Once your submission get bites, you have some thinking to do.
15. Sign with the right agent or editor
If you get an offer from an agent or an editor, it will be thrilling. But don’t leap without looking. Have a good conversation with the person who has expressed interest; try to get a feel for their personality, how they work, and what they expect. Ask them how they like to communicate. Let them ask you questions.
Above all, listen to how they talk about your book. Do they really get it? Are they able to speak specifically to what it offers and why they can see it succeeding? Do they have good ideas about what they’d like to see in revisions yet to come? If their answers are vague or you get a sense that they don’t actually understand your book, think carefully about whether this is the right fit for you.
Similary, if you find that you do not have a good rapport, this should give you pause, because you will work with this person for a long time and you need them to be a real advocate for you.
16. Listen to feedback
Your agent is likely to have notes for you on what they believe you need to do get the book in best position for editorial submission. This is not a time to be defensive or to treat every line as delicate. When you get a word choice edit or requests to clarify passages, it’s often wisest to comply; there are only so many hills to die on, so save your battles.
In most cases, an agent is likely the first truly objective person to ever read your manuscript, so they have an angle of vision that you do not. Their advice comes from their experience — which is a major reason why you hire an agent to begin with. And unless their suggestions would change your work into something that does not reflect you, it pays to be open and generous about incorporating their feedback. Again, it is not personal — they only get paid if you do, so they are actively trying to make the book successful.
The same logic applies to the editorial process, though now with the added factor that your editor is essentially your employer. By contract, you have to be open to more revision, as well as line edits and copy edits, and your pay depends on it. Trust them to work hard on your behalf — and return the favor.
17. Advocate for yourself
Being open to feedback and being willing to allow for other visions does not, however, mean agreeing to every note, especially if you strongly disagree. If there is a core element of the work in question or any note that would fundamentally alter the nature of the piece, it is right for you to acknowledge your concerns and address them head on. Depending on the scale of the disagreement, you may wish to express your concerns by email or in a live conversation. Keep your reponse focused on the text, explaining what your concern is and why it matters.
Sometimes it may be that the note was less urgent than you imagined and your explanation alone will solve the problem. Sometimes, you’ll find that more negotiation (and compromise) is required. What you shouldn’t do is sit on your feelings till you resent your agent or editor, poisoning your connection.
18. Meet your deadlines
With the exception of some indie and hybrid houses, publishing is a long process, and it only gets longer if you don’t meet your deadlines. Your agent or editor is juggling multiple authors, so when you miss a deadline, it’s may not be a mere inconvenience but a broader workflow issue. If making nice with your editor isn’t motivating enough, think of it this way: your lateness can slow up rewards for you twice — both in your final payment and the actual publication date of the book.
(As far as I can tell, editors are under no obligation to return this favor, but that is the difference between employee and employer.)
19. Get ready to promote
You’d think that writing a book is enough, but it really isn’t. As pub date approaches, the marketing team will need your contribution — your willingness to talk up the book, whether it’s answering questions for bloggers or doing readings, school visits, or book clubs. They will want to know what cities and groups you are connected to, so that they can target publications. If you have ideas for outlets, share them all. If you know people who might lift up your book, talk to them.
Any platform you have — such as social media or any kind of public presence — will need to become a megaphone for your work, at least for a while. Lay down all fantasies of avoiding self-promotion and accept that your book still needs you.
20. Start something new
The wait for a book to come out can be excruciating. I encourage people to start thinking about other projects as early as possible. (I start while the next while revising the current book.) Letting your brain work its muscles in developing new characters, worlds, and plots helps keep your juices flowing. There are several good reasons to do this.
First, the editorial process will be long if your book gets picked up (a year would be a short window and it could go two or three from signing to pub date); if you wait to start the next project, you might be kicking that imagined book down the road by four or five years.
Secondly, it is very common for someone who is interested in your work to ask what else you have. It’s best to be able to answer that question like a writer, which is to say, “I’m working on…”
Hopefully, that’s a question you’ll be answering for years to come.
Read part one here: Before You Begin
Read part two here: Writing the Draft
Read part three here: Getting it Out There
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Previously Published on Medium
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