Guide to Literary Agents - Friday, June 25, 2010

What should you write in the bio paragraph of a query letter?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Friday, June 25, 2010 11:00:40 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, June 24, 2010

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Marybeth Whalen
Posted by Chuck

This is a recurring column I'm calling "7 Things I've Learned So Far," where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they've learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from Marybeth Whalen, speaker and debut novelist.

Marybeth Whalen's first novel, The Mailbox, came
out in June 2010. Marybeth is a member of the
Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker team and has
served as general editor of For The Write Reason
and The Reason We Speak. She and her husband
co-authored Learning To Live Financially Free.
Additionally, she serves as director of She Reads
(Proverbs 31 Ministries' fiction division).
See her website here.

1. The people I've spent years investing in through my community, my blog, and other avenues of life were well worth it. I didn't do it so that someday I could cash in on our relationship, but now that I have a book coming out it is so nice to have people cheering me along and helping to spread the word.

2. I will never arrive. As I write this, I am finishing my second novel to turn into my publisher. In some ways I feel more confident than I did with my first, but in some ways I am painfully aware of how much I still have to learn. I will always be learning, going to conferences, reading books on the craft. I hope I never stop.

3. Social media really does work. It's not a waste of time to invest in Twitter and Facebook and blogging and all those other things that "they" tell you you should do. Build your tribe and you will be thankful later. Just make sure you strike a balance between internet time and writing time.

4. It's good to know who you are and what you write. That way, when you get asked about your style by interviewers like I have been recently, you won't sit there dumbfounded with no answer whatsoever. Are you funny? Serious? Do you write contemporary? Historical? Fantasy? Is your audience women, YA or children? Boil it all down into some sort of descriptive statement that people can latch onto. I am, incidentally, still working on that.

5. Style, voice and command of the language are very necessary but a unique hook or angle can also go a long way to getting you published. Look around for the unique way you can package that theme or issue you want to write about so that it will grab readers. I am not foolish enough to think that my novel got picked up because of the excellent writing (See #2 above) but I did something unique in crafting a love story around a little-known real NC landmark. We can all look around for those elements in our lives—people, professions or places we know about that others perhaps do not—that add something unique to what we have to share.

6. Editors are really, really necessary. It hurt to have my novel shredded by my editor. I may have hated her momentarily. But what she created from those shreds is what makes the book good now. When people tell me they like the book or they couldn't put it down, I send the compliments on to her. My name might be on the cover but the credit largely belongs to her.

7. You have to have family support to make it. Without the full-fledged support of my family—especially my husband—I could not have seen this challenge through. If you have a supportive spouse and children, that's something to be thankful for. I know I am.

I will leave you with this excellent—and very true—quote from Sidney Sheldon, "A blank piece of paper is God's way of telling us how hard it is to be God."

Writing a novel? Agent/writer Donald Maass
is a fiction writing expert, and his book
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook
can guide you on your journey.

Want more on this subject?

Want to pen a guest column? Write me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

7 Things I've Learned So Far | Christian Agents

Thursday, June 24, 2010 1:47:24 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Successful Queries: Agent Christine Witthohn and Rochelle Staab's ''Hollywood Hoodoo''
Posted by Chuck

This series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.

The 38th installment in this series is with agent Christine Witthohn (Book Cents Literary) and her author, Rochelle Staab, for the murder mystery novel, Hollywood Hoodoo.

In lieu of a cover (not available yet), this is a
nice picture of author Rochelle Staab.

Dear Ms. Witthohn,

I am pleased to submit for your consideration, Hollywood Hoodoo, a witty murder mystery with a voodoo curse, set in contemporary Los Angeles. It's complete at 71,000 words.

In Hollywood Hoodoo, mysterious tarot cards, a cursed voodoo spell book, and the falsely accused team of L.A. Clinical Psychologist Liz Cooper and Religious Philosophy Professor Nick Garfield come together in the hunt for the real killer of a voodoo initiate.

Hollywood Hoodoo is the first of a series of supernatural themed murder mysteries, featuring Liz—the pragmatic shrink, and Nick—the broad-minded occult expert.

My professional background includes Top 40 radio station programming and 28 years of executive marketing positions at Warner Bros. Records where I remain a consultant. Writing one-line headlines is fun. Writing novels is bliss. [Some personal info here was removed.]

I’m a member of MWA, RWA, SinC, and KOD. Hollywood Hoodoo has been submitted in the 2010 RWA Golden Heart contest. I understand the value of marketing and am motivated and ready to focus my efforts.

This is a multiple submission. The first chapter of Hollywood Hoodoo is copied below. Thank you for considering my work. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Rochelle Staab

Commentary from Christine:

I like queries that are short and sweet. A query should give the agent/editor the “bones” of the story. If the writer does a good job, the agent/editor will ask to see the “meat.” What I particularly liked about this query was this: the writer gave me the genre, word count, and the hook in the first two sentences. Notice how short these two sentences are?

Paragraph 1: gives the vitals; Paragraph 2: gives the bones; Paragraph 3: shows extended life—part of a series; Paragraph 4: author background/platform; Paragraph 5: organization affiliations; Paragraph 6: thanks me. The entire query is less than a page in length. Short and sweet.

Within 60 days, I signed the author and sold the series (three books) to Berkley Prime Crime. The first book comes out in 2011. Oh—and Hollywood Hoodoo was chosen as a finalist in the Golden Heart contest. We'll know if she won in July :)

Writing your query? Check out The Writer's
Digest Guide to Query Letters. It's a great,
up-to-date resource for query letter writing.

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Romance) "Proof by Seduction"

Successful Queries: (Mainstream/Literary Fiction) "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

Successful Queries: (Upmarket/Women's Fiction) "Simply from Scratch"

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Genre Writing | Successful Queries

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 9:26:40 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [5]

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Call For Blogs/Websites/Media Interested in Reviewing or Writing About ''How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack''
Posted by Chuck

My publicist has asked me to put out a call for any websites or media or blogs that are interested in reviewing or talking about my new humor book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack (Sept. 2010). People I'm looking for include, but are not limited to:

Gardening or humor bloggers.
General book reviewers.
Anyone interested in an interview, whether the primary focus is on the book itself or general advice on getting published and finding an agent.
Anyone doing a holiday gift/book roundup.
Anyone who reviews or discusses quirky humor books.

