Ben Burtt, sound designer for Star Wars, famously said, “Movies aren’t released — they escape!” The same could be said about novels.
I’ve been through multiple full revisions of my current novel. I’ve gotten feedback from beta readers and revised significant things based on that. And I’m constantly tweaking a line or two here and there, the longer the process goes on.
If I get an agent, that agent will almost certainly request changes to the manuscript, possibly major changes. Then, if a publisher gets interested in the book, the publisher will suggest/request more changes, some of them possibly major again. Changes will keep going on for quite a while.
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I’ve been facing a lot of rejection the last few days. I know, I know. “Famous Author X also got rejected 14 gajillion times.” You know what else Famous Author X got? An acceptance.
I’m not giving up, but there are times where the sheer number of rejections, all of them without any real feedback whatsoever, start to feel oppressive.
And that leads to thoughts of more revisions. Maybe if I change this up, or switch that around, or fundamentally transform one of the characters… Last night, I actually mapped out a major revision of the last 1/3 of the book, not based on any feedback I’ve received, but only on my own perception of what might work better.
Unfortunately, even that revision, if I had already done it, wouldn’t have affected any of the rejections I’ve already received. They’ve all been based on queries and opening pages. So while the revision I’ve conceived might improve the book, it’s not clear that it would help me take the next step (get an agent).
So will I make those revisions? Maybe. Will I receive more rejections? Certainly. Someday, in some way, this book will be released. Or rather… this book will escape.