Agents want to discover new voices and target publishers/publications who will buy it. Writers want agents to lock and load their best work. Where are the readers in all this?

In today’s Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop panel, Sarah Burnes, Amy Williams, and Renee Zuckerbrot said they read a lot of query letters that aren’t uniquely targeted to them. They are business savvy readers who expect writers to know themselves and their work. The best way to prepare for this serious relationship is to develop relationships with other readers.

Readers are the only ones who can help me understand what I’ve written. Therefore, I want to get as many opinions as possible. Writing is the art of communication, not the art of intention. I don’t write for readers, but I become responsible for knowing how readers respond to my work if I want to get it published.