Let's say you write a book. You get an agent. Your agent thinks the book is flawless and requests no changes. She sells it to an editor. The editor thinks the book is flawless and requests no changes. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED. IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. STOP IMAGINING IT. So if you want to be…
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Delilah S. Dawson
Delilah S. Dawson is an American author, primarily of fantasy and science fiction, whose works have been published since 2012. She writes fantasy as Lila Bowen and erotica as Ava Lovelace. 2Career Dawson's work includes the Blud series of steampunk paranormal romance novels, the Shadow series of Weird West novels (as Bowen), as well as several young adult novels and erotica. She has also written Star Wars tie-in short stories, including the 2015 Bazine Netal adventure "Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon", and the 2016 Greer Sonnel story "Scorched", published in Star Wars Insider #165. In September 2017, Dawson released Star Wars: Phasma, a novel chronicling the backstory of Captain Phasma. 2Personal life Dawson lives in Dahlonega, Georgia. 2Reception In 2016, Alex Brown of Tor.com wrote that Dawson is "producing some of the best underappreciated books of the last few years", noting the "difficult subject matter [and] intense imagery" in her young adult works, and her diverse protagonists. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly appreciated that in Dawson's Wake of Vultures, "themes of self-worth, gender, and the complexity of identity are treated with frank realism and sensitivity", as well as her "gritty and well-realized paranormal Wild West". Kirkus Reviews wrote in a starred review of Wake of Vultures that "Bowen has created a fascinating, textured Wild West worl
"Almost publishable" is, unfortunately, a great pat on the head into which you can't read deeper meaning. It could mean the book, or it could mean you. But it's a good sign! I'd start writing the next book. And if you're still querying, keep querying.
Talent, potential-- none of that matters. Literally the only thing that will get you published is writing the best book that you can and going through the right steps to get it published. Nobody pays for potential. They can't publish potential. They need an actual book.
Every book can't be a bestseller, obviously, and they know that. Publishers buy plenty of books that are well written to fill out their lists. That's why we have midlisters and quiet books. That's why I have a career.
So I'm going to take on two related editing questions: How do you know if your edits are improving your book, and how do you know when you're ready to query? The bad news: There is no surefire way to know. But I can give you some tips! So let's say you have a 1st draft. It's garbage, because all 1st…