Good luck with the rewrite. THE CALL sounds near! Whatever, it's brilliant that she is helping you improve the manuscript and clearly things you're worth it.
Keep us posted!
Susiex

I would definitely do all the suggested rewrites.
The first letter I got from my agent was one stating he thought my work had potential but I needed to do XYZ. I duly did it all.
Some of it felt odd but I figured he was the one with the expertise.
Since then he's sold me to Harpercollins and also to a German publisher.
My advice is
1. Do all the rewrites as quickly as possible - you need to show you're a pro and that you can react to the editing stage efficiently which you'll need to do with publishers.
2.Once it's back with your agent be patient.
HB x

Do all the rewrites as quickly as possible

Don't agree with this, although it is very tempting. Take the time you need to get it perfect. If you rush, you'll make mistakes and it'll come back to you for more revisions.

Colin M

There's every temptation to rush, and it's such a mistake. I'd agree with Colin - by all means be professional, but being professional includes not rushing, but taking the time that you, the professional, know you need.

Book trade time is glacier-like: taking that time, then putting it in a drawer for a week and then reviewing what you've done before you send it back won't even register on their timescale, and will make all the difference to how well you do the revisions.

Best of luck!

Emma

Thanks again for all the good advice and positive vibes people.

I actually love revisions (as long as I think the suggestions have been made in order to really improve the story). I think that they make you look at your work through your readers' eyes and stop you getting too bogged down in trying to contruct the 'perfect' prose.

For me, the great thing about this project is that I had put it away and got on with my new works, and not looked at it in a few months. When I had these suggestions from the person I hope to be my agent, I had to seriously look at my work again and could see that the aspects that she had pointed out were at best a little untidy and at worst damn right clumsy.

I am quite excited about the way things are going and will be working throughout the next few days to make this the 'killer last version'.

Starting to get all nervous again, so I'm going to sign off!

S

Good luck with those revisions - but I stick with my view that they should be done within good time.
Book trade may be glacial but agents are not. Also the editing process with publishers is very quick and they, not you, set the deadlines. I don't know any authors who don't go to the wire...
If you are lucky enough to get a decent publishing deal it will be a multiple with a timescale - mine is three - one every year. It's a tight timetable and agents know that. You need to show from the off that you can do it - which I'm sure you can.

The book-a-year isn't necessarily the norm: I negotiated a two-year deadline for the second of my two-book deal: I wouldn't have signed anything less and they wouldn't have expected it. In the event I did deliver on time, but there was still a lot to do and my agent arranged another six months. I delivered in five, which is usual for me - slightly before they're expecting it.

But it's different with getting things how an agent wants it, which is Stefland's situation: there's no deadline involved, and every need to persuade them that you're a writer worth sticking with. You'd be completely mad not to take every minute that it needs to make it as good as you can.

Emma

Wow. Great news!

I've just heard back from the agent again, who really likes the changes and...wants to meet!

Having a very good Monday! I'm hoping to meet up with her this week and I'm assuming that this usually means an offer???!

If I get to this point, and they turn around and reject me, I shall probably throw myself off of the nearest bookshop roof!

Thanks again for all the feedback and encouragement.

Stefland

Whooo!!! The call came!
Hope the meeting goes really well, and well done!
Susiex

Fantastic news! Best of luck with the meeting - I'm sure it'll go fine.

Emma

Emma,

Thank you for all the help and advice - you are prolific on this site (shouldn't you be writing your book???);-)

I have the meeting tomorrow. Nervous and excited in equal measure, but I'm going to go along and try and roll with the punches as best I can.

As you have already been through all this, is there any advice that you could pass on?

I have a list of questions that I intend to ask, but wondered if there was anything from your experience that you may be able to pass on?

Thanks again,

Stefland

Ah, you see, Stefland, for the first time in two and a half years I'm not writing a book - just doing about a thousand other things, most of which are harder work and less appealing than hanging around on WW.

The main thing is that you listen to what the agent says about the book. Do they see it the way you do (see my post early about the potential disasters if they don't)? Do the revisions they want make sense, and can they discuss them helpfully?

And how do they plan to sell it? Do the editors they mention (ask who else they handle) sound right? Will they send out lots at once, or a few and get feedback before deciding on a strategy (No right or wrong answer to this one, but it's good to know). How long would they expect to wait before getting an answer. (More high-powered agents get quicker answers). Are they looking for a two (or more) book deal? (Again, no right or wrong answer). Would they want to keep translation and US and other subsidiary rights - if so, how do they go about selling them - or sell them to a UK publisher? What's their commisssion?

And be willing to talk about how the book came about, and your plans for the next one. No need to have a sequel planned out , but you want to transmit the impression that you're in this for the long haul, with ideas always bubbling in your head. If you can drip in anything about yourself that would garner publicity, so much the better, or that you're a journalist and can place pieces, etc. etc. You want to sound bouncy and enthusiastic and eager to do your bit, but also realistic about how it all works, and what the chances really are of a first novel by an unknown...

Hope that helps. Very best of luck.

Emma



And whatever you do, don't come away without being sure whether they're taking you on now, or not until you've done revisions and they're happy with them.

Best of luck

I have an agent!!!!!

I have signed up to my number one choice agent and I am ecstatically, deliriously, deliciously happy!

Had the meeting today and she was just so enthusiastic about the project that I could quite happily have kissed her.

Just about the nicest feeling in the world, and it goes to show that it CAN and DOES happen. So all of you writers out their, keep the faith. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you and it will.

I have also just become a fully paid up member of WW, so hope to be keeping you all abreast of things as, and when, they happen.

Have just been out to buy a bottle of vintage champagne and a huge bunch of flowers for my wife, who has been the rock in my newfound writing career.

Stefland

Big Congratulations there!!!! It does happen, and you've a right to celebrate. Enjoy the champagne!!!

Colin M

Wow!!! HUGE congratulations. What a wonderful feeling that must be. Enjoy the champagne and the celebrations.
And when you have time, would LOVE to know how all this came about. Is this your first novel? Did you have rejections from other agents? Etc etc!!
Thank you too for sharing your inspiring story - as you say, it shows it IS possible!
Susiex