Real talk: When to submit your manuscript

Writing a book is the literary exercise equivalent of taking a cross-country road trip. No matter how beautiful the scenery, after a few miles even the most energetic drivers grow road-weary, and the “are we there yet” questions start flying from the back seat.

That’s when we start thinking about shortcuts. How much easier would it be to go ahead and take the tollway instead of the scenic route?

Of course what I’m referring to here is knowing when it’s time to stop editing and send your manuscript to an agent or editor. How do we know we’re ready? That’s a question I’ve both asked and heard at conferences or workshops.

The answers I’ve heard have varied, but I’ve collected the responses that resonated the most with me and put together a little checklist. This is what I’m using to determine whether my most recent works-in-progress are ready to go. 

Have you read your work out loud?

One agent suggested that unless you’ve listened to your own work out loud – whether you read and record then play it back, or have a trusted friend read it to you – your work may not be polished enough to send. 

Imagine you’re reading your middle grade novel to a classroom full of fourth or fifth graders and really listen as you read. Is the dialogue easy to follow? Do the jokes make sense? Are there scenes that lack tension or is the pace awkward? When you hear it, you can fix it.  

What does my critique group think?

There’s truly no substitute or shortcut for good writing. If you don’t have a trusted critique group or reading partner, you need to find one or create one. The best groups will read thoughtfully and give sincere feedback on what’s working and what’s not. If your critique group thinks it’s ready, that’s a good sign.

Is this your fifth (at least) draft?

I’ve heard a number of authors say that their agent never sees the first five drafts of any project. Sometimes they don’t even submit draft number six. They revise, polish, pause, revise again… you get the picture.

It’s hard, but you must resist the temptation to submit your second or even your third draft. Make sure you’re putting your shiniest, best work in a prospective agent’s or editor’s hands.

If you’ve done all three of these things – read it out loud, received the “go ahead” from your critique group, and you’ve revised the whole thing a few times, good news! You are probably ready to submit. Now you’ll want to research agencies and editors to check their submission guidelines, but that’s a post for another day.

I am still on this road trip to being published, and these are the biggest, most painful things I’ve learned along the way.  Please know I’m writing this not to discourage anyone from submitting. Far from it. I am cheering for you and I want you to succeed.

I’m writing this because I have made the mistake of submitting manuscripts too soon simply because I was excited about a story.

 I mean, I loved my story, my husband and son loved it, so why didn’t the rest of the world? I’ll tell you why. My husband and son read past the unpolished words and saw what was in my heart. They love me.

Loving me is not an editor or agent’s job. Their job is to fall in love with what’s actually written on the page. My job – your job – as a middle grade author is to make sure the words on the page are worth falling in love with.

Kell McKinney earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and an M.S. in documentary studies from the University of North Texas. She’s a part-time copywriter, double-time mom and wife, and spends every free minute writing and/or hunting for her car keys. Connect with her on Twitter @Kell_McK or kellmckinney.com.