Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38097
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

You can run into problems with publishers if you make the thing they're trying to sell for you for money free online.

It's a direct attack on their business model, and if it was done by a pirate, well, that's one thing, but for the author themselves to do it? Well, it's not going to endear you to the publisher if you ever want another book published with them.

And in the writing world, publishers talk. Agents talk to agents (agents which, like publishers, have a business model dependent on copies getting _sold,_ not seen on the internet), editors to editors.

Doing this could potentially burden you with an industry black mark.

Edit: With regards to Anthologies and limited periods of exclusivity, yes, once the PoE is up, you could do it, but it would likely hurt your chances of getting the same short story into another anthology.

Generally speaking, publishers want to know that there isn't an easy way for your content to be accessed for free, even in anthologies and even in ones where they accept reprints. After all, publishing houses are businesses.

Original score: 4