What do Fiction Editors want?

Quote :

What Fiction Editors Want
Just what is it that today's editors want from fiction writers?We interviewed three top editors about a variety of subjects of pressing interest to writers. The bad news: They don't read unagented submissions. The good news: They agree it's all about craft.
by David Wilson

Click on this link for the full article:

Writer's Digest

Excellent article, Shelagh. The video link you posted yesterday was also good. I didn't get back to the board to thank you for that. Sometimes life gets busy!

Thanks for the link Shelagh.

Unfortunately, I've read many articles saying the same thing. Nothing is helping me to get the foot in the door.

I have a very original novel, it's just finding an literary agent that shares the same passion for the book as I do.

It's a long, lonley road.

But my motto is... Never give up, never give in.

I think that whether you choose to self publish or someone publishes it for you, no matter what the process is really of heart wrenching. rewarding, but heart wrenching. I wrote a fiction novel according to strict guidelines from a fiction publisher, but they told me it was probably not suited for mainstream fiction (it's a novel about a woman who was in the Canadian military and then follows her life after she gets out). They thought the military theme was not that appealing...which I found weird since we are so much more involved in the military now than prior to 9/11. My grandmother kept asking me when it was going to be published, and so I published it myself.

Pam,

Did you choose to self-publish early in the find-a-publisher game after your intended publisher didn't work out or did you try dozens of other publishers in Canada and the States first?

Malcolm

Malcolm I submitted it to two publishers here in Canada, but they did not like it. That process alone took about 8 months, so I decided to bite the bullet and publish it. There are very few publishers here that will take unagented manuscripts, just as in the States, but now I am better connected in the writing community I have a feeling that subsequent efforts will do much better. Time will tell!