THE CAREER NOVELIST
But hold on: consider whether your first manuscript is really the
one with which to launch your career. Of course you want the vali-
dation of finding an agent, or selling to a publisher, but although
this manuscript may accomplish those things for you, will it also
put you on the map in the wider world of bookstores and readers?
Think hard. Be honest with yourself. Is this novel really as good
as it can be? Is it better than the novels with which yours will com-
pete on the shelves? By that I do not mean, "Is this novel publish-
able?" Probably it is. Nor do I mean, "Is this novel better than 90
percent of the crap that's out there?" It may well be.
What I mean is this: when you compare your novel to those of the
leading authors in your section of the stores, do you sincerely feel
that your fiction can compete? It is not enough just to sell.
Obtaining a contract is not the end of the game. When you publish,
the game is just beginning. After that comes the play-by-play strug-
gle for an audience. Your publisher may give you some help, but the
brutal fact is that most first novels are sent out with very little sup-
port, if any at all.
Do you feel that your novel is so compelling that it can sell itself?
Will it spread by word of mouth? Will it win over fans? If so, it may
be the one with which to begin. If not, you may want to revise it or
to put it aside in favor of another project.
Some pros and writing teachers will be up in arms over that last
suggestion. How can authors judge their own work? Shouldn't
agents and publishers be the judges? Haven't there been plenty of
cases in which a wise and discerning editor recognized the potential
in a flawed manuscript and nurtured it?
I cannot deny that you may find supporters out there in book
publishing. I am suggesting, though, that at the start of the game
some moves are strong and others are weak. If you feel your first
manuscript is weak, consider moving on to another project. Your
writing will improve. You may also find that a future manuscript has
a better chance of capturing a wide readership.
If you have more than one manuscript in the proverbial closet,
take inventory. Which novel is likely to be the most popular? Which
one might be the beginning of a bread-and-butter business that will
draw readers back time after time?