No. A chapter or two is fine.
So should I bring my blog down?
I don't think this is accurate. If you put up whole chapters at your blog it can be considered published.
I don't think this is accurate. If you put up whole chapters at your blog it can be considered published.
I have the first chapter and and excerpt from the second chapter of my book on my blog. Some have said this will be a roadblock towards having my work published. Is this true? If so, should I just take my blog down?
I am having a heart attack with each post; some say is good, others say is okay (with a hint of uncertainty), while others say I'm screwed.
No. A chapter or two is fine.
I think this is accurate because I've heard people who published Novel Exceprts in literary mags and still had their entire novel published.
What's most important is that you tell your agent and/or publisher that the chapters are/were posted online. The consequences of lying and being caught out (and omissions can count as lying) are far worse than those for posting a few chapters.
No. It is accurate. A chapter or two from a full-length novel isn't a problem on your blog.
That being said, it honestly doesn't matter either way, because deleting a blog post doesn't "unpublish" it. If it's been published, it's been published. What's done is done. I'm trying to sell a story right now that's been published on my site, and I'm selling it as a reprint despite the fact that it's no longer up.
ETA: Yeah, what Stacia said.
Actually, I have been wondering something similar. If I publish poems or a short children's story in the SYW thread on this site for feedback, wouldn't that mean it's published and I wouldn't be able to sell it?
No, because the SYW forums are behind a password. They aren't searchable or viewable by non-members.
I've heard only excerpts are supposed to go on a blog or website. I learned something new.
A chapter or two of a full-length novel *is* only an excerpt.
The reason you're unsure (which is true of any sort of seeking advice on a forum) is the people who only THINK they know the answer but can't stop from giving their invaluable opinion anyway. Notice how many forum posts begin with "I don't know anything about that, but. . ."I am having a heart attack with each post; some say is good, others say is okay (with a hint of uncertainty), while others say I'm screwed.