Ashley I can't speak universally since this is my first novel (Elixir was a co-venture so it was a lttlie different) but I know in my case, we absolutely felt confident sending out the ARC, and there's no regrets about that. Still, everyone at the publishing house knew that even at the ARC stage, it's not a finished product, and there are still changes to be made. Not huge changes, not changes that are going to affect the story but changes, for sure. On the author side, I think we always are going to find ways to make our work better. I remember an eternity ago, I thought the first draft of Populazzi was brilliant until I got my editor's notes. Then I re-read it with fresh eyes and saw all kinds of issues. I dove back in and made tons of new discoveries, changed some story beats, deepened characters, and completely immersed myself in it until I emerged with what I thought was the PERFECT version of the story until I got my editor's next set of notes and looked at it with fresh eyes once again. Sculpting really is the best metaphor. The first drafts required massive cuts to turn a giant rectangle of clay into anything resembling the shape of the finished sculpture. From there, each rewrite involved smaller and more precise cuts to hone the shape. The exciting part of the ARC rewriting process was that the knife I wielded was a scalpel, making lttlie shaves and retouches that yes, make a big difference in the finished product but don't drastically affect what you see from a few feet away.Hmmm I may have let that metaphor get away from me
Ashley I can't speak universally since this is my first novel (Elixir was a co-venture so it was a lttlie different) but I know in my case, we absolutely felt confident sending out the ARC, and there's no regrets about that. Still, everyone at the publishing house knew that even at the ARC stage, it's not a finished product, and there are still changes to be made. Not huge changes, not changes that are going to affect the story but changes, for sure. On the author side, I think we always are going to find ways to make our work better. I remember an eternity ago, I thought the first draft of Populazzi was brilliant until I got my editor's notes. Then I re-read it with fresh eyes and saw all kinds of issues. I dove back in and made tons of new discoveries, changed some story beats, deepened characters, and completely immersed myself in it until I emerged with what I thought was the PERFECT version of the story until I got my editor's next set of notes and looked at it with fresh eyes once again. Sculpting really is the best metaphor. The first drafts required massive cuts to turn a giant rectangle of clay into anything resembling the shape of the finished sculpture. From there, each rewrite involved smaller and more precise cuts to hone the shape. The exciting part of the ARC rewriting process was that the knife I wielded was a scalpel, making lttlie shaves and retouches that yes, make a big difference in the finished product but don't drastically affect what you see from a few feet away.Hmmm I may have let that metaphor get away from me
Number: 215-383-5685