I have been trying to get an agent for my first novel and have had little luck so far. I did send it to a small literary publisher and they asked for an excerpt but declined it because it was not right for them. Yet they did say it was good and that I should submit excerpts of it to magazines to get my name out there. Do you think this is a good idea? Is it hard to get an excerpt of a novel published in a magazine? It is a literary novel and its plot is not the most important aspect so excerpts could be shown on their own. Any advice would be great.
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evanaharris
Some magazines DO publish excerpts (though not many, from my limited experience.) Check out the market listings on Absolute Write (www.absolutewrite.com/fre...nline.htm)
Novel excerpts are particularly popularly in "literary" circles. If that's your bag, then I see no reason to not go for it. If nothing else, you can add it to your publishing credits.
Novel excerpts are particularly popularly in "literary" circles. If that's your bag, then I see no reason to not go for it. If nothing else, you can add it to your publishing credits.
Jamesaritchie
excerpt
It certainly does no harm and can do some good to have an excerpt published in a magazine. But it's also harder to find a magazine to do this than it is to find an agent to handle the novel in the first place. Most magazines that do publish novel excerpts want them from known writers, and often from novels that already have a publishing contract. But it is possible and does help, if you can find one of the few magazines who do it, and an editor there who likes your novel.
If getting your name out there is the point, an "easier" way to do so is to have a few short stories published.
But the simple truth is that if an agent doesn't want to handle your novel, or a publisher doesn't want to publish your novel, it isn't because your name isn't out there somewhere, it's because the agent doesn't think she can sell it to a publisher, and the publisher doesn't think it will sell to the genral public.
It certainly does no harm and can do some good to have an excerpt published in a magazine. But it's also harder to find a magazine to do this than it is to find an agent to handle the novel in the first place. Most magazines that do publish novel excerpts want them from known writers, and often from novels that already have a publishing contract. But it is possible and does help, if you can find one of the few magazines who do it, and an editor there who likes your novel.
If getting your name out there is the point, an "easier" way to do so is to have a few short stories published.
But the simple truth is that if an agent doesn't want to handle your novel, or a publisher doesn't want to publish your novel, it isn't because your name isn't out there somewhere, it's because the agent doesn't think she can sell it to a publisher, and the publisher doesn't think it will sell to the genral public.
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