Last Updated on December 8, 2018 by Nathaniel Tower
Publication is one of the most exciting things that can happen to a writer. But what happens when those publications go out of print or disappear from online archives? It’s a lousy feeling when you find out a publication of yours is no longer available. It feels like a lot of hard work down the drain. Think about how difficult it was to get that piece published to begin with. Getting it republished may seem like an impossible feat especially when you consider that you’ve already given away first rights to the work. Fortunately, there are still some options for your un-published work.
What Exactly Is Un-published Work
First, let’s clearly define what I mean by un-published and how it differs from unpublished work. Unpublished work is any story, poem, or other piece of writing that has never been published. Un-published work, on the other hand, is any writing that was published either online or in print only to later disappear from publication. This typically happens because of one of the following reasons:
- The print publication goes out of print and is no longer available for sale anywhere
- The online publication closes down and shuts off its website
- The online publication launches a new website and removes its archives in the process
- The online publication decides for one reason or another to remove your work from the archives
No matter what the reason, the end result is the same: your story or poem has disappeared from the world and can no longer be read by anyone. It has become un-published.
Un-published Work Happens A Lot – And It’s Becoming More Common
I’m going to put this into context using my own personal experience. Of the 200+ published short stories to my credit, close to 40% are no longer available. Many of these were originally published in online journals that have since closed down. Others were published in print editions that are no longer available for consumption anywhere.
There are a few reasons why this is happening so much these days. Publications are closing down because they are becoming too expensive to maintain. Others are closing because the staff has decided to pursue other ventures. Some are simply unsuccessful and not worth the effort. And others were built on good intentions that disappeared too quickly. Whatever the reason for a publication closing its doors, it’s a sad reality of the world of literary publishing. Short stories just don’t last long these days. The more you get published, the more you’ll get un-published.
The Forgotten Publication
My most disappointing experience with a venue closing down and leaving my work unpublished was with my serial novel, Misty Me and Me. From 2011 to 2017, this serial novel appeared, one chapter at a time, at the top of the popular website JukePop Serials. It was consistently one of their most read and most acclaimed serials, and it was probably my biggest commercial success. Unfortunately, JukePop shut down rather abruptly in 2017, leaving my serial novel completely offline. It was almost as if the serial had never existed. To make matters worse, the serial was still unfinished, meaning all of Misty’s fans had no way of finding out how Jacob’s crazy adventure would end. In other words, it was a loss for everyone (but mostly for me).
Bringing Back the Unpublished Story
After JukePop shut down and Misty Me and Me disappeared from the world, I debated long and hard regarding the fate of the serial. I didn’t want it to die completely, but I knew the chances of a previously published serial novel being published elsewhere were pretty slim. So I took matters into my own hands. Dividing the serial into five separate parts, I began self-publishing Misty on Amazon. I made the first two parts available immediately with plans to release the remaining parts within the next few months as follows:
- Part I – Caught Rosy-Handed (Available Now)
- Part II – A Pornographic Love Triangle (Available Now)
- Part III – Attack of the Porn Goons (Coming Soon)
- Part IV – Return of the Porn Goons (Coming Soon)
- Part V – The Final Seduction (Coming Soon)
Publishing Misty in this fashion not only gave me the chance to bring the work back to life to a whole new audience, but it also allowed me to revisit the work and make it stronger. As you might imagine, writing and publishing a novel one chapter at a time can make for a somewhat hectic experience both for the writer and the reader. In its repackaged format, Misty becomes a much more engaging and more seamless read.
Self-Publishing Isn’t the Only Option
Of course, self-publishing still has a certain stigma in some circles of writers. Maybe it isn’t the ideal scenario for your particular unpublished piece. Fortunately, there are many venues out there that do accept reprints. When sending out your orphaned stories that lost their literary home, it’s very important to remember that they are previously published. Make sure you only send them out to publications that accept previously published stories or reprints. Do not send them to any publication that requests first publishing rights. Doing so could get you in trouble and lead to some literary blacklists in the future.
Venues that accept reprints often pay lower rates than they will for new work, so don’t expect to get rich off your now un-published stories and poems. However, you can still get some good acceptances that pay decent rates and allow you to get a new audience on an old piece. After all, it’s better to have those pieces back in print than to have them disappear from the world for good. Well, most of the time.
What do you do with your work when it disappears from publication? Share your experiences in the comments.