Is My Book Any Good?
Join me on my publishing journey
Introducing My Summer Series
Well, my friends, I’ve just gotten back edits from my publisher, responded to them, and now my manuscript of A Walker in the Evening is in the hands of a copyeditor.
While I wait to hear back, I’ve decided to do something. I’m launching this series of short pieces about my publishing journey, what it’s been like, what’s ahead, etc. Maybe some of this will be useful to those who have written books and are eager to share them with the public.
I hope so.
There are so many things I want to talk to you about—the editing process, finding a publisher, researching agents, getting blurbs, costs and contracts, and promotion strategies—and I don’t think I can do all of them justice in one or two posts. That’s why writing a series on Medium makes the most sense.
Hopefully this series will help you on your own publishing journey.
There’s also another obvious reason why I can’t do all of it right away: Some of this stuff hasn’t happened to me yet.
As we look ahead to my book’s publication in the fall, I want to point out something important: I’m no authority. I’m just giving you my experiences here.
For a long time, I thought there was a single right way to become an author, and now I realize that every story of getting published is different. It doesn’t matter what all the publishing gurus are telling you. There’s no wrong way. There’s only your way. And I hope this makes you feel more optimistic about your chances when you’re ready to get out there.
The important thing to always remember is, don’t get discouraged. Keep the faith. I know what frustration and uncertainty feel like. I’ve been there, my friends. It took me a long time to get out of that funk.
I’m agoing to try to keep these posts fairly short so they won’t bore you to tears. How does that sound? Good?
Someone You Can Trust
So my publisher gave me the kind of read that I really needed: a developmental one. She looked at the overall arc of the story, not the nuts and bolts of the grammar (that’s what the copyeditor is for).
I needed that because, as the title of my post suggests, I’ve struggled with one question over the years: Is this thing any good?
What a horrible question. I hate it. It can haunt the entire writing process. It’s a question that’s hard to shake—like that awkward person who follows you around a party. It’s also normal to worry and have doubts. When you’re deep in your manuscript, it’s hard, as the old saying does, to see the forest for the trees. All writers need beta readers to help them with that.
A beta! A beta! My kingdom for a decent beta!
A Walker in the Evening started out as a feverish attempt to ride the Dan Brown craze for literary mysteries chock-full of esoterica. Over the years, it changed and evolved (the fever broke, thank God). The flow and cadence changed. Old melodies collided with newer ones—and I was too immersed to know if the whole thing still held together. My publisher’s reading and feedback were critical to me.
But before I found her, I went through a slew of betas. And the experience was totally frustrating.
Betas to Avoid: The Sympathetic and the Apathetic
I turned to some of my professional acquaintances to read my manuscript. I was connected with the publishing industry via my job as a book review editor for the Los Angeles Times. That gave me a great network.
My first betas were all working authors, and it made sense to ask them. But then I received a bunch of feedback from them that seemed vague and lukewarm or else overly enthusiastic and flattering.
I don’t like extremes. Something in my gut told me not to believe any of it.
I had to look for a new set of betas. I wanted specific criticisms and a more objective approach. When you’re working with a beta reader, you shouldn’t have to spend time parsing and interpreting their words like they’re Old Testament prophets. It should be pretty clear and obvious what they like and what they don’t. That’s their role.
I’m sure you have people in your network who want to support you, but not everyone is suited to be your beta reader. Some don’t want to hurt your feelings so they pull their punches … others give your work a superficial read because they’re not interested but don’t think they can say no … some don’t understand the genre you’re working in and provide the wrong kind of critique.
I experienced all of them.
Only one of my betas had the honesty to tell me what she really thought, and I liked her candor. She said: “To be honest, I don’t like this sort of thing. But the story has been developed to a depth and degree that tells me you’re ready to start submitting it for consideration.”
Unfortunately, she didn’t give me any specifics to work with and didn’t have the time to provide them. I had to find somebody else.
Pay Someone
I spent several months waiting for the betas to get back to me, and it was a waste of my time (and theirs). Looking back, I realize I should have paid someone for their assessment.
Wait, offer money? Pay someone to read your sublime work? Dig into your own pockets? Is that necessary?
Money. This is a topic we’ll discuss often in the weeks ahead. Some writers out there believe their only obligation is to write their book, and a publisher will take care of all the rest. That might be true for the top 1%, and it may have been true for more writers 20 years ago, but so much has changed in the publishing marketplace.
Invest in yourself. Spending money on your work is a sign that you’re serious.
My suggestion is that you set aside a budget for your book. It doesn’t have to be much, but it should be enough to at least cover a couple of beta readers.
Hiring people isn’t a sign that your work isn’t good or that you have to lure people with money so that they’ll pay attention to you. It’s just the way the world is now. Consider it this way: You’re investing in yourself. You’re worth it!
Right in Front of Me
My future publisher happened to be one of my later betas. She’s an old acquaintance who had worked for another publishing company before deciding to strike out on her own. She was someone who provided me with deep feedback that felt genuine and sincere. She noted the things that resonated with her, and she pointed out several weaknesses. She pointed out several darlings (I murdered them immediately). I trusted all of it.
Her plan to start an indie press was still years away when she first read A Walker in the Evening. Years later, when I started up my search for a publisher, I went back to her. Because of that trust.
Is there anyone in your network like that? Someone who cares less about your feelings and more about the written word? That’s the type of beta I needed — and it’s probably what you need, too.
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Looking ahead, I think my next column will be about the publishing route I’ve chosen. Some questions I’ll pose and try to answer next time are:
Why did I choose an indie press? Why didn’t I try one of the big New York firms? What about getting an agent? Do you need one?
I’d welcome reader comments and suggestions if you think I’ve missed something or if you want me to explain something more.
What I’ve learned (so far) about writing on Medium is that this is a community of learners who like to help each other. It’s not perfect (of course), and there are trolls everywhere, but in most cases, the people in the MediumVerse all seem to share the same philosophy. So I’d welcome the chance to have a collegial exchange with you in the weeks and months ahead.
Until next time, my friends, keep going. You can do this. I’m really glad to have you as a colleague … and as a companion on this journey.
Don’t give up.
