LitNet and Publishing

[108 fountains]

[The Literature Network might be a very nice message board with an open forum for stories, and however professional and nice this board might seem, I doubt any publishers would want to re-publish materials already published here, in whole or in part, no matter how good the material reads.

Correct--a publisher doesn't want to re-publish (and pay for) materials that have already been published elsewhere.[/QUOTE]

It's truly disheartening to hear that. I, for one, have used this Forum to solicit suggestions from members on how to improve drafts of short stories I've posted here - with the intention of making improvements to the drafts and then send the improved version to publishers. In addition, at least in the short story section, there are only 30 or 40 people who read the stories; if there are more tallied views than that, it is only because when someone posts a comment, the same 30 or 40 people go back to view the comment. So I really doubt the publisher places himself at any disadvantage by accepting works that have been posted here.

[desiresjab]

Correct--a publisher doesn't want to re-publish (and pay for) materials that have already been published elsewhere.

Scary. This is what I had always heard and understood, and why I had never posted anything of my own until the advent of the proposed LitNet poetry book. Perhaps I am fortunate I did not post very much, but I am inclined to feel the other way--that The LitNet poetry book project should be pushed even harder, now that even some of my work has been poisoned by being exposed. If enough of us feel this way we can get the project through. If LitNet will not support it, we can take it private. Now we almost have to proceed, or stop posting our work altogether.

[Danik 2016]

IMO the LiTNet book should be a result of LitNet production, even if it includes texts that weren´t published before. I was even thinking of a larger project including short stories and photos if the authors agree, as we have interesting material for both ections.
There remains that question that can´t be hushed: were is the money to come from?

[desiresjab]

IMO the LiTNet book should be a result of LitNet production, even if it includes texts that weren´t published before. I was even thinking of a larger project including short stories and photos if the authors agree, as we have interesting material for both ections.
There remains that question that can´t be hushed: were is the money to come from?

Build it they will come, Danny girl.

Folks may already know that Dieter is in Paris visiting his sister. He should be back online in about ten days. Dieter is the best natural leader for the project. We need not stop the submissions until he returns. Let's fill his mailbox with comments.

I have quite a long list of recommendations from the poetry contests section, which I will post within a few days

[desiresjab]

Traditional publishers are no one to trust and rely on. One fact of the "Age of Leisure," prophecied when I was in grade school, is that everyone now has the means to become a writer, or try to.

There is the overall market, and there is the meaningful market. The market you would like to reach is much smaller than the overall market.

The meaningful market is like a college with room for 100 admissions, but which receives 100,000 qualified applicants. The board members know at least a hundred of these personally.

One great thing about the LitNet publishing project would be no stupid cover letters to agonize over, where one is told they must thread the needle and conquer the world at the same time.

I am not looking for money out of this. Whether any receipts for the finished project should be divided among the participants in some way, is still to be determined. If LitNet provides the "startup" money, they may need to recoup their investment off the top of profits, etc., etc.

Truth be told, in our book will be some of the finest poetry currently being written in the world. Such a book just might attract attention, and the novelty of the publishing platform itself become a vehicle of promotion.

If the book did attract considerable attention and there was ever a volume II, the competition would become more fierce, because excellent poets would flock to the site to participate in the new platform.

[desiresjab]

Look at it this way, Loki. You have already been exposed. Much of your material has been poisoned now. No publisher will want it. Can you imagine a publisher not wanting Victoria by Starlight? If we are right, it is true. The piece is now publishing poison.

This leaves you the logical choice of jumping on board this project in a big way. You have poetry that needs to be and deserves to be published which is now poison. It is not poison to us. We will circumvent the standing protocol and create a new platform for poets, perhaps prose writers as well.

Quality is paramount. We are hoping for more submissions by the authors themselves over in the submissions thread. If the project becomes reality it will not matter that we have been exposed. It will not matter. It will not matter. We must make this real.

One person I tried to contact for recruitment purposes apparently does not take private e-mails. I tried. There is a lot of talent here. I would like to see all of it on board, and I still have hope that it will be.