[Taramoc]

A quick question to the experts in the forum.

I took a chapter of my WIP (a massive epic fantasy) and made it a short story (~6000 words) with several small changes.

I plan to submit it to various magazines. Would it be a problem in trying to selling the novel (when it's ready) if it gets published? Or looking it from the opposite side, would it help to sell it?

Relevant facts may be that's the chapter per se is a very small subplot line, that doesn't reveal anything important of the main story arc of the novel. I could even take it out of the novel, if necessary.

I also thought to change all the names of the characters, to make its provenience less obvious, but I'm not sure if it's necessary.

Any thought on the matter would be appreciate.

Cheers,

Taramoc

[kmtolan]

An editor or agent type is best to answer this, but from my perspective I would say that it wouldn't hurt to leave things as is providing any contract you engage in doesn't have anything like a "first refusal" (doubtful with a mag). If your story catches on, then it might make the novel more attractive. Just keep the novel under wraps and don't put it out on the web for public perusal.

Kerry

[DailyRich]

A lot of classic novels started off that way, but that was back in the 60s and 70s when publishing was a different animal. I'd follow kmtolan's advice and talk to someone in the know.

[KatG]

No, it doesn't hurt it at all and it's established procedure to excerpt part of a novel as a short story for the magazine market. So there are two ways you can go with it. You could wait, get the novel finished, see if you can sell it to a publisher and then have the publisher or your agent shop the short story excerpt to magazines as a first serial sale that will help promote the book. Or, you can try to sell the short story excerpt now, which might then make a convincing publishing credit when you go querying for the novel. If you get the story sold to a large enough magazine, it might even get noticed by an editor or agent, though that's becoming more and more rare as editors and agents have less and less time to troll the magazines. But it might happen. Or you might get the story published and no one cares much at all.

If you sell the excerpt before the novel, then it can be resold as a second serial reprint. (Publishers usually get second serial rights.) This is a more limited market than first serial and doesn't usually pay as much. And the short story excerpt can also be sold to magazines in foreign markets.

A publisher may not be entirely thrilled that you sold the first serial rights already because of the promotional aspect, but it's not going to make or break a deal. And it could get your name out there a bit. But if you decide to wait, that's not necessarily a bad strategy either.

[Taramoc]

Thanks Kat! As usual well explained. I'll probably just submit the story since I have it ready ;)

Thanks Kerry and Daily as well.

Also, sorry for the uber generic thread title. I forgot to elaborate on it, and wasn't able to edit it once I posted it.

Cheers,

Taramoc

[KatG]

What would you like to call it?

[Taramoc]

I guess something like:

Question about selling a short story extracted from a bigger unfinished work.

Taramoc