OPINIONS are like…
Buttholes (that’s not the word that I usually use) and everybody has both. The same goes for Advice. Why am I telling you this? Because publishers and contest judges have opinions, advice and...well, you get my meaning. I sent my first manuscript to six publishers; two offers, two rejects and two that I still haven’t heard from. My contest scores from other manuscripts were 75, 75, 95 and 50, 60, 90. Yes, they were all reading the same manuscript.
My very first reject letter was three pages long and I thanked the editor for taking so much time to point out all those things that were wrong, but two other houses accepted the same manuscript. And a couple of my reviews stated that they liked the so-and-so that my reject letter had pointed out as being a bad thing. Opinions. It’s all about opinions.
I feel obligated to point out that my current editor did work her ass off for me and I deeply valued her opinion.
Not everyone that reads your work is going to like it and on the flipside, not everyone that reads your work is going to hate it. I had one critique partner that told me that I should remove all the hells and damns because a publisher would make me remove them anyway. Obviously, she and I weren’t meant to be together and thank heavens I didn’t take her advice. I mean really, people die in my books, have wild sex, and hells and damns are part of the overall makeup of the characters.
Sooo, the object of the game is to find a publisher that likes your work. But don’t forget to consider any advice you get especially if several give you the same advice. I mean really, there’s always something you can do to make the manuscript better.
Kitty
Friday, November 27, 2009
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Excellent post, Kitty, and I totally agree. One editor may not like a manuscript that I totally love, and we can work for the same house - happens all the time. But when more than one editor or CP says the same thing, pay attention because you can bet the reader will notice.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Georgia
I couldn't agree more! Had someone given me this advice sooner, maybe I would have been published sooner. Instead, I took every piece of advice I received from those I thought knew better and tried to incorporate it into my writing. It nearly destroyed "my voice." I've since learned the hard way to filter advice. If it doesn't feel right, disregard it, even if it's coming from an agent. Because maybe, that agent isn't the right agent for you. I've also recently become agent-less. What I write wasn't what she wanted to sell. :(
ReplyDeleteI've got mention that I love the rating from Bella's Erotic Reviews... 4 out of 5 whips.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, the best favor a writer can do herself is remembering that these are only opinions -- not mandates. Lilly's right: taking all of it as gospel can ruin your story, at the very least.