Question: Is It OK to Publish an Excerpt of My Novel?
Reader Cammie wrote in asking, "I read your write-up about how to find an agent and wondered, is it ethical/beneficial as an unpublished novelist to submit a chapter from my novel to a short story publication? I have been told that one of my chapters reads like a short story. I thought that I could mention this when contacting agents about representing my novel.
"Is this a good idea or a beginner's mistake? And if it is a good idea, would you advise telling the publication that this is a chapter from an unpublished novel?"
Answer: It is a VERY good idea to try to publish the chapter as a short story (and as the book is unpublished, there's nothing unethical about it).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 your book is marketable, and potentially begins to build an audience for your book.
And I don't think there's anything wrong with telling letting the press know that it's from a larger work when you submit the chapter.
<b>Asking our community: Have you published an excerpt from your novel? Is it a good idea to let the editors know that it's part of a novel when you submit? What kind of language did you use in your cover letter, and how did they respond? Let us know in the comments section.
Read more about how to get published, learn about various literary journals, or peruse other reader questions in these pages.
