: Re: Publishing fiction: when do I start looking for an agent? I am just about finished with the first draft of a novel I've been working on. I've been writing novels for about ten years and I've

@Candy753

Vote Up Vote Down

Competition among writers today is extreme. Every agency and publisher gets hundreds, if not thousands of submissions each month. At the same time, the publishing market is under increasing pressure from competing media such as television and computer games and from monopolist retailers such as Amazon. Because of that, publishers and agents no longer have the financial leeway to invest much work into polishing an unfinished manuscript.

Agents I have spoken to have repeatedly emphasized that they expect finished manuscripts. They will help you with some fine-tuning, but basically the plot should work, the characters should be well-rounded, style, grammar, and orthography should be free of mistakes – and the first few paragraphs of your text must grab the attention of your target audience.

The only exception to this expectation is if you are a celebrity and a high number of sales can be expected from your name alone. In that case, you don't have to have anything written at all – the agency will find a ghost writer for you, if you need one. In all other cases: Your book must be publication-ready when you submit it.

And even then there is a high likelyhood, if you are submitting your first novel, that the publisher or agency will request that you write another book. More often than not have aspiring writers reported that agencies replied that their first book was "good" but not publishable (as there was no market for it) and have asked them whether they have an idea for another book. So your first (publication-ready) book will in many cases be nothing more than an entrance examination that shows publishers what you are capable of, after which they begin to work with you to develop the book they want you to write and then publish.

The qualities that will most help you in becoming a published author are stamina, perseverance, and tenacity. Writing is an endurance sport. Good luck!

(0)

Login to post a comment!