Dear O'Abby, Do I Need to Pick my Own Editor?

Dear O'Abby,

I was lucky enough to get offers for a call with several agents recently. One of the agents I talked to said she only submits manuscripts to editors on a list made by the writer, she doesn't do any list-making herself. Tbh I hadn't thought that far ahead and if she had asked me I wouldn't have known what to say.

As a querying writer, should I have a list of editors prepared?

Best wishes,

Bemused.

Dear Bemused,

This is not something I've ever heard of before.  In my experience, agents usually put together their own list of editors to pitch any of the books they acquire to.  They have existing relationships with these people and meet with them regularly to keep on top of what they are looking for.  In fact, one of the main reasons you want an agent is because they have access to editors an writer doesn't have on their own.

An author can't be expected to know who the right editor for their book might be.  Sure, you can find the name of the editor of book you love or one you feel is similar to your own, but that doesn't necessarily mean that editor will be looking for a book like yours.  Maybe they already have a similar story on their list.  Maybe they have stopped looking for books like the one you read because they sense the market is cooling for that type of story.  Maybe they don't even work for that publisher anymore.

These are the things an agent should bring to your partnership, the things they are the expert in.  And once you both feel the book is ready to go out on submission, she should be able to show you the list of editors she is going to pitch it to.  She should also explain the reasons why she's choosing these editors and how she's going to pitch the book to them.  This is the point you need to decide if you want to hear all the feedback she gets on your project as it comes in, or if you'd rather just hear if they passed or were interested.

I think there should be an opportunity for you to make a suggestion if you have some information or a relationship with a certain editor, or a very strong feeling about a particular publishing company you feel would be perfect for your book, but the onus should not be on the author to decide who the book is submitted to.  That's the agent's job - what you will be paying her for when the book sells.

So, I see that particular question as being a red flag.  The agent's job is to know the editors at various publishing houses and be on top of their likes and dislikes.  Any agent who asked me to do her job for her, is not an agent I would want to sign with.  If she doesn't want to do this very basic function of her job, who knows what else she might decide she doesn't want to do?

X O'Abby

Revise and Resubmit

After sending out queries, we all wait for responses. Sometimes they don't come. Sometimes we

receive rejection letters. Sometime we get a hopeful, "Send me more," and then we wait again. We hope for a phone call and not a polite "no thank you" email. A yes, and we're flying. A no, and we're plummeting.

But what about that other response--the R&R. If you're new to the term, in the publishing world it does not mean rest and relaxation. In fact, it might mean just the opposite. The R&R we're talking about stands for revise and resubmit.

For today's post, I'm taking off my writer hat and replacing it with my publisher hat. I'm going to tell you why I ask for an R&R, what I hope you'll do, what I hope you won't do and about the negatives of R&R requests. 

Why I ask for an R&R: 

This is pretty simple. I really liked something about your manuscript. I saw something there that caught my interest, and not just a little. If I only liked it a little, I wouldn't bother with the R&R. I get this excited inner niggling when I come across something I really like--an intriguing premise, a strong character voice, a unique plot or setting. When I find this, I get excited. This excitement combined with well written sample chapters leads me to request a full manuscript. When the manuscript has problems, but I see great potential, I'll request an R&R.

What I hope you'll do:

I hope you'll take the advice I gave when I requested the R&R and dig into your manuscript, that you'll edit with new eyes. This is a second chance, so take full advantage of it. I hope you'll make global changes and then get new beta readers to supply feedback in light of what I've asked.

What I hope you won't do:

Simple--rush. If I ask for an R&R, it does not mean there are only minor tweaks to be made. If the

changes I wanted were minor, easy changes, I would've just proposed offering a contract and making those changes during the editing process. An R&R means the manuscript needs significant changes that exceed what Rebelight Publishing will undertake in the editing process. If you send the manuscript back to me within a week, I'm going to be pretty suspect of the quality of the revisions. As always, take your time and make your manuscript the very best it can be.

What are the negatives of R&R requests:

• I move on. A week after I send you an R&R, I may find something that I like equally, but doesn't as much revision. We may sign that author and by the time you send me your revised manuscript, I may no longer be interested. All the more reason, to rush, right? No, because I may still be interested, and if you don't bring your manuscript to where it needs to be, you've just blown your second chance. I won't give a second R&R. I'll just assume you're unable to do what's been requested.
• I may still decline the manuscript. Perhaps you did what was requested, but it went in a different direction than I'd hoped. This doesn't mean it was bad, just different and not something I felt fit with our publishing goals. However, with the manuscript newly revised, it may catch the attention of another agent or editor.
• You may not want to make the changes I requested. I'm a strong advocate for authors telling the story they felt compelled to write. Whether or not you attempt the R&R is totally up to you. Take some time to think about it. If you don't feel comfortable taking your story in the direction I suggested, then don't do it. Keep searching for an editor or agent who gets your vision for the manuscript.

I encourage you to take full advantage of the R&R. Work hard to show the person who offered you the second chance that you're just the type of professional they'd like to work alongside. 

Have you ever had an R&R request? Tell me about it in the comments. 

Revisions from an Editor's POV - Erin Molta

What an editor is looking for. . . . . . a smooth plot.

