e-stories.org

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January sights and sounds

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Nov 13, 2017
Lodeve, France
Just to say that I have found this outfit recently. Although they don't pay, they do publish shorts stories and poetry online. I submitted something to them (under Rachel Thornton) the other day which is now up on their site. I have no idea how widely read any of it is or anything about it really... just thought you guys might like to know about it.
 
Hehehe...well, I didn't know poulet was slang for a policeman. I only heard of les flics.

And no thank you to the 'glistening budget packs of raw meat sweating pinkly.'

Good one, Rachel.
 
What a strange place. The forums are a barren wasteland of single post threads, most of which seem to be bait of some sort.

Do they publish everything they are sent? No disrespect @Rachel Caldecott-Thornton , its just that the notes at the bottom of each work say they are "published on e-Stories.org by demand <author>", which reads a little oddly.
 
What a strange place. The forums are a barren wasteland of single post threads, most of which seem to be bait of some sort.

Do they publish everything they are sent? No disrespect @Rachel Caldecott-Thornton , its just that the notes at the bottom of each work say they are "published on e-Stories.org by demand <author>", which reads a little oddly.
Cheeky! To be honest, I didn't even notice that. I sort of got it into my head that I wanted someone... anyone... to publish anything I'd written... in any form, so I just rushed ahead and submitted (it was free) and a few days later I got an email saying they would include it. There is quite an international feel to the site and you have to state which languages you are happy writing in (in my case, English, French and Italian). I read a few things in German and in English too and a couple I liked very much. I think, or rather I assume, that it is very, very new, hence the lack of posts. But, as I've just said, I didn't look too closely at it - except to note that the author retains the rights to their work. So I haven't completely sold my soul. Ummmm, at least I hope not!
 
What genre do you write, @Rachel Caldecott-Thornton ? For some genres there is a very healthy short story market that pays quite well. I rarely give my stories away for free and some I've sold as reprints and been paid twice!!!

Did these guys get you to sign a contract stating what rights they wanted, because they should have done!
 
What genre do you write, @Rachel Caldecott-Thornton ? For some genres there is a very healthy short story market that pays quite well. I rarely give my stories away for free and some I've sold as reprints and been paid twice!!!

Did these guys get you to sign a contract stating what rights they wanted, because they should have done!
Now I'm feeling foolish. No contract. I'm kind of new to writing in a way (although come from a family of writers - mostly dead now). I wrote a short book about the history of our town (in France) that was published locally in 2007.

I started writing - first in round-robin emails to friends - about our lives in France. This particular piece, published on the e-stories site, is basically just a 'chapter' in our lives - so not fiction. I never tried before to publish the accounts of our lives here, but just used them in a blog. I didn't even really do serious blogging either, just a little here and there.

But I was curious to know what Agent Pete thinks, so I've now submitted the first 10 pages to the next pop-up submission.

I really started getting into writing a few years ago with my first YA novel (environmental/coming of age/speculative/dystopian-ish fiction) and am now working on the sequel and another unrelated novel. I've had good feedback, but no agent or publishing deal yet. I'm still holding out for a traditional publisher because I believe so strongly in it (as do all first timers).

The only proper short story I've written was quite dark and disturbing. I put it on a secondary blog of mine, where it got some attention and gained me one or two slightly odd sci-fi/horror followers with scary names.:eek:
 
@Rachel Caldecott-Thornton I meant no insult I swears, missus! :p I might give it a whirl myself, in fact. See what's what.

@Kitty No expert, but everything published there has an "the author retains all rights" type blurb at the bottom, so it looks like they are doing this just as a form of organised self promotion, maybe? If the forums were not such a wasteland, I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about it, but man: they are scary!
 
@Rachel Caldecott-Thornton I meant no insult I swears, missus! :p I might give it a whirl myself, in fact. See what's what.

@Kitty No expert, but everything published there has an "the author retains all rights" type blurb at the bottom, so it looks like they are doing this just as a form of organised self promotion, maybe? If the forums were not such a wasteland, I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about it, but man: they are scary!
No offense taken. Unlike earlier today. I'd added the link to my facebook page and a friend (a real person that I know a little bit in real life!) said: "Umm, not my cup of tea to honest. It has that highbrow, slightly patronizing tang to it." I wished he hadn't bothered to comment at all (it is not as if he regularly comments on my posts, in fact, this was a first.) I guess it really got up his nose. Ho hum :) I must admit I did see this site as a way of promoting myself to a whole new audience. I didn't want to come across as highbrow or patronizing or pompous. I just wanted to make people laugh.
 
