HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR MANUSCRIPT IS READY TO SUBMIT?
Elaine Kiely Kearns, Children’s Writer
That is a really good question and I think that it may be a little different for everyone you ask. For me, though, I feel that my manuscript is complete when it has gone through the following stages:
1.) I have written and rewritten my draft at least three times by myself.
2.) I have had the manuscript critiqued by the members of my group.
3.) Based on that feedback, I have revised the manuscript again.
4.) Then, I send the manuscript off to my freelance editor for critiquing and general feedback based on its strength and marketability.
5.) I revise again based on her feedback.
6.) After another pass to the freelance editor, I send it back again to my critique group.
7.) Usually by then the suggestions from the group are minor. Only then do I feel it is ready to be subbed around to agents and editors.
This procedure is lengthy, and it requires lots of revision hours and patience! It has worked for me so far though, I have received great feedback from agents, and a few have even requested additional manuscripts. I also recommend reading Ann Whitford Paul’s book, Writing Picture Books: A Hands-On Guide from Story Creation to Publication. I use that book to get me through the drafting process and initial revisions. If you’re a picture book author, that book is a MUST!
Thanks for having me visit your blog today, Alayne!
Cindy Williams Schrauben, Children’s Writer
This is one of the hardest question of all – for me, anyway. It is one that has taken me quite some time to reconcile. In fact, I still struggle with it at times. Feeling comfortable with the answer has required some self-imposed rules and “tough love.” I marvel when I look back at some of my early stories – stories that I loved. YUCK! Not only has my writing improved, but I can see that they simply weren’t ready. It is extremely difficult to be objective with your own work unless you are diligent. If you have a story that you have worked on over a long period of time, take a look back at an early draft – you’ll see what I mean.
So, here are a few simple, common sense guidelines that I have set for myself.
#1 – Write – follow all the rules for first drafts, revising, editing, etc.
#2 – Let it sit for at least a week, preferably longer – you’re too close to your story to see it clearly. You need distance to develop a fresh, objective eye.
#3 – Revise
#4 – Share – recruit new eyes
Share your work with other writers – ALWAYS. Relatives, friends, your kids? Sorry, they don’t count. Remember you should be true to your own work, but critiques almost always have some merit. If you get a critique that is tough to digest, read it over quickly – swear, cry, whatever you need to do – and then let it sit for a couple days. If you are anything like me, you will realize when you revisit it that there is wisdom there after all.
#5 – Revise, using the critique and your own best judgment. Be true to yourself while weighing the opinions of others.
#6 – When you can’t stand to look at it another minute – STOP – don’t submit – let it sit, again.
#7 – Start all Over
Revise, print, read aloud 100 times, evaluate title, share, let it sit.
This step might be repeated many times over a period of weeks, months or even years – give it as long as it takes. If you just can’t stand to look at it anymore, let it rest for a while – a long while. Never send off a story just because you are sick of looking at it. Chances are, it’s not ready.
#8 – When you LOVE it again and feel confident – DO IT! Congratulate yourself and don’t look back.
Alayne Kay Christian, Award Winning Children’s Author
Butterfly Kisses for Grandma and Grandpa
Represented by Erzsi Deak, Hen&ink Literary Studio
Most of what I would have shared has been shared by the other team members. One thing I would like to mention doesn’t exactly have to do with how to know when your manuscript is ready to submit. But it is about when you know “you” are ready to submit. If you only have one polished manuscript, it would be smart to wait to submit. It is common for agents and editors to request more work if they like the manuscript you have submitted. Therefore, it is wise to have at least three (preferably more) polished manuscripts before you begin submitting.
Since the team did such a great job of answering this question, I spent my time researching what other people have to say on the subject. Following are some links for more excellent tips regarding being ready to submit.
Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submission?
8 Essential Steps Before Submitting Your Manuscript, by Karen Cioffi
10 Tests to Prove Your Manuscript is Ready for Submission, by Ingrid Sundberg
Ready or Not, Here I Sub, by Tara Lazar
http://taralazar.com/2008/09/08/ready-or-not-here-i-sub/
Is Your Manuscript Ready to be Submitted to a Children’s Book Publisher? from Write4Kids
Is Your Manuscript Ready to Submit, by Mary Keeley
http://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/is-your-manuscript-ready-to-submit/
CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE OF HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR MANUSCRIPT IS READY TO SUBMIT?
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Thanks for this, Alayne and friends. There’s certainly a strong element of “wait” coming through — that’s something I learned the hard way, as I suspect many of us did. I particularly appreciated you dealing with the question of “when is the author ready,” Alayne.
The waiting time is hard, especially when one has been working toward having an agent for a long time, and realizes there’s still work to be done before submission is a good idea. The experience of all of you confirms that the waiting is necessary and good. I continue to wait — and work.
Thanks for the additional great tips, Elaine, Cindy, and Alayne. And I will definitely check out the links.
You are very welcome, Sylvia. I hope you enjoy the info from the links.
I also segment the text into “page turns” – a sort of dummy book in paragraphs. Seeing the text divided like this truly helps me keep the tension building before the page turn. Does anyone else do this?
Making a dummy is a great test before submitting, Julie. Thanks for the additional tip.
I forgot to say, yes, I do a dummy.
Thanks for sharing. I can vouch for Cindy’s strategies since I call her my secret writing buddy. These are all great strategies. I look forward to implementing a few. I can’t wait to check out the links posted above. Again, thanks for sharing. 😀
A testimonial! How cool. Thanks, for you comments, Jackie. I hope you like what you find at the other end of the links.
Thanks, Alayne and team. Lots of good info here to think about. The one point that I didn’t make that has a huge impact is the community spirit and ability to commiserate while we wait. 🙂
Good one, Cindy. You are so right. It really does help to have so many kindred spirits supporting us and to be able to support them back – what a great community.
Alayne, you continue to share valuable information and resources with your readers. Thank you.
My pleasure.
Thank you, Elaine – ‘the procedure is lengthy’!
Thank you, Cindy – ‘read it out loud 100 times’!
Thank you, Alayne – for all of the awesome links and for this series!
I appreciate the invaluable advice!
You are so very welcome, Vivian.
Thank you for this excellent post, Alayne. And I must get a copy of Ann Whitford Paul’s book.
Yes, Ann Whitford Paul’s book is a must.
I so badly need a critique group 🙂 Thank you everyone for your advice and thanks Alayne
I’m glad Sub Six was able to help you find a group, Cecilia. You will enjoy being in one.
Truly wonderful advice and answers from everyone! I agree with Elaine the there is no one correct way, so it really helps to read a variety of advice and make sure that I’m adhering to at least some of the ones suggested. I know better than to send out an ms right after I write it, but I had sent an ms out before just after 3 edits and it was not nearly enough. 🙂
Thank you, Alayne!
I’m with you Teresa. I like the variety of advice. It appears it is part of the writers journey to submit before the story is really ready. I’m glad to know most of us are in the same club. At least we are all wise enough to learn from it.
Oh, I’m enjoing this series. Thank you all for the tips.
So glad you are enjoying the series – thank you, Stacy.
Thank you so much for all this wonderful info. It truly helps. I love how generous and sharing PB authors are!
Thank you for posting this one too. These links are so valuable. Really enjoy your posts.
I’m sorry, Virginia. I’m a bit behind on my blog. I’m very happy to know that you are enjoying some of the posts. Thank you for letting me know.