If you have a website, blog, column, or radio show, please email me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and let me know about yourself and the website/media. All requests will be passed on to my Ten Speed Press publicist and she will be in charge of sending out advance review copies and such. Thanks so much, everybody! (By the way, you can tell I'm kinda new to all this pre-book promo stuff, so if you have friends or websites in mind and want to share, please comment or e-mail me. Much appreciated.)

The book comes out Sept. 7, 2010.
You can pre-order it from Amazon.

Want more on this subject?

Want to pen a guest column? Write me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

My Writing Life

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:07:24 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [5]

The 5 Stages of Querying
Posted by Chuck

1) Conceit – This is the beginning of the query experience in which you are convinced that any agent would be a fool to turn you down. You know deep in your heart this is the most fantastic book ever written and every agent who reads your query will request a full, (or at least a partial) immediately. And your mother, husband/wife and BFF beta's said so.

Guest column by Anne Gallagher, an aspiring
writer of romance novels living in the Foothills
of the Piedmont. Read her blog here.

#2) Fear – This second emotion is harder to contain as it encompasses a variety of anxieties at the same time: Is the query strong enough to get a request? Is the manuscript good enough? Have I revised enough? Did I find all my typos? Did I say everything I was supposed to say?

#3) Bargaining – This is when you’ll do absolutely anything if an agent requests any part of your manuscript: Spend more time with the kids, your mother-in-law, the PTO. You’ll keep up with the laundry, dishes, dust bunnies. You’ll remember to make breakfast, pay the bills, feed the dog. And you’ll pass up the new shoes you saw last week at the mall … you swear, if you could only get a request.

#4) Depression – This is how far you’ll actually sink before you start climbing up from the pit of despair. Some frequent comments in your head will be—“My query sucked, the agent will hate it. My book sucks. Why am I doing this? I can’t write a book. No one would read it anyway, it will never sell.” At this point, you must remember you do have family and friends who love you and care for you. Step away from the chocolate, get out of your sweats, take a shower and go for a nice long walk. A little fresh air never hurt anyone.

#5) Acceptance – And this last stage is when you realize, the query is out, agents are looking at it, you gave it your 100% best shot and there is nothing more you can do. So relax. And I won't tell you not to check your e-mail account fifteen times a day because I know you will, (I do, too) just try and get it down to three. Breakfast, lunch and before bedtime.

These five stages are not all encompassing or complete. The emotional reactions to querying varies across individuals and largely depends upon their support systems—and how much bourbon is still left in the liquor cabinet.

Here are some guidelines that will help you to manage these Five Stages of Querying and allow you to get on with writing your next book. If you've sent out your book, try these guidelines:

Respond: Try to respond appropriately when someone asks about your book. Incorrect Response: “Oh my God, I sent it out to query like three weeks ago and haven’t heard a word, and it’s like freaking me out, I can’t stand the waiting, it’s killing me because I knew I forgot to fix the typo in the return address and it’s like …” Correct Response: “I’ve sent my book out to query. I should hopefully have more information in a few weeks. Thank you for asking.”
Education & Developing Increased Resourcefulness: Now is the perfect time to stroll through agent blogs and find out what you need to ask them if "The Call" comes. An agent will appreciate you've done your homework instead of babbling incoherently, "I can't believe it, YOU really called me. Oh my GAWD!"
Encourage Your Peers: Pay it Forward. As I’ve said before, many times—we are all in this boat together and if we don’t help and encourage other writers, it’s going to be a nasty voyage. I’d hate to be the one stuck out on the poop deck.
Recognize That a Moderate Level of Anxiety is Acceptable: Of course, you have anxiety—your "baby" which you’ve slaved over is out in front of the world.
Develop a Sense of Control & Efficacy: Clean your office, your workspace, your kitchen. Write your author blurb, dedication, back cover blurb. You’ll have to do it sooner or later and, who knows, if "The Call" does come, you’ll be ready and agents love an efficient and prepared writer. Besides, you won’t have to panic later.

Happy Querying!!

The quickest way to get an agent's attention
is a professional submission. That's why you
need Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd. Ed.

It has dozens of query letter examples (novels,
nonfiction, short stories, kids books and more).

Want more on this topic?

Interview with agent Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency.

Interview with agent Scott Eagan of Greyhaus Literary.

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket with just one book.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Guest Columns | Queries and Synopses and Proposals

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:07:45 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [15]

Monday, June 21, 2010

Agent Michael Larsen Talks 12 Ways to Excite Pros About Your Novel
Posted by Chuck

A novel has been called a piece of prose that has something wrong with it. Here’s how to ensure your novel has nothing wrong with it: 12 ways to get agents and editors excited about your work.

Michael Larsen and his wife Elizabeth Pomada
founded Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents and
run the Writing for Change Conference (Nov. 13-14,
2010 in San Francisco). Michael is the author or
co-author of How to Write a Book Proposal.
He runs a new agent blog, as well. To see the
nonfiction topics he seeks, click here.

1. Your idea: new, creative, timely, informative, entertaining, transformative, commercial, helpful, aimed at a large, proven market.

2. Your writing: style, tone, humor, drama, inspiration, insights, voice.

3. Your irresistible first page: compels editors to turn the page.

4. Your readers: the community of readers who give you feedback while you’re writing your book and when you’re done.

5. You: your passion, commitment, track record, credentials.

6. Your platform, visibility online and off: blog, short stories, teaching, speaking, a blog, social media, networks.

7. Your test-marketing: a blog, podcast, e-book, self-published edition, serialization, website.

8. Your promotion plan: a list of things you will do, online and off, and how many of them, a budget.

9. Your book’s promotion potential: online and off, reviews, media interviews, endorsements.

10. The markets for your book: consumers, libraries, subsidiary rights, reading groups.

11. Your future books: your book’s series potential, the synopsis for your next book.

12. Your book’s spinoff potential: merchandising products, short stories, music.

There’s a Sipress cartoon in The New Yorker showing a medieval torturer in a dungeon standing in front of a guy being stretched on a rack, and he’s saying: “Don’t talk to me about suffering—in my spare time, I’m a writer.” Using these ideas will lessen your suffering on the road to publication.

(Michael previous guest blogged regarding his best tips for writers and their career. It was a three-part series and Part I is here.)

