumptions that people have, as you pointed out David, are really rediculous(SP?).
This is because the 500 million readers that bought into one Harry Potter book does not know Fictionaut exists, unless we Fictionaut Members tell them that or its passed by word of mouth through a PR campaign the size of an Election year.
In other words, posting on Fictionaut should by no means hinder the profit of a published work of any length, so long as no reader knows Fictionaut exits. Especially if we have the ability to remove our posted works here on Fictionaut to begin with.
So if we get any of our works published into a book for sale at Barnes and Noble, after Posting here on Fictionaut, we can remove that "published" work from Fictionaut.
Then we can play the 'I never heard of Fictionaut' card, denying everything we ever did here, so no one knows that we have been posting free stuff on the internet. ;)
P.S. I never knew that Google Search engine was a Publishing House at the level of Random or Scholastic.
...or did it?
(Thunder Rumbles in the distance)
Let me begin by offering apology for the epic length of my comment. Some may want to stop here.
You raise a number of valid points here that I agree with, HM – points that are relevant to the writing of fiction – which is, in fact, a potential money market. And I really feel that is the focus of most of your comments – and most of the other comments posted to this thread – fiction. But, some of the points don't relate as easily to poetry which – unless one is TS Eliot and has written about a great number of cats – is not really connected with money potential. Poetry is just not a money market. I read somewhere that the one section of a WH Auden poem that appeared in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral generated more money than the written works of Auden, combined, during his lifetime. A sad thought, but, given the economic standards for success in the West -it makes sense to me.
American Poetry Review - one of the largest of magazines devoted to poetry - has a circulation of 8,000 to 12,000 readers. Tiny by commercial standards. Yet, very few print journals of poetry can approach that level in any way. Sow's Ear Poetry Review (a print journal) - has a circulation of nearly 1,000 - I'm an associate editor there. Most magazines, print or online, that are devoted to poetry - and I'll add many online or print magazines devoted to short fiction - have a much smaller readership.
I'm also editor of Blue Fifth Review, an online journal of poetry & art. With me, this issue has nothing to do with money, but has everything to do with the integrity of the written word. In some cases, a poem of my own posted here at Fictionaut, may have a larger readership than a journal in which the poem was previously published. For me, that changes the playing field. The same would be true of some flash pieces posted here at FN.
As an editor at Blue Fifth, I want to accept unpublished work for the magazine. Maybe the real issue, relative to writers and readers, is in viewing an online journal or venue with the same eye as viewing a printed journal. As an editor and as a writer, I view them both same way. I would not think of submitting poems of mine that were published in OCHO – an online and print journal – to another magazine without telling the editor that they had previously appeared. Likewise, I would not post new work here at Fictionaut, and then submit the work to a magazine that might have a smaller potential readership that what we might find here at Fictionaut. If – and I must say if – that venue has a problem with work that has appeared – online or in print. Some journals – Dead Mule comes to mind – asks that work appearing there be taken down from personal blogs and Internet venues such as MySpace or Facebook.
Also, we shouldn’t judge readership here at FN by the number of comments only – since many may read a piece – in whole or in part – but leave no comment. Many readers – who aren’t members of Fictionaut and can’t comment – read pieces here when the link is shared with Facebook or Twitter.
Of course, I’m not concerned with everyone or anyone viewing this issue the same way that I do, but I want to be clear about my own editorial position – and position as writer as well - because of the potential of poetry being submitted for consideration at Blue Fifth Review. For that reason, I don’t post unpublished work here. I view all writing venues with this standard in mind - Fictionaut included. There are, of course, a number of private groups here, and that is a private workshop – not accessible by non-members of the private group. Neither general readers outside FN nor members here at FN can access those works - without being a member of the private group.
"I'm also editor of Blue Fifth Review, an online journal of poetry & art. With me, this issue has nothing to do with money, but has everything to do with the integrity of the written word."
Pardon if I had come off presumptious, but it wasn't a jab at you directly. I hope you're not presuming in return that some of us writers are writing for the money and be rich quick like J.K Rowling. Some of us could care less about the money. Money is just another tool to pay for my monthly bills, put clothes on my back, and food in my mouth. It's the industry that is obssessed with money and they make me question about their integrity for the art of the written word.
I read the two articles from Garrison Keiller and Veryln Klinkenborg that were posted in the LONG STORIES topic. I found their assessment disturbing, more importantly I feel like they missed the point of writing on the internet.
Internet, the iPad, whatever it is, is nothing more than a tool for us writers to use, like MS Word, the typerwriter, and pen and paper. It makes me wonder if those two understood what it means to be a writer. They sound elitist, apprehensive to the totality of the art, and sound like their word is law in the Writer's World.
