Competition entries already posted on here
Hi everyone
Firstly a big apology for my silence on here for a while, especially in reading and commenting on all your brilliant writing. I hit a bit of a rut and then went travelling, I write this about to head off to Myanmar so it will be a while before I am on here regularly again but I am still writing at least.
As such I wrote a piece for the National Poetry competition but am unsure about the rules - it said not to send in poetry already published on a website and not to publish my entry until after the comeptition has finished. I just wondered if this site counted as 'publication on a website' - I assumed it did and so did not use a couple that I thought were worthy but that have already appeared here (and likewise I have not put the entry up here yet).
Does anyone know for definite if this site counts as publication? I presume it does as above but if not I will perhaps be able to use some from here in future competitions.
Thanks
Ed
Yes, I would be interested to know the answer to that, too. Would be relevant soon...
Kate
To be on the safe side one way or the other.
Your poem would be counted as 'unpublished' if the competition version is only one word different from what had already appeared on any website previous to its submission to the competition.
I hope that helps
I expect Peter is correct. However, that's a well-known ploy and wouldn't be well-received at all. The UK poetry (and short story world, come to that) is a very small one - hardly worth getting yourself blacklisted for, in my opinion.
http://www.ukauthors.com
http://www.ukapress.com
Thanks everyone for your replies, although I am constantly changing my poems anyway I agree it would be a bit risky and better not to gain a reputation for sneakiness. It's a hard line as it is very useful to guage reception of a poem by posting it but then it rules them out of competitions.
I will just have to publish them myself!
Ed
*gauge (ahem) - also I should have known that scratch would suggest the more mischievous approach. ;) Hope you're keeping well mate.
Of course, even if you don't change a word the meaning of the poem would change over time, as the use (and consequently meaning) of the words change. You would need a very good lawyer if you took that approach though.
Barboy, this question has cropped up a number of times. If the poem is taken down from the site some while before it is entered into the competition and some (probably quite necessary) editing has been carried out to get it up to competition standard there would be little or no problem.
I would agree with that. However, remember that Google cache can display work for weeks after it has been removed from a particular site's database, so best to remove it as far in advance as possible.
http://www.ukauthors.com
http://www.ukapress.com
It takes less than 48 hours to have your works removed from Google's cache...
Do that via Webmastertools and Always do it at the time your work is removed from a site....
But still edit the piece actively, change the title, the context, increase the word count etc
OR
Simply write a whole new piece and let the comp staff publish the original...
Bon Chance
Rob
I have a question which is related to this discussion. I have recently had a book review and also a 250 autobiographical soundbite dealing with an aspect of my life published on an online site. I have given my work pro bono (I'm pretty sure all the contributors do), the site is non profit making and it is not a literary website although I shall be starting a Poets Corner there for myself and others when the webmaster gets it together.Could I also post both pieces here on ABCtales? Do any rules apply?
The site is Recovery Devon. My review is of The Loony Bin Trip by Kate Millett and is published under my birth certificate name (slightly misspelt). Go to Resource Section and then to Book Reviews. For my slice of autobiog go to Recovery in Action, then to stories of Personal Recovery and then to Stories gathered so Far. You will find me as Elsie, adjacent to a picture of my cat.
I would describe a lot of the material on the Recovery Devon site (google then click on Welcome to Recovery Devon) as being of 'general interest' You do not have to live in Devon to gain something from reading it, or even to be a loony. Welcome
Elsie
Could I also post both pieces here on ABCtales? Do any rules apply? - Don't see why not, Elsie. ABC and UKA have many mutual members who post the same pieces on both sites. Never been a problem for either me or Tony (now Luke). Doubt it would be a problem for ABC in this case either, but to be sure why not email the other site and ask?
I also have the same work on several different sites, and it's never been a problem at all...
http://www.ukauthors.com
http://www.ukapress.com
Elsie, I can't find any rules on submissions apart from the terms and conditions at the bottom of the home page. They state that ABCtales has non-exclusive rights of work submitted by contributors except in circumstances where ABCtales.com.pays the Contributor in respect of the Work in which case this licence shall be exclusive for a period of one year from the date of first publication of the Work by ABCtales.com and shall be non-exclusive thereafter. That suggests to me that you are free to post your work on other sites as well. Also there is no requirements for your work to be unpublished. You must own the copyright, though, and if there are no restrictions from Recovery Devon I would say go for it.
This is just my opinion but if I am wrong somebody will put me right.
Best, Luigi.
Andrea and Luigi, thank you both you have been helpful. Yes, when I get round to it I will put both pieces up on Abctales. Recovery Devon has no restrictions. Elsie
We certainly have no restrictions - if it's legal, we'll have it! We don't regard ourselves as being in 'competition' with any other site - just a resource for writers and readers.
Cheers,
Tony