Ready for publication?

Ardelie · Feb 1, 2010

At what point in your writing did you realize you were ready, at least by your standards, for publication? Or what about just simply ready to start querying? I get the whole polishing, editing, and beta reading bit. I guess I'm looking for some markers to gauge readiness (beyond the rejection process) that made you confident you had something worthwhile. Was it the approval of readers who are not your friends and/or mother?

Some type of progress in craft? A manuscript that wasn't your first novel?

I apologize if this question is obviously in the archives. Didn't see it on a search.

Chasing the Horizon · Feb 1, 2010

When the book's as good as I can make it. There's really no other way to gauge it, other than publication success.

If your book isn't good enough (gets rejected by everyone), then you know you need to write a better book, but you haven't done any harm to your writing by trying to publish. Which I guess is my way of saying, when you think you're ready just do it.

Phaeal · Feb 1, 2010

I was ready for publication in the womb. Now I just have to convince the agents and publishers.

Ardelie · Feb 1, 2010

I know it seems like a shot in the dark, getting published, but I also think there are predictors as to when/if one's book is up to par. Maybe it's more helpful to look back at one's old manuscripts and discover why they don't work? I'm looking for rational predictors, not if I've made it as good as it can get. And that, I think, has to do with the furthering of craft.

cindystubbs · Feb 1, 2010

Is the work ready??

You have this inner judge of how good it is, but I've found that when it's really, really good I will suddenly decide it is terrible. I also am superstitious and use my mother's name as a character's name in the book or story for good luck. You kinda know, but when you're really good you think you're horrid, like the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. This sounds strange I realize, but true for me.

Caitlin Black · Feb 1, 2010

It's ready when you read through it and don't want to change anything. If it still gets rejected by everyone then you have to change more of it, or just write another book. Personally I think you're ready for publication as soon as you get the first rejection letter that isn't simply a form - one that tells you how to improve. When the agent/publisher has taken the time to give you advice, then I think you're as good as ready, and just need the right book to go along with your mad skillz.

Birol · Feb 1, 2010

There comes a moment where it's put up or shut up. You be a writer and submit your work for outside judgment or you stop pretending and accept that it's only a pipe dream.

What happens after you submit has little to do with it.

scarletpeaches · Feb 1, 2010

This is a bit vague, I know, but my experience was writing for years and being half-hearted about subbing. No real effort, no progress...

Then in April of 2009 I finished the first draft of the first project I was ever truly proud of. Promptly burst into tears and when I calmed down, said to tt42, "Holy fuck...I think I've got something here. No, I mean really. I do."

It felt different. It's like asking someone how they know they've had an orgasm. Difficult to describe (except for me; I'm an erotica writer, heh heh) but if you feel it, you know.

Of course, I needed to edit the book but that only took a fortnight and I was done.

I guess I reached the point where my grasp equalled my reach. And I knew that what I had was as good as - and better than - many published novels.

kaitie · Feb 1, 2010

I'm not someone who thinks it's awful. I might recognize that it's not perfect or even think, "There's bound to be a way to improve this," but for the most part I feel good about all of it, and some of it I read and think, "This is damned good." I'm not someone who is overly confident. I know that it's entirely possible that it's unpublishable. I also know I can't really do much to make it any better, and I'm happy enough with where it's at to let others see it. In terms of editing, I'm with Cliff Face on this one. Once the changes I start making are negligible, it's done.

cwfgal · Feb 2, 2010

Ardelie said:
At what point in your writing did you realize you were ready, at least by your standards, for publication? Or what about just simply ready to start querying? I get the whole polishing, editing, and beta reading bit. I guess I'm looking for some markers to gauge readiness (beyond the rejection process) that made you confident you had something worthwhile. Was it the approval of readers who are not your friends and/or mother? Some type of progress in craft? A manuscript that wasn't your first novel?

I can't say there was any one defining moment or even a marker of any sort. I've been submitting stuff since the age of 17 and I wasn't published until my late thirties. I spent all those years practicing, studying the craft, and sending stuff out. With each rejection I figured, "Okay, that one wasn't good enough, so how can I make it better?"

Did I send out stuff that was embarrassingly amateurish? Stuff that would make me cringe today? I sure as hell did. But I knew that unless I kept trying, kept learning, and kept producing, I'd never achieve my goal.

Beth

GreySpy · Feb 2, 2010

There is a great quote on this subject from Anthony Burgess, which alas I don't have the exact wording for and can't seem to find online. But the upshot is, you'll know that your novel is finished when you realize in despair that "it will have to do."

