For a writer, "reading between the lines" of any agent's or editor's correspondence can be profitable. Yet, in my years as a freelance and fiction writer, I have experienced how important translation of those missives is--and how neglected they often are. Indeed, how well the writer correctly interprets them and follows through on the suggestions often means the difference between getting published sooner, later or never.
Probably the most obvious form of communication is the letter which everyone hates to send and hates to receive--the form letter, aka The Drop Dead Letter. While many writers see this letter as the message with no value, there is much to be learned from it.
Addressed to "Dear Author" or worse, "Dear --," this letter is usually very succinct. While the sender thanks you for submitting your material, the implication is that there was so much in the manuscript which was inappropriate, or simply too unschooled to begin to comment upon, that the sender chose the standard form letter and returned the work to the author.
The lessons to be learned here may be anything from inappropriate marketing (i.e., the house does not publish this particular type of work) to poor writing. If indeed, you receive a form letter, it is wise to reconsider almost everything about the manuscript (from marketing to characterization, plot, word length, etc.) before sending it out to another.
The other types of letters which are often overlooked, yet contain viable suggestions for improvement of the writing or marketing, are extremely valuable sources for the writer. These letters, on their faces, may indeed also be rejection letters, but they do show one very important feature: that the letter writer thought enough to send the very best he/she could, under the circumstances.
For example, the letter writer says he liked the plot, but the characterization did not support its dynamic well enough. Or the characters encounter no conflict. In a gothic romance or romantic suspense novel, a common problem for first time writers often centers on gaining and maintaining momentum in the mystery while sustaining the romance between the protagonists.
If you, as a writer, receive one of these letters, first of all, read and re-read it. Internalize those problems to which the editor or agent referred. Ask another writer whose quality judgement you value--or better yet, ask your entire critique group--to help you find instances which illustrate the letter writer's words. Then, rewrite and have the critic(s) review it again.
If the letter writer then stated that if you can fix the problems they cited he/ she would be willing to re-read the manuscript, fix the problems and send it back. Often, so many writers feel so dejected by such a letter, they slip a manuscript in a drawer and forget about it. True, many writers--even the Big Names--have horror stories in their file drawers. These are Manuscripts From Hell which should never, ever see the light of day lest we all run for the nearest antacid bottle. But a true writer must be able to re-write, and there is no time like the present.
Finally, we come to the best kind of "negative" correspondence a writer can get--the true revision letter. This is the letter you save, memorize, frame, and remember. This is the letter that tells you Very Vital Information.
First, this editor or agent is telling you, in very tangible ways, that they liked your work well enough to spend inordinate time on it. (Inordinate time is defined as time spent on an unknown, untried entity while the editor-in-chief taps her pencil waiting for the revisions on the 500-page manuscript due to the typist yesterday, an editorial board recommendation on the house super-star's latest proposal, and copy for the back covers of five works due out next month, ad infinitum.)
This letter writer is saying that he/she not only likes the work well enough to write specific instructions--often page-by-page, line-by-line--about how to improve the manuscript, but also that he/she wants you to do it.
So, please, do it. Do it fast, do it well, but above all else, do it!
Second, failure to revise can hurt you in innumerable ways. How? The letter writer spent time on writing the revisions because he saw Potential. He/she probably saw a certain polish which comes only with repeated nurturing of the art of writing. He probably also saw an opportunity to sell the work quickly, if indeed you can re-write effectively. If you disappoint this letter writer, you may have lost the next best thing to an instant sale.
Then, manuscript once more in the mail, console yourself with the knowledge that most writers--even those swell folks on the Best Seller Lists--get revision letters. You wanted to be like them, hmm? Well, take a deep breath. Here is your opportunity.
The author of mainstream, mystery and romance, Jo-Ann Power is the owner and CEO of Power Promotions, a public relations firm that specializes in book and author promotion. Her latest novel, ALLURE, is a September 1999 release.
©1998, San Antonio Romance Authors, all rights reserved. Articles may not be reprinted without permission.
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