A Flawless Work of Art?
It may seem counter intuitive but I doubt the statement above is true. Traditional publishers perform two important functions among others. Given that 82% of the American public declare they would like to write a book and that some stastistics state there are a million manuscripts floating around the world, publishers and agents screen us from the worst of them. In picking winners, a good editor will spot the occasional error and a great editor will see flawed genius and help shape it.
This factor is perhaps my single biggest personal risk. I work hard to make my work flawless but it would be a miracle if I was successful. Otherwise, why would large publishing houses spend so much time and money working with authors to prepare their books for the market?
By presenting my manuscripts to the public at this stage, the risk that attention is drawn to some fault I've missed instead of the story behind it, is an unknown that should reveal itself in the coming months. By writing Tom Corven and performing the work as it developed instead of waiting until it was finished, I have already taken one big gamble that appears to have paid off. Now, by seeking investors through selling the world's most expensive novel, it is reasonable to assume that I think the book is perfect and that I am a genius. That is not my contention. Can the general public do what agents and editors do in the early selection stages? As long as they are prepared and understand that they are reading a manuscript and not the final product, I think a special subset among them can. Further, my declaration that the next book in the Dreamwords series will reach a mass market relies on an idea that you will not see on this site or anywhere else. While I am confident in the quality of the novel, working with a skilled editor, I am sure, would help make it even better. I look forward to working with one of the best and fully intend to do that.