This month we’ve been focusing on what to do now that NaNoWriMo is over. This four-part series has covered the initial steps of revision, editing on a larger scale, and drilling down to the sentence level edits. Now it’s time for the last bit of advice before you can send your story out into the world.
General Advice:
Be Firm with Yourself
Don’t go easy on yourself or your work when you edit. Go slowly and be ruthless. If something doesn’t fit, even that scene you love or a line you adore, cut it. Or, better yet, copy it to another file for possible use in a future project. Then cut it in your current work. Trust your instincts. You’ll know when something doesn’t quite work.
Toughen Up
Rejections happen. A lot. You can’t take it as a sign not to write. Keep trying. If you get a number of rejections, take another look at your book. There must be something not working in either your query, synopsis or story. Find it and fix it. If you can’t, get help.
Be Kind to Yourself and Patient
Publishing doesn’t happen fast. Rejection isn’t fun. Don’t beat up on yourself for the delays or losses. Keep working toward your goal. If this project isn’t working, start another one. You will learn every time you write. Plus the time you take to write the new project will give you distance from the one that isn’t working so you can take a more objective look later.
Get an Outside Opinion
Before you send your book to an agent, get an outside opinion, whether a Beta reader or a professional editor. It’s better you find out what’s wrong with your novel before you start sending to an agent then after. Publishing only gives one chance per agent. Once you are rejected for any reason, it’s nearly impossible to get a second chance. Be sure you are ready before you hit send.
Prepare the Manuscript:
Create Your Submission List
Make a database or spreadsheet of agents, publishers, or self-publishing outlets you want to contact. Include all the pertinent details, such as name, company name, phone number, email address, guidelines list and anything else you can find. Making a single document for all this information eliminates the need to look things up more than once. But be careful when making your list. One mistake could cost you an agent. Double check each entry before hitting save.
Do Your Research
Google each agent on your list. Read their Twitter feed, Facebook posts, blogs—whatever you can get your hands on to see if they post their pet peeves or wish list items. Then make sure you avoid the pet peeves and alert them if you hit one of their wish list items. Most of all, make sure the agent you are submitting to wants the type of novel you are pitching.
Read Guidelines
Every agent has submission guidelines. Read them. Save them. Follow them. Then double check them before you hit send.
Write Your Synopsis
Not all agents require a synopsis, but they are a great time to work on your book pitch. If you can’t summarize your book in a clear way, it may be a sign you are not ready to submit the work.
Write Your Query
I like to write the query after the synopsis, because it is easier to condense the book into a hook and paragraph after distilling the entire story down into a synopsis. Make sure you consult the guidelines and other details you’ve gathered during your research when writing a query to a particular agent. Personalize the query if you can.
Fix Formatting for Submission
Use proper manuscript format and eliminate any extra spaces. Use 12 point Times New Roman double spaced.
Add Page Numbers
If an agent does not specify this in their guidelines, add page numbers. It makes it easier on everyone to discuss the work. “On page 45, what did you mean by?”
Prepare Your Email Manuscript
Most agents want to see a few pages with your query. Make sure you format those properly for email submission. The easier your pages are to read, the higher chance there is they will be read.
Give Everything a Final Proof
Before you hit send on your query package, review it carefully. Did you include your phone number and email address? Did you proof every page to catch errors? Did you double check the spelling of the agents name and address? Did you check your formatting for the email query? Check everything you are sending and then check it again before submitting. This will give you the best chance of success.
This concludes our NaNo: Now What? series. Did it cover all of your questions? If not, post your questions below.