Many fiction writers have considered putting some of their fiction online, maybe in their blogs. I’ve done just that on this site, and it’s a good way to give your readers something extra AND get some exposure for yourself. However, you can also inadvertently cause yourself problems by doing so.
If you’re planning on giving it a try, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Once you post your work online, even if your blog doesn’t draw a lot of traffic, many magazines and publishers will consider it “published.” What that means is that you can now sell only reprint rights, which typically is much less than first rights. If you have a market in mind for your story, make sure they’ll accept reprints before you post the story on your own site.
- If you have other work in print, providing a free story or e-book can help you attract new readers, who may be interested in buying some of your other work. Paperback writer is an advocate of this type of self-marketing. It’s also a terrific way to say ‘thanks’ to your loyal readers.
- A blog can also be a good way to try out the story with actual readers. Over at Mentally Incontinent, readers vote on which stories end up in the next book.
- Some writers post short fiction online that fleshes out their novels. Your readers may be clamoring for more on a particular character, for example, but you’re not interested in doing a novel on that topic. A short story or two might be just the thing to reward your readers.
- Short online fiction can be a good way to keep readers interested between novels. Instead of waiting for months (or even a year or more) for your next work, give them something to read in the meantime.
Do you have any short fiction posted on your blog? If so, list the link here in the comments (one link per comment to avoid the spam filter!), and I’ll pull them all together in a post.
This post is a contest entry for ProBlogger’s birthday contest. He’s giving away over 50k in prizes, so you may want to check it out. I’m hoping for one of the custom blog themes!