How Perfect Does Your Manuscript Have to Be?

Keynoting the Indy Authors Fair (2011)

In the spring, I’m traveling to St. Louis to speak at the Missouri Writers Guild conference. (Check out my sessions and schedule here.)

As part of the conference faculty, I did a Q&A for their conference blog that discusses many topics, including:

How I got started with social media
The difference between marketing objectives, strategies, tactics, and tools
How perfect your manuscript must be before submitting to an agent or editor

One lucky commenter will receive a free query letter critique from me! So don’t be shy about visiting and offering a response for your chance to win. (You must comment by December 13 to be eligible.)

About Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman is a full-time assistant professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati, and the former publisher of Writer's Digest. She has spoken on writing, publishing, and the future of media at more than 200 events since 2001, including South by Southwest, BookExpo America, and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.

http://twitter.com/dtfpress Deborah TaylorFrench

Is this the post to comment on? I hope it is. And thanks Jane for shining your light on social media and tools for writers.
http://www.janefriedman.com Jane Friedman

Sorry, Deborah. If you have to comment on the interview itself over at the MWG conference blog. See you over there!
Anonymous

The thing I appreciate about your approach is applicable to all writers using social media. Look at the social media landscape and think about what’s not being said, then talk about that. That’s the definition of a thought leader and why you have the following you do. My own Twitter stream is filled with fun, wordplayers who delight me every day; to me, it’s akin to a curation task to find good people (around the world who think and challenge me to think harder. The platform building is important, but not the greatest reward of social media.

Confession re drinking: on occasion I’ve been know to have a glass of wine and tweet. Now I have an excuse; it makes me loose and lively per Jane Friedman.
http://twitter.com/dtfpress Deborah TaylorFrench

Thanks. I think I already did that. Will check now.
http://www.janefriedman.com Jane Friedman

LOL! Yes, please use my reasoning as excuse any time.
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Patricia Gligor

How perfect does your manuscript have to be?
I would say that it has to be as “perfect” as you can make it before you submit it to an agent or editor. Since none of us is perfect, take your best shot but check and re-check your manuscript first!