I missed yesterday’s post. So today, I am grateful for two things. These kind of go together, anyway.
I am so grateful for my agent, and for my editor.
Currently I’m in the middle of a revision based on an editorial letter from my editor, which is brilliant. I’m intimidated at trying to turn all this brilliant feedback into brilliant revisions, because wow…that’s a tall order. But I’m working on it. I’ll get there.
At the same time, I know that this revision would be much, much harder had I not already done the revisions suggested by my brilliant agent. In fact, I wouldn’t be doing this revision at all, because my book would probably still be wandering around submission-land someplace.
I am so glad not to be wandering around submission-land by myself anymore.
A lot of people these days are down on publishing houses, down on editors, down on agents. Agents are just taking your money for nothing, they say. Editors are just trying to keep you out of publishing! They don’t get it! They aren’t necessary! They mostly aren’t even helpful!
Oh, man. As per my last post, I am glad that those people have options available to them that can serve their needs. I think the many indie and self-publishing choices that are constantly evolving are awesome and exciting. But as for me…I do not agree with their conclusions. I am so, so happy to be right where I am…working with an agent and an editor and a big publishing house.
See, I’m not a brilliant writer. No, really. I am not. I put words on the page, and sometimes they are good. But a lot of the time, they are lacking structure. They are lacking development. Sometimes they are the wrong words all together. Here is the true fact of my life: I am not capable of producing an excellent, developed manuscript without feedback from readers. Yes, I have critique groups. Yes, I’ve had freelancers look at my work. (Nice when those freelancers are your friends…and like to read your work for free. Love you guys lots!)
But let me tell you, my books would be much much worse were it not for the excellent, insightful criticism that I receive from my agent and my editor. I make the changes, but their input changes the way that I think about my work, and that shift is something that I, for one, very much need. I can make the changes. I can make my words better. But I need support to get it done right. My best work only happens when I lean on these outside sources to help me get there.
I am so, so grateful to get to work with such amazing professionals. I hope that in the end they benefit from the partnership every bit as much as I do. But wow. That might be asking a lot.
