These are great points Devon. :) I did this: Put my book on my Kindle after each rewrite. Read it like a reader, not as an author. I knew it was ready to query when my reader brain said "I would buy this book if this were in a bookstore".
This is such a necessary post, Devon. It really makes you think... what does "ready" even mean?
Your checklists are so sharp because they're all about getting the work ready for an external audience... an agent, a journal, a trusted reader.
But it makes me wonder... what if the work isn't for an external audience? What if that "pride in your work" is the only thing, because the "audience" is just... the archive itself?
I'm obsessed with this idea. The protagonist of my novella, "What Was Here," is a child in a Gaza camp, and his "manuscript" is a bureaucratic logbook. He's not trying to get an agent... he's just trying to survive. He invents a 'Ministry' to log his world as it's erased.
His work is "ready" the second he stamps it with his broken shell . It's a different, more desperate kind of "ready."
It's a profound (and gripping) read, about an hour. Since you're exploring the psychology of "ready," I thought the story might really resonate.
Such great advice! I love how smart, honest and direct your guidance is, Devon. I have followed this process for some time (& learned lessons, including realizing the hiring of a freelance editor was probably more misdirection for my novel than its ultimate fix) but itβs so helpful to have the checklists!
Devon, all your posts are so helpful and illuminating (albeit overwhelming at times! But that's how it is in publishing, so much to take in π)
I think I'm at that point where I've done all my drafting and revising and based on your criteria, it's definitely ready to be sent to friends/beta readers - well, I should hope so, because I just sent it out yesterday! But it's reached the point where I'm happy with it, I'm not stuck on anything, I'm done tinkering and...fingers crossed.
But I wanted to say something else - this is my first novel (I've published 4 non-fiction) and I did as a bit of fun last NaNoWriMo and figured I'd self-publish and also serialise on Substack. But then the early feedback was so positive that people have encouraged me to try querying. Okay, but I have other projects I need/want to get to, I barely market my existing books (etc, etc). I guess there's no rush but I was thinking it would be out into the world by now and I don't know how much oomph I have left in me to do any more revising. I know this sounds reckless and foolish but a part of me wants to try querying now just to see if it already has enough to grab an agent's attention. I'm not putting any hopes on getting it accepted, rejection is fine, this attempt to query wasn't part of the plan, so my thought is, why the hell not?
Anyway, just felt like putting that out there. I wanted to get querying now without waiting for feedback, but...I don't know.
I actually do think it's valid to do a "read the room" submission, where you send a mostly done manuscript to a tiny round of agents for a quick dose of feedback. There are some risks to this approach--if you send it to the best-fit agents, you might be blowing your chance with them by sending something that isn't ready; if you send it to agents you're indifferent to, what happens if one of them offers rep--BUT this strategy can be useful to authors who are deciding between querying and self-publishing, or authors who are deciding between continuing with revisions or moving on to a new project. It's a way to dip a toe in the water of querying and get a sense of what awaits if you wade farther in.
With all that said... if your manuscript is already with friends, and your friends read fast, I would suggest holding a beat to see what they say. They might point out some huge and easily fixed issue in the manuscript, and it would be awkward if you'd just sent it out to agents. You don't gain anything from sending it out early except the relief of having it off your desk--if you can bear that discomfort a little longer, you'll get to factor in your friends' reactions before sending the manuscript to agents.
Iβve found your substack so helpful! Q: Do you think thereβs any benefit (or is it also just βjustificationβ) of sending the first 50 pages of a 3rd draft of a novel (second book) to your (already signed) agent? That was my plan, but now Iβm second guessing it. I suppose Iβm struggling with the question of when to involve an agent in dev editing. Maybe thatβs bc all agents seem to work differently, and maybe itβs a good question for my agent (who is always honest and attentive to my questions). Maybe you helped me answer my own question. ;)
Thanks Christina! If it were me, I probably wouldn't send the first 50 pages (though I would be tempted). Here's my thinking: If my agent didn't like the pages or had major reservations, I would suddenly be in crisis about whether to continue with the project at all--and if I did, my momentum would be considerably sapped. So I'd have to choose between continuing with a novel my agent didn't like, and scrapping it to invent a completely new novel.
And then for the best-case scenario: if my agent really did like the first 50 pages, what more could they say than "Love it!! Keep going!!!"? It's hard to imagine what really good developmental edits could come of just the first 50 pages--an agent could tell you which story arcs are most interesting, which characters are most appealing, etc., but if that doesn't line up with your plans for the novel then you'll be at another weird impasse.
I think the situation in which I'd want to share the first 50 with an agent would have to be this: I've written and polished that first chunk of the new draft, but I'm feeling really ambivalent about where to take it, and am totally open to leaning the story in one direction or another based on my agent's feedback. I don't have my heart set on any particular ending or shape of the story--I like what I've produced so far, and I feel that I could go anywhere with it.
That's my take, but you should definitely ask your agent as well, especially if they've read previous drafts of this novel! They may want to help make sure you're on the right track with this new draft--that would be a good reason (on their side) to read the first 50 pages.