DrZoidberg · Feb 2, 2010

My rule is, when I edit something and I realize that all I've done is edit it, back to the way it once was. It's when I'm engaged in circular editing, basically. It's editing for the sake of editing. I never reach a point when I feel that my book can't be improved upon. Can it ever?

Jamesaritchie · Feb 2, 2010

I realized I was ready when my work sold. I doubt it's possible to know until this happens. Friends, family, beta readers, professors, agents, etc., can praise a manuscript to death, and it can still fail to sell anywhere. You can love everything about a manuscript, and it can fail to sell anywhere. You can hate everything about a manuscript, and it will sell first time out.

I just write a story, go through once edit it, and then submit it, and keep on submitting it until it sells. This is what I've always done.

I never did worry whether I was ready, or wonder whether a manuscript was ready, or worthy, or anything else. All I can do is write. It's always up to someone with a checkbook to determine whether something sells.

C.M.C. · Feb 2, 2010

I realized it when I saw the contract sitting in front of me.

Chris P · Feb 2, 2010

Ardelie said:
At what point in your writing did you realize you were ready, at least by your standards, for publication?

I thought it was ready long before anyone else did! But, after input from here and massive revisions I'm hoping it'll be "for real" ready by early spring. Then let the rejections come pouring in!

Nateskate · Feb 2, 2010

My Beta readers are precious. If not for them, I don't know that I could have continued on. The fact that they didn't have doubts in me when I doubted myself was extremely important.

Some of them fell in love with the story. Even so, I continued to have my doubts until someone who was an expert agreed. Then I switched from "if" to "when", in my thinking.

RJK · Feb 2, 2010

I thought I was ready after my first novel. That was a mistake. I thought I was ready after my second novel. I wasn't really. I thought I was ready after my third. I queried it. The queries got no responses, which actually worked out in my favor. A friend, and former English teacher reviewed Novel 3, and found several areas for improvement as well as about a hundred punctuation errors. I fixed all those, and now, I think it's ready.
Next year, I'll look back and say "What was I thinking."
I don't think there's any cure for that. As we improve, we see how amateurish our earlier attempts look. At some point, I'll reach the agent's threshold. He or she will say, "That's just what I've been looking for." In the mean time, I'll keep writing and hopefully, improving.

kal-el · Feb 2, 2010

Cliff Face said:
It's ready when you read through it and don't want to change anything. If it still gets rejected by everyone then you have to change more of it, or just write another book. Personally I think you're ready for publication as soon as you get the first rejection letter that isn't simply a form - one that tells you how to improve. When the agent/publisher has taken the time to give you advice, then I think you're as good as ready, and just need the right book to go along with your mad skillz.

I think this is an excellent answer. I'm almost at the stage in one of my novels where I don't want to change anything, and when this happens, I'm gonna find myself an agent and claim to have a finished book that I think may have something to offer.

Ardelie · Feb 3, 2010

GreySpy said:
There is a great quote on this subject from Anthony Burgess, which alas I don't have the exact wording for and can't seem to find online. But the upshot is, you'll know that your novel is finished when you realize in despair that "it will have to do."

That makes me laugh. I've so been there

Thanks for the replies everyone. You guys have some good thoughts! I really think tirelessly submitting and writing is the key to determing "readiness" cause you're really putting yourself out there. And getting a rejection that's not a form letter is certainly a sign of progress. I like having this internal barometer of my writing, like how my prose has become simpler and more essential (don't need to show of!). The fact that I'm no longer leaning on cliches, no matter how veiled, and repeating certain words also helps. I never really hate my work, so I can't relate to that, but I try to be rational enough to see its flaws - that's a life saver too.

SarahMacManus · Feb 4, 2010

Well, I know that *I'M* ready for publication, but I'm not sure any of the novels I've been working are, yet.

The whole idea of feeling like a piece is "as good as you can make it" is pretty subjective. There are pieces I've done that were as good as I thought I could make them, but could be made different without losing any quality. Depends on what you're going for. I have a piece right now I can make better, but even when it's as good as I can make it, there will be things I can do to make it "different". Slightly more tragic? Maybe. Big fluffy happy ending. Definitely. I'm not sure either will make the book better, just different.

Can't wait til I have an agent to bounce things like this back to me.

Ready for publication?

Ardelie

Chasing the Horizon

Blowing in the Wind

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

Ardelie

cindystubbs

Caitlin Black

Wild one

Birol

Around and About

scarletpeaches

kaitie

With great power comes

cwfgal

On the rocks

GreySpy

DrZoidberg

aka TomOfSweden

Jamesaritchie

C.M.C.

Archetype

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Nateskate

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

kal-el

Ardelie

SarahMacManus