To publish one chapter or not...

Brutus,
My mentor recommended I not publish sections of my memoir. I know some people who have published a short story in a magazine and later (when they got a book deal) regretted it. I'm not sure, but I think it makes it harder to have your book published.
Cheers,
Red Bird

Several stories from the memoir I queried have been published in magazines, journals and anthologies. The agents I queried did not have problems with this.

You have probably read memoirs that state, in the front matter, something like: "A portion of this book has been published, in a different version, in XYZ Journal."

It's a good question and I will be anxious to hear from the peeps in the know.

Nandi said:

Several stories from the memoir I queried have been published in magazines, journals and anthologies. The agents I queried did not have problems with this.

You have probably read memoirs that state, in the front matter, something like: "A portion of this book has been published, in a different version, in XYZ Journal."

Click to expand...

Hmmm - good point. Maybe talk to the magazine to ask about your rights and what their policy is on republishing that portion?

I have a twist to the original question I would like to pose. Would it make a difference if the story of the chapter were the same but it was rewritten slightly different for the online publication? How much of your story can you tell or do you have to keep completely mum in the hope of eventual publication? Additionally, what about the chapters/portions people post here on AW, are they then likewise pre published?