Don’t fear the rewrite

Get used to it, peasant.

Whenever aspiring authors ask me about the publishing process, one question inevitably comes up: How much has your book changed?

They always seem a little nervous to ask, and you can see the answer they’re hoping to hear written clearly on their faces. They want me to tell them that an agent won’t offer representation and then ask for a completely different ending, or that an editor won’t acquire their book and then ask that the female main character be turned into an a...