Don't take my word for it

This is not a religious post, though I am going to use something the Buddha said as a springboard. You don't have to be a Buddhist to use it.

One of the things Buddha told his first disciples is do not accept what I say because I said it. Check it out for yourself. If it makes sense to you, then keep it. If it does not make sense to you, then do not adopt it.

This approach not only to religion, but all other aspects of one's life as well is very good advice to follow.

Sticking just with publishing, if one of the top agents suggests something but it doesn't sound right to you, then check it out. If after thorough examination you still don't agree with what they said, then set it aside. The same goes for any industry bigwig or those advertising themselves as experts. Check them out. Thoroughly.

We're all human. We all have our blind spots, pet peeves, and personal crusades. We can be right about one thing, but absolutely wrong about another. From the top of the publishing food chain to the bottom, you will find people who know what they are talking about most of the time but not all of the time.

This includes me. Don't accept what I say here because I have a small publishing company or because I state my opinions rather strongly. Check it out. If what I say doesn't make sense to you or your don't agree with me, then don't take my opinion on as one of your own. Because I could be wrong or I might not have been clear trying to express my thoughts.

Be a skeptic.