: Re: Can I shop an unfinished novel? I've been writing a novel that addresses some very current themes. My belief is that if I can get it out there quickly, it will succeed well. I'm working

@Gail2416123

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No you can't shop an unfinished novel. Almost everyone has good ideas- for movies, books, businesses, but very few have the discipline to stick to their idea and produce something useful. Many get bored and stop half way.

In books, very few people even finish the 1st draft. Those who do, never get around to revising it and producing something professional. Of those who do, very few seek feedback to see if their work is even interesting. You can see that if you are trying to sell something that hasn't even been finished yet, the odds are stacked against you. The publishers/agents know this, so why should they waste their time on you?

Just having a great idea or even a rough draft of a book isn't good enough. To produce something of beauty, something people appreciate and are willing to pay for, requires hard work and discipline. To misquote Samuel Goldwyn:

"A good book idea isn't worth the paper it is written on" :)

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