No worries, Amy, you told me that you were wicked busy and likely to not a chance to look at it until the end of the week, so I didn't think you had forgotten.

Ugh, I only got 600 words out of me on the WIP.

I have GOT to pick up the pace and get the story on the page. It's all mapped out in my head, but slow going as far as writing in a new genre. I feel like I'm hacking away.

The worse thing that can happen is that it doesn't sell. I think maybe I can live with that, you know? I was so spoiled by Vampire People.

Dilemma of the "sticking to my guns" sort.

An editor I met at RWA National is way interested in seeing straight up contemp romance of the not light and fluffy variety. She also would get authors who either write fast or have several completed manuscripts which could be released back-to-back, since they've made several bestsellers that way.

I have a straight up contemporary romance, in fact, I have three of them, set within the same family. The downside? They're all written in a dual-first POV, which has not proven popular in romance. Apparently, the "I" squicks readers out with respect to the love scenes. They also have some misguided idea that if a book is in first person, you can only get one POV. Why? I know not.

Now, here's the dilemma-- I'm speaking with Agent Kate tomorrow about all that went down at National and I mentioned this particular situation to her. I think I'm going to tell her she can submit these manuscripts with the caveat that if she likes the story but not the POV, I'd be willing to rewrite. Which irks me, but I really love these stories and would love to see them get published.

I'm not selling out, am I? I honestly think they work as is-- everyone who's read them has enjoyed them and says they work as is-- but you know, there they sit on my hard drive, not doing me a damn bit of good. If changing POV helps them sell and get out there, that's good, even if it's not my original vision for the stories. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. *sigh*

I don't think that's selling out, Barb. It doesn't seem like it's compromising the core of your stories. But I'm POV-easy. I've written both, and I've never understood readers who'll ONLY read first or third or whatever.

I have a telecon with Agent Kate tomorrow as well. Worlds, they collide.

I've written both, and I've never understood readers who'll ONLY read first or third or whatever.

Well, of course, you know of my irrational fear of writing in third POV, although I seem to be working my way through it. I don't think that's necessarily the issue here, but more that the stories came to me in First, hence, I wrote them that way. Will they still feel like the same stories after a switch of that magnitude? (Probably, but this is me, angsting.)

I'm also with you-- I don't get the readers who say they'll only read one POV. It's so severely limiting, IMO.

I have a telecon with Agent Kate tomorrow as well. Worlds, they collide.

Heh. That they do.

A question and a gloat:

Question: Given that it's going to take a few months for me to edit the WIP into submission-ready shape, should I email the editor I met at the conference and explain that it's not quite ready but I promise I'll get it to him by the end of the year? Or should I take the "never apologize, never explain" route and skip the email and just send when it's ready? If it makes a difference, the editor strikes me as being the reverse of the cuddly, hand-holding type--but in a good way. I really like him and would love to have him for my very own acquiring editor. I mean, above and beyond the fact that I'd like to have ANY editor from a major print publisher acquire my book.

The gloat: They've finally actually posted the winners of the PNWA contest: [link] Somehow seeing it in print makes it cooler.

I have only written fanfic, but the times I've changed POV or verb tense it's been because the story wasn't working until I changed it.

With books that are already done, my feel is that it wouldn't be bad. Third person can still be pretty intimate.

should I take the "never apologize, never explain" route and skip the email and just send when it's ready?

This.

And congrats again on the win!

Susan, my feeling is if you promised an editor something (even with no timeline) and have reason to expect that editor is expecting it sooner than she (or he) will receive it, I'd let that editor know, rather than having it come as a surprise. In short, I'm pretty sure any editor who is expecting something from you wants to know when they will receive it. Nothing to with handholding.