I'm so sorry to be as daft as a brush asking this, but can anyone explain to me what first serial rights on a story are?

I've recently sent a short story to a US mag and realized they want first serial rights on the all published stories.

James x

James

First serial rights simply mean the first publication of your work in a magazine. For a novel or non-fiction book, it would be a series of extracts sold to the Daily Express or GQ - for a short story, it is the right to publish that story in a magazine before anyone else. Second serial rights give the author the right to sell that story to someone else, but not for publication before the holder of first serial.

Okay?

Best

John Jarrold

That's great John, thanks.

So basically, if the American mag agrees to publish it, then I'm free to try to flog the story to another mag once they've printed it?

James x

Absolutely. Make sure that the contract doesn't mention second serial, though!

JJ

Thanks John. I appreciate it.

James x

First serial rights are normal, James.
Becca.