Whether you’ve finally finished that book you’ve
been agonizing over for the past few months, years, or only weeks,
whether Nano or not, here are some tips to help you with your next
steps:
Stick your manuscript on the shelf now. Right now.
No,
don’t glance back at it. Don’t flip through it. Don’t go and read those
favorite scenes that you’re particularly proud of, or those scenes that
have been bothering you since you wrote them. Close all your documents,
shut your notebooks, and hide everything from sight. The waters in your
brain are still all churned up, and you need to let all that sediment
settle so you can see clearly again. This will help you be more
objective.
“How long should I wait?”
I’ve waited anywhere between two weeks to nine months. I’d recommend at least four weeks before you touch a page or run your cursor lovingly over that “Chapter 1” document icon.
The
reason why I waited nine months was because, when I typed the last word
on the last page, I didn’t feel good about this particular manuscript. I
didn’t feel it was my best. I knew I could do better. So I allowed it
to sink into the furthest corner of my brain and I moved on to other
projects.
If you’re itchy and antsy and having
trouble holding back from stealing peeks, then give yourself a new
project to distract you. A short story, or a whole new novel. Make a
deal with yourself that, when you finish your new project(s), you can go
back, but not until then.
The sediment has finally settled. Time for revision.
You’ve sat on your hands or busied yourself for 4+ weeks, so now you’re ready to begin revising. Make sure you’re ready. Clear your plate. Be objective, be harsh, and be prepared to make massive renovations if you find an issue.
In other words, be prepared to write your whole manuscript over again.
Your
own revising process should be difficult, but this will help put you in
the right mind for the next step. It’s exhausting and it may dampen
your spirit—or, you might be the type of writer who loves revising more
than writing. Either way, it’s important to toughen that hide and get
ready.
A couple ways of revising that work for me go like this:
- Read
through the whole thing and revise as you go. If major changes need to
be made, make them and revise them after you finish your first
read-through. Repeat read-throughs until satisfied. (I might make two
read-throughs or more, depending on how many changes I’ve made.)
- With
the case of my nine-monther (what is this, a pregnancy?), sometimes a
lot more needs to be changed. In this case, a blank word document or a
notebook is good for listing changes that need to be made as you read
through. You might have to jot down issues and work them out in your
brain before you truly begin revising. (In some cases, and in the case
of my pregnancynine-monther, I had a specific word document like this
open while I was writing so that I could jot down problems that needed to be fixed later.)
- In
the case of one of my friends, she would finish her manuscript and then
write up a synopsis of all the scenes and plot points, then dissect it
and add changes, like creating a floor plan. Then she would begin
revising accordingly.
Whichever way you prefer, it’ll take you a long time before you’re finished. Be prepared for the investment.
Revision done. Time for more revision.
Or, in other words, time for
critique partners/beta readers.
First of all, if you have no plans to get published (or you’re only
writing for yourself), you don’t have to go any further than the last
step. But, if you intend to be published in any shape or form, this is a
crucial step. Don’t move onward without having fresh pairs of unbiased eyes read over your stuff.
Your
critique partners shouldn’t be a close family member or a friend—unless
the aforementioned are either good writers or avid readers. Some people
might tell you that your critique partners shouldn’t ever be anyone
close to you because disagreements will spark animosity, or your close
somebodies will be less inclined to be honest with you, therefore
providing you less effective and biased feedback. This is true, unless
you have personal somebodies you can trust to be really, truly honest
with you to provide helpful feedback. In equal exchange, you have to
understand that critique isn’t supposed to be a comment on your writing
ability, so you can’t allow yourself to see it that way. If you want
your story to be the best it can be, then you have to be open to change.
Critique only hurts if you let it.
Find three
or more people to be your critique partners. I generally have three,
occasionally a fourth, but never fewer than two. Here’s why:
- The
first critique partner gives me a general overhaul of things that are
both wrong and right (and a good critique partner knows how to
supplement explaining issues with the manuscript along with positive
feedback).
- The second critique partner provides the same, and
then considers the feedback that the first critique partner offered,
whether they agree or disagree. Putting minds together helps (and,
oftentimes, when I’m critiquing and I have a problem that I can’t quite
put my finger on, someone else might find the root cause of it so I can
have a random and slightly inappropriate outburst of “OH YES.”)
