Got some notes today about strengthening my MS. I wondered how common it is for agents to send these to authors before they offer representation. Turns out, opinion is split.
I read several agent blogs that said they don't have time to do this with every MS they read. Which I can understand. I'm a logical gal. If I were an agent, I'd probably be dancing with the one I brought, too, i.e. clients. Also known as the people currently making it possible to pay rent.
So, I was pleasantly surprised to receive such extensive feedback. Did it hurt that it was really nice, complimentary feedback? No. No, it did not. I'm also an easy-going gal. You can tell me I suck out loud if you say it nicely enough. I'm Southern; we're all about manners, y'all.
I also found some agents that said this was a common practice for them when they first started out. Right up until they began getting snarky reply emails that were less than polite. One agent mentioned a reply she'd gotten from an author that called the agent everything you wouldn't say in front of your grandmother. I'm paraphrasing, of course.
That gave me pause. Why would anyone be pissed if someone offered them an opinion? I'm guessing the agent didn't say "If you don't make the changes I'm talking about I will burn down your house and tell every other agent I won't sit with them at lunch if they offer to represent you." It was a suggestion. One made by someone much more intimately familiar with the publishing industry, but suggestion all the same. No one said the author had to do anything.
I understand how important an author's vision and ideas are. I practically burped and diapered my MS. And, sure, I want people to love it just as it is. That ain't gonna happen. So I went into this knowing I was sending my baby out for rejection, requests, and revisions.
Maybe this is easier for me because I teach writing. I understand that asking for revisions is not code for "Gee and wow. This sucks." The more in-depth my revision suggestions, the more faith I have that the work can really blossom and improve. In order to believe that, I have to see there's a strong foundation to work from. It's actually a backhanded compliment. It's "I think you're good enough that I feel reasonably certain you can be even better."
Incidentally, I'm the teacher, so my suggestions are less suggestion and more demand. I give my students way less wiggle room than agents give. I know more about writing than my students do. Agents know more about the market than I do. So, I adapt.
This all made me wonder: Am I just naive? Am I missing something? Is a revision suggestion just one small step up from rejection? Have I not been at it long enough to be cynical?
Or am I just as determined to improve my writing now as I was when Mrs. Lewis told I could?
Off to edit.
No comments:
Post a Comment