I met with the head of a literary agency last week (because: work) and we were talking about NaNoWriMo. This person told me they are already preparing for the influx of submissions “because people just write and send it out, they don’t take the time to edit.”
I recently retweeted a thread from an agent talking about how agents don’t get paid till an 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 to those they reject.
While agents will work with writers they sign to get manuscripts ready for submission, if they receive a query with a manuscript that’s still in need of a lot of work before it’s ready to sell, they may need to pass—even if they love your story.
So I implore you: even if you don’t want to or can’t afford to hire a good editor, 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. Shoot your best shot.