On Writing : I'm new here... by Laura Preble

That's a great question Laura Preble . I'm in the same boat and I've heard different takes from different people (including producers and attorneys). Some do look at numbers of the initial release while for others it boils down to belief in the story. Having said that, this didn't stop me from writing a graphic novel or a screenplay based on that work. I did that because I still believe in it. It may boil down to that and meeting the right person.

Agents will take anything if there's business to conduct (not every agent, but someone). By the same token, they won't take it if there isn't. A few literary agents I've met have an author's estate as the backbone of their agency - a deceased author but where the rights are still in copyright (and they weren't the agent at first publishing). The works are sometimes re-published, re-optioned, adapted, anthologised, etc. So just because something is 'out in the world' doesn't mean they won't take it. But there has to be a commercial interest.

I've been told that most literary agents won't take on a pre-published work unless they expect big returns. But film agents are looking for published IP. Lots of us are pitching novels to film agents, producers, or managers. Evidently, once a producer asks for an option to shop the project around, film agents and/or managers will sit up and take note. Even more so when someone offers to purchase the rights to make a film.

simply self publish with Amazon it's free and the work will be out there

So, I have never worked with a traditional publisher, as all my work is write for hire or currently in query. But in this case I remember the story of The Martian by Andy Weir. His story is interesting because he published it chapter by chapter in blog form on something like WordPress or Wattpad. Then his fans asked him to e-publish it as a novel. He released it on Amazon for $1, as that was the lowest possible price at the time. Then a Hollywood reader was given a copy of it. That reader loved it and contacted Weir asking to represent him for both the literary and movie rights. Weir agreed and the novel both went into print and got adapted into the film starring Matt Damon. Obviously, this isn't going to be everyone's experience. But the point is something out there already did get picked up and grew to amazing heights, precisely because it was already out there and built an audience.

That is a great example, Terrence Sellers.

Hi Laura! So I was in a similar boat a few years ago. I had a novel out in the world and the publisher ended up closing that arm of their company, so I asked for the rights back. I ended up putting it on Amazon because yes: I'd heard it's super hard to get an agent interested in a work that's already been "out there." My opinion is that a publisher can't really do anything for a midlist author that we can't do for ourselves, at this point, so keep that IP in your possession and focus on querying agents with something new. If you're a novelist, it seems safer to diversify and go hybrid with a mix of traditional and self-publishing (in the current market). :)

Laura Preble some others have weighed in with good advice here so I'm just going to confirm. Yes, so long as rights reverted back to you (which they should have), you can certainly self-publish. That's your only reasonable route unless you have the cash to pay a hybrid fiction publisher to take it on. But since going out of print typically reflects lower sales, it's very unlikely an agent would take it on to get it somewhere else. Depending on the type of book, consider self-publishing so it can remain available for people or even digital publishing if the novel lends itself well to episodic storytelling.

Great advice from the community here. Agree that as long as you get the rights back free and clear you can self publish and breath new life into the book. Did you get reviews when it was published? Those can help with your marketing if so.

Sam Sokolow: Yes, I did get reviews, although mostly on Amazon. 50 plus. Self publishing seems to taint the work, though, from what I've seen. I guess I'll wait to see if the screenplay is picked up somewhere...that might give me some leverage.