Are Blog Posts Considered “Previously Published” Writing?
July 24th, 2006If you’ve written a great short story and have a blog, you might be tempted to post it and share your words immediately with your readers. You can always enter it into a short story contest later, right? Or get a collection published? Well maybe, but maybe not. If it’s appeared on your blog, it might be considered “previously published.”
I read recently that some short story contests may consider material posted on a blog to be “previously published” and, therefore, ineligible for entry. This categorization highlights the need for writers to be mindful of what they launch into the blogosphere.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m a huge fan of blogs for writers. They offer benefits such as experience in writing for an audience, interacting with readers, learning about self-promotion, and (perhaps most importantly) building a readership that you can point out to agents.
However, we all need to keep in mind that blogs are a new medium, and clear boundaries haven’t been established yet by either the the legal system or the publishing business. It’s a bit like the wild west right now: lots of opportunity, but you’d better sleep with one eye open.
Aside from worrying about how some contests and (possibly even publishers) might categorize your work, putting your masterpiece on your blog opens up the possibility of someone scraping it — it’d be awful to have another blogger steal your work and post it as his or her own (or worse yet, submit it to agents or publishers).
Overall, I do believe that it’s a great idea to post high-quality writing on your blog (to show readers what you’re made of); just don’t assume that you’ll be able to submit that same material elsewhere.
Interestingly, I noticed that Seth Godin’s upcoming book includes some of his blog entries. That’s proof that it is possible to publish postings — simply become a bestselling author and online promotion guru first.
RELATED ARTICLE: Go Boldly into the Blogosphere: A Wake-up Call for Writers
“A Blogger? What’s that?”
July 18th, 2006It’s hard to get excited about a title for yourself, when a lot of people don’t really know what it means. Today I read an excellent article by Liz Strauss at Successful Blog, “What to Do Before They Ask What Do You Do,” that crystallized my concerns.
Just last night, I was feeling like the title “Blogger” just didn’t fit me — although I do love blogging! Liz’s article talks about “Naming Yourself So Others Know.” I feel like that’s the problem with the “Blogger” name — a lot of people just don’t know.
Many otherwise normal folks, it seems, see the Blogosphere as a bizarre, new dimension filled with cat photos and bad writing. And Bloggers are the odd (maybe even green and big-eyed) beings who hook up to keypads and send their thoughts zipping around outer-space at high-speed (no flying saucers needed anymore).
Overall, telling people that I’m a Blogger feels like I’m trying to squeeze into a weird suit that’s three sizes too small. That title is simply too limiting for the great work a lot of us do!
Last night, I started trying to come up with a new title: hmm….Blogineer? Well, maybe we need to get away from anything beginning with “Blo…” — it sounds too much like “blah” (which we’re certainly not). Perhaps we can combine terms that have some connotation of credibility?
Maybe I am an Online Discussion Facilitator? An Online Interpersonal Communication Specialist? An International Ideas Distributor?
Today, I’m seeing myself as a Writer who publishes some material online — that’s the suit that feels like it fits, for now. But I’m still missing a snappy title.
So, tell me, what do you do?
Ah, Google…You Just Don’t Know Me Anymore
July 15th, 2006In the beginning, Google’s AdSense seemed to know me well. I’m a writer, a speaker, an educator, and now a blogger, and my ads reflected all of that.
But things have changed. I wrote humorously about needing a TF hat (I’m using the acronym of TF to try to throw the Google crawlers off the scent). You see, after that post, I started seeing ads that I’d have to research to understand.
The AdSense confusion deepened after a few mentions of the name of that warm, brown liquid that lots of adults drink first thing in the morning (again, I’m trying to be obscure).
I expected my Google ads to return to normal after a couple of new posts, but my mistaken identity continues. Here’s a picture of my most recent ads:
You see, now Google thinks…uh…hmmm… Fine, I’ll say it! Google thinks I’m an insomniac metallurgist!
I realize that I just wrecked my plan to stop Google from seeing me that way, but I couldn’t resist. It’s too funny! I mean, if I were to create a hot online persona, it’d be a little hotter than that!
Although I guess smelting is pretty hot! (Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!)
…Because He Loved to Hear Stories
July 13th, 2006With my twin pursuits of blogging and writing taking up more of my time lately, I’ve been watching much less TV (inarguably a good thing). I’ve noticed that as my time for watching has decreased, so has my tolerance for junk programming.
Being much more selective now (having a TiVo enables that), I find myself choosing more PBS shows. Generally, I find PBS programs to be more inspiring than some of the soul-deadening network reality shows. Maybe I’m maturing. Maybe.
