Is Your Manuscript Ready to Pitch (or Publish)?
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
Many writers set the goal to be finished with a manuscript by the end of the year. Thousands of others completed a draft for NaNoWriMo (and are now recovering).
But – How do you know when your manuscript is really ready to send out into the world?
Writers at this stage often fall into two camps:
I’m super eager to get my book out there – ready or not, here I come!
Am I ready? I don’t know... maybe I need to tweak it a little more.
Writers in the first group tend to be impatient. They want to get it done, and on to the next. These writers may only do one revision pass, perhaps with the notes from a few beta readers. They don’t really know any better revision process than starting at page one and just plowing through. They don’t know about different types of revision, and they’re not really worried if there are grammar or spelling errors. It’s all about the story!
Writers in the second category may be too cautious. They are never satisfied with what’s on the page. It could always be better. They start pulling at one nagging thread, and pretty soon they’re rethinking the whole story, overwhelmed by possible changes. They’re afraid to put their work out there and face the judgement of readers, which may just confirm their own feeling that it’s not good enough.
Of course, these are extremes – but most of us have a tendency toward one or the other (I fall into the second camp, for sure).
How to break out of the trap of too little or too much revision?
First, understand how to revise effectively. If you do this, you will increase your confidence in your manuscript being ready for the world to see it. I’ve detailed the step-by-step process in previous posts.
A deep-level developmental edit (Red Light issues)
A mid-level story edit (Yellow Light issues)
Line editing and proofreading (Green Light Issues)
Check your work against the 10 Point Checklist for Novel Revision
Yes, this can be time-consuming, but it’s better to take it in these stages than trying to fix things as you go through from Page 1.
Once you’ve revised it a well as you can, have it read by beta readers or professional editors, or a book coach. These people will give different types of feedback, depending on their roles.
Beta Readers should be as close to your ideal reader as possible. What were their reactions? Their comments? (See The Complete Guide to Using Beta Readers)
A Book Coach may help you through the whole revision process, from planning to feedback on your revision itself, and focus not just on craft but on the project management and emotional support aspects that come up when tackling such a big creative undertaking.
Professional Editors will take on different roles depending on the type of edits they do:
A Developmental Editor takes an overall look at the story structure and character development, the major themes, and narrative drive.
A Line Editor will look at line-by-line issues, story and point of view consistency, grammar and usage, clunky phrases, etc.
A Proofreader will look at typos and spelling errors, and possibly formatting.
Some editors combine these services, but you should know what type of editing you need, and what they offer, before paying any money.
When you’ve edited your work to the highest level, it’s time to ask yourself some other questions:
Are you very clear on your genre (and subgenre)?
Is there are market for your book? Do you know your comp titles? Do you know where your book will sit on the shelves, or the categories people will look for it under in an online shop?
Can you summarize your story in a single, compelling sentence?
Do you love your book? Not just the idea, but what you’ve actually written? Do feel in your heart and gut that it’s the best it can be? Are you excited for people to read it?
Were your beta readers, book coach, editors, or anyone else who’s read it enthusiastic in their response? Especially if they’re professionals, do they think it’s ready to pitch or publish?
If you can answer yes to all those questions, you can feel confident that you are ready to send your work out into the world. Depending on your writing goals, that may mean sending it out to agents (for tips, see Researching Agents and Setting Up Your Querying System), or preparing your book for self-publishing – hiring someone to create a cover, formatting it for publication, creating a marketing plan, and so on.
Writing a book is very much a marathon, not a sprint. It pays to take your time to do revision properly, and to make sure your book is as good as it can be before starting the publishing process. It’s natural to be eager to get your work out into the world, but you want it to be something you are truly proud of. If you’re honest with yourself, you will know when you are ready.
Where are you now? What is the next step you need to take to move forward? Next, we’ll be looking at creating your New Year’s Writing Plan.
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