No offense taken. Unlike earlier today. I'd added the link to my facebook page and a friend (a real person that I know a little bit in real life!) said: "Umm, not my cup of tea to honest. It has that highbrow, slightly patronizing tang to it." I wished he hadn't bothered to comment at all (it is not as if he regularly comments on my posts, in fact, this was a first.) I guess it really got up his nose. Ho hum :) I must admit I did see this site as a way of promoting myself to a whole new audience. I didn't want to come across as highbrow or patronizing or pompous. I just wanted to make people laugh.
Well, your first mistake is Facebook... :p

I have to say, since we are in this subject, I've written a few short stories, and while I like them, I have concerns. Largely, I write short stories that are nothing like other people's short stories. I don't mean that in a pompous way: quite the opposite. You ever do something then have the feeling that you totally missed the point?
I dunno - just confusing. But then: writing. What isn't bloody confusing in this gig?:(
 
@Rachel Caldecott-Thornton I meant no insult I swears, missus! :p I might give it a whirl myself, in fact. See what's what.

@Kitty No expert, but everything published there has an "the author retains all rights" type blurb at the bottom, so it looks like they are doing this just as a form of organised self promotion, maybe? If the forums were not such a wasteland, I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about it, but man: they are scary!

I can’t see how this is possible. If they have published your work on their website then surely that means that the first rights to that story are no longer available as it has now been published. That story can now only be sold as a reprint. If they’re talking about copyright then yes, that belongs to the author but to state that the author retains all rights is misleading!
 
I can’t see how this is possible. If they have published your work on their website then surely that means that the first rights to that story are no longer available as it has now been published. That story can now only be sold as a reprint. If they’re talking about copyright then yes, that belongs to the author but to state that the author retains all rights is misleading!
It is hazy, innit? I think the gist of it is that this guy (its just one dude) is not publishing your work. He is merely displaying it at your request. It is a place for authors to advertise themselves, rather than any form of publishing. What use this is, I do not know, but there we are.
 
I’m afraid your first rights have still gone because it is a public site.
I'm not sure you are correct there. Unless you agree to a contract - digital or otherwise - that states you are giving them publishing rights, you retain everything. This site does not ask for anything other than you permissions to display the work. Like I say, far from certain, and I am not sure that the site has really thought through what they are doing, but I don't think you lose anything for publishing here.
 
I'm not sure you are correct there. Unless you agree to a contract - digital or otherwise - that states you are giving them publishing rights, you retain everything. This site does not ask for anything other than you permissions to display the work. Like I say, far from certain, and I am not sure that the site has really thought through what they are doing, but I don't think you lose anything for publishing here.

You have granted them permission to publish your story on their site. Those are your first rights. Regardless of whether you’ve signed a contract or not that story is effectively published. If you post a story on your blog that story is published too and the first rights will no longer be available.

Useful links @Carol Rose :)
 
Thanks for the post Rachel. Interesting site.
I like the fact that this guy seems to be encouraging international penfriends too. I think it may not be the best forum for writers, but it is about communication and that is something the world needs more of. So, given that the piece wasn't the best thing ever written and I doubt whether it will ever be published properly elsewhere, I'm going to leave it where it is and not worry about it anymore. I'm always being told to write, write, write in order to improve my skills, so this is just a little lesson I've given myself :)
 
I like the fact that this guy seems to be encouraging international penfriends too. I think it may not be the best forum for writers, but it is about communication and that is something the world needs more of. So, given that the piece wasn't the best thing ever written and I doubt whether it will ever be published properly elsewhere, I'm going to leave it where it is and not worry about it anymore. I'm always being told to write, write, write in order to improve my skills, so this is just a little lesson I've given myself :)

Writing is never wasted. :) And now you also have more information about copyright and publishing rights than you did before, so you learned more about the industry. And that, too, is never wasted information. :) :)
 
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