Earlier tonight, I watched In Search of Myths and Heroes: The Queen of Sheba (on PBS) and the opening line truly moved me: “God made man, so the Africans said, because He loved to hear stories.” Go ahead and read those words again — they’re worth it.
Our society certainly doesn’t share the same reverence for stories. Perhaps it’s because we’re so economically-focused, and the value of a story is hard to weigh, count, or quantify. Indeed, it would be hard to factor stories into the GDP, or even harder, to qualify for a story-equity line of credit (not that this story-maker has tried).
All I know for sure is that tonight, as I revisit some of my novel’s pages, I’ll be soothed and encouraged by those words: “God made man because He loved to hear stories.”
Technical Difficulties Resolved
July 12th, 2006Hello there! I’m happy to be able to greet you again!
If you checked my RSS feed or visited my blog earlier today, you might have noticed that some of my posts and comments had vanished — Gasp!
I’m happy to report now that the technical difficulties have been resolved. And I’m breathing again.
Happy blog browsing!
Cuileann
For Writers: Do Your Homework Before Contacting an Agent
July 12th, 2006Do you want to find a literary agent but have no idea where to start? I’ve put together some ideas for resources along with lists of do’s and don’ts. I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I’ve learned a lot along my way.
I attended this year’s Writers’ League of Texas Agents and Editors Conference as well as the previous two. For me, the first two conferences were largely about information-gathering and networking. This year, however, I went in knowing that my novel, Consumption is ready for representation. My tips are largely a blend of what I’ve learned at the conferences and what I’ve read over the years. Where I can identify exact sources, I do so.
RESOURCES
IF you can (and I know that’s a big IF…), go to an Agents/Editors conference — you’ll gain a wealth of ideas and contacts. I know this just isn’t possible for many of us. I’m lucky enough to live in Austin where the Writers’ League of Texas holds their conferences. But there are many other events out there. For instance, I was looking at the Algonkian Novel Workshops site which listed the NYC ‘06 Pitch and Shop (a first-novel pitch conference) along with other great events. Now, I’d love to go to that, but a trip to NYC definitely is not in this year’s budget. Likewise, you likely won’t bump into me at the San Francisco Writers Conference or the Maui Writers Conference.
If you’re searching for a book with a comprehensive list of agents, I’ve heard that the Writer’s Market books are very useful. If you’re an Internet person (like me), you might prefer the 2006 Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition (which includes a one-year subscription to their online edition — value of subscription fee [as mentioned below] is $29.99).
If you go online to search for agents, start at a reputable site and then check out their suggested resources. There are lots of sites about agents out there, some very good and some very bad, so you need to be discerning. The Nelson Literary Agency website (Kristen Nelson was one of the excellent agents at the 2005 Texas Conference) provides an excellent list of resources. From that site, I was linked to Agent Query, which linked me to more great resources, and so on — you get the idea. If you start at a very trustworthy site and follow their path, soon you’ll be wandering through lots of great sites. Of course, the more you explore, the more careful you have to become. It can all get to be like a giant game of telephone, with more chances for confusion and distortion with each new chain of links.
On a positive note, pay special attention to resources that are noted repeatedly by sources you trust (the links are like endorsements). A few excellent websites are:
PublishersMarketplace (you don’t need to join to search for agents)
Preditors and Editors
Writer’sMarket.com (subscription fee — $29.99 [USD] annually or $3.99 monthly)
Association of Authors Representatives (agents listed there follow a strict Canon of Ethics)
DEFINITE DO’S AND DON’TS
There are some definite do’s and don’ts to follow when seeking an agent who’ll be the right match for you:
Definite Do’s…
DO confirm that the agent you’re considering represents your genre. Sending your romance to an agent who represents mainly sci-fi will just waste your time and his/hers.
DO look in the acknowledgments sections of favorite books. If you write mysteries, check out the names of the agents who represent the authors you like.
DO google the prospective agent. Often there will be an article, interview transcript, or client’s blog that will offer information about their priorities, expectations, the books he/she represents, etc.
DO tell people you know that you’re looking for an agent (this was a tip from Anne Hawkins at the 2004 conference). For example, you’ll never know if your hair stylist has a friend, or a friend of yours has a relative, who is an agent unless you mention that you’re looking.
DO join your local/state League or Association and make use of their resources. . For example, the Writers’ League of Texas has a library of resources at their office and a well-informed staff this is full of suggestions.