Michael Larsen's book, How to Write a
Book Proposal (now in its third edition) has
sold more than 100,000 copies and
helped countless writers sell their work.

Want more on this subject?

How royalties and advances (money) work.

You have a contract but no literary agent - what to do.

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Literary agents talk blogging, Twitter, and more.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Guest Columns

Monday, June 21, 2010 8:49:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Sunday, June 20, 2010

How to Clean Up Your Formatting in a Query
Posted by Chuck

Have you ever received an e-mail from someone that had text cut and paste into it, and the text was all garbled? Maybe apostrophes were now like 18 symbols long? Or m-dashes looked like a firework exploded in the e-mail? That's the danger of cutting and pasting different fonts into an e-mail you send. I remember just last year I received a query that looked like this:

------------------

Dear Mr. Sambuchino:

I have a great idea for the Guide to Literary Agents that I wanted to share just with you.

------------------

You can see the problem here. It's obvious they cut and paste a previous query into their e-mail to me, then changed some details, but the new changes came through with funky formatting. This is the exact stuff you want to avoid when querying agents.

The solution is tedious, but here's what I recommend. (By the way, if you have a different way you want to share, simply do so in the comments.)

STEP 1: WRITE YOUR QUERY

Just write it. This will likely happen in a Microsoft Word doc. Right now, it doesn't matter. Write all of it—from "Dear (Agent)" to "Sincerely, Chuck."

STEP 2: CUT AND PASTE THE QUERY INTO EITHER NOTEPAD (PC) OR TEXT-EDIT (MAC)

These programs are designed to "wipe" all formatting out of your text. For example, if you put text in under 1,000 different fonts, NotePad wipes all that text out. It equalizes everything—so the text is now "clean" for you. By the way, if you use TextEdit for Mac, go under "Format" in the toolbar and make sure you choose "Make Plain Text."

STEP 3: OPEN A NEW E-MAIL

That's right: Open a new e-mail for every agent query. (I would not "reply" to an e-mail and then query.) Then cut and paste the entire query in from TextEdit or Notepad. The query will come through in universal, "clean" font. BUT—since you've made it totally clean, you will have to go back through and italicize and bold what you want. You will also have to manually push the date right, etc. It's tedious, but worth it. As long as you edit only within the text and don't cut and paste more material in from elsewhere, you query will be the same font and come through looking fine.

STEP 4: SEND, AND BECOME A FAMOUS AUTHOR

Self-explanatory. If you're still nervous, perhaps you could test it by sending emails to a few friends or other e-mail accounts.

Tim Beyers, a freelancer who specializes in
technology and business, can teach you all
about using Twitter to make money.
Learn more through the on-demand webinar.

Want more on this subject?

How to create a simple writer blog.

So you've set up a blog - now what?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Guest Columns

Sunday, June 20, 2010 2:57:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [11]

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Cover Band Soap Opera: Trip Down Memory Lane; Band Geeks Rule (and Lower Brass is the Best)
Posted by Chuck

I was a 100% band geek in high school. All the stuff I do with my cover band today can be traced back to 6 years of marching and concert band. In a previously-posted photo, you can see me playing the trombone. In the photo below, that's a baritone horn.

What does it all add up to? Lower brass roots, baby. Anyone who's ever been in Band knows that there is a long-time feud between upper brass (trumpets, etc.) and lower brass. And if you're wondering, yes, lower brass is much cooler.

What about you? Any other band nerds out there? What did you play? Was there another section of the band who you didn't like? Those stinky trumpeters, perhaps? By the way: How do you make a trombone sound like a french horn? Put your hand in the bell and miss a lot of notes. BOO-YAH. Back up.

I bet you didn't know that,
as of freshman year, I was the
illegitimate son of Rod Blagojevich.

Cover Band Venting

Saturday, June 19, 2010 2:06:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [5]

Friday, June 18, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Tom Leveen
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

Tom Leveen's debut novel, Party, was
released in April 2010 (Random House). It
tells the story of a summer party and 11 teenagers
who intersect in ways that none of them saw
coming. Tom lives in Arizona and is the artistic
director of the Chyro Arts Venue.
See his website here.

ONE AGENT PASSES IT TO ANOTHER

My first rule for obtaining an agent was: Follow the rules. I spent months researching proper query format, manuscript format, what agents like and don’t like … things like that. I asked questions on writing discussion boards, I asked for and got brutal feedback on my terrible query letter (for which I am eternally grateful). I built a simple database to keep track of who I was sending queries to, and how (or if) they responded. Forty agents weren’t interested. One was.

I queried an agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and was instead contacted by one of their associate agents, Michelle Andelman, who told me the agent I queried wasn’t interested, but had passed the manuscript on to her. Michelle took about a week to talk it over with the agency before calling me to offer representation.

(I did not weep inconsolably with joy after we got off the phone, if that’s what you’re thinking, or perhaps you saw a picture online that is now deleted. Nope. Never happened. I was a rock. Yep.)

WHAT IF YOUR AGENT LEAVES?

Michelle and I revised for several months before she felt the book was ready to pitch ... and then no one bought it! (BTW: While the pitching process was going on, I worked on my next book (Party), which is exactly what any writer should be doing while his/her first book is being pitched—or submitted to agents.

I finished Party, and we began the revision process all over again, after having decided to shelve the first book. The day before we were going to pitch, Michelle left the agency for another job in the industry. I learned of this news on the evening of my wedding anniversary. Dinner was not celebratory that night. Two years, two manuscripts, and I had nothing to show for it? This was, as they say, “a kick to the groin.” (Let me clarify for the record that Michelle was and is awesome. If not for her, her patience and willingness to take on a debut writer, I would not be here today. I learned more with her than I had learned in the previous 10 years combined about what goes in to a successful YA novel. She is still one of my heroes.)

POLISH YOUR WORK TO A GLOSSY SHINE

A few weeks later, I was picked up by Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary, who is my agent still. “Relief” isn’t quite a strong enough word for what I felt. Jennifer had me—wait for it—revise Party. Again. And again. And … maybe once more for good measure. Which she was right to do. She resumed my education where Michelle left off. Finally, we agreed Party was ready to pitch. I got to work rewriting “Book One,” based on responses (that is, rejections) I’d received previously from editors. I also began work on two additional YA novels. Notice the trend, there? My job didn’t stop once the pitches began.

