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Pros and Cons of Online Publishing

Why publishing online could be just the break you're looking for

Tony Baker

September 15, 2007

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"Published" used to be a special verb reserved only for career authors. Not so anymore. With the Internet, suddenly anybody who wants to be online can be, and just about every website in existence is, at some point or another, looking for writers. 

That means that publication opportunities have increased a thousand fold in just the past 10-15 years. That's good news for people looking to add published articles to their resume, since in the past you had to depend on print magazines and newspapers.

The mentality that online publication isn't "real" publication is a faulty one. Getting into print magazines is extremely difficult if you're a new author. If you really want to get into article marketing, here are some benefits to seeking online publication.

Wider audience 

The audience opportunities for online publication are astounding. Not only is it huge, but it's also diversified. There are websites for just about any niche market or interest group. Chances are if you've written an article, there's a website that's perfect for it. Plus, you have a chance of getting pulled up in search engines, which means that even people who don't know about the site where you're published can find you.

Flexible space 

With print publication, space is limited. You have to hit a certain word count in order to fit into the space they've got designated for an article. Though online publications will still have word counts, chances are it's a little easier for them to make space for a larger article or compensate for a shorter one.

Start collecting clips 

Imagine having a page on your site where you could link to all your published articles. That would certainly give your credibility a boost, and having a bevy of published clips would make you more attractive to traditional magazines.

Faster turnaround 

Have you ever looked at the deadlines for print magazines? Most of them require you to submit material a month in advance at the absolute latest. With online publications, you can usually query at any time, and while seasonal material should still be submitted early, chances are that you'll see publication much quicker than you would with print. 

The downside

Yes, online publication has its drawbacks, just like anything else. There is a huge market, but there are lots of voices on the marketplace. The standards for getting published on the Internet aren't quite as rigorous as those for getting published in print, which means that you'll have to fight to be heard. As long as your articles are well-written, researched, informative and engaging, then you should be fine. 

Also, it's very easy for bad news to travel quickly on the Internet. If you make a mistake in your article, it's going to be easy for somebody to point it out to everybody. However, it's also easier to fix, in that online articles can typically be edited even after they're published, unlike print articles.

Online publication is a relatively easy way to get your voice heard. If you've been thinking published articles could help you and your business, then start looking for sites to target. With a little time and energy, you, too, can be a published author with a portfolio of online clips.

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