Okay, you are committed to finding a literary agent and seeking a traditional publisher. That’s the track you’re on.
You’ve been working on your novel. You’ve taken it to critique groups and you’ve taken their feedback, made changes.
Before you draw up a list of agents and start querying, there’s one more step that I think you should take.
Hire a professional editor.
Someone you don’t know. Someone who has experience shepherding manuscripts to successful publication with traditional publishers.
That editor should be hired after a thorough screening and interviewing process.
And you should, of course, be prepared to pay for that service.
Among all the things I’ve learned over the years it’s that a tough, impartial editor is invaluable.
I’m not talking about line editing for punctuation and spelling. (Although you should get all that cleaned up, too.)
I’m talking about your story’s ability to engage, flow, appeal, and draw the reader in. I’m talking about whether your whole novel works—start to finish, top to bottom, character arcs, great dialogue, no dead spots, no mushy middle, fabulous finish. Everything.
If you’re about to reach out in search of an agent, you want to put your best stuff forward.
Again, to me, this is a mindset.
You are committed to going traditional (and please see previous columns in this series for all the caveats and disclaimers). If you are committed to going traditional, this is the kind of investment you need to make in your work. If you were starting a small business (and in many ways you are doing just that) you would have shelled out a few dollars, right? Hiring an editor is no different than buying a ream of paper or ink for your printer.
There are several positive outcomes that could emerge from hiring an editor.
First, an editor might know an agent and could pass along a recommendation.
Second, an editor might become your cheerleader. And it never hurts to have someone out there singing your praises.
Third, you might form a long-term working relationship with this editor and that relationship could last for many years and throughout many manuscripts.
Fourth, you’ll learn to take feedback from somebody you don’t know (at first). Someone who is only judging your words.
Two cautions:
First, it might take months to get in the queue of a good editor. This is a good thing! (If an editor is immediately available, you should wonder.) While you’re waiting, start another project. And once the editor gets to your manuscript, the work to make changes might take many more months, too. Or longer. Again, long-term. Big picture. What’s the rush? Work on making the story as strong as possible.
Second, it’s possible your first editor’s analysis doesn’t match your vision. It’s possible you end up clashing. It’s possible that your styles don’t match, in the end. (One way to possibly avoid this is to ask for his or her edits on a chapter or two and see how that goes, before you commit to a full manuscript evaluation. But you can’t always tell if it’s going to work until you get feedback from a full manuscript.) If things go south, you move on. You thank the editor and move along to the next. You’re bound to have learned something. That’s okay. Art is subjective. Find a new editor to work with and start over.
So, before you query an agent? Get professional input. Hire an editor. Get ready to go out with your best work.
Right?
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Previously:
Part One – Say Yes To The 2% Solution
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Photo by Daria Kraplak on Unsplash