On December 15, 2008, I got The Call from Jennifer: Party had been sold to Random House (at auction, no less). My wife and I gave ourselves a few days to celebrate, having some dinners out and whatnot. (Take that, wedding anniversary gloominess!) And then it was back to work. Getting an agent was not and is not the end of the road. Getting published is not the end. I make sure to take time and savor each step, to be sure; but as of now, writing YA novels is my job. It is work. Never doubt that. Is it a dream come true? Oh, absolutely! There is nothing on earth I’d rather be doing as a career than writing YA and getting to speak to teens at school, library, or signing events. But it’s work. It’s a job. The. Best. Job. Ever.

I’d like to point out one important detail to everyone who’s struggling with that damn query letter, or wondering just how many rejections it takes to get to the center of the publishing Tootsie Pop®: I was just like you. I didn’t “know someone” in the biz, I had no inside track, I could afford no conferences and five-minute pitches to agents or editors. All I did was do my agency homework, spent quality time drafting and redrafting my query, and had a polished finished novel to pitch. That’s it. If there’s a secret formula for obtaining representation and getting a publishing deal, I’m unaware of it. Agents want you to write a great book and a great query, they really do. Now all you gotta do is give it to ‘em.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Tom in the July/August 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this topic?

What should you write in the bio paragraph of a query letter?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Friday, June 18, 2010 12:43:44 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [9]

Thursday, June 17, 2010

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Alan Orloff
Posted by Chuck

This is a recurring column I'm calling "7 Things I've Learned So Far," where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they've learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from mystery writer Alan Orloff.

Alan Orloff's debut mystery, Diamonds for the Dead,
was published in April 2010 by Midnight Ink.
He also has a new mystery series coming
in 2011. Visit his website here or see
his blog here.

1. Things move slowly in the publishing world. Be prepared to wait. A lot. For your critique group to get through your manuscript. For your queries to be answered (if you're lucky). For your partials and fulls to be read. For editors to weigh your submissions. For your book to wend its way through the production process as it heads toward the bookstore shelf. Best advice: Have some other projects to work on while you wait!

2. Getting help really helps. Critique groups can help you with your writing. An agent can help polish your submission and will know where to send it. An editor can help massage your manuscript into its optimal form. Ignore these "helpers" at your own peril. Getting published really is a village effort (so make sure you have plenty of food on hand).

3. You need a thick skin. Rejections are the norm—don't let them "spin you out." Otherwise, you'll never get any writing done. Persistence and perseverance are key.

4. Your book doesn't "belong" to only you anymore. While you were writing your manuscript, it was your baby. You could feed it what you wanted, dress it how you wanted, play with it whenever you wanted. Now, you have to share and listen to other people's "baby-raising" advice. Once you sign a contract, your book gets slotted into a release date and tossed onto the production conveyor belt. Flap copy, cover design, titles, internal and external sales pitches, copyediting, publicity, sales. It all gets done on schedule, without emotion and (mostly) without you. Get used to it.

5. Online promotion takes a lot more time than you think. Website, blog, Google Reader, Facebook, Twitter, listservs, Yahoo groups, nings, and a kajillion other social sites lure you in and won't let go. These connections are valuable, but you need to exercise discipline or you'll look up and four hours will have elapsed with nothing to show for your "writing" time except a few Mafia War hits.

6. Other writers are extremely generous. I've found other writers (published, unpublished, bloggers, Twitterers, etc.) to be very helpful with their advice, comments, and time. The sense of community among writers is unbelievably amazing!

7. Take time to enjoy every bumpy, thrilling, uncertain, joyous, nail-biting, wonderful, anxious minute. No sense getting stressed about stuff you can't control (and that encompasses a lot!). Getting your first book published is a very exciting time—be sure to stop and smell the ARCs!

Writing a mystery like Alan? Writing and
Selling Your Mystery Novel (by the very
talented Hallie Ephron) shows writers
how to build their story.

Want more on this subject?

Want to pen a guest column? Write me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Five signs a literary is a good match for you.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

7 Things I've Learned So Far | Genre Writing

Thursday, June 17, 2010 9:49:51 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [8]

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

5 Lies Unpublished Writers Tell Themselves (and the Truths That Can Get Them Published)
Posted by Chuck

Writers tend to be creative in many areas of life, so it's no surprise that we can get creative with the truth. Or, as my mother said, "You lie a lot." This is especially tempting when we are debating why we aren't published. Before I was a published author, I embraced a few cherished lies because they blunted the pain of rejection. But the road to publication required discarding these lies and facing reality. Here are five lies I believed before I was published:

Guest column by Matt Mikalatos, freelancer,
and author of the novel "Imaginary Jesus"
(BarnaBooks, April 2010). See his website here.
Matt's publisher is running a contest until July 1, 2010
where the winner gets a Kindle, I-Pod, and
trip to Portland to meet the author.
Find more contest info here!

1. THE RULES DON'T APPLY TO ME.

I write amazing first drafts. If there were a contest for first drafts, mine
would win every time. So I told myself, "Writing is not rewriting." Other
people might have to do multiple drafts, but my first drafts are so solid I
could publish them as-is. For years I believed this.

One day I did three drafts of an article, and it became my first published
article. A solid first draft is not good enough to be published. All those
"rules of writing" that you read in Writer's Digest, on blogs, and in
creative writings classes are rules because they are true most of the time.
So if there are some rules that you think don't apply to you, think again.
It might be the rule preventing you from getting published.

2. AGENTS AND EDITORS HAVE IT IN FOR ME.

Ah, those blood-sucking agents and editors. I'm pretty sure they have meetings in a secret underground lair where they talk about how jealous they are of my writing skills and how they should team up to keep me from being published.

This is a lie that is so prevalent among unpublished writers that editors and agents have to go to psychologists so they can feel good about themselves again. I know one editor who calls herself "Dream Crusher" to assuage her pain. Here's the truth: Editors and agents desperately want you to be good enough. They make a living by writers being publishable. If you're getting rejected it's because you still have work to do. either as a writer or as a marketer.