An alternate take, although you make so many salient points here, Devon, especially about protecting a project: I will be showing my agents the first 100 pages of my draft as soon as Iβm happy with them. Iβm at a point in my career in which I am only interested in writing a book that my agents believe they can sell (with the mutual understanding that they might be wrong about whether they can!). There have been plenty of other times in my career when I didnβt feel that way, but for now, selling a book is my goalβ and Iβd love to have the feedback that itβs not sellable, harsh as it might feel at the time, before Iβve written a whole novel that will go into a drawer.
Everyone has to make this decision for themselves; and yes, I think itβs a super valuable idea to connect with an agent and see what they think/prefer! But I also think that under the best of circumstances, an agent is an ally with a slightly different (but aligned) set of goals than a writer has, and if the ambition is to go out to the marketplace, having an agentβs βbuy-inβ on the ground floor can be a real boon. (They can suggest opportunities you might not see yet in the manuscriptβ especially towards more commercial choices; they can start talking your project up to their contacts before itβs βdoneβ if theyβre excited about it, even in the vaguest of terms, etc).
Iβd also argue that if this is something a writer wants from an agent, and their agent doesnβt think itβs a good idea, itβs okay to seek other representation! Also, Iβve gotten to a point in my career where I want an agent to accept me, warts and all. Of course Iβm going to show them something that I feel is polished/good (best foot forward and all that)! But Iβm also okay with being open to suggestions earlier in the process from someone on my team with something that isnβt close to finished if that helps us down the line.
Of course, this wonβt be the right fit for everyone! But especially in this market, I do think itβs something to considerβ¦
I did this with my most recent project with my agent- it wasnβt the genre he signed me for and so I wanted to get his buy in before I got too far along. I sent him about 100 polished pages, he liked it and was comfortable with moving forward with the project so I was too. Otherwise Iβve had to resist the temptation to send him a full draft before itβs ready- currently on draft 2
This is a GREAT point, and very relevant for anyone who is career-minded and capable of scrapping a project and moving on to a new one without regret. The thing that trips me up is of course agents can't know for sure whether the project will sell or not, and so a project they approve of might fail where a project they dismissed would have succeeded... but if you're okay with those risks and those unknowns, it can be really nice to have some assurance that you're not writing a novel destined for the drawer.
Thank you for weighing in!! It's true that the advantages of sharing work early really shift the deeper into a writing career you are.
These are great points Devon. :) I did this: Put my book on my Kindle after each rewrite. Read it like a reader, not as an author. I knew it was ready to query when my reader brain said "I would buy this book if this were in a bookstore".
This is such a necessary post, Devon. It really makes you think... what does "ready" even mean?
Your checklists are so sharp because they're all about getting the work ready for an external audience... an agent, a journal, a trusted reader.
But it makes me wonder... what if the work isn't for an external audience? What if that "pride in your work" is the only thing, because the "audience" is just... the archive itself?
I'm obsessed with this idea. The protagonist of my novella, "What Was Here," is a child in a Gaza camp, and his "manuscript" is a bureaucratic logbook. He's not trying to get an agent... he's just trying to survive. He invents a 'Ministry' to log his world as it's erased.
His work is "ready" the second he stamps it with his broken shell . It's a different, more desperate kind of "ready."
It's a profound (and gripping) read, about an hour. Since you're exploring the psychology of "ready," I thought the story might really resonate.
You can read it for free here: https://silentwitnessin.substack.com/p/what-was-here?r=6r3orq
Such great advice! I love how smart, honest and direct your guidance is, Devon. I have followed this process for some time (& learned lessons, including realizing the hiring of a freelance editor was probably more misdirection for my novel than its ultimate fix) but itβs so helpful to have the checklists!
Devon, all your posts are so helpful and illuminating (albeit overwhelming at times! But that's how it is in publishing, so much to take in π)
I think I'm at that point where I've done all my drafting and revising and based on your criteria, it's definitely ready to be sent to friends/beta readers - well, I should hope so, because I just sent it out yesterday! But it's reached the point where I'm happy with it, I'm not stuck on anything, I'm done tinkering and...fingers crossed.
But I wanted to say something else - this is my first novel (I've published 4 non-fiction) and I did as a bit of fun last NaNoWriMo and figured I'd self-publish and also serialise on Substack. But then the early feedback was so positive that people have encouraged me to try querying. Okay, but I have other projects I need/want to get to, I barely market my existing books (etc, etc). I guess there's no rush but I was thinking it would be out into the world by now and I don't know how much oomph I have left in me to do any more revising. I know this sounds reckless and foolish but a part of me wants to try querying now just to see if it already has enough to grab an agent's attention. I'm not putting any hopes on getting it accepted, rejection is fine, this attempt to query wasn't part of the plan, so my thought is, why the hell not?
Anyway, just felt like putting that out there. I wanted to get querying now without waiting for feedback, but...I don't know.