For me, in my view, the Way of the Writer is this:
We have something to say.
We have ideas to share.
We have information to relay.
We want to communicate.
We writers write because we want to communicate our thoughts to our readers, be it fiction or poetry. It is quite unfortunate that poetry gets shafted. I know that when I go to a Barnes and Nobles bookstore and I see 1/4 of an aisle dedicated to poetry. It makes me wonder if anyone cares for writing overall.
The problem is that we writers want to get as many readers as possible so we can share our thoughts and ideas with them. The publishing industry is a bit stubborn right now when it comes to publishing. So for some of us, we have to rely on the internet to build whatever it is that the publishers want from us, and convince them that our works are publishable.
Yet in the end, the two afformentioned article writers failed to realize that it does not matter if we write it in paper, MS Word, or on the internet. If an apocalypse ever happened and we lose these tools; papers, computers, typewriters, all of it. The art of storytelling will not die with them. Nor will the means of communication.
Ancient civilization has always told stories by word of mouth, passed on from generation to generation. Stories, be in prose, poetry, or song will continue forward without technology.
I didn't think it a jab, HM - not all. And I fully understand your point and view here. Especially like your statement about the art of storytelling not being lost if our tools become lost to us. Very true. Great point.
We write because we have to, it's a drive, the way painting and sculpture and dance and acting call out to some people. Without art, this would not be a sustainable world. Most of us will never make enough money from writing to pay one month's rent. Poets fare the worst. Poetry books are rarely published by the large commercial houses anymore, and small press poetry books sell in very limited numbers (just ask any small press poetry publisher). But I feel no matter what happens in this industry, those of us who write will simply go on writing. Because that's what we do
I sold a haiku for a dollar, once.
(Then forgot to cash the check...)
Occasionally, in this and other threads, there's a bit of carping at the deficiencies of publishing on the internet, difficulties of reading on a screen, ephemerality of e-zines which appear and disappear with startling speed, the limited number or readers, seeming lack of substance as against the traditional paper literary quarterly, etc. etc.
Rarely do we talk of the advantages: the unlimited access, that allows our work to be read by anyone, anywhere, anytime, something that even the most prestigious print journal, with its set list of subscribers, and necessarily limited outlets can't hope to match. The remarkable variety of editorial slant and taste that make it far easier for writers to find congenial places for highly individualized work. And the sense, as Sam's remarks about his magazine Blue Fifth Review give that editors have a real stake in their magazines, what they represent, and the work that appears in them.
The eclectic possibilities all this offers to the writer--and there are others I haven't mentioned--have meant a lot to me in the short time since I began to encounter them--only since last December, when I first signed-onto Fictionaut.
The idea in starting this thread wasn't to propose any sort of preference for one route to publishing on the internet, but just to highlight, really as a convenience, those magazines which don't regard Fictionaut as publication. I'm just as happy that there are those--like Blue Fifth Review--that feel otherwise, because they are part of the varied spectrum of possibilities that makes internet publishing so interesting, and so receptive to writers of all stripes.
For me it's a trade-off: posting something here on Fictionaut, as opposed to holding onto it and trying to find a home for it.
As Mr. Ackley points out above, there are numerous advantages to having one's work available on the internet. While I wouldn't want to put big chunks of a novel in progress on the net, I can certainly see the wisdom in doing so with short pieces.
Why? Exposure. Here in particular, we're rubbing elbows with the literary journal world; the university system, especially that part of it devoted to writing instruction; elements of the publishing industry, including editors (I haven't explored the site fully, so I can't list all that are here); and of course other writers.
And last night, while surfing the site, I ran across three well-known authors whose books have been reviewed in the New York Times. No doubt there are more.
Getting back to this thread's topic, I'd have to say it is worth it to post here. You never know who's going to read it, and what might happen next. Of course, it always pays to do your homework - maybe a short story you're working on is something you'd rather see published in a print-based literary journal, and if your target journal wants zero previous exposure on a piece, then maybe it's best to hold onto it.
As a writer, it's up to me to find out the preferences of each potential market, whether it's a book publisher or a literary journal. The policies of each publisher, magazine or lit journal can almost always be found quickly and easily on their respective websites, in the Writers Market, or elsewhere on the internet.
Since I'm a novelist, and one of my goals right now is to get my name out there, my priorities may be somewhat different from those who write short fiction and poetry exclusively.
As for a list of those literary journals who don't mind previous printing/internet exposure, I go to Duotrope first to find out.
Thanks for giving such careful consideration to this topic, George, especially the thoughtful discourse on the pluses and minuses(potentially) of posting work on Fictionaut.