3. I'M NOT A MARKETER, I'M A WRITER!

Which is exactly why you aren't published yet. You have to do the hard work of writing a spectacular query and proposal. Notice that you have to "write" the query and proposal. You're not being asked to do an interpretive dance or draft blueprints to a rocket ship. It might not be your style, and it might be hard work, but being a published author is hard work, complete with e-mails you don't want to answer, deadlines, accounting and marketing!

4. I SHOULD SPEND A LOT OF TIME FANTASIZING OVER WHERE I WILL BE PUBLISHED NOW THAT I'VE WRITTEN TWO CHAPTERS OF MY NOVEL.

It is way more fun to read Writer's Market over and over—memorizing the publishers and agents—than it is to write your book. And while this is good practice for when your book is ready to shop, if the fantasy-to-writing ratio tips toward fantasy, it's time to get back to writing. Unless you are writing a fantasy, in which case you are probably fine and keep up the good work.

5. I'M A BETTER WRITER THAN MOST PUBLISHED AUTHORS.

If you're like me, you love picking up a book from the "Top 10" rack, flipping it open and cringing at the terrible prose. But this author (who is, keep in mind, a worse writer than you) somehow got a contract, got published and is selling well. I said this most often before I had finished writing the first draft of my first novel. Perhaps it's just that the "hack writers" out there actually finish their books.

Here's an exercise: Find a writer online who is published but far inferior to you as a writer. Look at what magazines they are published in. Then write stories or articles to submit to those magazines. This is a guaranteed way to build your writing resume. Unless—they are actually better writers than you, in which case, it's a good reality check.

These are a few of the lies that I wish someone had confronted me with when I was an unpublished writer. Now, here's one last truth for you: You can do this. Work hard, keep writing, improve your craft and be persistent. We're all waiting to read your masterpiece!

Need to sharpen the beginning of your novel?
Check out the great resource Hooked, which is
all about writing an excellent Chapter 1.

Want more tips and posts?

Query letter tips.

What are the BEST writers' conferences in the country?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Read an interview with Christian agent Chip MacGregor.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Craft and Story Beginnings | Guest Columns | Queries and Synopses and Proposals

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 1:06:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [18]

Agent Sharlene Martin is Teaching ''10 Secrets to a Winning Book Proposal''
Posted by Chuck

More very cool news: Literary agent Sharlene Martin—a nonfiction book expert whose clients have been featured on the "Today" show," "Oprah," The View," and just about everything else—is teaching a webinar on the 10 Secrets to a Winning Book Proposal. (Sign up here.)

It all goes down at 1 p.m. EST, Thursday, June 17, 2010, and lasts 90 minutes.

If you write nonfiction, here are
four reasons to attend:

1. Sharlene's track record is massively impressive. Sharlene has represented a wide range of books that reach the New York Times bestseller list and the international literary market. Her nonfiction clients are all over the media! She knows how to sell and promote a book.

2. Ask questions. Ask Sharlene questions relevant to your own situation. No question goes unanswered. Get some personal attention.

3. Co-host Anthony Flacco. Sharlene is co-hosting the webinar with author Anthony Flacco, whose most recent true crime book, The Road Out of Hell, is out now. You get the wisdom of two nonfiction experts for the price of one!

4. Free PDF download. After the webinar is over, you will not only be able to access it for one year online (and re-watch the presentation), you will also receive a free PDF download. It's more instruction from Sharlene on composing a killer book proposal. (Sign up here.)

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

Every year, qualified writers with worthy books find themselves left by the wayside because they neglect the vital step of creating an effective book proposal before submitting their work. The principals in this workshop are designed to empower every writer who employs them with the ability to leave fantasies of success behind in favor of securing a real-world publishing contract from a mainstream publishing house. (Sign up here.) What you'll learn:

The Title Page – It's no mere detail; we need to get it right from the beginning!
The Table Of Contents – Mistakes here are an invitation to confusion.
The Overview or Summary – Most important for grabbing an editor's attention.
About The Author – It can be hard to talk about yourself. Here's how?
Photo Insert – Know your Jpegs.
Book Comparisons – Lazy work here can lose you a publishing contract.
Your Marketing and Promotion Plan – Showing that you have the "legs" to run with this book.
Chapter Outlines – How to best display your ability to structure out ideas.
Sample Chapters – Show that YOU are the one to write this book.
Write, Rinse, Repeat – Writer's block? What writer's block?

Who should attend? Writers of nonfiction books in any category, including memoir. It is aimed at individuals who have no interest in making excuses for failure, writers dedicated to the proposition that they have a worthy story to tell and valuable information to convey. When you employ the principals presented here, you will create real results that meet your goals.
Sign up here!

If you're writing nonfiction or memoir and want to sell your proposal, sign up for Sharlene's webinar.

Check out Sharlene and Anthony's resource
for writers: Publish Your Nonfiction Book.

Nonfiction | Webinars

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 9:57:45 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

New Agent Alert: Amanda Luedeke of MacGregor Literary
Posted by Chuck

Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they're likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and postage.

About Amanda: Amanda is a 2006 graduate of Taylor University’s Professional Writing program. Since her college graduation, Amanda has made her living as a full-time writer, freelancing for newspapers and marketing agencies as well as operating her own writing business. Amanda came on board with us a year ago as Chip’s assistant and is now a full agent.

She is seeking: childrens, YA, speculative, and post-college-aged fiction and nonfiction. Amanda will also be helping with foreign deals.

How to contact: E-query amanda(at)MacGregorLiterary(dot)com.

Want more on this subject?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

New Agency Alerts

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 2:05:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

Insane Good Fortune: First Print Run for Gnomes Jumps to 35K
Posted by Chuck

I am not exactly sure why, and my editor offered only the explanation of "specialty shop demand," but the first print run of my book recently jumped from a solid 20,000 to an amazing 35,000. (I just keep thinking to myself: "No pressure.") Because of demand, the release date also moved from Sept. 21 to Sept. 7, which, once again, I've been told this is a good thing but only makes me think of how behind I am on that book release party.

This is a very exciting time for the book, because I've been told sales and marketing are trying to squeeze it into small shops as well as large chains. Every store that wants to carry it means more pre-orders, and in the next few months, we try to sell foreign rights to places like the U.K. and the ultimate land of gnomelovers: Germany! It's all happening so fast; I will keep you posted.

The book comes out Sept. 7, 2010.
You can pre-order it from Amazon.

