I’ve been working on my debut manuscript for about a year now. I thought it would be a good idea to share how the process has been for me, so others know what to expect.

Initially, I received a short, 2 page overview analysis from my previous editor and mentor, Kasim. Shortly afterwards, there was a change of staff, and since January 2023 I’ve been working with Sam, his old manager. Sam also sent me her own overview. Some of her comments contradicted Kasim’s which I found interesting, and a great reminder of publishing’s subjectivity.

Comparing the two docs, I decided what I agreed with, what I wanted to improve on, and what I didn’t agree with, and then did a rough edit of the manuscript.

Afterwards, Sam and I discussed the notes and my changes, we brainstormed my ideas, and she made suggestions on how to improve certain areas, or she asked questions about different characters’ motivations, how to bring them out a bit more so that they’re more developed.

Then came the major structural edit. This is where I wrote out a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of the whole book, and then Sam would add her suggestions on chapters/areas that could be moved around, plot points that might need to be dropped, or general inconsistencies. This required the most work. I ended up taking out an entire side-story, removing a major character, changing the third section (the novel is split into five main parts) and rearranging characters to other parts of the book. It was a massive change, but I felt really accomplished at the end.

Finally, the post-structural edits ( working title!). This is mainly to neaten up what I’ve done before and hone in on areas that still need improvements. Admittedly, this was the hardest round to stomach. Receiving feedback on anything is nerve-wracking, but feedback on your creative work obviously stings more acutely. It took a lot of mental preparation to open up those first emails, but I finally adjusted to them, and they helped me look at my work objectively. Making major cuts to the manuscript grew easier to do, and I stopped taking suggestions personally. However, this part of the editing was intense, and instead of general ideas, Sam had written more precisely in the comments section of Word, which meant some pages would have four or five comment boxes, often with terse, formal language. Up to this point, I had breezed through my edits in a few days, but this one took me weeks. By the end of each editing session, I would feel exhausted, unconfident, and more self-conscious about my writing ability. It is a lot of critique to take all in one go. So I split up my work so as not to be overwhelmed, and aimed for twenty pages of edits at a time.

Recently, someone posted on twitter something to the effect of “trad publishing is soul-crushing and full of criticism. It’s not for the thin-skinned, so you must decide whether or not this is the path for you”. A lot of people were offended, thinking that the OP was suggesting people give it up and pack it in if they find it too harsh, and whilst I did see vestiges of this sentiment in the tweet, I also understood the main point: a bruised ego is part of the territory and there’s simply no escaping it. Some parts of the process will hurt more than others, but the hurt is inevitable and unavoidable. Be warned that whatever pains you felt in the query trenches don’t suddenly end once you get your agent and book deal; they just take on a different form with higher stakes. Your publisher also wants the best for you as the success of your book benefits them too. I’ve found taking breaks (like above) helps lessen the blow. The query trenches leave a permanent mark on the writers’ psyche, and those years of endless rejection have a deep impact on how you view yourself and your work. For instance, I take all positive comments with scepticism now, and sometimes I even see my current situation as a fluke, or a post-2020 assignment. I have to shun that voice if I want to enjoy this journey.

One thing that consoles me: there are dozens of pages with no comments at all, which means they were decent enough, and on a document of over 200 pages, having around 150 comments isn’t that bad. Perspective is important.