Road Trip Wednesday: How far would you go to get published?

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic: 
We writers can form quite an attachment to our characters and stories. But we also know publishing is a business, and sometimes to make it in said business--to really build a career from it--we have to bend a bit. How far would you go to break into the publishing world?

When ZOVA Books signed me, they loved the concept of Oppression and my writing style, but no manuscript is ever perfect. Working directly with my publisher (with no agent) meant that I was coming to them with a manuscript that had not been reviewed or critiqued by an industry professional. The only feedback I’d gotten was from friends and relatives, which meant I knew there would be requested changes.

Now, ZOVA signed me before sitting me down to work through the weak spots in my story, so I wasn’t making crazy changes to please someone who didn’t believe in me. ZOVA has believed in me from the beginning. When they provided their critique, a list of weaknesses and suggested changes, I accepted them, but I’ll admit….I cried. After I cried, I worked really hard and re-crafted the lackluster parts of my story. Looking back, I am so thankful for their advice. Sometimes we fall in love with parts of our stories just because we wrote them, not because they help the plot along. In writing, we’re only supposed to take what we need to survive, right? Don’t be a Princess Vespa. What is it she says in Spaceballs… 

Source

 

“It’s my industrial strength hairdryer! AND I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT!”

Sometimes we need editors, agents, or publishers to come at us with tough love and give us that reality check.

What I've learned is that people in the industry (or at least the people with ZOVA) are smart. They know what they’re doing and their feedback is honest. Now, that isn’t to say you should completely re-write your story because someone in the industry is telling you to (especially if they aren’t invested in you) but my point is, there is a lot to be learned from that kind of feedback.

ZOVA has not only believed in me along the way, they have been a great teacher, advisor, friend, mirror, critique partner, and genius publisher. They’ve helped me grow as a writer, and for that I am so grateful.

So how far would I go? I'd say I'm willing to be open to new ideas, suggestions, and advice about the details of my novels, as long as in the end, it's still my writing, my work, my creativity, and my story.

What would you do if a publisher, agent, or editor asked you to change your novel? Would you be open to it or say no thank you?