Want more on this subject?

Want to pen a guest column? Write me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

My Writing Life

Tuesday, June 15, 2010 1:50:09 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [11]

Monday, June 14, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Shannon Whitney Messenger
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

Shannon Whitney Messenger is a writer
of middle grade and one of six founding
coordinators for the new WriteOnCon, a
free online conference for KidLit writers
(Aug. 10-12, 2010). She runs a blog,
Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe, and
also tweets, too.

TESTING THE WATERS

Honestly, I had no idea how to write a book. I’d studied screenwriting in college, but graduated knowing I didn’t belong in Hollywood. So, in addition to learning the craft, I also read everything I could about publishing—and the same advice kept popping up: Go to writers conferences. Meet agents in person. It sounded terrifying. But I researched conferences in my area and found out the SDSU Writers Conference was five months away. That became my deadline.

I didn’t finish revision in time for the conference, but I was close, so I signed up for an advanced reading appointment and four consultation appointments with agents (and yes, I was totally freaking out about it). But I wanted honest feedback about my book so I could make the necessary changes before I ended up with a mountain of rejections. I wasn’t hoping for page requests or praise.

Somehow I walked away with three partial requests, one full request, and a Conference Choice Award for my first 10 pages. I pretty much went into shock. The only downside was that three of those requests were from agents at Andrea Brown, and they’d all warned me to only query the agent I thought was the best fit. They did promise to pass the pages along if they weren’t interested, but I still went home convinced I would pick the wrong agent and ruin everything.

SHOVED INTO THE QUERYING POOL (KICKING AND SCREAMING)

I’d told the agents at the conference I needed a month to finish revising, but after two weeks my draft was really close. My critique partners (and family) wanted to know why I wasn’t querying, and, when I told them I wasn’t ready, they accused me of stalling.

Truthfully, I was.

Out of the Andrea Brown agents I’d met, I’d decided to query Laura Rennert—and she was not the agent who requested the full. She was also the scary Senior Agent with the big clients, so it felt like a risk. But she’d been at the top of my wish list from the beginning, and I had a good feeling about her, so I’d decided to go with my gut. I was just a little too afraid to actually hit send. Which was where Twitter came in.

One of my friends tracked me down with a special hashtag—#hitsend. Pretty soon I had about forty people pressuring me to #hitsend—including Bree Despain, a writer I really admire. I tried telling them I still had ten chapters to line edit but they didn’t care, and when #hitsend came dangerously close to trending, I caved, proofread my query one more time, and #hitsend to Laura and three other agents. Two hours later, I had my first rejection from a slush query and went to bed convinced I’d made a huge mistake.

WHIRLWIND

When I finally found the courage to check my e-mail the next evening, I was not excited to see a reply from Laura. I figured it had to be a rejection. When do busy agents read a partial in less than a day? I was shocked to find a full request instead. I know I should’ve been thrilled, but all I could think about were the ten chapters I hadn’t line edited. I was up all night working on them, and sent her the full by noon the next day. Then I sent another very small batch of queries to cover my bases, and hoped I hadn’t lost my mind.

I was planning on a long wait, but Laura e-mailed a week later telling me she was interested, and giving the ms to another reader. I had no idea what that meant, but tried to believe it was a good sign. A week after that, she offered representation. (Okay, I’ll admit it—I had to read the e-mail four times before I believed it.) So, as it turned out, I’d spent six months obsessing and panicking about querying, only to get an offer of representation from my number one agent after two weeks in the pool. Was it stressful? You bet. Did I get rejections? Of course. (Two were even from partials.)

But querying was not the nightmare process I’d made it out to be in my head. The rejections stung, but they weren’t unbearable, and there is nothing better than getting the offer of representation. So whether it takes two weeks or two years, don’t be afraid to do it. I’m very glad I had friends and CPs who pushed me into it, and if anyone needs some extra motivation, find me on Twitter. I’ll be happy to sick the #hitsend minions on you.

Writing books for kids or teens? One resource
you need is The Everything Guide to Writing
Children's Books.

Want more on this topic?

What should you write in the bio paragraph of a query letter?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

5 articles on making the most of a writers conference.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

How I Got My Agent Columns

Monday, June 14, 2010 1:15:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [24]

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Agents Tell All in DC: Paige Wheeler, Shannon O'Neill and Suzie Townsend
Posted by Chuck

This weekend, I spoke at the American Independent Writers Conference in Washington, DC. The conference was a great, intense one-day event focused a lot on the business part of writing. One session I attended was the Fiction Agents Roundtable, featuring three literary agents: Paige Wheeler of Folio Literary Management, Shannon O’Neill of the Sagalyn Literary Agency, and Suzie Townsend of FinePrint Literary Management. Here are some of their tips and Q&A.

Paige Shannon Suzie
Wheeler O'Neill Townsend

Once you’ve decided to offer a writer representation, what is the process of how that works?

Shannon: There is no formulaic step-by-step process.

Suzie: Just because you get an offer from an agent doesn’t mean it’s the right match. Big question to ask the agent is: Are you editorially inclined and what edits did you have in mind? What is the vision? Same thing with an editor offering a deal—is the writer comfortable with vision for final product? Should you wait for a different deal?

How effective are conferences for finding agents?

Paige: You can use meeting us here as an “in” for your query. Concerning individual pitch sessions, she recognizes that writers can be nervous during pitches, so she is liberal in what she requests. Also, when your book is sold later, you need to start looking for blurbs. So network now (beforehand)! Befriend published authors at conferences. Come here to meet other writers to form a critique group.

Shannon: Business-related conferences are a great place to be. Craft conferences are a different beast—they are an investment of time and money.

If an agent requests pages from you at a conference, how soon should you send it?

Paige: Just don’t submit it and say “WAAAIT. Here is a better second version.”

Suzie: If stuff is requested, you do not have to respond right away—take several days, but do not wait months.

How can a writer improve the business relationship between himself and his agent?

Shannon: Ask questions. Make sure you’re on the same page. Be responsive—let your agent know if you are going away, or if work life is crazy right now, or if someone dies, so the agent knows you will be busy.

Paige: Be communicative, but not too communicative. She doesn’t want e-mails every week checking in.

Do agents counsel authors with promotional techniques such as using social media?