And for category romance—the tropes need to be strong and follow through. Are the characters consistent? If your heroine is spunky in the beginning –is she spunky in the middle and in the end? If, as in a category romance we need three tropes, do all the tropes resolve and carry the characters forward? Remember in category romance the hero and heroine need to either be together or thinking of each other for 95% of the book. Their relationship is the primary focus of the story. They need to meet, have the spark, overcome their internal conflict—rake/reluctant virgin/different class/overbearing parents—resolve said conflict and fall in love. If all sentences lead to that, then my job is easy. :)

As you are reading your manuscript, consider whether you have set up the conflict—do you have enough back story or perhaps there is too much? What is going on in the middle of the story? How are the hero and heroine resolving the conflict? Are all the loose ends tied up? Even if it is a series, the story that you are telling needs to be effectively resolved with lingering questions acceptable for the overarching series but not pertaining to the hero and heroine.

Nitpicky things editors look for—words or phrases that are repeated often. Phrases such as “gazes collide or locked,” “stirring of desire,” when used a lot, stop a reader in the flow and she’ll start watching for them. That takes her out of the story. Also, overwriting. Short and sweet—even in historical romance—is better than filling your manuscript with purple prose. Some examples from Edward Bulwer-Lytton: As soon as the Promethean spark had been fully communicated to the lady's tube" (meaning: Once the lady lit her pipe), "a nectarian beverage" (wine), "a somnambular accommodation" (a bedroom), though there is nothing wrong with flowery prose when used sparingly, it’s best not to fall prey to the temptation, even though it is strong, especially while writing historical romance.

Speaking of historical romance – it is fabulous when the author has done research into the time period. There is nothing worse than referencing the wrong king or historical incident in a story or assuming that throwing the term ton in automatically makes a story a Regency. Words make a difference, too. For instance, when writing about women’s dresses – the term modiste did not come into circulation until 1840, so it is only appropriate to use in Victorian and Edwardian time period stories—not Regency.

If an author keeps the above in mind, then really there’d be no need for me :) though an objective eye is always helpful to smooth things out. There will always be an editorial letter because everybody sees a manuscript differently, however, it can be less arduous for the author if some of the tips above are considered.

Enjoy and happy writing!

Erin McCormack Molta has worked as an editor for more than 24 years. Her passion has always been romance and fantasy. She started out in the Scholastic Book Clubs, then moved on to Disney, where she acquired and edited Paul Zindel’s gruesome, but bestselling YA thrillers. Erin has worked on every genre imaginable—all types of novelty books, easy readers, and picture books, as well as chapter books, middle grade, and YA novels—and is now looking forward to working with adult romantic fiction.

For more information on exactly what Erin is looking for, check out the submission guidelines on Entangled Publishing's website. You can contact her at erin(at)entangledpublishing(dot)com.

Editors, Bloggers and Agents Are People Too by Cortnee Howard

Happy Friday, everybody! Our guest today is a young dynamite in the publishing world. She runs a popular collaborative writing blog, reads like it's going out of style, and is a self-proclaimed nerd. Operation Awesome, meet Cortnee Howard!

Cortnee Howard is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Best Damn Creative Writing Blog. She is a former National Merit Scholar and current Presidential Scholar at the University of Alabama. Although she is originally from Cleveland, Ohio she currently divides her time between Houston, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 21, she is the youngest voting member of the National Book Critics Circle and often finds herself reading more books at one time than is typically advisable or healthy.

bio from BDCWB,
pic from twitter

 Sometimes I wonder what writers would do if we didn’t have the internet.

Would we still be friends with each other? Would we even know each other? Would bestselling authors like John Scalzi and J.A. Konrath still be famous?

Even though it hasn’t been that long, it’s already starting to feel like the internet has been around forever. And, like most things that have been around forever, we are starting to take it for granted.

Of course, having constant access to our favorite writing celebs can be awesome--and even helpful. Following the blogs of your favorite agent or publisher helps to keep you in the loop. It prevents you from sending queries to the wrong editors and pitches to the wrong publishers.  But most importantly-- it provides an invaluable perspective on how the publishing process functions as a whole. There are hundreds of successful writers who got their start following industry influencers like Colleen Lindsay and Nathan Bransford. And before I became the editor of the Best Damn Creative Writing Blog I would spend hours on writing forums and sites, devouring any nugget of news that I could.

But after I founded the site, my views changed a little.

As I started to work more with publishers and agents, one of the first things that surprised me was how quickly I became engulfed with work—and how easy it is to get behind. Our site has nearly 30 staff members and managing account relationships with publishers, coordinating with advertisers and vetting questions from persistent writers has become a round the clock job. And I love it. We all love it. Empowering writers is an amazing feeling. There is nothing like watching your readers get picked up by an agent, or sell their first book or get accepted into an MFA program. And it’s something that we rave about in this industry all the time.

Except, lately we have been having a problem.

Because Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and Blackberrys keep most of us plugged in 24/7, some writers (although thankfully, still a very small number) have started to become abusive. Overcalling, over-emailing, over-commenting and over-tweeting can actually do a lot more harm than good. One of my good friends actually called me in tears last week because a client sent her 37 (rude) e-mails after she didn’t respond to the person’s call (she was at her aunt’s funeral).

Although a lot of agents, bloggers and editors do their best to respond to your e-mails and phone calls promptly, sometimes there just isn’t time. Our kids get sick, our cars break down, our parents die, our computers crash and our phones lose service--just like everyone else.

Trust me when I say that everyone in the publishing industry, from review sites to literary magazines, loves writers and would do almost anything to help them succeed.

But sometimes we have bad days too.

So don’t take our random bouts of silence too personally.

Instead, the next time you’re emailing your agent, or @replying a writer, don’t forget to occasionally ask them how their day was or if they enjoyed their weekend. Because even in this fast paced industry, we’re all still human.

And a little bit of kindness can go a long way J