Submissions - Page 8

Dear Kathy…

On the contrary, I recommend you pursue young editors and agents at full speed because they are often in high list-building mode. That means they’re more likely than those long in the tooth to fly around the nation for smaller events like writing chapters’ Agent/Editor Days, making them more accessible to submitting authors, and they are more likely to offer an ‘open call’ for submissions when they get there. They are also more willing to work through a round or two of revision on a promising project. And very importantly, in almost every case these young’uns have deeply experienced mentors hovering in the background. Mentoring is a big thing in the ranks of literary professionals, and that, coupled with youthful enthusiasm, brings young agents and editors up to speed on the marketplace and their craft very quickly. These ‘kids’ are hungry, driven, and acquiring; does it get any better than that? If you have an opportunity to connect with an editor or agent, forget about your abundance of gray hairs and their lack thereof. It’s about the books, always.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Dear Kelly…

Absolutely include it. The prologue is the beginning of your story. It’s the first thing your readers will set eyes on when they open the book, so it should be the first thing your agent sets eyes on when s/he opens the manuscript. You decided to launch the story with a prologue for a reason–it sets up a mood, maybe, or provides a vital plot tease before readers plunge into the main story. If you can omit it easily, I question its use in your manuscript at all. A prologue is your introductory handshake with your readers; extend that same hand to your potential agent.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Dear Bill…

Agents like to submit a full package to publishers, which includes the synopsis, so always give it to them. Editors may or may not want a synopsis—but you won’t know your targeted editors’ habits, so again, give it to them. Some editors won’t read it because they prefer the story prove itself. Others want to know your plans after you’ve intrigued them with your query letter and sample chapters. As with anything you write professionally, your synopsis should have a hint of personality, and, yes, that personality should suggest the tone of the book. Write it using omniscient POV, and—brace yourself—tell, don’t show. Wow, I don’t advise that often! But the point of the synopsis is to summarize the main themes and plot points and to state how the main character will change in the course of the story. Save the details and the full cast of characters for the manuscript. Striving for one page, single-spaced, should force you to stick to the main happenings. If you dread summarizing your 200-page story into one page, then trade manuscripts with someone in your critique group and write each other’s initial synopsis drafts. Then trade back and modify your buddy’s version to suit your own voice.  However you get the synopsis done, DO get it done. You’ve moved mountains to finish the manuscript and make it submission-ready; don’t let one final page take the wind out of your creative sails.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Dear Author in Waiting…

Pace? Plot? Possibly. The fact is, the editors didn’t specify exactly what they thought fell short, so you’re left to do exactly what you are doing: guessing. Bleh. Alas, useful feedback takes time, something beleaguered editors are hard-pressed to find even for the books they already have under contract. BUT they did slip you some very valuable feedback: that your premise and voice are The Goods. That’s huge. Two of the toughest critics you’ll face just told you 1) that your concept is engaging enough—and shows enough market potential—to get them to stop their hectic day to read your manuscript, and 2) that they bought into your narrative voice. They didn’t have to tell you that; they could’ve just whipped out one of those generic “It’s not for me” replies. So, while those editors didn’t give you a blueprint for revision, they did confirm that your manuscript has key strengths. That should put well-deserved pep in your step. For your revision, I suggest you focus on more abstract items like tension, pace, and character arcs, as those are harder to explain in quick rejection letters than dialogue (“the characters didn’t sound natural”) or plot (“the storyline didn’t hold up”), and thus are more likely to fall into the grab bag that is “execution.”

Happy writing!

The Editor