How Much Revision Do I Have to Do?
I've spoken to a number of writers who believe they don't have to revise that much before approaching an agent with their work. They hope that the merits of their story--the uniqueness of the idea and the execution of their early draft--will be enough to tantalize an agent. Because, anyway, the agent will help them edit the whole thing. Right?
As a writing coach, I feel honor bound to be honest with writers, even when it's news no one wants to hear. In this case, the truth is that writing is revision. And, yes, you'll have to do it a lot before you secure an agent. It's a heartbreaker! I can't blame anyone for harboring fantasies that someone important will recognize their early genius and open doors to publishing--without having to go through a ton of revision.
Yes, we do hear about the exceptions where an agent helps a first-time author develop a book based on a paragraph scratched on a cocktail napkin, but it's far smarter to expect your manuscript (or non-fiction proposal) will be among the 99.9% rather than the 0.1%.
Literary agent Carly Watters addressed this recently when a writer asked:
Why are manuscripts from querying authors expected to be super polished? As an author preparing a manuscript for the querying process, the knowledge that my work will inevitably be edited several times AGAIN makes me feel like, why should I pour my blood, sweat, and tears into polishing what I feel is already pretty great if it's just going to be considered a draft anyway?
You may recognize Watters as a senior literary agent with PS Literary Agency and co-host on the excellent podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing.
Carly responded with three key reasons why submitting polished work is always the best plan. I paraphrase her response here, but I encourage you to read the full answer:
It's better for business. Polished work means the book can get to market faster which means everyone gets paid faster.
Zooming in on the agent's perspective: Agents don't make money until the writer makes money, and if an agent needs to spend a lot of time working on a manuscript with an author, it means it will take all that much longer for the agent to get paid. Essentially, they'll be doing a lot of work for free. (And after all that, the book still may not sell!)
Competition is fierce. There are so many good writers vying for publication that we can't afford to not be our best at every step of the process.
Additionally, there are many agents who don't do editorial work at all. In fact, they often refer writers to book coaches or editors if the work isn't ready to submit to publishers. I hope instead of discouraging you, this encourages you. Publishing is a tough business across the board, and knowledge is power.
Further reading:
Before and After the Book Deal, by Courtney Maum
The Business of Being a Writer, by Jane Friedman