- The third critique partner sees the near-finished product after I’ve applied the first two (or three) critique revisions.
There
are other ways to go about this, of course. You might have your
partners read separately and then send you their notes. You might have
them read and then get together and discuss what they thought as you
listen.
Remember one thing, however: your reader is never wrong.
If
you find yourself having to explain something, then you need to go back
and find what your reader missed and fix it. Never tell your reader
they were wrong and never defend your writing. If anything, ask your
other partners what they think of what was said, listen to what they
have to say, and then consider your options. If one reader had a
problem, you can’t go into the homes of other readers who may have the
same problem and explain yourself.
The critique
process can also be repeated. I’ve made major revisions before and then
allowed one of my first partners, or a completely new partner, reread
and add additional feedback. Keep repeating this process until you’re
satisfied and your butt is the sorest it’s ever been (that means it’s
been kicked enough, and now your butt should be tough enough to handle
the next steps).
In complete contrast, whereas I
prefer to allow sediment to settle in step one, I prefer to edit while
everything is still fresh. At this point, I know the book inside-out and
my critique advice hasn’t seeped from my memory. I can fix a problem at
one point in the story, and then realize the ripples will hit other
points, which I can jump to right away.
When
you’ve finally finished this process (which may, in fact, take just as
long as it did to write the whole dang manuscript in the first place),
then it’s time to move onto my favorite step.
Line editing.
And here you thought you were done revising.
BWAHAHA. Nope.
Now
it’s time to correct all your grammar, punctuation, and minor issues.
Polish until the sparkle makes you writhe and you hiss and return to the
darkness of your cave.
Queries and synopses are terrible, terrible things.
Some
people are exceptional at summing their story up in no more than 300
words and making it enticing. The rest of us are only human. It’s a form
of art, and like any art, you can only attain perfection by practicing
and practicing and practicing. Typically, I’ll begin writing the query
when I begin writing the manuscript, and I can tell you that the query I
begin with is nothing like the query I end up.
When
I began the querying process seven years ago, it was about 98% snail
mail, and the only requirement in regards to length was no more than one
page. Nowadays, the querying process is about 98% email, and the writer
shouldn’t exceed 300 words. That’s enough to get out your title and the
main character’s name. The
Agent Query page on queries is your best starting point as to what a query should contain.
After
you’ve gotten a perfect query, you need to take it to critique partners
just like before. On top of that, I’d recommend taking it to a writing
forum such as
Absolute Write
to get more eyes to judge it. But remember that you have to volunteer
your time to critique other queries first (and absolutely make sure you
read the rules). You’ll also find links there on how to write your
synopsis, which is like a shortened retelling of your story—not quite a
summary.
Don’t write your synopsis like a summary. As I’ve heard before, write
your synopsis like you’ve just seen an awesome movie and you’re trying
to explain it to your friend to get them to go see it.
Except,
speak more eloquently than you would your friend. Your synopsis should
read like your story does, in the same voice and utilizing the same
tones.
Also be sure to check out
Query Shark
and read the whole damn thing. (Or at least make sure you read plenty
of queries that didn’t work, and plenty of queries that did.)
Slushpile Hell is also a good place to learn what
not to say.
Queries
and synopses for us regular humans suck. But, this is the most direct
way to reach an agent, and you might find that, by the end, writing a
query has changed the way you write in general. It’s certainly taught me
the power of brevity.
Agents, as far as I can take you.
This is where you give up the wheel to whoever your god may be. Research your agents, and I mean research.
If you’re in school, great, think of it as a final project for class
that you absolutely must get an A in order to pass. If you’re not in
school or haven’t been in school for a while, think of it as a final
project for a class that you absolutely must get an A in order to pass.
At
the end of your query, if possible, you should feature a little snippet
that says why you picked this particular agent—personalization is
important. You don’t like getting spam in the mail, right? Sure, it’s
got your name on it, but it’s clearly auto-delivered to you regardless
of who you are. A query without personalization is like that.
Good places to begin researching agents:
This is where you can begin
researching. Look up agent websites, blogs, and twitters. Make sure to
google their names. Do everything you can to be sure that this is the
person you want to have a business relationship with. You may also
discover through their blogs events that agents may be attending, or
contests to get you noticed.
