Please only answer if you know what you're talking about?

Question

Is any one on here curently using Fiction press (fictionpress.com)? A friend of mine told me about it. I am working a book that if it works out I would like to try and get it published. If i put my book on Fiction press, do they hold any rights to my work? how can I take it off to send to real publisher?

Answer 1

According to the TOS for the use of the FictionPress website, you hold all copyright entitlements. While your work is posted to the FictionPress site, they have non-inclusive rights to use it at FictionPress only. Once you remove your work all rights return to you and FrictionPress relinquishes all rights to your work. You are also protected by FictionPress TOS from any other possible copyright enfringment while your work is posted throught the FictionPress web site.

http://www.fictionpress.com/pre_reg.php

As for how to remove your works or retain them, you should have a published file copy resident in the publishing/authoring program in your computer. You would have to be a member to post or remove works and not being a member I can't tell you how to do this but you should have those instructions available to you as a member somewhere in the site directory.

Answer 2

I had a panic attack after someone told me this last winter. I had the same thought for my "baby" that I'd posted on FictionPress. So, I went searching for some answers.

I asked Miss Snark (the anonymous New York literary agent blogger extraordinaire) and the folks over at CompuServe's writer's forums (full of published authors) what they thought.

The consensus seemed to be: Take what you have posted down now - but don't worry too much that you've ruined your shot at getting your book published. According to FictionPress's TOS, they do not own the rights to anything once you take it down. And, while some online literary magazines get worked up about "first rights" most book publishers don't even acknowledge that there IS such a thing. Just be upfront about your story's past when negotiating with your agent or publisher.

Answer 3

Most real publishers will NOT consider works previously published, even if by vanity or e-press. If I were you I'd consider all options with real publishers first, then if you have no joy with them, go to an e-press. There are lots of resources out there listing publishers and literary agents. Look in your library for them first because the Writer's Digests and Writer's Marketplaces are v. expensive tomes.

Best of luck with your writing and with finding an agent. Writing is often the easy part!

Answer 4

First off I'm far from an expert on this but the advice that I've read from publishers and writers alike is
1) get an agent
and
2) Never put public uncopywrited work.

The agent is to get the book published, unless you want to do the legwork and contractual stuff yourself an agent makes it much easier to get your stuff published, remember most publishers don't accept unsolicoted materials.

And its always best never to put your work up uncopyrighted if you plan on publishing it later, if people can access it for free now they can use your materials and ideas without your permission because it was uncopyrighted at the time you made it public.

Answer 5

I actually read the "terms of service" (tos) for fictionpress.com and there's no mention of them having rights to anything you submit. In fact, what it seems like is a site where you just display your work, for free, and expose it to the public.
Copyright law is dicey but the basic tenet says that once you create the work you own the copyright from that point on. Te problem is establishing "that point" in legal terms means registering your work with the Library of Congress.
What Mark G wrote is valid and very good advice.
Here's a link to that web site's tos for you to peruse at your leisure.
http://www.fictionpress.com/pre_reg.php