How to Make Your First Novel Publisher-Perfect

If you are an unpublished writer, especially if you write fiction, it can be hard to weather the cold shoulder of today's publishing world. Literary agents and major publishers don't have the time or personnel to find the diamond in your rough draft. They no longer have the time to shape your career, correct your grammar, or tell you why the protagonist isn't working. Most, if you even get the chance to talk to them, will tell you that they barely have time to use the rest room during the average workday.

Which is why you have to get your manuscript publisher-perfect before you even think of sending out your first agent query.

Yes, you can hire a freelance editor. Frustrated as all get-out that something I couldn't put my finger on was wrong with one of my manuscripts (after eight drafts), I took the plunge and called in a pro. And it was money well spent. I learned a great deal about editing fiction in general and what wasn't working in my manuscript in particular. I also got some good marketing tips.

But rates as high as a thousand dollars or more can bust a beginning writer's budget. Tackling the job on your own can be daunting, and if you fall into the usual traps, it can leave you in an endless loop of panic. Finally, you start wondering if you should just chuck the whole thing and become an accountant like your mother always wanted.

Here's how you can stop fretting and start editing like a pro:

1. Get your own SWAT team

If you don't have one already, find a writer's group. Don't fall into the easy trap of depending solely on your significant other or anyone in your family to give you honest feedback on your writing. While you may be lucky enough to have a loved one who can be impartial, that's not always the case. Your writer's group (if chosen and nurtured correctly) will get to know your writing style and your characters, and can tell you what you really need to hear: where the action slows, when a joke falls flat, when a character's dialogue doesn't sound natural, or simply where something isn't working. And they don't have to face you over breakfast in the morning.

2. Know when to walk away