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Author Topic: Re-print Protocols
Robyn_Hood
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Last year I wrote the first short story I had written in years. It was pretty good and I submitted it to an on-line 'zine (first time I'd ever done something like that).

A few weeks later I found Hatrack and posted the story on F&F. I got some feedback and started re-working the story a little.

Then the unthinkable happened...The original version of the story was accepted for publication! I sent the editor the updated intro (as that was all I had finished) and it was published about five days later.

The end of March marks the end of time that the story is available on-line and I've found a couple of possible markets that accept submissions for re-prints.

I would really like to clean things up a little before sending it to these markets, but I'm not sure if that is appropriate.

Anyone know what the protocol is?


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Christine
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Hmmmm...I'd say usually when something is accepted once, the author considers it finished. I've never really heard of anyone doing significant rewrites.

I'd start with this: How different is the new version of the story? Are we looking at a spruced-up version of the old one? Or, perhaps, did you leave the old one in the dust to create this new story based roughly on the same ideas but different enough that it takes on a life of its own?

If it's a spruced up version of the old one then I would say in my cover letter something like: "I am submitting a slightly modified version of a story that was published in xyz magazine for your consideration."


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Survivor
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Card does it all the time. Treason is the biggest example, since he actually changed the title and all, but he's done post-publication revisions on a lot of his stuff. And it isn't just Card. In the non-fiction world they have some kind of special term for a post-publication revision of an existing work....

As for whether it's appropriate in this case, I'd take Christine's advice and ask.


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Robyn_Hood
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Thanks for the feedback.

Since I got the more or less original story accepted, I stopped putting my effort into revising and started a new project. Now that I'm thinking of submitting it as a re-print, there are some changes I would like to make just to tweak things a bit.

I've already e-mailed the magazine to find if they even consider re-prints and I received an encouraging response, so I think I'll go ahead and make the minor changes and send it off.

Thanks again.


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Josh Leone
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There are no legal restrictions on rewriting your own work. The only thing you need to consider in that regard is your contractual obligation to the publisher. Also, you do have to be sure to let any future publishers know it was already printed once, even if it has been changed slightly. If you have a verbal agreement with the first publisher, that’s something to consider as well.

Josh Leone


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