Sent out the changes to my agent for the chapters that had the most differences. There were only 4, the rest was minor word changes and questions she had that I probably needed to answer. I emailed her the chapters for her to review so that I can make sure I'm on the right track before printing the whole blasted thing out again.
When revising, I highly recommend printing out the entire manuscript when all your changes are done, and then reading the book as if it were a book, not yours, but someone else's. This will allow you to think somewhat objectively and things that are awkward will stick out like a third grader's treatise on the sociological impact of newer social media outlets. It just won't make sense.
I also check for spelling and stuff, but that sticks out with me on any document I read. Grammar tends to get lost with me though, because I write in a certain voice that I hear in my head (see, I told you those voices in your head will come in handy) and so what I'm reading sounds perfectly normal to me, even conversational. BUT, that's where the objectivity breaks down - someone else will hear a different voice. So I have to go slow there...
Finally, when you get an agent (and you WILL get an agent!) pay attention to their little pet peeves. The more you nail those and avoid them after they tell you what they are, the more professional you'll seem to them. That's really important, because they are in the business of making money off of you. They need to feel confident that you'll take their recommendations seriously.
So - now I wait again for Caitlin to review the changes, then I'll print the whole thing out and re-read just to make sure I didn't change something in Chapter 2 that'll come up again as something different in chapter 5. Continuity is key.
Then she'll love it, send it out to the five or so publishers she has in her back pocket, and BOOM! My Christmas/Birthday present (the days are one and the same, sadly) will be a HUGE bidding war amongst all five publishers!
OPTIMISM! It's what's for breakfast!
Ha! A healthy dose every day, right? Fantastic.
ReplyDeleteSo, how long did it take from landing an agent to finishing? Seems like a LOOOooooooong process. But worth it?
I landed the agent in April or so of this year, so it's been almost nine months...nine months....
ReplyDeleteHang on a sec. There's symbolism in there somewhere, I just know it.
Now, the really fun part is when the editor enters into the fray. If Caitlin's done her job right, there shouldn't be too much to do there, but even with design sessions, marketing analysis and discussions, jacket cover, etc. etc. etc. I don't anticipate seeing my book in print until later next year.
Now once the million copies fly off the shelves, things should start moving REALLY fast! :)
And worth it? Well, I'll let you know when we wrap the film sessions. But yeah, it's been worth it. Definitely...