Freaking out on whether to hire an editor

M.A.Gardener · Aug 29, 2006

Okay, so I have my mystery novel finished. I have had input from my writing critique group, a set of subject-matter readers, mystery-specific readers, and a friend who proofread it one last time. I have a synopsis, a carefully crafted query letter and even a "tip sheet" (via Andrew Zack).

I emailed someone who agreed to consider being my agent, but she's out of the business. She offered some advice, including: "Your best shot is always with an agency with which you have some connection [she told me to use her name], but usually you'll only get that one shot with any agency. So make sure that the ms. is really, really ready to go out."

One shot! So now I'm really nervous and thinking about hiring an editor but also concerned about the time and money. (There's a bit of a time crunch because it would be best to publish for a 100-year anniversary event in August of next year.) What do you think?

Trying to breathe,
Mary

Silver King · Aug 29, 2006

Mary, take it easy.

Why would you worship the word of only one person regarding your work? "One shot" my eye. How does she know this? Is she clairvoyant in some way or, better yet, a mystical publishing nymph who can foresee your future? I think not.

Just relax. Get your work into the best possible shape you can without spending more dough on more bad advice. Send it out. Start on something else. Stop listening to additional bad advice. Keep writing. Send that out. And so on...

Kristen King · Aug 29, 2006

Mary, I echo everything Silver said. And I'm guessing that if the agent encouraged you to use her name, the MS is in pretty good shape to begin with. ;] Futher, if you want to send me the first five or 10 pages privately via e-mail, I'll look at it, no strings, and let you know if there are any big problem areas you need to straighten out editing-wise before you start sending this baby into the world.

Kristen

M.A.Gardener · Aug 29, 2006

Okay you guys, I'm breathing again. Breathe, breathe... I think it's just wedding-day jitters... or something like that. Thanks for your offer, Kristen! I'm going to take another look at it over the next few days and decide where to go from here.

Katiba · Aug 30, 2006

I just wanted to add that many, many people - including me! - get top of the line agents from a cold query. It is not true that you have to know someone, or even necessarily true that you have a better shot if you do. Take a look at the many agent blogs on the internet. They pretty much all say the same thing: it's all in the writing. While it is true that there are some closed agencies where you have to know someone to get read, there are many that are open to (at least) query letters.

Kristen King · Aug 30, 2006

Katiba said:
I just wanted to add that many, many people - including me! - get top of the line agents from a cold query. It is not true that you have to know someone, or even necessarily true that you have a better shot if you do. Take a look at the many agent blogs on the internet. They pretty much all say the same thing: it's all in the writing. While it is true that there are some closed agencies where you have to know someone to get read, there are many that are open to (at least) query letters.

I had the same thought, Katiba. I wonder if the agent was talking about one shot to use her name at a particular agency???

Kristen

Julie Worth · Aug 30, 2006

M.A.Gardener said:
There's a bit of a time crunch because it would be best to publish for a 100-year anniversary event in August of next year.

You ought not count on that. It could take you a year to get an agent, another year to get a publisher, and then another year or two before it hits the shelves.

JanDarby · Aug 30, 2006

Ditto to what Julie said.

The major publishers, at least, likely have the books scheduled for release through the end of 2007 already under contract. Count on 12 to 18 months between date of sale and date of release. Anything under a year is generally considered a rush job.

JD

M.A.Gardener · Sep 1, 2006

JanDarby said:
The major publishers, at least, likely have the books scheduled for release through the end of 2007 already under contract. Count on 12 to 18 months between date of sale and date of release. Anything under a year is generally considered a rush job.

What about the smaller, mid-list publishers? Any idea there?

JanDarby · Sep 2, 2006

What about the smaller, mid-list publishers?

If you mean "mid-list" books, they're published by the major publishers.

If you're talking about the small presses, I don't know anything about their turn-around times, but they may give estimates at their websites. Epublishers (which also might qualify as a small press) can be anywhere from a few weeks to a year or more). Ellora's Cave is taking about a year just to respond to submissions, I believe. My own epub takes a month or two to respond to submissions and go to contract, and then the release date is about 4 to 5 months later. A friend's epub released her first book in closer to a month or so, and she has a book with another epub, and it's going to be more in the 9 month range before it's released, if I remember correctly.

It's a slow business.

JD

Cathy C · Sep 2, 2006

There's actually MORE flexibility in the larger publishers. A lot of times they leave open slots for time-sensitive stuff that don't ever get filled. Smaller publishers/imprints who only put out one or two books a month are already filled through mid-2008.

But don't expect that the publisher will jump through hoops just because you think it's the perfect time. After all, if it's only a sure-sell for that short window of time, what incentive do they have to accept it when they're hoping it will sell EVERY month and year?

Yes, it's definitely worth mentioning the tie-in of the anniversary, but don't pin your hopes on that. If the book is good, the date it's pubbed won't matter.

Freaking out on whether to hire an editor

M.A.Gardener

Silver King

Megalops Erectus

Kristen King

M.A.Gardener

Katiba

Kristen King

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

JanDarby

M.A.Gardener

JanDarby

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!