I followed-up on your suggestion to check a magazine's policies re Fictionaut posting on Duotrope. All I could find was a generic accepts " Reprints" box to which all the ones I looked at had checked "no."
Since some of those mags that I looked at Do in fact accept work previously posted on Fictionaut, evidently for them , Fictionaut posting is in another category than "Reprint". I think that the list above offers a more useful take than Duotrope for us here on Fictionaut.
Mr Ackley, et al -
Oh, a specific list is always more helpful. I haven't seen anything on Duotrope at all that mentions Fictionaut postings. Duotrope, I've found, is a good gateway site to use when researching the scores of potential markets that are out there.
And usually I have to click through to the markets' sites to find their policies on previously-published, or whether they consider something that's been on the net to have been published. Duotrope being an organizational first step.
Personally, I don't consider a story that's publicly posted here on FN (and nowhere else) to be "published", but that's neither here nor there. Internet exposure equals mileage.
And once a new car has a certain number of miles on it, it can no longer be sold as "new."
at this point, i'm not entirely sure why anyone would want to get published in online lit journals instead of fictionaut? here you get comments and faves, etc. there, you get other writers reading your work and usually not being able to comment, etc. so many of the online journals look the "same" to me. of course there are exceptions but being on f-aut seems to be the way to go.
There's a lot to what you say, Samuel. Fictionaut is the place to be for instant gratification, and I mean that in the best sense.
But there is something to be said for going through the selection process involved in getting published in a magazine, assuming you have a good opinion of the editor(s)standards. It's another way of seeing how your work measures up. Speaking from personal experience, there's nothing like the charge of that first acceptance. Checks would be nice too( not so much experience there.)
Finally, so far at least, the only way to get nominated and selected for various distinctions/ prizes( "Best of the Web"; "Million Writers Award", "Pushcart Prizes") is by having your work appear in a magazine. Maybe someday, Fictionaut will break through there as well.
After reading all these posts, I want to respond. So far on Fictionaut, I only posted 3 poems and I do plan on posting more. I end up reading work here more than posting. It is so exciting to read so much good fiction and poetry. I am like a little kid in a candy store! The poetry I have posted has all been published and is copyrighted. I don't have to worry this way about posting it. I just give credit to where it was published before. It is so wonderful to have new readership for my work.
I don't view Fictionaut work as published. Fictionaut to me, is a place to share your writing and hopefully get feedback on it which is so nice. I really like this site. Since I don't view the work as published in the literal sense, I will accept work for the Istanbul Literary Review as I have posted before. Everyone has different views. I think it is important to know how magazines view Fictionaut before sending them work. I am so glad to see a list of some that will and others who don't. The only thing I don't like is when Google picks up comments I make about someones work. I never post anything bad and all the work I comment on I really like but I don't like that plastered all over the internet. This hasn't stopped me from commenting of course.
I guess the point I am sharing is if you write something you really want published in a magazine, check their policies as stated here in other posts.
Looking to update the list of magazines that will use work previously appearing on Fictionaut, I notice that several new e-zines have appeared since this was posted:
If you've got a new magazine or one in the works, could you let us know here whether you'll accept work that has appeared on Fictionaut--but nowhere else, of course?
I only oversee the Micro section on THE LINNET'S WINGS so I don't speak for the Flash and Short Story editors.
I don't consider stories posted on a password site or writers' workshop as published (public). The LW Summer Edition features seven Fictionaught Micro writers. Take a look at our Guidelines and fire when ready:
thanks, Ramon, glad to have THE LINNET'S WINGS to add to the list.
David, thanks again for reminding me to add Ramshackle to the list. Duotrope & subs page links in the Ramshackle Review thread, here:
Revised List of Magazines Accepting Material previously shown on Fictionaut:
THE LINNET'S WINGS
RAMSHACKLEY REVIEW
LITSNACK
METAZEN
ISTANBUL REVIW
WOMEN WRITERS: A ZINE ( Ann Bogle will contact writers to invite submissions)
JMWW
PANK
ELIMAE
Possibly:
DRUNKEN BOAT
Northville Review has changed the entry on their fictionaut page, so I don't know what's up there.
Editors of magazines we've missed are cordially invited to add the magazine to this list.
Thanks to all those who've stepped up.
If I really like it, it will be published regardless....of what my guidelines are....and I think that is all it boils down to.
Thank you,
Didi Menendez
Argotist Ebooks recently published an ebook of stories I wrote entirely at Fictionaut.
A further note: Women Writers accepts both solicited and unsolicited submissions. If interested, contact me at Fictionaut or at annbogle1@aol.com. Thanks, David.