Unconscionable liberties

[desperance]

Mmph. How happy am I, at being asked to redraft a manuscript entirely on spec, for an editor who has made no commitment whatsoever to the project?

And how happy ought I to be, am I being unreasonably snarly here?

What she says is that despite her own enthusiasm, the book will be a hard sell internally (by which I guess she means to the marketing department, above all), and it'll have a better chance if I make cuts and rewrites now, before the rest of the team gets to see it. Which I guess makes sense. It's just the atavistic old pro in me getting grumpy, feeling that cuts and rewrites are the matters we address after the publisher has committed to the novel by making, you know, an offer for it...

Also she's an old friend who has worked on many books with me before, so she does know that I'm good for rewrites. It's not like I'm a newbie who has to prove himself. It's not her, I guess, it's the system; and because she is an old friend, and because she holds a very senior position in a major publishing house, I will do as she asks. But grumpily.

*grumps*

Comments

[fastfwd.livejournal.com]

All told, you are being a hundred times less grumpy than I would be/have been.

When this has happened to me, I always make it clear--as politely, amicably, and yet as firmly as possible--that although the suggested work is going on, since there has been no commitment, the manuscript will be offered elsewhere.

Actually, my agent makes that clear. I simply nod and smile as if to say, "What can I do? My agent has to make a living."

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

Ouch. The uncertainty must be horrible, since you're doing this on spec. I hope it all works out (because I'm selfish and I wanna read it!). Good luck!

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

If you agree with the suggested changes, then even if they end up passing you're still ahead at the end of the day and will be able to place the ms elsewhere. But if the changes are iffy, and you're doing them to satisfy that editor ... without a contract, I'd be saying sorry, nuh-uh.

Because you're a pro. There's no good thing to you being treated like an untried newbie.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Ooo. You are CLEVER.

And yeah, I'm afraid--well, I dunno. If Anne asked me to do something like that, I might give it a spin. But she's been my editor for six books now.

An unfamiliar editor, not likely. It's bound to be wasted effort.

[ratmmjess.livejournal.com]

On spec? I think you've every right to be snarly.

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Ooh, wise words there.

[esmeraldus-neo.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be snarly.

People would be using phrases like "blast radius" and "minimum safe distance."

Except if it were an old friend, I suppose I'd just snap and snarl.