Reader Question: Should I Publish a Chapter of My Novel?
I responded that it is a VERY good idea to try to publish the chapter as a short story, and as the book is unpublished, there's nothing unethical about it. It does help convince agents that the book is marketable, and potentially begins to build an audience for it. And I don't think there's anything wrong with telling letting journals know that it's from a larger work.
But I wondered, does it help to mention to journal and magazine editors that a story is part of a novel? Have you published an excerpt from your novel? How did you handle it? What kind of language did you use in your cover letter, and how did they respond? Let us know in the comments section below.
Read more about how to get published, learn about various literary journals, or peruse other reader questions in these pages.
Comments
First, many literary magazines have printed novel excerpts. Second, literary magazines do want the rights to your content for a limited amount of time.
It may be important let the magazine know that you are submitting a novel except as opposed to a short story as those rights may be different since obviously in some cases the rights may already belong to a publishing company that has already bought the rights to the novel and so those rights can not interfere with each other.
But I wonder if a short story could be sold to an anthology and a literary magazine at the same time.
I love, love, LOVE it when writers feel confident enough to publish a chapter from their novel. Usually, if I make it all the way through the chapter, I do end up buying the book.
In fact, this is my favorite feature on Amazon.com. I really wish this happened more often – great article!
Not every novel has a chapter or section that can stand alone, as a short story must do. Novels and short stories are two different writing forms, but if there is a chapter that CAN stand alone, marketing it to magazine that accepts novel excerpts sounds like a great idea.
What is your take on collaborative fiction writing?
Regards,
Alex
I don’t get the colaborative fiction writing at all. How can more than one writer have a strong cause and effect storyline? To me, it’s like seeing that a TV show or movie I’m about to watch has 3 or more writers credited: I think, oh no, and shut off the TV.
I have done collaborative fiction writing and found it invaluable. While it does have some concerns regarding plot connectiveness; if you and the collaborator are on the same page, you both can learn a lot about writing. My parnter and I started it as an idea and then each of us took turns either completing a chapter or starting a chapter and leaving the last line open for the next one to finish and start another chapter. It was very exciting to see what the other person would right and where we would end.
Regarding publishing a chapter as a short piece – I am just beginning to take writing seriously again afer years away and I have a novel, agented but never sold, that is no longer ‘in style.’ There are a couple of chapters (one per main character) that I can easily rework into short stories. Though the novel may never surface again, it is a great feeling to think that these characters needn’t stay buried for good in that desk drawer.
Hello my Name is Erica Bush.Im 15 And Im still in School.I enjoy Writing and i would like to write short stories part time.But i need help getting started.My teachers say i right Great Stories.I will let you read one if you like.My only problem is i cant really think of my own story i have to get a idea first.So anyways im still young and just need some pointers.
thanks
Erica Bush.
Hi Erica. http://www.critiquecircle.com is a great place for a writer to start. Good luck!