If I publish some chapters of completed book manuscripts as standalone stories in literary publications, does it hurt my chances of recruiting an agent to represent the books?
I have a colleague who provided this answer . . .
“Ava Wrestles The Alligator” was first published as a short story in a literary journal, then was the first story in Karen Russell’s short story collection "St. Lucy’s Home For Girls Raised By Wolves," then was turned into the novel Swamplandia! (Vintage Books which is Penguin-Random House)
A lot of the chapters in Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel: Ward, Jesmyn (Scribners) originally appeared in literary journals as short stories.
One chapter in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay was published separately in a journal (it might have been The New Yorker)
On the other hand, Harold Brodkey apparently adapted a collection of short stories into a novel, essentially publishing the 'same' book twice, and that drew a little backlash.