Why is an outline required for novels?

creativebyline — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:53:58 +0000

There’s a good reason Creative Byline requires writers to include an outline as part of the submission package. While we were in the development stage of Creative Byline, editors told us they would prefer to know the manuscript is completed, but because a chapter-by-chapter outline shows the writer has thought through the entire story, an outline would be acceptable. So the outline is actually a compromise of sorts.

Not all writers write from an outline. But if your novel is done—which is what the editor is really hoping for—then it’s just a matter of summarizing what happens in each chapter. Even better: In the process of writing the outline, you might spot a few weaknesses in your manuscript that you can then fix before submitting it. There’s information on how to write an outline on our “resources” page, but you must be logged in to access it. (Signing up doesn’t cost anything.)

Why the manuscript submission process is tough on everyone—go ahead and vent

creativebyline — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:05:29 +0000

The submission process is every writer’s favorite whipping boy. Writers complain about having to wait six to 12 months for a response to their submissions, and when a response finally does arrive, it rarely contains any feedback about how to make the manuscript stronger. Furthermore, writers are frustrated by the lack of access as more houses, overwhelmed by the number of submissions, close their doors to all but the agented ones. (Writers, tell us your biggest gripe! Take the 15-second survey.)

Editors aren’t very keen on the process, either. They know it can make them look heartless, when in fact they wish they had the time to nurture new talent. Their bosses expect them to do more work with fewer resources; some publishers, as part of cost cutting, have gotten rid of the first readers that used to take the burden off editors. Still, editors are optimists at heart, ever hopeful that the next manuscript they pick up will be one in a million—the one they fall in love with. (Editors, tell us your biggest gripe. Take the 15-second survey.)

Both sides are clearly frustrated. One of the best discussions we’ve seen of the problems with the submission process is this one at Editorial Anonymous, a popular blog posted by a children’s book editor.

In response to the complaints, EA wrote, “I absolutely agree that it’s a rotten system for everybody. But if we could think of a better way of doing things, we’d be doing it. . . If anyone has an idea of how to make the slush process better, I’m open to suggestions. But I’ve thought long and hard about it, and haven’t come up with anything else yet.”

We at Creative Byline thought long and hard about it, too. Then we put a lot of resources into building a better way—one that addresses the needs writers, editors, and publishers. In the coming days, we’ll explain more about how it works. In the meantime, we hope you’ll take a moment to vent on our short survey. Thanks!

Literary Magnet » Author reference

Why is an outline required for novels?

Why the manuscript submission process is tough on everyone—go ahead and vent