Constantly Courting Improvement

It’s a fact of life that you won’t get much feedback from the agents you are querying. They are simply too busy.

So how do you know if there’s anything wrong with your work, or if the agents just didn’t dig your book for personal reasons? 

You don’t. Which is why I am constantly looking for ways to improve what I have written and my writing style. I do this in several ways.

First off, I’m writing and submitting stories to other places. Lots of free forums and Facebook groups are happy to set up critiques for authors, as long as you are willing to do your part and give feedback to others. But the key is to keep taking in the feedback and trying to improve.

There are also lots of places to get your manuscript looked at by publishing professionals. One of the most revered in the UK is The Literary Consultancy, where for a few hundred pounds you can have someone give you in depth feedback. I’m not there quite yet, having only just started querying, but it’s an option I may consider, an investment in my new career. Reedsy is another agency that offers this service.

A third is test readers, something that I have just about finished. I sent the book out to six readers, half in the U.S. and half in England, asking for their thought on the cohesiveness and pace of the book. (Don’t torture your test readers with grammar corrections, run a check on your work before sending it to anyone!)  My readers have come up with some great ideas for improving the book, and also provided some much-needed support amidst the inevitable agent rejections.

It’s hard to accept that your baby hasn’t emerged perfect from your writing womb and still may not be publishable after your extensive editing, but getting that third-party opinion might be just what’s needed to give you focus and direction.

A huge thank you to all my test readers, and I haven’t forgotten that I owe you each a lunch!