Respectfully, I must disagree with the folks that would suggest a writer should be his own editor. Before a book is even sent to anyone it should be edited and rewritten as much as needed by the writer, but after that, editing by an outsider is essential. The main reason is that most writers have large egos and are too close to their material, so they are often unwilling to make tough choices on their manuscript. There’s a good reason guys like Oliver Stone, Speilberg, etc. don’t edit there own films.

A good editor is as important as paper. The WR people aren’t “mentors” and they aren’t agents. The services that they provide include editing, which is essential before sending out a manuscript. They also handle the time consuming process of finding appropriate markets for your work.

I read all the time, but frankly, I don’t want to limit myself to only the publications I personally read all the time. Also, reading publications and tailoring your submissions to a specific publication is putting the cart before the horse. Why write to fit within someone else’s publication’s mission or style? Why not write the stories you want to write and then submit to the journals that would like your writing? It seems like writing a story designed to be published in a specific journal is really not doing yourself any creative justice.

I like Spin Magazine, but I’m not going to start writing indie rock articles just because I want to be published in that book. Instead, I’d prefer to be published in magazines/journals that want what I’m writing, not the other way around.

Writers Relief is a great service, especially for new writers trying to build credits. Disparaging the service is simply literary snobbery. The bestselling authors in the world nearly always have assistants that handle mailings, etc. Are they wrong for using the services of a professional? WR is simply a submission assistant for people who don’t have a well-connect agent or skilled literary assistant. They free people up to write what they want to write, instead of spending countless hours on non-creative secretarial work. Also, they know markets with whom many writers may not be familiar. I’d rather be published somewhere in a journal that I’ve never heard of then be constantly rejected by those journals in which I “think” my work fits.

I found Susan Henderson’s interest in learning more about Writer’s Relief today because I wished to learn more about WR and was doing on-line research. I appreciate what you all have shared. (Big thanks Susan.) A part of me knows I can do the work that WR does, I am doing it. Another part knows that it takes a lot of time that I’d rather use writing. Like Mark Hughes I subscribe to Ploughshares, Zoetrope, One Story, Night Train, etc. Also, I have ZERO interest in vanity presses.

I am a California songwriter/vocalist, poet, and the author of two unpublished novels, The Loose End of the Rainbow and Emma’s Love Letters, as well as numerous short stories. I am currently querying literary agents and diligently writing my third novel. I also mentor young and/or new writers. My website address is: http://www.astarrynightproductions.com

I’m fifty-five. I have been writing since I was nine. I’ve seldom been published. I’ve rarely tried until recently. For about eleven months now I’ve queried approximately 200 literary agents and a few publishers that accept submissions from agent-less authors. I’m confident that I will secure a terrific agent within the next hour, day, week, month, or decade. I share the following with you all to make you groan and chuckle. I wish you all joy and success with your writing endeavors.

FROM MY FILES:

From an agent: I’m not available because I’m getting married and I’m too busy for new clients. Your novel, Emma’s Love Letters is too short for my consideration anyway. Increase the word count by 25,000 words. Good luck.

From an agent: I apologize; I’m not available to unpublished authors. I only accept new clients that already have published success. Your novel, The Loose End of the Rainbow is interesting. Unfortunately, it is the first in a trilogy and I don’t like the working title you have for the second novel. I wish you the best.

From an agent: Dear Ms. Pacini, Regarding your question about titles for your novels I must say that the last thing that matters at this point is what your titles are. I believe you will find that publishers often change titles for numerous reasons. Don’t be married to a title.

From a publisher: Thanks for your query. Emma’s Love Letters is a bit longer than novels we publish. Can you shorten it by 5,000 words? Your novel, The Loose End of the Rainbow is much too long for our consideration, especially since it is the first in a trilogy.

From My “Dud Agent” List:

At one point I decided to email agents and ask if they were accepting queries because a high number were not. Most agents have explicit query instructions. It takes time to query precisely as an agent wishes and it’s disappointing to receive a quick response that the agent is not accepting queries.

