Thank you for keeping us updated, Liza! I was happy to read that you felt the same way about writing groups. I nominally belong to one but have never attended because I (selfishly) don't have time to provide feedback on strangers' writing, nor do I really want the feedback of unvetted writers, outstanding though they could be. Perhaps I should start attending as you have decided to do in the hopes of making contacts for my novel's publication. In the interest of deepening our connection, please check out this short description of my novel on my Substack. Who knows -- I might get published before you and could be a great contact. ;) https://katesusong.substack.com/p/my-novel
Having participated in a few writing groups, I've learned there's a big difference between people who are seriously pursuing traditional publication with a Big 5 imprint and people who are just dabbling. It's also crucial to find critique partners who get what you are trying to do with your writing, or their feedback could be damaging. I hope your new critique group is the good kind!
There isn’t a single step in the long process of publishing a book that doesn’t in some way hinge on third party validation. Everything you wrote makes perfect sense, but it is still absurd to me that literary agents (people who read books for a living) need someone else to tell them that a manuscript is worth reading.
Every single step of the publishing process is absurd to me (and also opaque, which is why I am working on this series). The fact that the agent who got a referral to me from his client did not even read my query letter (he couldn't have had—he responded within literally thirty seconds after receiving my email) just further confirms my hypothesis that the publishing world is, unfortunately, not about merit. I sent the exact same letter to someone else at the agency and received no response. It is sad, and I hope that in exposing these practices to my readers, someone will be forced to change something.
You could also argue that, of course, a referral holds weight, and that's true! That's how it is in the job world. But a referral in the job world doesn't mean you get to skip through all the hoops. It still means that your resume is read and evaluated—and an interview only offered once the resume aligns with the position. Here, it is clear that acceptance has less to do with merit and more to do with who you know.
Thank you for keeping us updated, Liza! I was happy to read that you felt the same way about writing groups. I nominally belong to one but have never attended because I (selfishly) don't have time to provide feedback on strangers' writing, nor do I really want the feedback of unvetted writers, outstanding though they could be. Perhaps I should start attending as you have decided to do in the hopes of making contacts for my novel's publication. In the interest of deepening our connection, please check out this short description of my novel on my Substack. Who knows -- I might get published before you and could be a great contact. ;) https://katesusong.substack.com/p/my-novel
Having participated in a few writing groups, I've learned there's a big difference between people who are seriously pursuing traditional publication with a Big 5 imprint and people who are just dabbling. It's also crucial to find critique partners who get what you are trying to do with your writing, or their feedback could be damaging. I hope your new critique group is the good kind!
There isn’t a single step in the long process of publishing a book that doesn’t in some way hinge on third party validation. Everything you wrote makes perfect sense, but it is still absurd to me that literary agents (people who read books for a living) need someone else to tell them that a manuscript is worth reading.
Every single step of the publishing process is absurd to me (and also opaque, which is why I am working on this series). The fact that the agent who got a referral to me from his client did not even read my query letter (he couldn't have had—he responded within literally thirty seconds after receiving my email) just further confirms my hypothesis that the publishing world is, unfortunately, not about merit. I sent the exact same letter to someone else at the agency and received no response. It is sad, and I hope that in exposing these practices to my readers, someone will be forced to change something.
You could also argue that, of course, a referral holds weight, and that's true! That's how it is in the job world. But a referral in the job world doesn't mean you get to skip through all the hoops. It still means that your resume is read and evaluated—and an interview only offered once the resume aligns with the position. Here, it is clear that acceptance has less to do with merit and more to do with who you know.
Welp, looks like I’m off to join a writing group.
Thank you for the transparency and persistence. I’m rooting for you.