Sorry if this is the wrong thread, I wasn't sure where to post my question. I have recently joined a few online writing critique groups, and I was looking forward to sharing my work there and on the forum.
I have a novel that's complete and has been beta-read but I wanted to get the first few chapters critiqued to make sure they were strong enough to capture an agent's interest. However, I've seen a couple of agents specifically saying that they don't want the work to be published anywhere else. I thought it meant don't publish your work on reddit or wattpad or something like that but someone told me that by posting even the first chapter of my MS online, I'm essentially losing any chance of getting published the traditional way (as it shows lack of professionalism and introduces copyright issues).
I don't plan on posting the whole novel, of course, just the first 20-30 pages or so, or even the first chapter. Do you know if the above is true - if any part of it is shared online, it basically diminishes my chances of getting an agent and getting it published? If not, how much can I share to be on the 'safe side', and does it make any difference if it's posted on forums like AW or querytracker, or on online critique boards such as scribophile?
Thanks in advance!
I have a novel that's complete and has been beta-read but I wanted to get the first few chapters critiqued to make sure they were strong enough to capture an agent's interest. However, I've seen a couple of agents specifically saying that they don't want the work to be published anywhere else. I thought it meant don't publish your work on reddit or wattpad or something like that but someone told me that by posting even the first chapter of my MS online, I'm essentially losing any chance of getting published the traditional way (as it shows lack of professionalism and introduces copyright issues).
I don't plan on posting the whole novel, of course, just the first 20-30 pages or so, or even the first chapter. Do you know if the above is true - if any part of it is shared online, it basically diminishes my chances of getting an agent and getting it published? If not, how much can I share to be on the 'safe side', and does it make any difference if it's posted on forums like AW or querytracker, or on online critique boards such as scribophile?
Thanks in advance!