Wha-a!?... Aaaargh... Dazed, dopey and delirious. Believe it or believe it not, the edits (yes, there is more than one editing process) are finally finished. If I don't sound over the moon it's possibly because that's just the second leg of the journey done.
See, it goes like this. Write first draft of manuscript. Let it brew - go and read someone else's books. Come back and rework it. Get some constructive critique partners to take a look at Draft Two it for you. Read their comments and suggestions and work with them making relevant changes as you see fit. Read the manuscript. Read the manuscript out loud - you cannot believe how important this is and the difference it makes. Capture all changes. Read the manuscript again, try to chase away any gremlins that snuck in while you were drinking your tea. Take a day off and start to panic.
Now begins the next leg of the slog - and it's scary.
Write the synopsis. Not ten pages for your 90 000 word novel but about 500 to 700 words - no more than two pages - max - for your 300 page manuscript. Spend almost as much time writing your synopsis as you spent writing your novel. Work yourself into a lather, tell yourself not to panic. Go out to lunch, get out to lunch tattooed on your forehead. Yes, you may well start to go mad. Your synopsis, after all, has to capture your plot, reveal your characters and location, it must show motivation, conflict, turning point and resolution. And yes, in just a page or two.
Write a query letter. This is a nightmare come true. In just three paragraphs you have to persuade someone to request your full or partial manuscript. You get one shot. You have to hook them - your life, your writing career depends upon it. You have to tantalise them with your story and tell them a tiny bit about yourself - if it's relevant. Oh yes, and thank them for reading your letter. The query letter will go to those agents and publishers who are too busy to receive standard submissions.
Write a covering letter. This is as bad as the synopsis and the query letter. The covering letter will go to those agents and publishers who will accept a synopsis and three sample chapters - i.e. what is generally referred to as a standard submission. It is what it says it is, a covering letter giving a brief outline of your story, how long it is, what genre it is.
There are loads of resources on the internet - and there are examples - and you'll find that what one agent/publisher likes by way of an approach, another doesn't. For goodness sake, do your homework.
And this means...
Research and shortlist agents. Do they represent the sort of stuff you've written? Are they taking on new writers? Do you feel you can work with them? Thank the goddess for the internet or this would be a nigh well impossible task. Do they want a query letter or a standard submission? What are their submission guidelines? Read and re-read their websites.
Research and shortlist publishers. Do they publish the kind of stuff you've written? Do they want more of the same or have you just written something they're sick to death of seeing? If so, go out and shoot yourself now. Or put away your manuscript and start again. Do they only accept queries or will they accept a standard submission?
Re-read submission guidelines of your shortlisted agents and publishers - and follow the guidelines - that's why they're there. Adapt your synopsis, covering letter, query letter accordingly. Target your shortlisted agents and publishers and for goodness sake be good enough to let them know you're targeting more than one company. It's the polite thing to do - and if a particular agency or publisher says they prefer exclusive queries or submissions, pay heed.
Get posting, then sit back, have a stiff drink and start growing a thick skin.
And this, my dear blog friends is just the beginning.
Now, did I hear you say you wanted to be a writer? Why on earth would you want to do that?!? Especially when you read what writers earn...
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