Is it wise to post stories online if you someday plan on publishing?

[Yummy au lait]

We all know the story of 50 shades of Grey.  How it started off as Twilight Fan fiction but then the author chose to change her characters so that she could publish it for money.  It worked out pretty well for her but I've always been afraid of putting my stories online because then there is a free copy of it out there and I'd never be able to publish it if I got super popular as an author.


I've always wanted to be a published author and my stories always center around anthropomorphic animals (which is why I'm here ).  What do you guys think?

[Nrein]

For me, the simple solution is to just post the pieces that you couldn't really publish. Short stories, incomplete stories, rough drafts, etc.

[Nicholas Scribetail]

Books like City of Bones and 50 Shades of Grey didn't tell us (writers) not to post our work online, but rather to be careful with what stories we know work only as fan fiction, and which ones we know work better as our own original works. Just because you can swap out the character names to sell a book doesn't mean you should. 50 Shades of Grey worked out for it's author not because the story was any good, but simply because of how bizarre the story was to the average reader.

I say post those stories! You could write a novel length (60k words or more) fan fiction that never sees a publishers desk, but if the story demands 60k words and you're driven to tell it, people will still enjoy it. Plus if you ever hope to get better, you need to practice; posting it online allows for crucial feedback that will help you grow. As for not being able to put something you've written online onto a publishers desk, people like Kyell Gold have posted short stories, novel sections, etc to their public profiles online, and they still have their published books (Waterways started out as a short story he posted online, and grew into a novel).

Write for fun first, then worry about selling your craft. You'll always have new and better ideas, you just have to keep writing.

[The Magic Otter]

 50 Shades of Grey worked out for it's author not because the story was any good, but simply because of how bizarre the story was to the average reader.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' started its life as a twilight fanfiction. *shudders*

[Fenox Helkiin]

I don't even want to know what kind of fan fiction.

[Ryan Naismith]

(Really with I could use italics on taptalk)

THAT kind of fanfiction.

[The Magic Otter]

this is how.   [_i] [/_i] <-- put the word you want in italics between that and remove these _ .

[Ryan Naismith]

Itsjustinitalicstellmehowtouseitpls

[Yummy au lait]

Books like City of Bones and 50 Shades of Grey didn't tell us (writers) not to post our work online, but rather to be careful with what stories we know work only as fan fiction, and which ones we know work better as our own original works. Just because you can swap out the character names to sell a book doesn't mean you should. 50 Shades of Grey worked out for it's author not because the story was any good, but simply because of how bizarre the story was to the average reader.

I say post those stories! You could write a novel length (60k words or more) fan fiction that never sees a publishers desk, but if the story demands 60k words and you're driven to tell it, people will still enjoy it. Plus if you ever hope to get better, you need to practice; posting it online allows for crucial feedback that will help you grow. As for not being able to put something you've written online onto a publishers desk, people like Kyell Gold have posted short stories, novel sections, etc to their public profiles online, and they still have their published books (Waterways started out as a short story he posted online, and grew into a novel).

Write for fun first, then worry about selling your craft. You'll always have new and better ideas, you just have to keep writing.

Thank you.  I'm gonna go for it

[Cirrus]

Nothing you plan on publishing, no. I think it works out for some people to change things around a little, but it's a risky move.

That said, ideas are plentiful. You can publish some things online under one name, and submit others that you think would be better suited for a novel or novella to publishers under another. All my furry and erotic work goes online for free, while the science fiction, fantasy, and horror is saved for submission. Where I'll send all that eventually if I can't publish it, I'm not sure.

I also agree with the above otter about needing to practice. Writing, sharing, and discussing with others online is a good way to gain experience when it comes to what you do or don't like and to improve your understanding. Many people spend years writing before they get a good handle on it and start publishing, getting paid, and being noticed.

Have pride in your writing, and it will reward you. I've seen furry authors who don't edit or revise their works on major websites wanting $15 for their self-published e-book on Amazon (that's more than Stephen King's books!), and I died a little inside. Some people can get by with appealing to niche audiences or shocking readers, which accounts for the popularity of stories on SoFurry that weren't spell-checked, but still.

Publishers reject a lot of work, too. You'll have to be persistent.