Definite Don’ts…
DON’T sign up with an agent who charges a reading/editing fee. Legitimate agents should charge no more than the standard 15% commission on your work’s earnings (i.e. after it’s published). If you have found an agent who charges a reading fee, the agent may be more interested in milking you for their own short-term gain rather than finding you a publisher.
DON’T pursue a huge pool of agents at the same time. PRIORITIZE. As you begin to send queries and material, contact the agents first who you would most like to work with (this was another point Anne Hawkins emphasized. You don’t want to end up with an agent you liked less just because he/she was the first to request your full manuscript (because of the time invested in reading your entire piece, the agent will often ask to have it exclusively — ensure there’s a time limit you’re comfortable with, such as three weeks or a month).
DON’T spell the agent’s name wrong when you contact him/her. It might seem like something that you’d never do, but several of the agents at the conferences told stories of such obvious mistakes. This point leads into my upcoming post about query letters (which is coming soon!)
This is just a dusting of this topic — after all, this is just a blog post (albeit a long one) and not a book. This is not a definitive list; rather, it’s my contribution to a discussion about finding an agent. Do you have some other tips? If so, I’d love to hear them! Please share your ideas with me (and the other readers) in the comments section.
Related Posts:
Go Boldly Into the Blogosphere: A Wake-up Call for Writers
Great Agents and Editors Conference!
Who’s doing the dumping?
July 10th, 2006My husband’s friend and co-worker, Anton, wrote an excellent tongue-in-cheek article about his experience with Verizon. That ISP recently dropped him for using too much bandwidth. Hearing that is enough to make any blogger grumble, but Anton flips the story to put power back in the hands of subscribers. A great read!
By the way, there was some suggestion, when Anton spoke to a Verizon rep, that using Flickr might be seen as “file sharing” which could be another part of the contract issue. Hmmm….not good news for those of us who love to upload and look at lots of pictures.
I’m Officially an SOB!
July 8th, 2006Today I was awarded a badge of achievement by Liz Strauss at her Successful Blog site! Now I am officially an SOB! You can see the badge on the left side of my blog pages.
Basically, the badge is a recognition of bloggers who bring the conversation to their readers, along with new thought-provoking ideas. To read Liz’s more eloquent explanation, click here.
Thank you so very much for the honor.
For Bloglings (and Everybody Else)
July 8th, 2006When you’re new to blogging, just starting to peep, you wonder if anyone’s listening out there and if they ever will. That’s how I used to feel, and now, over the past couple of weeks, I’ve started to see your comments coming in. Thank you so much for that!
Today I found an excellent post that shows an understanding of how us bloglings feel while also offering some tips helpful for even high-soaring bloggers. I was checking out the SOB Cafe at Liz Strauss’s Successful Blog site and found her recommendation of the “Thoughts for Bloglings” post on Tom Vander Well’s blog, QAQnA.
The post is written with such a warm and friendly tone that you feel like Tom’s putting you safely under his wing as he gives you a nudge out of the nest. He offers great advice about topics such as how to find and immerse yourself in conversations, and tips on how to show your appreciation to folks who take the time to comment.
It’s a terrific article — definitely a great read for all of us!
How Coffee Helps Our Marriage
July 6th, 2006With the spread of Starbucks, and the birth of other trendy coffee shops, it has become clear that America loves coffee. It also loves Internet access. So when coffee shops became broadband hot spots, a powerful union was formed. A union that actually helps our marriage.
Both my husband, John, and I spend a lot of time working from home. He’s a software engineer who spends about half of his time in his company’s office and the rest of it working remotely (via the Internet). I’m primarily a writer and blogger, so I don’t have to leave our apartment to work.
Don’t get me wrong — we’re both thankful for the privilege of having no daily commutes. But there is one big problem: we’re stuck side-by-side at home when we’re trying to get things done. Some might think this sounds romantic — it’s not.
He likes to work with music — I like silence. He chews gum when he’s focused — I hate that smacking sound when I’m trying to concentrate. He hates paper being around — I have big piles of it (way too much, I must admit). The result is that when we’re stuck together in a small physical space, with each of us trying to work in a separate virtual world, we drive each other nuts.
One of the things we do, with great success, is that John sometimes takes his laptop to one of the coffee shops with Internet access. He flees the stepping-on-toes atmosphere of our apartment to become immersed in the white-noise drone of the shop. He’s productive there. And I have totally quiet space, and am productive, here. It’s a great arrangement: when he comes home, both of us have a lot of work done and are happy to see each other. Now THAT is romantic!
Coffee shops and Broadband equal a marriage made in heaven.
