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Upsetting the Apple Cart

JennymfJennymf
edited February 2011 in - Writing Problems
Whats the correct thing to do? I sent a childrens story of to PF in October last year, never heard from them so assumed it was a no, I went on and then wrote two more tales , making it a trilogy, and was just about to send it out as a picture book suggestion, then PF emailed me last week to say they wanted to buy my story, great news, but it is the middle story of my trilogy and quite important to the third story of this. Can I send out all three after PF print my story in July , should I ask PF if I can do this ? as I am sure they will never use it again , will they? I could change it slightly using different names and a different setting, but it means changing all three , so a lot of work, What is the correct thing to do ?

Comments

  • doradora
    Well done on being accepted by PF. Surely though, tweaking old stories or rewriting them then subbing again is all part and parcel of being a writer.

    [quote=Jennymf]I could change it slightly using different names and a different setting, but it means changing all three , so a lot of work, [/quote]

    Yes it may be a lot of work, but if the stand alone story being published in PF is worth it to you, and the triology is worth sending out, then surely, all that hard work is worth your while?
  • CarolCarol
    I'm sure there will be a few TB's who can advise you.
  • Stan2Stan2
    Well done, Jenny.
  • heatherheather
    There should be no problem from PF about selling the story elsewhere as they will only buy First Rights. However, they do sometimes take a long time to publish, so you may have to wait a while for that.

    I can't imagine that a picture book publisher would mind that it had been published before, but having said that it is a very competitive market anyway so no guarantees.

    Have you thought of letting PF know that you have written it as a trilogy and seeing if they would like all three? Now that you have an 'in' with the editor and you know that they like your work I would have thought it worth a mention and you may jump the submission queue. I wouldn't mention the alternative market at the moment though.

    If they say no to the other two, then I would just be happy with the single acceptance (a bird in the hand etc.), wait till it's been published, then remarket the trilogy as a picture book(s).
  • LizLiz
    I think a picture book editor would DEFINITELY mind if it's been published before. I would phone and ask and editor first.

    But having said that, I can't conceive of a prose story without picture being suitable for a picture book - where half or more of the text is in the pictures, and there should only be about 400 words.
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