Ruth Katcher, Editor at Egmont USA, told one of the WIFYR classes today about recieving a live lobster with a submission. Can you imagine? She never really told us what she did with the lobster, but it must have been a shock when it arrived.
What are editors and agents looking for? Not lobsters or any other exotic gift. Something much more subtle and obvious. A well-crafted submission.
John Cusick, Agent at S©ott Treimel, NY added to this idea in a later session today, by saying, "You stand out by being good and by being yourself."
But how do you polish a manuscript to that point of "being good by being yourself"? Listed below are some favorite answers to this question.
What are editors and agents looking for? Not lobsters or any other exotic gift. Something much more subtle and obvious. A well-crafted submission.
John Cusick, Agent at S©ott Treimel, NY added to this idea in a later session today, by saying, "You stand out by being good and by being yourself."
But how do you polish a manuscript to that point of "being good by being yourself"? Listed below are some favorite answers to this question.
- Read, read and read some more
- Write, write and ...you get the idea...write some more.
- Finish the novel. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that in the past two days at WIFYR. sometimes we get stuck on the first few chapters and never finish.
- Find a critique group. Critique groups give you the opportunity to improve your own work, as well as developing editorial skills in a friendly environment.
- Put it aside and come back to it later. You'll see it more clearly.
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