The rejection
process is natural. Some writers get rejected a few times, and some
(er-hem) get rejected hundreds of times over a period of several books.
If you’ve written a good book, then querying is like buying lottery
tickets. You’ve got to have good luck and a good book. The market of the
publishing industry is often dictated by what’s “at the right time”,
also known as marketing trends. Good manuscripts will be turned down
because a literary agent might not be sure he or she could sell them.
Non-traditional paths.
Before you consider non-traditional paths, ask yourself why
you’re considering them. If you’re considering them because you’ve
gotten a couple rejections, and those rejections sting, don’t come here
yet. Stick it out. Maybe this manuscript doesn’t work, but the next one
might. Each manuscript you write will be better than the last as long as
you remain active and write and read more than you write.
If
you’ve had several unsuccessful tries and agents have given you lots of
positive feedback, but have rejected you for other various reasons,
then you might be ready to come here.
Self-pub
The
publishing industry is evolving at the speed of light. What’s called
“vanity” publishing was frowned upon just five years ago, but authors
like Colleen Houck and Amanda Hocking (who also went through the
querying process several times to no avail) decided to go the route of
self-pub. They achieved such popularity that they required an agent
later on.
If you decide to go down this path, however, I’d advise you go to
Amanda Hocking’s blog
and read about how she got to where she is today. Self-pub is far, far
from an easy alternative—in fact, it’s much more work than the
traditional process, as you’re in charge of your own publicity (which
includes being accessible via internet, creating an evocative cover,
formatting your book, and so forth). You must also search for indie
reviewers, manage your own copyright, etc. There’s a lot to do.
Some vanity publishers:
But
be careful. Self-pub sites usually make their money by trying to sell
you services (such as cover-creation, formatting e-books, or
promotions). There are plenty of predators out there who will do the
same. If you’re not so apt with Photoshop, sites like
Deviant Art
have plenty of artists you can commission to do commercial work (be
aware that you could pay several hundred dollars for this). If you’re
not so apt with formatting either, look for people who offer services at
more competitive rates. Instead of dishing out a few hundred dollars to
have Lulu convert your manuscript into .epub format, you might find
someone who charges by the hour instead.
Don’t
sell yourself short with the formatting, either. It’s key. If the e-book
doesn’t translate well to your readers’ e-readers, then your readers
won’t read it. Similarly, in order to sell in Barnes and Noble and
Amazon online stores, you have to have proper formatting. This is likely
where you’ll generate the most of your business.
Non self-pub
Self-pub is intimidating, and it doesn’t have to be the next step after. You can reach other readers through such sites as
Absolute Write,
FictionPress, and
Figment.
The key is to be active in whichever writing community you decide to
participate, which means reading work similar to yours or within the
same genre.
Build your platform.
In
the beginning, it doesn’t matter if you generate revenue. What’s most
important is getting your work in readers’ hands. As my professor says,
it’s crucial to start selling your book even before it’s written. Nowadays, writing a book is only a small part of the work that an author
has to do. Here are some ways you can build your name:
- Create a personal author website.
- Create a blog. Blogger and Livejournal are good places to begin.
- A twitter and/or tumblr are also excellent (if I do say so myself).
- Be easily accessible. Make your web layouts appealing and easy to navigate.
- Join writing communities. Connect with other writers.
- If
you have a creative hand, create your characters or your world through
art, fashion, photography, or whatever your knack might be.
- If you’ve got the equipment, record yourself reading scenes of your manuscript.
- If you write fanfiction, post your fanfiction. (This is how E. L. James created her readership.)
- If you draw fanart, post your fanart. (This is how many online comic artists got started.)
The
important thing is to get yourself out there through the various modes
that are applicable to you. If you’re fairly shy, but awesome at
drawing, there’s your niche. If you suck at art but have a great
speaking voice, post snippets of you reading your stuff. Writing is one
of your talents, now you’ve got to use your others.
It’s
important to create a brand for yourself and be memorable, but in the
end, no matter what, the most important deciding factor in whether or
not you succeed is if you don’t give up. No one fails until they’ve given up.
Good luck!
