Friday, April 27, 2012

Friday Night at the Question Emporium

When should an author bring up disabilities and health issues that could affect their editing, schedule in the process? Maybe it's me. I feel like I am lying, if I pretend my health is perfect. I am mostly blind, and other health issues do slow me down. At what point in the query, acceptance process should I bring up my issues with an agent? I am able to work around them (sometimes slowly), and I don't want to bother an agent who doesn't want to deal with them. How can I recognize these?


You don't mention it in the query process.  It's not about the book, and it's not a writing credential. You don't need to mention it at all as far as I'm concerned. If you feel like you need to be very upfront, you'd mention it when an agent calls to offer representation.

And any agent who rejects you simply cause you're not the Roadrunner is an idiot. You may quote that to them.

Writing well is a long game.  If you're physically slow, chances are your brain isn't.  More than half of a good novel is thinking about it. Thinking deeply takes time.

Editing schedules are entirely discretionary.  If you need more time for things, you just get it put in the contract.

You have a sense of what your time line will be like. Several of my clients have been surprised by unexpected babies, illness, death and disability.  We work around those too.

Quit worrying about why you won't succeed. Start planning for how to make sure you do.

7 comments:

Paige said...

Excellent advice.

SWILUA said...

Timely for me. Thank you.

Simon Hay said...

"Quit worrying about why you won't succeed. Start planning for how to make sure you do." Janet, that's gold!

Gary Corby said...

The author Jane Finnis is only partially sighted. In fact I think she might be legally blind. She has to use a special writing setup, plus a computer speech system to read, and she runs an ultra-high contrast screen with huge letters. None of this stops her writing excellent mysteries set in Roman Britain. She even runs her own blog. She has four books published and just started her fifth. I guess they make 'em tough in Yorkshire.

Bonnee Crawford said...

See agents are (all) evil people with no regard for the individuals they represent. If they find a good manuscript to represent, they certainly are idiots for turning it down just because the author faces some sort of difficulty like this. Good advice from Janet Reid!

Pamala Knight said...

Oh my goodness. I needed to see this today of all days. As always, thanks for the great advice.

BP said...

Oh, yes! Another awesome quote from the Shark! ;D I can just see the phone conversation now..."WELL! JANET REID says that any agent that rejects me b/c I'm not the roadrunner is an IDIOT! Take that, CHUM!" bahahaha thanks!!!