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Make Sure Your Manuscript is Pristine Before Submitting to Publishers: Editors Tell Us Why

Hello All,
I hope this post finds you well.  Things are wet here in my neck of the woods.  West Virginia has been pounded with rain this month.  After the hard winter we've had, I am soooo ready for the sun to come out.  Since I'm stuck in the house, I decided to dedicate the time to my Work-In-Progress.  As of this morning, I am only three chapters away from finishing the first draft of my novel.

Although I take pride in knowing I achieved the first part of my goal to write a book.  There is still a whole lotta work left to be done.   I don't have to be Columbo to know the publishing industry is competitive and unforgiving.  Sometimes an author only has one chance to get it right.   I ran across an article which only reinforces this theory.   Angela James over at Carina Press ( http://carinapress.com/2010/02/reasons-for-rejection/)   has compiled common errors that editors repeatedly run into during the query process.  Many of them can be prevented.  For this reason, I decided to share her/their findings with you.  For what it is worth, I am thankful for the information and it will remain in the back of my mind during revisions.   I hope the article helps you as well.  Until next time, happy writing.

Comments

  1. Great link! Thanks. I took note of a few - now I'll go through my current WIP to ensure those problems aren't there :)

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  2. That was a very long exhaustive list of great interest. I think I'll copy it. I work as an editor as well and would say right on to each and every one of those.

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  3. Thanks for stopping by Karen and Steena. I think the article is interesting because it gives authors a multi-dimensional glimpse into the world of editing and publishing. I learned a lot from the information contained in the list of errors.

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  4. Thanks for the link; while we'll all like to think we would avoid those mistakes, it's obviously far too easy to make them.
    I'm interested in your being within a few chapters of the end of your first draft, as I am too! Feels great, doesn't it, to realise you really are going to do it?
    I'd be interested to know if you've written your final chapter already. I held off for a long time, but at a low point a couple of months ago I let myself put down on paper the denouement I've held in my head for, well, years actually.
    Best of luck.

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  5. Thanks for your comments Janet and congrats on making it to the finish line. Way to go!!!

    I am witholding my elation until I write "The End" on my draft. When that day comes I plan to go out and party like a rock star. Well, not really, I'll probably pop a bottle of wine and toast to finishing the first leg of my journey. I want to bask in my achievement for a while before moving onto the editing...Sigh.

    Good luck with your novel.

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