I’m glad I asked. Actually many of you have asked this of me lately and I wanted to give some kind of an answer here at the MMSC. I apologize for rarely ever mentioning my progress in the novel-writing business in this space. I have started to a number of times, but then held back for fear of gratuitous self-aggrandizement. Well, I will now proceed, with gratuity included.
That’s my story and I’m…
I have completed my debut novel and I think I am sufficiently humbled by the long odds associated with getting published (by a paying, promoting house). That being said, I believe the story is a good one, and I am very pleased with it. I have hopes that if it is given a chance, it will be published. I cannot know this for certain, of course, and submit myself to the discretion of those more knowledgeable than I (publishers who generally know what is salable) and to the all-knowing God of all.
Editing, Eh?
The manuscript itself is going for a final Extreme Make-Over “Andrew Edition” today and should be ready to be spirited off in various forms to various destinations in the coming weeks. Andrew, my co-blogger and mythical, ghost-like, haunting presence here at the MMSC, has been busy with many things and has very kindly apportioned time to make a more perfect order out of my manuscript, including, but not limited to, correcting my great propensity to run-on sentences. He has my deep gratitude and thanks for that (but I want them back in case I need them later).
The Various Destinations
The rules say you can’t just send your manuscript to anyone, and you shouldn’t. So, having completed major work on my novel in the past couple months, I have been researching who might be most appropriate to publish it. And, secondarily, who may be willing to actually look at the manuscript. The Publishing Houses are in a bit of a pickle, they can’t read at every single story from every person who thinks they are the next J.K. Rowling. Have you ever seen American Idol? Then you understand their problem. 
Some worthwhile publishers do take manuscripts; some will take a query letter (as in “would you like to see more?”), a synopsis, maybe an outline, and 10-50 pages, or the first three chapters. I am sorting all of that out and coming up with a plan. Unfortunately, many of the places I would like my novel to be considered are closed up pretty tight, stating they only take manuscripts from agents. And most agents don’t take on unpublished writers, thus the dilemma:
“You can’t submit to a publisher without an agent and you can’t get an agent without being published.”
The Rules
Apparently most agents that you can get before you are published are bad news anyway. See these warnings if you are a newbie like me.
Mission Impossible?
So I should give up. No. Here I will invoke Thomas A. Edison.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
I am not going to give up; it’s just the start of a new chapter in this adventure. I poured a lot of heart, soul, and sweat into my manuscript (it is very soggy), and now that it is done I have to pour a lot of energy into getting the story before an audience with people who are a gateway to a potentially much larger audience. This takes time.
Ad Finem
So, this is where I am. I appreciate your prayers, and your interest in the novel. I plan to do more posts about this in the coming days. Please post any questions in the comments box, and any comments should go in the questions box. Actually, use the comments box for everything, including gifts of Yoo-Hoo and Big-League Chew.
UPDATE: I just realized that I didn’t really answer the question completely.
Q: When will my novel be readable?
A: I don’t know, it seems to take a while in this industry to get things going. But I will update our regular readers here at the MMSC of all the (hopefully) progress to come.