An agent responded to my email that asked if she was accepting queries. She curtly told me to follow the query instructions on her website. I carefully followed the elaborate instructions. One minute after I emailed her my query she sent me a “Dear Author” email saying she is not accepting queries at this time.

Fortunately, most agents are not this petty. There are undesirable or disreputable agents out there for many reasons. Authors must be careful. You want an agent that will love your work, an agent that will develop a mutually respectful relationship with you. Always research, be smart. Securing an exceptional agent is as important as writing an exceptional book.

Getting Published (Factual Accounts:

My friend’s niece: One day a doctor casually mentioned to a patient that she was concerned about her struggling writer-daughter. The doctor did not know the patient was a literary agent. He offered to read the manuscript, liked it, and signed the young author.

A man I know bought a “to go” cup of coffee and a muffin each morning after having breakfast in a small café. Outside he gave the coffee and muffin to a homeless mentally ill woman. After a while the café’s owner asked why he did this. My friend said that he has empathy for the woman, people consider him mentally ill too because he is striving to be a writer. A few weeks later the owner’s cousin was there. They shared a pleasant breakfast and my friend gave him a copy of his nearly finished novel. (Like many writers he carries extra copies of manuscripts, just in case.) The cousin said he knew a brilliant literary agent that may be willing to read it. A couple of weeks later the cousin was there again, with a woman and some good news. The agent loved the novel and wanted to sign him. Who was the woman? She was his wife, the agent.

A woman I know had the great pleasure of meeting Rod Serling in the early 1970’s. She was a young woman and she was delighted to talk with him about The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, and Planet of the Apes. Rod Serling preferred to hear about her short stories. He really listened to her when she described her characters and story plot ideas. When he was leaving she thanked him for his kindness. He told her that she has something to say that is worth listening to. She still strives to make sure that his generous statement remains true.

A woman I know tried to secure an agent for years. She finally gave up and decided that at least she had written her book for family and friends. Last year her grown granddaughter happened to be sitting beside an agent on a plane. When it landed the agent had agreed to read the manuscript. He liked it, signed the author, the book was published, it hit the best seller list, she’s been asked to write more books, and they are now considering movie offers.

A woman I heard about (from another writer) was in a park. She found a friendly dog with an address on his collar. She drove him home. The frantic owner was a literary agent. He offered a $$$ reward for the return of his beloved dog. She asked him to read her manuscript instead. He read it, referred her to another agent, and that agent signed her.

I now wander around parks searching for lost dogs.

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I am a writer with a self-published fiction novel. I did the writing, editing, proofing, etc. myself, because I couldn’t afford to hire someone to do that. I have 3 kids and a mortgage, not to mention the current cost of gas across this price gouging nation – after food, gas, electric etc., there’s not much money left at the end of the month for proofreaders etc. and not much time either.

With everything I had to do, I still managed to write and keep track of what I’d sent out, who I’d contacted etc. I’ve received more than a few great reviews, and have gone the route of trying – and still trying -to get a literary agent on my own; I’ve done 2 internet radio shows that deal with interviewing authors both known and unknown, been voted the book of the year by one, and done so many other things in the course of a 1 year period to get my book out there; did I mention during that year that my mom died and I had to make the final arrangements for her services and contribute money to bury her? I did it all and still had to get my kids to school, basketball practice, football practice etc.

Wow, if there really are people out there who pay for those types of services, than I’m certainly in the wrong business. Unless you can GUARANTEE me that paying you will net me a reputable agent with a track record, I won’t pay for your services.

Don’t pay anyone to edit. Don’t pay anyone to help you submit. Don’t pay anyone to publish. God forbid, don’t pay anyone to publish or a pox will come down on your house

Meanwhile, independent filmmakers who pay for their own projects are hailed as groundbreaking. Musicians who produce and release their own CDs are paying their dues. And artists who create their own exhibitions are avant garde.

I haven’t used WR and am still not sure if I want to pay out that money, but I feel bad for the people who might not look for a little extra help because someone else told them real writer’s simply don’t pay money in order to get a leg up on the competition.