Online publishing rights

[LittleStar]

I don't know if this is in the right section, and thsi could be a stupid question, but I was wondering what rights does an author have to their work if they send off to an online magazine or journal and it gets picked up.

If, for example, I sent of a short story away and it got published, but then later on down the line I wanted to take that idea and fill it out into a novel, would i be able to? who owns the rights to it once it has been published?
Thanks.

 

[iansales]

The copyright always belongs to the author. You are only giving others the right to publish it. Avoid websites or magazines which demand they own the copyright of any material they buy.

Contracts usually stipulate a period that, for courtesy's sake, the writer is asked not to resell or republish the story. If you expand it into a novel, then it's considered a new work.

 

[LittleStar]

Thanks, iansales. That's what I thought, but just wanted to make sure before submitting anything.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Just wanted to second what Ian said, and add that many short story contracts stipulate a limited-time publication licence. When I sold my first short story to an e-anthology, they only wanted 12 months' exclusive rights - after that I was free to sell it elsewhere or publish it myself (in the end I put it on my website for free, because it was so short).

It's not unknown for stories to get republished in a number of venues - in fact many anthologies are reprint-only.

Also, it's not at all uncommon for authors to work up a short story into a novel-length work, so you'd be in good company!

 

[TheCrusher]

Regarding this, is it really ok for a writer to republish his short story on more then one website/anthology? Does this mean multiple contracts?

Do the contracts differ in any way if the story is published online or on paper?

 

[Ian Whates]

Regarding this, is it really ok for a writer to republish his short story on more then one website/anthology? Does this mean multiple contracts?

Do the contracts differ in any way if the story is published online or on paper?

Yes, contracts vary depending on the format but also from publisher to publisher -- some want world rights, some rights only within specific territories; some will ask for 24 months exclusivity (ie you can't publish anywhere else without their permission for two years) some 12 months, and some just a few months... Some will want electronic rights only, others in all formats...

The terms of a contract, even for a short story, really can vary widely in both complexity and detail. (God, this makes it all sound very daunting, and it really isn't; many contracts are user-friendly and straight forward... but, sadly, not all.)

 

[TheCrusher]

Not wanting to start another thread for my next question, and it being about publishers and contracts, I'll ask it here : Is at any given time an author obligated (by contract terms) after publishing one of his books to publish a certain number of books in a certain amount of time? Like two-three books in the same amount of years?

 

[Ian Whates]

Yes, this can happen, if you sign a contract for a series. Publishers will often sign an author for two or three books with the option to renew (if the books prove successful). In such cases, the author undertakes to deliver future volumes at specific dates.

It's not uncommon for authors to deliver an MS late. Publishers are generally understanding of this, though there will invariably be penalty clauses in the contract they could activate should they choose to.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Not wanting to start another thread for my next question, and it being about publishers and contracts, I'll ask it here : Is at any given time an author obligated (by contract terms) after publishing one of his books to publish a certain number of books in a certain amount of time? Like two-three books in the same amount of years?

If that's what the contract states, yes. In the UK especially, multi-book deals are the norm in SFF, and they will usually specify dates for at least some of the future books in the series. However these are really just a rough ballpark going in, with precise dates being set nearer the time - the point is for both sides to have some idea of what's expected, not to set the dates in stone.

In my contract with Angry Robot, handover dates for all three books were listed, but publication dates for Books 2 & 3 were TBC, and basically we firmed up the dates as we went along. I suspect that larger publishers are a bit more fixed in their schedules, but they tend to take longer from handover to publication date (presumably because they build some slack into the schedule to allow for late handover).

 

[sknox]

At all the online publishing I've investigated, they say pretty clearly what rights they claim. I echo what everyone here has said, but I would add you should never do business with anyone where their claim to rights are not clearly stated. And I would make a local copy of the terms, if they say they will accept your work. It's not likely anything would go to court, as most likely both you and they are broke, but it's a good idea to have an "in case".