The Dangers of the Internet
I will admit that I have not been writing since before the internet. However, I don't think anyone can say that the net hasn't changed the writing world. People post work online for reviews, self publish, and even blog in the hopes of getting attention and making it into the literary world. It’s immensely unlikely that someone will choose to steal your work; unpublished authors who’ve already invested time and effort into creating their own careful manuscripts are unlikely to want to steal yours, and publishers themselves certainly aren’t in the business of stealing your work – they’ve got plenty of writers of their own. Some writers are very relaxed about the actual likelihood and impact of plagiarism – others more anxious. As for us, here at authonomy, we believe that your talent is better displayed than kept hidden – and that the chances of good things happening are more likely the more hands your manuscript passes through, and the more people you enlist in your support.
I myself have several sites that I use on a regular basis. I have an account on Booksie, where I post pieces of my novel. I use the forums on Writer's Digest's site to post chapters and stories for peer review.
Today I created an account on an interesting site on Authonomy.com. Authonomy is a site run by publisher HarperCollins where authors post novels and novels-in-progress (minimum 10,000 words). Readers can read unpublished works and then place up to five on their 'bookshelf.' The more people who back a particular book, the higher its rank. At the end of the month, the top five books are reviewed by HarperCollins editors and considered for publication.
The internet is a fantastic resource for writers. But it also has some inherent dangers. Some magazines will not accept stories that have been posted online, claiming that they have already been published. Additionally, stories accessible to the public can be easily stolen. Sure, you might be able to prove that the work is yours, but it might take litigation.
Some sites offer protection from this sort of thing. The WD forums are password protected, so search engines will not see your works. Additionally, the moderators delete posts after a certain amount of time has passed, so no one can see an entire work. Authonomy does not allow readers to download or copy/cut material.
The Authonomy FAQ has this to say on the matter:
I tend to agree with them. If I keep my work hidden, only sending it to agents and publishers, it may never get the attention it needs. If I put my work on sites like Authonomy it can get recognition by publishers, and the WD forum has been an invaluable resource in tightening my current work and improving my overall writing.
I do try to take a few precautions. I have not posted any of the short stories I want published on a public site. I probably will not post my entire novel, and I will never post the plethera of extra materials I have on my world and characters.
And that is how the internet affects my writing!