Web Publishing

Web publishing involves many different exciting options, most of which are geared toward gaining exposure, or making written works available to interested readers. It is possible to earn income when publishing your work online, but establishing a successful business model may require some expertise and some financial resources. Some popular methods of Web publishing include:

• Blogs: You can obtain free blogging space at several sites on the Web. A blogger is essentially an online columnist, or a person who maintains a journal on the Web. The standards for blogging are very loose, ranging from sophisticated news commentary, to incoherent ranting. Many blogs receive a great deal of Web traffic, due to the fact that visitors have found them credible or entertaining (and therefore they link to the blog on their own sites), and because they are updated frequently. Some bloggers turn their entries, articles and stories into compilations, which they sell as books. Historians say that some of Charles Dickens' books were created from stories that were published as monthly installments. You can learn more about blogging from Wikipedia's entry on the subject.

• Web sites: Many authors create Web sites that promote their work, or that simply give their work away to interested readers. Some authors purchase Web domain names that reflect the content of their books. Other authors with modest means sign up for free Web space at sites like Bravenet, Yahoo's GeoCities, Tripod, and Freeservers. Sites offering free Web space will place advertisements on the "free" pages. Determine your goal for your manuscript before you go to the trouble of setting up a Web site. It's important to note that building a site doesn't necessarily mean that you'll acquire visitors. If you go the route of creating a site, you may benefit from reading this article on how to attract visitors.
  
  Several sites on the Web will consider adding your stories to their online collections. One such business is Candlelight Stories. Be judicious when considering company policies.

• Audio books: There are a couple of Web services that create partnerships with authors in order to offer written works to consumers of audio formats. You may need to first produce your work as audio in order to enter into a partnership with a Web service. That effort may entail contacting a local recording studio or talent agency, describing your project and then paying fees in exchange for recordings of your work. Before you make the investment, visit Audible (they require at least 5 different audio programs) and *** and read their terms of service, in order to determine whether audio books are the right course for your projects.

• Fan fiction: Fans of specific movies, books and television programs establish Web portals that promote the writing of new scenes or scripts for developed characters. Some examples of dynamic fan fiction sites include FanFiction.Net and HarryPotterFanFiction.com. Submitting to a fan fiction site is a great way to practice your skills and to elicit feedback on your efforts.

• Ebooks: Ebooks are generally thought of as electronic versions of manuscripts that are read by way of special interpretive (and often mobile) devices. At this point in time, it is difficult to earn profits with ebooks. You may learn more about producing ebooks by reading this article. You may also vist eBooks.com to learn about submitting manuscripts with the intent of creating ebooks.

• On-demand Publishing: This is a dream-come-true for many authors. Services such as Cafepress and iUniverse allow you to upload your manuscript, which they will use to create product with a professional appearance. You (or your fans and supporters) may buy any number of books, which are printed after you request them. This option is wonderful for those who have dreamed of seeing their manuscript take the form of a professionally bound book. On-demand publishers also allow you to create and sell promotional items such as t-shirts, mugs and mousepads. You may set your own prices and earn profits from your sales.

• Offering free chapters (then selling the rest of the book): One way to perhaps sell a few copies of your book is to offer portions of the work for free on a Web site, then allow visitors to purchase the remainder of the book. The easiest way to conduct the transaction is by creating a print-on-demand book on a service like Cafepress or iUniverse.

Critiques
Many writers use the Internet as a means of obtaining feedback or critiques for their written works. Many sites feature message boards that focus on particular topics. You may search for sites that feature the subject of your manuscript, post a few paragraphs, and ask others to offer comments. Keep in mind that anything you post might be taken and used by someone else. Not everyone observes standards of good taste or copyright laws.

Web Traffic
This article will help you attract visitors to the manuscripts that you've posted online.