I actually do think it's valid to do a "read the room" submission, where you send a mostly done manuscript to a tiny round of agents for a quick dose of feedback. There are some risks to this approach--if you send it to the best-fit agents, you might be blowing your chance with them by sending something that isn't ready; if you send it to agents you're indifferent to, what happens if one of them offers rep--BUT this strategy can be useful to authors who are deciding between querying and self-publishing, or authors who are deciding between continuing with revisions or moving on to a new project. It's a way to dip a toe in the water of querying and get a sense of what awaits if you wade farther in.
With all that said... if your manuscript is already with friends, and your friends read fast, I would suggest holding a beat to see what they say. They might point out some huge and easily fixed issue in the manuscript, and it would be awkward if you'd just sent it out to agents. You don't gain anything from sending it out early except the relief of having it off your desk--if you can bear that discomfort a little longer, you'll get to factor in your friends' reactions before sending the manuscript to agents.
Thank you so much, Devon, for such a thoughtful and thorough reply - much appreciated π
This is such a thoughtful and helpful answer! Thank you for thinking through it with me!
Iβve found your substack so helpful! Q: Do you think thereβs any benefit (or is it also just βjustificationβ) of sending the first 50 pages of a 3rd draft of a novel (second book) to your (already signed) agent? That was my plan, but now Iβm second guessing it. I suppose Iβm struggling with the question of when to involve an agent in dev editing. Maybe thatβs bc all agents seem to work differently, and maybe itβs a good question for my agent (who is always honest and attentive to my questions). Maybe you helped me answer my own question. ;)
Thanks Christina! If it were me, I probably wouldn't send the first 50 pages (though I would be tempted). Here's my thinking: If my agent didn't like the pages or had major reservations, I would suddenly be in crisis about whether to continue with the project at all--and if I did, my momentum would be considerably sapped. So I'd have to choose between continuing with a novel my agent didn't like, and scrapping it to invent a completely new novel.
And then for the best-case scenario: if my agent really did like the first 50 pages, what more could they say than "Love it!! Keep going!!!"? It's hard to imagine what really good developmental edits could come of just the first 50 pages--an agent could tell you which story arcs are most interesting, which characters are most appealing, etc., but if that doesn't line up with your plans for the novel then you'll be at another weird impasse.
I think the situation in which I'd want to share the first 50 with an agent would have to be this: I've written and polished that first chunk of the new draft, but I'm feeling really ambivalent about where to take it, and am totally open to leaning the story in one direction or another based on my agent's feedback. I don't have my heart set on any particular ending or shape of the story--I like what I've produced so far, and I feel that I could go anywhere with it.
That's my take, but you should definitely ask your agent as well, especially if they've read previous drafts of this novel! They may want to help make sure you're on the right track with this new draft--that would be a good reason (on their side) to read the first 50 pages.
Hope that helps!
An alternate take, although you make so many salient points here, Devon, especially about protecting a project: I will be showing my agents the first 100 pages of my draft as soon as Iβm happy with them. Iβm at a point in my career in which I am only interested in writing a book that my agents believe they can sell (with the mutual understanding that they might be wrong about whether they can!). There have been plenty of other times in my career when I didnβt feel that way, but for now, selling a book is my goalβ and Iβd love to have the feedback that itβs not sellable, harsh as it might feel at the time, before Iβve written a whole novel that will go into a drawer.
Everyone has to make this decision for themselves; and yes, I think itβs a super valuable idea to connect with an agent and see what they think/prefer! But I also think that under the best of circumstances, an agent is an ally with a slightly different (but aligned) set of goals than a writer has, and if the ambition is to go out to the marketplace, having an agentβs βbuy-inβ on the ground floor can be a real boon. (They can suggest opportunities you might not see yet in the manuscriptβ especially towards more commercial choices; they can start talking your project up to their contacts before itβs βdoneβ if theyβre excited about it, even in the vaguest of terms, etc).
Iβd also argue that if this is something a writer wants from an agent, and their agent doesnβt think itβs a good idea, itβs okay to seek other representation! Also, Iβve gotten to a point in my career where I want an agent to accept me, warts and all. Of course Iβm going to show them something that I feel is polished/good (best foot forward and all that)! But Iβm also okay with being open to suggestions earlier in the process from someone on my team with something that isnβt close to finished if that helps us down the line.
Of course, this wonβt be the right fit for everyone! But especially in this market, I do think itβs something to considerβ¦
I did this with my most recent project with my agent- it wasnβt the genre he signed me for and so I wanted to get his buy in before I got too far along. I sent him about 100 polished pages, he liked it and was comfortable with moving forward with the project so I was too. Otherwise Iβve had to resist the temptation to send him a full draft before itβs ready- currently on draft 2
This is a GREAT point, and very relevant for anyone who is career-minded and capable of scrapping a project and moving on to a new one without regret. The thing that trips me up is of course agents can't know for sure whether the project will sell or not, and so a project they approve of might fail where a project they dismissed would have succeeded... but if you're okay with those risks and those unknowns, it can be really nice to have some assurance that you're not writing a novel destined for the drawer.
Thank you for weighing in!! It's true that the advantages of sharing work early really shift the deeper into a writing career you are.