Is Your Book Good Enough for Publication? Part 2
In Part 1 I discussed letting your book sit for awhile or getting a “pretend” editor to read over it.
At some point you will have let your book sit or you’ll have had a “pretend” editor read it. If you’ve had someone else read it and they’ve given you a good review, it’s now time for you to read it again. You’ll be reading it with fresh eyes and may catch mistakes you and the “pretend” editor missed. At this point, this is where you want your book to grab you from page one and hold on for dear life. If it doesn’t grab you as the writer, it probably isn’t going to grab anyone else.
Let’s say you’ve let it sit for awhile, you’ve gotten your “pretend” editors review (all looks good), you’ve picked it up, started the first page and it’s grabbed you. You’re sitting there amazed at what a great work this is and can’t believe it’s yours. Now what? This is another chance to proofread it. You may triple check your work, but something always seems to get by, so check it many times.
Once all of this comes together and the final edits are made, then and only then should you decide if it’s good enough to be published. If it’s passed all the scrutinizing, it’s time to format and start writing the query letters. This is a good time to write queries because you’ve just read the book, it’s fresh in your mind again, but this time you see if from a slightly different perspective than just as the writer, and you can convey what it’s about to an editor.
If you’re new to writing you may be wondering about that chopping block I mentioned in part one. That’s where you go to have other writers critque your work. A good place to have that done is writing.com. They have several levels of membership and the free account will allow you to put 5 pieces of work into your portfolio. They also have areas where you can submit it to get critiqued. If you ask that your work be critiqued, you need to return the favor and critique other’s work as well. If you’re new, simply explain that you haven’t critiqued before. Reading other’s critiques will help you learn how it’s done.
I must warn you, if you don’t have thick (hard-shell) aligator skin, then writing really isn’t for you, unless you never share your written material with the world.
Now go write that great novel.
Rock On! Write On!
Patti Stafford
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