Update 1: Baby Steps
I’m new to this writing stuff, so any progress I make feels
like a pretty big deal. All the little baby steps still feel significant, and
that’s including the things that haven’t quite worked out. I keep telling
myself it’s all a part of being diligent and mindful of the process, that I’ll
end up learning the most from a slow and steady approach to all the minor
details. And I think it’s an outlook that’s already paid off in small ways,
some of which are gradually building upon each other.
But first, the stuff that hasn’t gone anywhere: querying
agents. I’ve sent out a grand total of ten queries and have been rejected (Supportively!
Encouragingly!) by all of them. Some were form letters sent by assistants,
others were a little more personalized but ultimately found my thing not a good
fit for what they were looking for.
It’s been a relief to discover that rejection at this point is
no big deal. I already know I’m working in “acquired taste” territory and haven’t
taken any of the passes personally. It helps that everyone has been
super-professional and respectful, and that ten queries does not a sample size
make. We’ll see how I feel when I have one hundred closed doors staring back at
me. For now, though, I haven’t shed a single tear.
In the meantime, I caught a mention via twitter of a free
workshop for promoting self-published work and decided to look into it. It was
the only free part of a small-scale sci-fi conference held here a few months
ago. Not being much of a sci-fi guy and also not quite in a place to act on any
tips for promoting a finished work, I initially debated on whether I should
bother going. Even on the day of the event, I wasn’t sure it would be worth it;
the weather was kinda shitty that weekend and it would’ve been easy to just
stay at home. But I finally decided it was the kind of low-impact first step I
should be making, if only to see who else would show up to such a thing.
As it turned out, about seven people were there, all of them
published authors just checking in to see if there were any new tricks to learn
about platforms and e-pportunities (har har). I was the only person who
identified as a horror writer, which the workshop presenter made a note of. The
presentation itself was informative but (as I’d suspected) a little too
advanced for my project to benefit from. Nonetheless, I made sure to send the
presenter a quick note that evening, thanking them for making it free for
non-conference schmoes like me to attend.
To my surprise, the presenter got in touch with me through
Facebook. We exchanged a number of e-mails discussing where I was at and what I
might need to consider doing next. They eventually asked to see my manuscript
to get a better sense of its quality and for how they might be able to help. After
reading it, they suggested I not go directly to self-publishing before I’d
really pursued at least some of the options available for small press
publishing. A vote of confidence! From someone in the industry! I won’t lie –
it felt pretty good.
Another small-ish event was coming up. I made plans to meet
up with the presenter at the event to talk a little more about next steps. We
had a great chat, after which they introduced me to a highly-regarded freelance
editor that had been mentioned in a prior e-mail. This editor and I later
connected via Facebook and they asked to look over my first chapter to see if
it was something they’d be willing to work on.
Fortunately for me, they were amenable, and we quickly entered into a working relationship (ie, a formal relationship in which I pay them to edit my book). The editor felt confident that about 20,000 words could be cut from the manuscript so that it was more in line with standard lengths for genre fiction.
Fortunately for me, they were amenable, and we quickly entered into a working relationship (ie, a formal relationship in which I pay them to edit my book). The editor felt confident that about 20,000 words could be cut from the manuscript so that it was more in line with standard lengths for genre fiction.
Of course, I had to think pretty hard about whether this was
a necessary cost for what I was trying to do with my first writing effort. I
was afraid that I’d only get feedback based on what typically sells better, or
that I’d be told certain annoying conventions cannot be flouted by upstarts
such as myself.
But I looked further into this editor’s body of work
(including some of their own writing – both in fiction and in literary criticism),
and came to realize that I’d lucked into connecting with someone who had tastes
and sensibilities that are similar to my own. It became clear that working with
them on this project was definitely the right call to make. I feel like I can trust
their judgment of my work and how to possibly fix the rookie mistakes I’ve no
doubt made.
Two weeks ago I sent my manuscript to this editor and paid
half of the requisite fee. By tomorrow (TOMORROW!), the editor has promised to deliver
their final assessment along with a complete structural edit of my novel. I’ve
never worked with anyone on something like this before, so I have no idea what
to expect. Will I be told it’s all wrong? Will I be told I need to rethink
everything? Will the cuts be too deep? Will all my darlings be dead?
It’s all very exciting, and even if no one shows an interest
in the finished product and it ends up languishing on my hard drive, I’ll at
least know that I did everything as conscientiously as possible. Not only that,
but I’ll be able to see what a professional editing job can do for my work.
I’ll be sure to post another update once I’m on the other
side of the editor’s feedback.