Suzie: Yes. But none of the agents at FinePrint are publicists. That is the responsibility of the author. The average professional publicist has 40 books and spends time on lead titles. Author must develop presence online and make connections and network and do their own things. Most authors do the bulk of publicity themselves.

Shannon: An author being eager to be a self-promoter is key. The key is energy, not necessarily savvy. If they’re engaged, enthusiastic, out there promoting through channels that they know about or will learn about—that’s what’s important. Be engaged; build a platform.

How many clients are full-time writers vs. day-job authors?

Paige: The number of female authors outweighs men in fiction, and, to guess, 75% of hers are full-time writers

Suzie: Yes: 75%.

Shannon: She handles a lot of men who do nonfiction, and those authors tend not to be stay-at-home, full-time writers.

What percentage of projects that you take on eventually sell?

Paige: Probably 7 of 10.

How do you pitch stories when face to face with agent?

Suzie: Start with introducing yourself. Try to be confident and not nervous because we’re just people. Passion and excitement is contagious. You are giving your pitch paragraph o the agent, not a chapter-by-chapter play-by-play. Who is the main character? What is tough choice they face? Don’t get into the side story? What are the consequences of the choice they make?

When interests and needs have changed, how do you break up with an agent?

Paige: Most often with this scenario, the author's and agent's interest depart. Author decides to go off in new direction and agent doesn’t rep that area. Sometimes, if their career isn’t going well, writers blame agents and editors. A proper step to take is to address that there are problems and perhaps the issues can first be discussed. Start with an e-mail and follow up with a phone call. How the relationship will be dissolved is in the agency retainer. But at the same time, agents talks, so if you approach Agent 2 to sign you, they may contact Agent 1 to inquire about about you.

Suzie: A lot of us know each other, so writers should be careful about how they conduct themselves.

With YA becoming popular, is there room in mainstream adult fiction for coming of age from the POV of a child?

Paige: It’s about the subject matter. Who would read the book? What is the language like?

Suzie: “Looking back” to adolescence usually fits more into adult. Don’t worry about the classification; worst case scenario: send it to both YA and adult and let the agents decide.

Want more on this subject?

How to pitch an agent at a conference.

The next Writer's Digest Editors Intensive event is Sept. 11-12, 2010. All attendees receive a critique of 50 pages of their work.

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Guest Columns | Writers' Conferences

Sunday, June 13, 2010 10:53:15 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [3]

Friday, June 11, 2010

Successful Queries: Agent Rebecca Strauss and ''Stay'' by Allie Larkin
Posted by Chuck

This new series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.

The 37th installment in this series is with agent Rebecca Strauss (McIntosh & Otis) and her author, Allie Larkin, for the women's fiction novel, Stay (which was just published this week by Dutton!).

Dear Ms. Strauss,

What happens when you find love and he finds your best friend instead?

If you're Savannah Leone, you tear off your orange satin maid-of-honor gown, get drunk on Kool-Aid and vodka, and buy a German Shepherd from Slovakia off of the Internet.

In Stay, Savannah, "Van," struggles with the marriage of her best friend to the man she's secretly in love with, the loss of her mother to cancer, and all the confusion that goes along with the "now what" stage of twenty-something life. She's lost her sense of which end is up, so she's acting on impulses that lead her to love, strength, and a ninety-five pound dog named Joe.

Her inexperience with dogs leads her to consult Dr. Alex Brandt, a vet with floppy blond hair and a winning smile. But just as things are starting to heat up with Alex, the newlyweds come home from their honeymoon, forcing Van to decide between past relationships and the promise of new ones.

Stay is women's fiction and is approximately 80,000 words. I've also written an outline for a sequel.

I live in upstate New York with my 95-pound German Shepherd, (who is from the Catskills, not Slovakia), and write AlliesAnswers.com, a daily eco-friendly blog. My short story, "Bathtub Mary," will appear in the March 2008 issue of The Summerset Review.

I've enclosed the first two chapters and a synopsis. Thank you for taking the time to review my materials.

Best regard,

Allie Larkin

Commentary from Rebecca

So, what grabbed my attention? Well, in addition to doing everything right in terms of process (she spelled my name correctly and wrote in a professional manner), Allie looked at my submission guidelines—and followed them. Huge points! She did her research; she saw which genres I represented and what materials I requested. This set Allie's letter apart from many others. I know, I know. This all sounds so simple and you've heard it before, but it makes a difference.

Next, Allie's done a great job of giving me what we call "an elevator pitch" for her novel. She was able to sum up the major plot of the book succinctly and with charm. Agents have to pitch to editors, just like authors pitch to agents; and, we need to encapsulate a project simply and quickly. What's the hook? What's the major conflict? Who are the central characters? Why would readers care?

Allie also successfully painted vivid characters and illustrated the main tension in just a few paragraphs. By using only a handful of details, she created a fully realized snapshot of the work. How can you not hiccup with laughter after reading: "If you're Savannah Leone, you tear off your orange satin maid-of-honor gown, get drunk on Kool-Aid and vodka, and buy a German Shepherd from Slovakia off of the Internet"? And, with a few brush strokes, "floppy blond hair and a winning smile," I definitely wanted to know more about this Alex. Sounds cute! And, I quickly learned about the conflict: Van is in love with her best friend's husband. So, Allie swiftly told me that this wasn't a generic project: Van is struggling with serious issues re: love, loss, and friendship. I asked the question I always ask myself when reading a query: Could I imagine an audience for this? My answer? A resounding yes. Not only is the character dealing with major conflict in an intriguing love triangle, but there's a dog involved?! I'm in.

Allie wrapped it all up with the vital stats of genre and word count. She didn't say that she'd written the next 17 books in the series, but that she had an outline for a sequel. Smart. If the first book needed major work, why invest so much in a sequel that's going to need overhauling? Finally, Allie showed that she's devoted to writing. She pursued publication in literary magazines. This is not a necessity, but it does demonstrate tenacity, persistence and professionalism. And, if you're here, reading these posts and working hard on your projects, you have these characteristics and you're already setting yourself apart!

And Now for the Contest!

In honor of Stay's publication week, I'm offering to critique a query letter and the first two pages of a manuscript for one writer.

To enter, leave a comment on this post. For three more chances to win, leave a comment on the below links. One comment per person per post, please. You don't have to have a finished manuscript to enter, although if you do, all the better.

