Posting your work online?

So I hope this is the right place to ask this, but I don't know where else to ask. My question is:

If you post a piece of your work online and then later want to get it published does it create copyright issues? I posted some of my work on a website that has four members- all of whom I know in person- and now I'd like to get some of it published. Is there some sort of secondary publishing rights you have to deal with? Or am is not a big deal because I know who owns the site, and I know that it's nearly impossible for anyone else to access it to read/steal my work.

Does any of this make sense?

Can anyone answer my questions the main of which is my work toast, and no longer publishable?

Well, most publishers will not accept, or be very hesitant about taking work that can be found online so before you send it to them, remove it from the internet.

I hope that answers your question!

If it doesn't have an ISBN number, it's not published. So I wouldn't sweat about it. ^_^ Otherwise, you'd have to pay for every person you had help edit, and so on--which makes no sense.

So if I posted a first draft of a novel on here I would still be able to get it published?

And I did remove it from the net does that solve the problem pretty much?

Thanks for the replies, definitely put me more at ease.

YWS doesn't try to claim copyrights, which is a very important point. Also, if you post something here and then have it published, you can PM Nate and ask for the piece to be taken down.

Removing the draft does solve the problem, and the fact that it was a small personal site means that there wasn't too much of an issue in the first place. So basically no worries! You and your writing are safe.

Avens

You can remove your own work from YWS. All you have to do is edit the post and title.

But yes, all you need to do is remove the piece you want to publish from the internet. It doesn't raise any issues with copyrights or other legal matters.

Thanks sooo much!!!

That's good to know, I was worrying about that too. I want my writing critiqued, but I also want to publish it.

Amaryllis wrote:That's good to know, I was worrying about that too. I want my writing critiqued, but I also want to publish it.

Exactly, haha that's why I asked