interesting.

i've won awards in middle school for my writing, plus I've been told I'm a good writer, but would writing something then using this site be a good way to make money? (since i'm in h-school, i'm looking for a way to make a little money on the side.)

tjmage1

@tjmage1:

I am not one to tell you where to even begin to make money by writing, but beware that this may not provide you any protection for you intellectual property. If you're serious about making some money off your writing, really have someone with some knowledge help guide you so that noone/no website takes advantage of you.

jupiterthunder

Some people do make money from writing books, but your chances (especially if you write fiction) are about the same as winning the lottery, and playing the lottery is a lot less work.

Lauram

@jupiterthunder: Not to mention, even if nobody takes advantage of your work there, very few publishers or agents will take on a manuscript that has been distributed on the internet like that, there's a small enough margin for them as it is, without the book being readily available to anyone who doesn't want to put down the cash. If you post something on WEbook, and they don't publish it, nobody will unless you get yourself locked into a self-publishing scam.

Want to publish some work easily and maybe make a few bucks? Write something and distribute it through Amazon Kindle. It may have a somewhat small userbase right now, but that's going to change, I suspect. And in that case, since your writing is locked down fairly well, if you see any success publishing for Kindle, that could help you land an actual publisher. They like to see demonstrated success before they invest.

reynwrap582

A friend of mine just wrote a novel and is paying out of his own pocket to get it published. I am going to point him towards Kindle (based on the comment above).

Thanks.

whoisvaibhav

@Lauram: That was the most effective curb-stomping of a dream that I've seen today. Congrats.

Narsil

@Narsil: I wish it were otherwise, but this is the reality of the profession, a reality that's often obscured by news reports that mislead people by focusing on the handful of writers who have done well and ignoring the vast majority who never get to quit their day jobs. Think about how many new novels the average person buys every year: for the vast majority of Americans the number is zero, and even the minority who do buy them buy maybe two or three. Used books, classics and library books put no money in the authors' pockets. Anyone who views writing fiction as a way to "make some bucks" is setting himself up for disappointment and penury. It's not impossible, but it's a long, long shot.

That said, there are other reasons to write, namely for your own personal satisfaction, learning and self-expression, and for the pleasure of the people who do read your work, even if there are relatively few of them. Not only is this a more realistic attitude with which to approach any creative work, it's far more likely to result in a really good book.

Lauram

Self publishing is increasingly a good way to make money, bypassing publishers altogether. Consider creating a blog, or using other social media such as podcasts, to gain an audience as the book is written.

Most of all, write the book because you love writing. If you then make money it will be a bonus. If you're successful, *then* you can get a publishing contract and give up the day job. Good luck!

davidsim

It would be nice if Lifehacker could do a little research before recommending things, sometimes.

WEbook has been covered by Writer Beware back earlier this year, and they pointed out that while WEbook wised up and gave up royalties to works published elsewhere after being posted on the site, they still keep rights to archive everything posted there in perpetuity (not good for those who want to publish elsewhere). And the fact that the kill fee was originally in the terms at all makes it clear to me that the motives of these people are very much suspect.

If you're really interested in writing a novel, check out National Novel Writing Month or just one of the innumerable non-commercial writing forums and communities on the web. There are a lot of places to get help and support and feedback without letting anybody else profit off of your work.

Repique

Anyone who sees him or herself making some bucks writing fiction is a fiction in itself!=) Keep up the good writing. WEBook could be your practicing platform, you don't have to necessarily write your best novel here. Use it as a way to get feedback on your writing. If your story is good and your writing is even better then even a story written on a napkin at a coffee shop in England could land you some bucks!

Junno

@Lauram: I might contest your numbers about most Americans never buying books and that those who do buy "maybe two or three." Beyond the fact that my personal experience disagrees with your thesis on an anecdotal level, you can check the numbers and see that, for the 5 largest booksellers in the US alone, books are a many-billions-of-dollars-per-year business. I agree that fiction probably represents a somewhat smaller portion of this business, but the original poster didn't necessarily indicate that he's only interested in fiction, and even then the situation isn't quite as dire as you present it to be.

That's not to say that trying to become an author is surefire career path. However, many writers are able to support themselves merely by writing, be they free-lance writers, journalists, copy-editors, published authors, etc. There's no reason to discourage a young writer from pursuing that career path.

(Surefire career paths these days are not exactly a dime a dozen, either. Just ask my friends at Lehman.)

ub

WeBook will probably be good for the writer who is NOT part of a formal writing group but would still like some feedback; however, look at the fine print with regards to putting your work on the site and and if you are comfortable with it, go for it.

As a writer myself, it is more important to just get your work out there. So if WeBook works for some then that is great, if it does not work for others then that is also fine,

RunnerGirl

Follow up post to Writer Beware post from Victoria Strauss (revising view of WEbook Terms) is referenced in the original post at the end and can be found at [accrispin.blogspot.com]

s

WEbookSue

Sue from WEbook here. Keep the dream alive. WEbook is not a self-publisher and not out to deprive anyone of their IP rights. First, the books that are selected by the community for publication are published BY WEbook. WEbook expends funds on design, printing, promotion, etc. It's pretty risk-free for authors, and they share 50/50 in profits from sales.

As for IP, take a look at WEbook's FAQs on these issues. The environment is favorable.

As for "Writer Beware", take a good long look at that blog post. Immediately after WEbook launched, we revised our IP Terms to provide that author retails ALL rights until she accepts a publishing agreement (if she's picked). So funny. The web is an amusing vehicle. ACrispin updated her blog post days later and was favorable on the IP terms. Look at that entire post for an accurate understanding, and disregard the title.

There are a number of wonderful ways to get published or just to fulfill a dream of writing and improving your work. WEbook is just one. Obviously I'm biased. But WEbook is as author-friendly a space as you'll find on- or offline.

Thanks much

WEbookSue