Agents, and Manuscripts, and Edits! Oh My!

Several of my friends and family have responded to my August 16^th "Down the Rabbit Hole" blog questioning what three events inspired the post. While the first two are personal and will therefore remain anonymous, the third event is part of the professional sphere, and now that it’s official, I see no harm in sharing. So, in case you’re interested and have not already heard via my many emails, texts, Facebook posts and phone calls . . .

I GOT AN AGENT!!!

I met my new agent – Josh Getzler of Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency – at the Houston Writer’s Conference in May 2011, where he very generously squeezed me in as his last interview on the last day of the conference. Lucky for me, he laughed with me over the oh-so-long title of my (then incomplete) manuscript, and asked me to send it his way as soon as I completed it. I assured him, not quite believing it myself, that it would be finished by the end of the month.

After four weeks locked in my room with no outside contact and even less sleep, I finally completed it and sent it his way on June 2. And thus began the waiting game (something which many of my amazingly talented writer friends are still pulling their hair over). But, after two months of torture, I finally heard back. Imagine my shock when Josh (my favorite of the four agents I interviewed with at the conference), told me he was interested in my work and wanted to schedule a phone conference. (P.S. I apologize to my friends and family members who had to deal with me while I waited to hear whether he wanted to represent me or not. To say I was a basket case would be the understatement of the century).  

But, after one amazing phone conference and two days of waiting for the official contract to come in, and as of August 17, 2011, I am officially a represented author!

Needless to say, it still hasn’t quite sunk in. Unfortunately, after the celebrating and haze of jubilation finally lifted, I realized how much editing I have to do before Josh begins sending my manuscript off to potential publishers. We’re looking to have it ready by late fall, so if you don’t hear from me much in the next few months, be patient . . .

But, for those of you who are interested in learning more about my new awesome agent, check him out:

http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jgetzler/

P.S. Check out the names under the heading ‘Leading Clients’!!!

The Perils of Editing

Last night at 2:30 a.m., I completed my novel (applause please). However, as I now face the ever demanding revision process, I find the challenge daunting. For one, my revisions come in a number of forms – some on paper, others on computer, and yet more simply rattle around in my brain. I hesitate to tell people it’s “finished”, when what I really mean is – it’s all on paper (the first writing hurdle, as I tend to skip around and leave places blank for later completion), and has gone through not one, but TWO rounds of editing.

And yet – it STILL needs work.

However, a recent debate with my friends over the value of James Joyce’s Ulysses got me thinking. Its first, and some believe most accurate, publication contains over 2,0000 errors. In fact, when published by Shakespeare and Company in 1922, Sylvia Beach added an insert that read: “The publisher asks the reader's indulgence for typographical errors unavoidable in the exceptional circumstances.”

Many question how Joyce could relinquish his novel with such blaringly obvious mistakes. To which I respond, they’re easier than one might imagine to overlook. For one, Joyce had multiple copies of his manuscript, and altered editing between them for no discernable reason. Furthermore, a good portion of the novel was handwritten as corrections on the original proofs, something I have a habit of doing myself. And more, Joyce rushed the editing process in order to complete it for publication on his fortieth birthday. All of these factors lead to the excess of mistakes in the finalized draft, which challenges editors even today.

But I think the truth is, a novel is never really finished. You could spend years trying to make it perfect, and still find mistakes and places you want to add to, subtract from, or cut out all together. So for now, I take comfort in the knowledge that greater authors than I make editing errors and pronounce my manuscript – COMPLETE!

Completed...But Not Finished

Today I completed the first draft of my novel, The Evil Overlord Society’s Guide to Becoming an Evil Overlord (yes, the title’s a mouthful). For those not already subjected to my many late night emails with plot changes or villain name debates, and therefore unaware of the premise, it’s a parody of a real how-to guide – in this case, how to become an evil overlord. Like many of my blog posts, it involves comic books heroes, super-villains and plots for world domination.

Though I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally see the entire thing on paper (or computer as it were), the idea of editing it overwhelms me. It’s akin to the anxiety I dealt with starting the first chapter. Over abundance of adverbs, passive voice…I’ve got it all.

However, I read something interesting in a blog post by Chuck Sambuchino, editor of The Guide to Literary Agents. New author Rebecca Serle posits “You don’t write a book. You write a sentence and then a paragraph and then a page and then a chapter”, sage advice I’d have appreciated last year when beginning my manuscript. But perhaps this philosophy works the same way with editing. I’m not revising a complete novel, but a page, and then a chapter. And then another chapter, until it’s finished. Still a challenging project, but not quite as defeating.

Luckily I have a wonderful support system to help me in this daunting task. A few sarcastic friends not afraid to point out spelling errors and plot holes. My mother, an incredible writer herself. And The Houston Writer’s Guild – a group of aspiring authors who meet once a week to help each other with editing and general writing catastrophes. Special shout out to Terry Lee-Rosing and Julie Tuovi Hansen, not only great friends but fantastic writers. Check out their blogs!

In short, thanks to everyone for all your help support, and if you don’t see much of me for the next few weeks, someone make sure my novel didn’t murder me in my sleep….