If you’re planning to query, don’t do so with your first or second draft—and especially not with that rough draft you’re hoping to finish (or have finished) as part of this month’s writers’ contest. (Given the recent issues that have arisen, I won’t be naming it but we all know what writers do in November.)
This may sound obvious to some, but I posted around this last novel-writing season after meeting with a literary agent who expressed to me that December and January tended to be ridiculously busy for her and the agents she worked with. We met in October of last year and she already preparing for the influx of submissions “because people just write and send it out, they don’t take the time to edit.”
Other literary agents chimed in to express a similar experience, with one person saying her press shuts down to queries from December through February specifically to avoid the influx of unrevised manuscripts post-November.
The point? To encourage writers to take the time away from their drafts, then to properly revise before they send anything out.
I’m posting about it again because it’s such an important message. (And, well, because TwiX is dead and I deactivated, so I can’t just retweet it.)
Do you need to hire an editor if you plan to query? Absolutely not. But you should be taking time away from the manuscript before you revise, and then possibly getting some insight from beta readers before you revise again.
Agents don’t get paid until the author does. Like any other commission-based position, this means they need to focus on manuscripts they think they can sell and may not have time to provide feedback on those they reject.
While agents will often work with writers they sign to get manuscripts ready for submission, if they receive a query for a manuscript that still needs a lot of work before it’s ready to sell, they may need to pass—even if they love the story itself.
So I implore you: ALWAYS take time away from your manuscript, clear your head, then return with fresh eyes to do a thorough self-edit and revision. Don’t rush the process. Do what it takes to shoot your best shot.
Your Turn
What does your revision process look like?
When do you know you’re ready to query or publish?