I have finished revising the first draft of my novel and want to send the manuscript to publishers and agents. I was thinking of using contacts from books from the same genre and also 'The Artists and Writers Handbook', or 'Writer's market'. Has anyone used either of the above books? Are there other steps recommended? When do you start making a website around your novel, assuming you want to do this?
PS: I should have followed my own proofreading advice just then. What I meant to say was, "What you think looks correct, especially in speech patterns, sometimes makes no sense whatsoever when you read it out loud." Oh for an edit feature on this forum. :)
Hi Santwana,
In answer to your questions from my previous post:
"Do you think submitting electronically will increase the chances of rejection?"
I'm not wholly sure, to be honest. I submitted mine to Curtis Brown Creative (http://curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/), who only accept online submissions. Incidentally, they also have an excellent "New Writer's Room" which has some very good hints, tips and advice in it. (http://curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/new-writing-room/) I think, for me, the reason I am biased towards e-submissions is because I'm an IT specialist (Senior Tutor, to be precise), so I'm very used to working electronically when and where I can. On the other hand, a postal submission would not put me off if I like the look of the agency. On the whole, I think I could work with Curtis Brown in the long term and they also seem to be very supportive of new writers (they run their own writing school and courses). My second, third, fourth and fifth choices from the Yearbook (as a tutor, I am often guilty of a taking a "belt-and-braces" approach to these things - it's an ingrained habit) are a mixture of e-submission and postal. I do think though that you have to like your agency as much as possible. You'll be with them for quite some time if they accept.
"Think editing till you can edit no more and reading it aloud are really good steps." and "...besides the editing that is so difficult to stop doing!"
Just to add my thoughts about when to stop editing, I realised a little while ago that I always stop when, as one of my old managers once put it, "I'm threatening to defenestrate the document in front of me." (It was his way of politely saying, "You tend to stop re-working it just when you're ready to throw it out of the window if you have to edit it again.")
The reading out loud thing is probably the best technique there is for me. What you think looks correct, especially in speech patterns, makes no sense whatsoever when read aloud. It's a great way to get the finer kinks out, even from sentences which otherwise look fine.
I also keep a locked drawer only for just-completed manuscripts and those which are proving a particular headache to edit. The MS goes in there and stays there for at least 3 - 4 months, or until it drives me nuts that I haven't worked on it for a while. Then I can usually view it with a fresher eye.
P.S. To second Adrian's final point above, if you submit to more than one Agent at a time and two or more Agents respond positively at the same time, as long as you inform all Agents of the 'race' to sign you and your book(s) up, they may enter into a bidding 'war' which, ultimately, should produce the best outcome for you.