Publishing Rights? PLEASE HELP!

So I have a full story on here, and I want to publish it in the future, BUT I have had people tell me since I have posted it on here that I won't be able to get it published. I have looked into it on google and I have mixed messages. Some people say that it is okay to post them, that I still have all copy rights, and others say no, that it is online I don't. I am trying to find a concrete answer. Because if it will ruin my chances then I will take down my story and restart with the same idea, same character personalities. But I will change names and such. People say that will change my odds and give me new copy rights. Gah! I'm so confused! Some one Please Help! I am not even considering self publishing, that seems like a waste of time to me, and not many people will read it that way Anyway, this is just a first draft of my novel (That I want to turn into a trilogy) I still have tons of editing to do, and polishing before I even consider publishing that's why I want to find this stuff out now. ~Thanks in advance!!!

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@Lovsims First of all, you still own the copyrights to your story. Even if you publish it you own that. What a publisher will demand is exclusive publishing rights for a period of time (you still own the novel).

If you are trying to get it published, I would take it down from wattpad first. Why would a publisher invest in a story that is available for free?

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@Lovsims Bladye is right. You always own copyright to your stories, no matter where you publish them.

Some publishers will not touch a story that has been published anywhere else, even online. Others would be more interested in one that has demonstrated that it attracts readers (a million reads or thousands of fans etc).

However, what you have up on WP is a first draft, and should get a load of editing before you go near a publisher. By all means, change the names of some of your characters, and of course, the name of the story itself.

About that trilogy. Don't. Seriously. I'm not being a wet blanket here, but the chances are that your first book will not sell. There are a lot of famous, award winning authors with an unsaleable first book still sitting in a drawer somewhere. Consider the first book as your training wheels. You will learn so much from writing and editing and pitching it. But it's very likely that it's your second book which will sell.

But if your second book depends on having read an inferior first book, you won't sell that one either. Make sure your second book, even if it shares a world with your first one, does not follow on directly from it, or depend on having read it.

While agents and publishers like the idea of a single novel that could be turned into a series of stand alone novels (think Carrie Vaughan's Kitty novels or Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark) they do not want to commit to taking a trilogy of novels from an unknown author with no track record who may fail to deliver the goods.

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@Ctyolene & @Blayde Okay, thanks so much! And yes my friends have told me my first story won't go that far, I have outlines and a skeleton. And later I would like to revisit the project. I'm going to have to do a lot of research on this industry. I'm going to be a senior in high school next year and when I'm in college I want to be a journalist or something to get work out there, then publish. But anyway, thanks for clearing this issue up for me!

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@Ctyolene said "While agents and publishers like the idea of a single novel that could be turned into a series of stand alone novels." @Lovsims One interesting point on this. I read David Morrell's book on how to write fiction. He's the creator of the Rambo character. There was a section on his cynical view of the movie industry, but he pointed out they were dead-on right in one respect. In his novel "First Blood," Rambo died at the end. When the movie rights were bought, they changed the ending (and a lot more of the story, btw) so that Rambo did not die. Guess who was right? LOL

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@Cytolene @Bladye (sorry if this sounds rude, i'm just confused :) ) Sorry to butt in but I was a bit confused. Didn't Veronica Roth get a three book deal without further books? Divergent is her first novel and you practically have to read it to get what's going on in Insurgent. And isn't Ally Condie's 3 book deal for Matched her first series? The second one you don't necessarily have to read the first one for, but i'd make a lot more sense if you did, considering. So whats up with the don't write a second book because the first might not sell? Because Divergent and Matched sure did sell :) I'm also confused about the whole 3 book deal thing, but that's a question for another time probably. Thanks for helping!

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@Shadow_Girl A three book deal is where you sell one book, and a condition of the contract is that you write two more books, or more likely, sell the two other books that you have already writtien or drafted, to the same publisher. But they are based on a book that is already sold.

If you sell your first book, then by all means say "And I have two more just like it at home". But if you haven't sold your first book, then making your second book a follow-on to the unsold first book is a bad idea.

Laurann Dohner recently signed a 75 book deal. But she has been writing for years and has most of those 75 books already written.

Most first books don't sell. That's a cold hard fact. Most first books don't deserve to sell, the writer is still learning his craft and hasn't yet mastered it. Your second book will be better, and your third book better still. Give them the best chance of selling by making them stand alones.

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@Cytolene Thanks for the answer! :)

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@Cytolene is it too much to ask if I ask you to read my first chapter and give me a hardish honest review? Besides Grammar and things like that. Mostly Plot, I've read a few other posts that you comment and I would love your opinion Link: http://www.wattpad.com/story/383558-survive-the-unlucky-ones-book-1 If you can't or don't want to that's fine I would understand, Thanks again for all the advice!

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