We often hear authors say that their editors or agents demanded that the entire concept for the book be changed to something--more marketable, modern, romancy, edgy, different but not too much so, and so on. Of all the novels I've written and published I've never had to rewrite a whole book, just bits. One of my editors did call once and say if I kept the ending of a certain book we'd get hate mail. I love my readers and didn't want them to be "hatin' on me." I trusted that editor to know what would fly in the market and with reviewers and readers. So I changed the ending and a character I was certain should have died became a central character in the follow-on book, which was far more successful than the changed book.

However, an author might want to be a bit circumspect in whom he/she invests trust to read or edit his/her work. If you have a contract and have been assigned an editor, that's who you establish a trusting working relationship with if at all possible. It's somewhat the same when you're working with a critique group or others who read your stories and suggest or demand that you change this or that because "I bumped on this" or "That just doesn't work for me." Do you trust that these critiquers to impel change for your work, and why? If you're going for a general impression feedback or mechanics editing on your work that's one thing. If you want to make the book the best it can possibly be, be sure you put it in front of those who have the chops in terms of writing, publishing and marketing experience to know how to help you make your good book great.

I have a friend who will let anyone who wants to read her WIP (work in progress) because she wants to know what "the ordinary reader" thinks of the story so she can rewrite and make it better accordingly. IMO, she's looking for support in all the wrong places. I've been with my critique group since 1991. I trust each for their individual strengths they bring to the critique session--the line editing grammarian, the along for the ride plot watcher, the scene goal keeper, the content expert, the information gatherer. Several years ago I participated in another critique group for too many long months. The group leader, a published author, would read my chapter and tell me to rewrite it because it had problems. The others nodded, but said little that would help me know what to change or why. I'd change the piece and take it back. The leader invariably would pronounce it still unworthy and decree that I change it back to what it was before. More nodding. No specifics. I'd do that and would be told to change it again because it still wasn't working. Because I hadn't yet sold a book and the leader had, I trusted the leader and the others to know what was right with my work. Consequently, I soon allowed myself to feel like a no talent hack instead of the award-winning writer I'd proven to be. One day I had what my dear friend Darcy calls an epiphany. I was trusting people who didn't have the power of yes to buy and publish my book to tell me that I couldn't write a book that would be acceptable to them. Why in the world, I asked myself, would I continue to subject myself tender creative self to that kind of "suffer for your art" abuse? So I moved to another city--okay, yeah, I liked these people too much to get confrontational about their treatment of my work and the moving thing was already in the works. Thank goodness.

Trust and Verify
Trust is the engine of all relationships. You go in, hoping for the best, but you must do more than blindly hope or trust things will work out. You must verify your trust is deserved. Is this situation, are these people delivering on what I'd hoped? Am I giving as good (I do mean GOOD) as I get? If the answers to these questions aren't feeling "right" in any way, it may be time to look for better opportunities to cast your trust elsewhere. And most important, trust yourself to know what's right for you.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMelinda