An editor has agreed to take another look at my manuscript. What would you do?

writera

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An editor has graciously agreed to take another look at my manuscript they first read a year ago and sent me back notes on. At the time, I made major revisions to the novel, but felt it changed the novel too much. And then I never heard back from the editor so I assumed they were no longer interested. Quite unexpectedly, I just got an email a year later to say they'd be willing to take another look. So I went back to the original manuscript and found a way to make much more minor (but still significant) changes that mostly addressed the editor's issues, but kept the manuscript and the core of the story mostly the same, just tightened it a bit, trimmed it a bit, and made it stronger?

I was going to send back to the editor, but tell them I have ideas for more radical changes (not as radical as the ones I made before, but am afraid to make them in case they don't work), but would be willing to make them or additional changes if he thinks I need too. So that way he sees I've made revisions, improved the manuscript, and would be willing to make more revisions if necessary.

But I'm concerned with this approach that 1.) it might look like I have't made enough revisions, given it's been a year and 2.) it might come off as presumptuous, implying he has time to read this version, THEN another one, because someone pointed out to me this could be my last shot with him.

But at the same time, if I make the more radical changes, they could be too radical. What would you do - make some significant changes, send it back and say you'd be willing to make more if necessary to show him you're willing? Or make more radical changes and take longer with it but possibly risk changing the book too much?

We also haven't had a significant back-and-forth discussion, and this is an editor who doesn't usually look at unagented manuscripts, so I'm afraid to push too hard and get into a back and forth. Basically, they read the manuscript, sent back a rejection and notes. I emailed back saying, would you take another look if I made these changes? Then I dived in and started making major changes. The editor never emailed back, so I assumed it was just a rejection with notes, not an invitation to resubmit. Then I got this email saying, sorry for taking so long to get back to you, I would be willing to take another look. And now I'm not sure what to do.
 
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lizmonster

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What I'd do in your shoes: Make the changes I thought improved the book the best, whether or not they're radical, and send it along.

If you do this the editor will see that you're willing to make changes, and you won't have to say things like "I'll revise again if you like" - it's implicit. (And tbh if they buy the book you'll be revising again anyway, based on new notes.)

Ultimately an acquisitions editor is going to make a subjective choice: they want to buy your work, or they don't. Plenty of really good books are rejected by really good editors; there's no shame in getting a "not for me" response. But you're the one with your name on this stuff. This editor gave you good notes? Excellent! Use them as you see fit to improve your work. If it's not enough to hook this editor, you'll still have an improved book to offer to others.
 

novicewriter

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I don't know how much help this might be, but when a poetry editor gave me a brief, general note about shortening my poem further, I edited it as best as I could, then added how I hoped the edits I'd made were a bit more of what the editor had in mind.

So, perhaps, if you thanked the editor for their previous note about editing and mentioned something about how you hoped the edits were what the editor had in mind, that'd probably help indicate to the editor that you did make some changes that they'd suggested, that you're open to editing, etc.
 
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writera

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Thank you both for your helpful responses.
 
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Atlantic12

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In my opinion, the notes the editor gave you address pretty significant, fundamental structural issues that can't be fixed with band-aids. If you agree with the feedback, that calls for a major revision, and maybe even more than one.

So I agree that you should take your time and revise as well as you can and then send. Publishing takes forever anyway, there's no harm in adding a month or more. Your ideas for revision seem sound, and are a lot of work. One of the most painful but necessary issues, I think, is cutting down on POVs. Depending on what your story tries to achieve, cutting to the absolute fewest possible POVs can radically strengthen a story. Then you have the chance to really work the POVs that are left, especially the main protagonist if your story has one. This also makes it a bit easier to address the other big thing -- character change -- one of the fundamental elements of good fiction, imo.

Good luck!
 

writera

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That's a good point and I agree they can't be fixed with minor patches.

The only thing, though, is that revision I'm working on (I've already made a lot of progress) feels like it's not "big enough" to me to fix the editor's issues. But we'll see. I just hope, if they're still not happy with the revision, they'll give me another shot and this isn't my only shot with this editor. They first read the original MS a year ago.
 

Richard White

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If it feels like your revisions "aren't big enough", then I'd listen to that voice in your head and figure out what exactly IS it going to take to revise this story and then you have to decide if you want to invest enough time and brain capital to make it work or if you REALLY believe to make all these changes would not make it your book any more.

But, I wouldn't "just hope". Either make the changes or decide this isn't the editor for you. If you just kinda, sorta, maybe, hopefully make the changes, then you already know what the answer is and you're not doing yourself or this editor justice.
 

writera

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The revision is coming along nicely. I'm really happy with the changes I've made. I just hope they're enough. So I'm going to think about the couple of more radical ideas I had and might incorporate one of them. Just don't want to throw the book out of balance either. The changes I've made so far improve the book greatly I feel but don't throw the story out of whack, whereas the more radical ideas I had might be "too much". We'll see.

When you send back a revision, do you just send back the manuscript and let it speak for itself or do you also include a list or summary of changes you made?

I was hoping to include a list of changes to show the editor exactly where I made changes and how I based the changes around his comments and point out changes that could be kept/removed, etc.

Would including something like this at the bottom of the email be okay - that way he can either read them or ignore them and just read the manuscript itself if he wants to?
 
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writera

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I've finished the first stage of the revision. I'm really happy with it and feel it's made the book a lot stronger. I'm just not sure it fully addresses the editor's issues. I wish I could send it back to the editor to see what he thinks and a note that I'm open to making further changes. Or at least email him to tell him the changes I made and ask if he thinks it sounds like enough. But I can't expect him to read it now and then another time after that, and if I just tell him the changes he'll probably say he can't tell until he reads the manuscript. So I'm going to save this version and put it to one side and move on to a second stage of the revision - attempting more radical changes, such as cutting one character entirely and merging two others. I'm not thrilled about attempting these more radical changes, but if they work they might address his issues moreso than what I've done so far.
 
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Richard White

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Do they address your issues though?

Remember, you're the author, not the editor. While they have expressed interest in the book, YOU have to be happy with the changes you're making.

But, I think you're going about it the right way. You've done one revision that you're mostly happy with. Now do the other and compare the two. Which one makes YOU the happiest about your story? Do all the editor's suggestions make it a tighter, more engaging story? Remember, even though they're an editor, they're only one person who has preconceived notions about what makes a story good, but they're (hopefully*) human just like you. They could be wrong for this story.

I know this may sound like conflicting advice, but YOU have to be happy with the story at the end since it's going out with your name on it. If you change it to the point it's not your story anymore, there's a problem.


* = editors are people too. Any rumors of contracts written in blood to get editorial slots are just rumors. I think.
 

writera

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I've finished the revision. I made one of the radical changes, but not the other (though I will mention it to the editor as a possibility, I'm just reluctant to implement it as I tried it and didn't really like it).
 
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