What Does #MSWL REALLY mean?

I love these lists. Authors love it when editors and agents start posting on social media their #MSWL. For those of you not in the know, MSWL means Manuscript Wish List. It is a moment when we all decide of what type of projects we are looking for. It is an insight for authors into our heads (which can be pretty chaotic at times). Unfortunately, too many authors are missing the mark when we post. Let's break this down.

First of all, when WE post this, here is what WE mean. This can be broken down into two potential areas. The first would be that dream world we live in. Maybe we just finished reading a stack of submissions that was truly depressing. In the middle of all this reading, we are screaming, "Don't these authors get it?!?!" So we get on the Internet and start screaming about the things we really want (and not the stuff we just read!). For me, I do find that I post in these moments.

The second reason we might post is simply we are finding a hole in our lineup of authors, this is especially true with the editors. Maybe they are finding that they need a few more romantic suspense authors writing about a specific twist. The market seems to be trending that way so let's make an all call and see what is out there. 

Now, here is where the authors are messing up. First they seem to think this is the ONLY thing we are looking for. Nope, it is just a quick highlight of a few things, but it is not limited to this list.

Secondly, a lot of authors seem to think when we post this, it is time to start writing that story. Again, this is a BIG no. When we post, it means we are looking for this NOW not LATER. The market is shifting so fast these days that we simply cannot wait. For you authors, this means, if your story is not done and what we are looking for right now, this is not your opportunity.

Finally, when we say we are looking for a specific type of writing, we are not saying that we want you to somehow "manipulate" your synopsis to make it look like what we want. Your story is what it is. End of story. You cannot simply argue your story is something different. This is the easiest way to get to a rejection.

In the end, pay attention to when we post and if it is right for you, this is your time. If not, don't worry, we will likely post later.