Are times changing? - Chances of finding an agent for "previously published" work
Hello, I'm trying to get your opinion on something. I have done some research on my own, but the results are somewhat mixed.
I have a story which I never intended to get published. I wrote it just for the fun of it and shared it on an online writing community site (wattpad). This website is for amateur writers and most stories are in fact written by teens. I still do have all the rights/copyright to my story. But according to what I know, this story has to be considered as previously published. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
Now, aforementioned story has been rather well-liked. It has attracted quite a number of readers and "fans". Recently, it has developed more and more a life of its own. Loads of people are sharing it with their friends (on wattpad, their blogs, twitter, Facebook etc.), writing reviews/recommendations (one reader even wrote a review for her local newspaper), are beginning to write fan-fics etc. Taking all that into consideration, I think it is fair to say that my story holds a certain appeal to its target audience (teens/young adults). Also, I believe that it is quite marketable. Many readers have asked me if I am going to get it published. And yes, I'm very well aware that it doesn't mean that all of them would really buy the print version of it, but I think this could be some kind of a head start for a new writer.
That's why I have looked into the chances of getting it commercially published. As far as I was able to figure out, only few agents are open to represent previously published works, most consider it to be a big no-no.
That's what I'm wondering about. Are times changing at the moment? I don't know if literary agents know about wattpad and if they do, what they think about it. Is there a chance for this particularly story of mine? Or is its somewhat popularity ruining any chances of having it commercially published?
Yes, I know, I could always go down the self-publishing road, but I'd love to try the traditional way first. Do you think that's wasted time? Or might there be a small chance for my story?
(Please also note: the online version available of my story is a first draft. I know that I can and will have to polish it up for it to become a "real" manuscript. Do you think I should replace my current version with the "final" draft, aka the one I would send out to agents? Only if you guys think I should give it a go, that is.)
All thoughts on this are very welcome!