Previously POD'd books

[arainsb123]

I POD published, due to ignorance of the industry, two novels that were not publishable at the time. However, I've been rewriting the first one. Both books have had average sales for POD books (150 copies together). My question is: when I finish the rewrite, I'm going to take them both off the market. After all, they're in a series, so it wouldn't make sense to try and place the first book if the second was still out.

When I submit this rewrite to publishers, should I mention that it was previously POD published? Or have my sales been so inconsequential that I needn't bother?

[maestrowork]

I wouldn't mention POD. It's irrelevant at best and damaging at worst. Agents and publishers are not interested in POD history... IMHO.

[arainsb123]

That's what I was hoping to hear!

The only problem is that, despite the abysmal sales, my books do have a bit of an Internet prescence that I wouldn't be able to remove (listings on SF Bookcase, press releases, and articles about me). Any thoughts?

[maestrowork]

It's hard to completely remove Internet references, etc. Perhaps you can change the title of the books?

[Greenwolf103]

Uncle Jim would know about this but given that the book has previously sold, been available through (Ingram? B & T?) and/or has been registered with U.S. Copyright, it might be better to give it a new title.

[arainsb123]

:Smack: I can't BELIEVE I didn't think of that myself! You're right, I'll just pretend there's no connection between the rewrite and the published book.

*Wishes fervently for some common sense!*

[Betty W01]

Sorry, this is not an intelligent comment, but I had to drop in to say that when I first skimmed the subject line, I thought it said, "Seriously P.O.'d Book", and I thought to myself, Wonder what it's so P.O.'d about?

:roll:

[Literary Lola]

I POD published, due to ignorance of the industry, two novels that were not publishable at the time. However, I've been rewriting the first one. Both books have had average sales for POD books (150 copies together). My question is: when I finish the rewrite, I'm going to take them both off the market. After all, they're in a series, so it wouldn't make sense to try and place the first book if the second was still out.

When I submit this rewrite to publishers, should I mention that it was previously POD published? Or have my sales been so inconsequential that I needn't bother?
Sorry, I have to be the dissenting voice here. I have a friend who is a high-up with a publisher. You know what? These guys check the work and the author out if they find it interesting. And I do mean check them out. If they discover you weren't honest about the work seeing previous action, they oftentimes send a very snotty letter and toss out your submission.

No one likes being taken for a ride. Just my two trouble-making cents.

[mdin]

Gotta agree with Lola here. You need to be upfront about everything. If it was previously published, you should tell them. I suppose you could get away with changing the title and rewriting it, but if it's basically the same book, I really wouldn't risk it. If you do manage to sell it, I think a lot of the joy will be sucked out of it because you'll be on pins and needles the entire time worrying they're going to find out and ax the entire project moments before it goes to the printer.

And that doesn't mean you're without hope. There have been many POD books that've been resold into mainstream.

[Greenwolf103]

Gotta agree with Lola here. You need to be upfront about everything. If it was previously published, you should tell them. I suppose you could get away with changing the title and rewriting it, but if it's basically the same book, I really wouldn't risk it.

I agree! And just to clarify here: When I posted my reply, I didn't mean to indicate that you shouldn't withhold that information from a new publisher. On the contrary, it's best to be honest about your book's publication history. I'm in the same boat with my own novel, though it didn't first get printed by a POD publisher.

[James D. Macdonald]

Honesty is the best policy. I you expect the editors and agents to play square with you, you play square with them.

Say "I self-published an earlier version of this work" and continue from there.