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That “slice and dice” title doesn’t mean me or someone else, thank goodness. But it does mean that I have finally heard back from my agent after about four weeks on the manuscript (see last post – Nonstop Manuscript Editing). So basically what we are looking at is another round of editing before we go out for final submission. My agent calls it “literary liposuction” – trimming the fat.

I must admit that editing is probably one of the hardest parts of this whole process, after writing the novel of course. I mean you’ve gotten to this point after enormous amounts of self-editing and professional editing and all-other-kinds of editing, and guess what, it still doesn’t end. I keep telling myself that it’s for the good of the book even despite the tiny little question niggling around in my head – am I selling out? If you don’t know what I mean by that, check out my post on Teen Fiction for Dummies.

A friend of mine says what I am going through is the classic Ben Affleck/Matt Damon conundrum (except with books not movies) – it’s the difference between making a movie that you want to make (the art film) and making the movie that everybody else wants you to make (the safe commercial film).

Excerpt from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back:-

Ben Affleck: You’re like a child. What’ve I been telling you? You gotta do the safe picture. Then you can do the art picture. But then sometimes you gotta do the payback picture because your friend says you owe him.
[They both take a beat and look at the camera]
Ben Affleck: And sometimes, you have to go back to the well.
Matt Damon: And sometimes, you do Reindeer Games.

So the moral of the story is if you don’t want Reindeer Games, at the end of the day especially for a first time author, you have to do the “safe” picture – which metaphorically-speaking means, “do whatever the heck they tell you.” When you’re John Grisham, you can write the alphabet for all anyone cares.

Lesson learned. I’m off to edit.

So you paid $400 to attend a 3 day writers’ conference. Now what? I’ve been to a few of these conferences, and I’ve learned a couple things. If approached properly, it’s one of the best investments you can make in building your writing career. That said, you have to be prepared to talk about your work, especially if you are an unpublished writer. Standing like a wallflower at a seminar that you paid an arm and a leg for is a complete waste of your time and money. So before you get there, do the 3 P’s – PREPARE, PRACTICE & POLISH.

Develop a 30 second elevator pitch. In the sales world, where I’ve spent the majority of my career, an elevator pitch is the time in which you have just about 30 seconds to sell whatever product it is you’re selling to a prospective buyer. Think of your book as the product you’re trying to sell, so basically that means you need a hook and a good one (never forget you have tons of competition!) Write it out first – what is your book about? What’s the thing that makes it unique? Characters, plot, genre? A couple key sentences are really all you need.

Once you’ve got your pitch, practice it in front of a mirror or a friend. Be confident. Enunciate and try lowering your voice (for a woman, lowering your voice slightly can sound more professional and confident – don’t ask why, but it worked for me in sales for years). Your goal is to present yourself as talented, confident, creative, and professional. Now get on the conference website and look for the attending agent/editor list. Research them all – with the ease of use of Google, you really have no excuse. Do it, because if you get a moment to talk to an agent, you want to be prepared to talk about books they’ve sold or specific areas of professional interest to them. Agents are people too – they feel flattered if someone has genuinely taken the time to learn about them.

Finally, line up the candidates that match your work, find a photo if you can so that you can recognize them at the conference. Don’t be afraid to single them out (btw, this doesn’t mean you should stalk them, but do find them at the right time like during a break or a mingling session), and remember that they are there because they are looking for new talent (yes, that means you). Get yourself noticed in a good way – ask questions during a seminar or introduce yourself to as many people as you can during breaks. Participate in author/agent sessions. Be friendly and personable. In any business, people connect with people.

It’s also helpful to carry a synopsis or two of your work, and maybe the first 3-5 pages. Don’t be afraid to talk about your work and your goals as a writer. If you’re afraid to pitch yourself, then why are you there? Seriously. It’s not a big deal, don’t hyperventilate – unless you make a complete fool or yourself (which you won’t) or you impress the heck out of someone (which you will), you’re just a face in the “I wanna be published” crowd. So stand tall, take a deep breath, and put on your GAME FACE. Dress the part. I’d advise against jeans and a T-shirt unless it works for your platform, but looking professional gets you automatic “impression” appeal.

You’ve prepared, practiced, and polished. Now it’s game time. Get in there! Believe in yourself and your work!

Finally, the last key thing after you’ve wowed a bunch of top NY agents, don’t forget to follow up with anyone you’ve met after the conference. If you’re querying an agent who told you to query them, mention when and where you met them in your query. On the flip side of this, NEVER make up that you’ve met someone because they have ways and means of finding you out. Trust me, you don’t want to be that person. Even if you don’t query a specific agent/editor/author that you’ve met, still send them an email to say thanks or that it was nice to meet them. I cannot stress how important networking is in this business (in any business for that matter). See my post on networking.

Now give yourself a pat on the back, you’re on your way!

Houston, we have lift off! My manuscript has now been officially submitted to publishers. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I will be sure to post any progress as soon as I get any feedback. Now, on to the waiting game…tick, tock, tick, tock.

What am I doing today? You got it – I am editing, editing, editing.

So what have I learned during this round of editing? The use of the ‘comma’ – I definitely needed an extra pair of eyes for that one. I couldn’t believe how many times I either didn’t use a comma where I needed one or misused it altogether. My advice for aspiring authors – it doesn’t hurt to brush up on the appropriate and correct use of punctuation. This is a critical part of polishing your manuscript.

Nothing is ever perfect, nor is it really ever going to be. That doesn’t mean however, that you can’t get close to perfection. In the case of manuscript perfection, the key is in editing, as in good “improve your manuscript” editing. Prior to agent submission, I did most of my own editing and also had a good dozen people proofread my book. I was also lucky to sign with an agent who believes in my manuscript enough to contribute her own line by line edits. Not all agents will do this – in fact, some may send you to editors (and yes, you’ll need to pay them), in some cases, with no guarantees that they’ll take on your book post-editing (and post ‘you’re-now-out-$500′). That, of course, is your choice. However, it’s my opinion that while a good editor may indeed make your book better, it’s still a “subjective” process as that editor’s vision may not be in line with another editor, publisher, agent, or even yourself. So think wisely. I’d say that if a lot of people are saying “it needs work,” well then you’d probably be better off getting it professionally edited if you have the money, and see where that takes you. Otherwise, you can take a stab yourself as a first step. Here are some books that helped me along the way with the self-editing and writing process.

1) Self-editing for fiction writers – Browne & King

2) How I write – Janet Evanovich

3) The first five pages – Noah Lukeman

4) Bird by bird – Anne Lamott

5) On Writing – Stephen King