Attempting a Novel Excerpt Submission to Get Publishing Credits
By amy wilson
editor and writing teacher.
Some writers wonder whether trying a novel excerpt submission is the way to get their novels noticed. If you’ve been tempted to submit and publish your novel piecemeal, read on.
Your Odds of Success With a Novel Excerpt Submission
Finishing a book is an exciting moment! It may be tempting to immediately offer a novel excerpt submission in order to build excitement for the completed project with the literary community or give readers a preview. Before you do so, however, it’s important to be aware of the legal implications of potentially publishing a novel excerpt submission. Here, we’ll discuss the concept of fair use, as well as book rights and licensing considerations when potentially publishing a novel excerpt submission.
The concept of “Fair Use” refers to using copyrighted material without permission for educational or news reporting purposes. The law states that authors can use a limited amount of copyrighted material without needing to obtain permission from the copyright holder. For example, if an author wanted to quote a few lines from a novel they read in order to review it, that would likely fall within the definition of Fair Use. (And Fair Use is subject to interpretation on a case-by-case basis, so unfortunately, there’s no clear and unilateral application for it.)
But why are we talking about Fair Use with material from other writers, rather than your own novel excerpt submission? Well, your own novel has rights that are part of any publishing effort. It’s important for writers who are considering publishing a novel excerpt submission from their own works to understand the risks associated with doing so.
What is Fair Use for a Novel Excerpt Submission?
When it comes to publishing a novel excerpt submission from your novel (or any other work), there are certain rights and licensing considerations that must be taken into consideration. If you plan on publishing the full novel at some point in the future, it's important to consider how much of your excerpt will be included in the full version—as this could affect potential a sale to a publisher down the line.
A novel excerpt submission to literary magazines (or even on your blog or another outlet like Medium or Substack should be a short excerpt only. You are using first print or first serial rights when you publish an excerpt, and these are generally desired by publishers when you make a larger book deal. It’s not a total dealbreaker to have already used these rights previously, but it’s something that needs to be discussed at the point of a book deal. (It’s unlikely that a previous novel excerpt submission will scuttle things, but you always want to be forthcoming.)
By familiarizing yourself with these concepts now, you can avoid costly mistakes later on and have peace of mind knowing that their works are properly protected under copyright law, and rights are used appropriately to not jeopardize the chances of publication later.
The Bigger Picture of Novel Excerpt Submission
Examine your motivations. Do you think literary agents and publishing house editors are combing through blogs and websites and literary magazines for new material? That’s why a lot of writers attempt a novel excerpt submission—to generate potential excitement for a larger novel. The odds of this working as intended are low, though, unless you are able to publish in a very notable publication.
Also, consider the novel excerpt submission you’re making to a literary magazine, newsletter, or blog—will you want to change this portion of your novel down the line? You might not think so now, but it’s possible you will want to do a revision before you rebundle the entire thing into a novel for submission. Editing a novel excerpt submission to stand alone (and therefore making it a stronger target for a literary magazine or newsletter) means changing the content. (If the excerpt changes too much, it might make the rights discussion, above, moot.)
However, we’d strongly encourage you to work on the novel first, then pursue other potential avenues for getting your work seen, like a novel excerpt submission.
unlock your writing potential
As an agented writer and highly experienced editor, Amy Wilson can quickly identify strengths and opportunities for growth in your plot and prose, help you build a compelling submission package, and provide the encouragement you need to reach your writing goals. Take your writing to the next level with Amy’s professional eye.
