What comes first? The manuscript or the sale?

I have heard it debated on how much work an author should do on an unsold, or unagented manuscript. So what should come first the sale or manuscript.

The first argument: Get it done, just in case there’s a request, especially if the author is actively seeking an agent/editor.

The second argument: Don’t get it done until there is a request for a full. Why put so much effort and time into something yet to sell and may never sell.

Both make sense, and after this week I learned a valuable lesson, that I’ll never forget. Get it done, polished ,completed, in the best possible way, without rushing. This week I got a request for a full, for a manuscript, that was finished but only partially polished. I had every intention on finishing it, but was lazily taking my time. I was having too much fun with lunching, shopping for shoes, playing with grandkids, and a good old fashion choir practice with my former co-workers. Yep, life was good.

The first thing to happen, after I stopped jumping up and down, calling all my friends, the realization hit me, I had a lot of work ahead of me. My life figuratively and literally came to a screeching halt. I canceled everything I had planned in my very busy retired life, and put my butt in the chair and worked none stop for ten days. Although, the agent didn’t put anytime limit on the delivery of the WIP, I put it on myself. This was a wonderful opportunity, I was not going to let slip through my fingers because I wasn’t expecting the request for a full or a request to come this soon. The usual turn around is weeks, this was just a day.

There is only one reason an author queries an agent, and it’s to SELL! Not to ignore the request and let the story collect dust in your disk case, or just dream about the what if’s. I wasn’t just testing the waters, I want this. Agents are busy people, VERY busy people, and don’t have time to wait on someone, who might be toying with the idea they ‘might’ want to be published. It’s a competitive, no-none-sense business and its best to be prepared, then not. Because those agents/editors will move ahead in their cluttered lives of manuscripts and clients who are pumping out work and forget your name in a heartbeat. So I had to get busy, and do what I set out to do, finish my WIP and get it out there.

So after I stopped freaking out, I responded to the agent and said I wanted to get to them the best possible example of my work, so they’d see it in two weeks.

I got it done in ten days.

But to tell you the truth, I would never do it again. Life is full of lessons learned, and I’m a shining example of you can always teach an old gal a new trick or two. I can be very stubborn to that concept at times, but not with this. What is at stake is something I worked very hard to learn, how to write in this business

Fortunately, I new this story well, put my butt in the chair, my fingers went to the key board and I wrote like my life depended on it. The story was there, so I just needed to add some, take away here, polish there and send it off. It was hard work. Creative energy under these conditions is exhausting.

I polished over 200 pages, and thought I never wanted to type my hero and heroine’s name again. I was really beginning to dislike historical paranormals and especially mine. Deep breath more then just a few times, keeping my eye on the brass ring, I put everything aside and forged ahead.

So for those of you with a dozen or so partials and proposals lying around, waiting for that magic moment, don’t. Get it done, polish it, than as you move on to the next project, start to submit on the completed one. You won’t regret it. The agents will get your best, where you can really shine, and you’ll have some fun while you’re working.

Lee