1. http://allielarkin.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.corinnebowen.com/2010/06/stay-by-allie-larkin-query-contest/
3. http://wendypinkstoncebula.blogspot.com/2010/06/stay-debut-and-query-contest.html

If your commenting profile doesn't link to an e-mail address where we can reach you if you win, make sure to either leave your e-mail address in comments, or e-mail (info[at]allielarkinwrites[dot]com) after you leave a comment on Allie's blog, with Query Contest in the subject line and your comment name in the body of the e-mail.

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Romance) "Proof by Seduction"

Successful Queries: (Mainstream/Literary Fiction) "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

Successful Queries: (Upmarket/Women's Fiction) "Simply from Scratch"

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Get agents to like your characters and keep reading.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Contests | Successful Queries | Women's Fiction

Friday, June 11, 2010 4:55:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [97]

Thursday, June 10, 2010

If It Hurts, You're Doing Something Right: 3 Ideas About the Pain of Writing
Posted by Chuck

Yes, getting that first book published hurts—like I can’t even tell you. But the good news is that all the hurt is worth it; in fact, it's invaluable. It's the hurt that counts. And if you haven’t been through the pain, then save yourself the postage.

Guest column by Heath Gibson , whose debut
novel Gigged was released in May 2010 (Flux).
He holds an MFA in Children's Literature from
Hollins University and teaches English at a
high school in Atlanta.

1. THE GOAL IS NOT A GOOD STORY; IT'S A GREAT STORY

It's all about getting a story ready to be looked at. In getting Gigged ready for an editor to see, it had been raked over and over. Sixty-five page chunks were hacked, the last thirty pages were rewritten six times. I agonized over lines, phrases, even single word choices. Chapters were shifted, characters reworked. I climbed into dark places that hit me so hard I took showers after writing certain chapters. But it was only afterward that I realized that what I was doing was getting the manuscript in the shape it needed to be in. While it was happening, I was simply in pursuit of authenticity—a story that only I could tell and tell it in a way that only I could do it.

I never wanted Gigged to be just a good story. Lots of good stories are out there. I wanted it to be an experience that would stick with the reader like pine sap—even force them to reread it. I had to get past writing with agents and editors in mind. Doing that, quite frankly, blinded me from the genuineness of my character’s story.

2. A STORY CAN EASILY GET WATERED DOWN

In 2004, an editor at Simon and Schuster’s Aladdin imprint showed some serious interest in a manuscript of mine. She went over the whole thing, wrote notes and comments in the margins. She sent me a long letter with her ideas and suggestions along with the manuscript, expressing her excitement in seeing the revised draft. As you can imagine, I was on the verge of bursting into flames. So, I worked like a crazy person, even calling in sick a couple of days just to work on revisions. I faithfully took all her suggestions into consideration and did everything I thought I needed to do to give her what she wanted. And in the end, I killed the manuscript.

In the pursuit of publication, I had lost the edge and atmosphere you can almost rub between your fingers—those characteristics that make a story worthy, in my opinion. The editor at Aladdin rightly passed.

Yeah, it hurt. But it was an experience I needed to have. It made me a better writer. Without it, I wouldn’t have been ready to write Gigged.

Even before I let an editor see Gigged, the manuscript had been hacked, stripped, dressed-up, set on fire (not really), cleaned and dirtied all over again. I couldn’t care about editors and agents, yet. It had to be just between me and J.T. (the narrator).

I crawled through it all with him, consistently focused on presenting his story in a way that only I would think to do it. It was something in the back of mind on every line. If the line wasn’t accomplishing something, if it didn’t ring true, it got cut. Nothing mattered to me more than doing right by the characters and giving readers what they deserve.

3. WE MUST BELIEVE GOOD WORK WILL FIND A HOME

Do the research. Work on that query letter. Go to conferences. Do all those things you need to do to put yourself in the right position. But all of that will be futile if your story isn’t ready to be looked at. At the end of the first conversation I had with my editor about acquiring Gigged, he asked me if I had anything else he could see. I had a completed manuscript and about fifty pages of something new. I said I’d get back with him.

I read enough of the completed manuscript to know that it wasn’t even close to being in the kind of shape it need to be in. So I worked on the new story. I got to page 130 and decided I had to start over. Ouch. It was the right decision, though. At least I think it was. I’m waiting to hear what my editor thinks.

To emphasize my Southern origins a bit here: Sometimes to get through the door you have to drag yourself through a keyhole. It’s tough but necessary. Your manuscript will be better for it. Someone will notice.

Writing a novel? Literary agent Oscar Collier and
successful freelance writer Frances Spatz Leighton
team up to give you How to Write & Sell Your
First Novel. You'll find 100 expert tips inside its pages.

Want more on this topic?

6 keys to revising your fiction.

Footnotes: 8 articles on revision.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Craft and Story Beginnings | Guest Columns

Thursday, June 10, 2010 9:46:02 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [5]

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Holly Schindler
Posted by Chuck

This is a recurring column I'm calling "7 Things I've Learned So Far," where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they've learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from YA writer Holly Schindler.

Holly Schindler's debut YA novel, A Blue So Dark,
received a starred review from Booklist and
was released in May 2010 (Flux). Holly has
two more novels set for publication in 2011.
See her website here.

1. Know who you’re writing for. This is especially important in the YA genre. Don’t think that you can write a contemporary YA novel based on what you remember of contemporary YA novels written twenty years ago. The YA genre has changed drastically in recent years—as has teen culture! Read as much current YA as you can. And check out the YA book blogging community to find out which current books teens are loving and connecting with—many YA book blogs are often written by teens!

2. Shortcuts do not exist. Writing takes time. There’s no way around that. Most YA novels are around 55,000-60,000 words. And once you’ve written 60,000 words, you’ve got to rewrite your draft. And edit that. And then find a publisher who loves it (which often takes as long—or longer—than writing and editing the book). And after you ink the deal? Count on eighteen to twenty-four months before it hits the shelves. The path to publication is a long and winding road … no way around it. Prepare yourself for a bumpy marathon—but I can tell you that it’s absolutely worth it!

3. A writing degree’s nice, but that alone won’t get you published. I graduated from college with a Master’s degree in English (emphasis in creative writing). I excelled in all things literary at my university—edited the literary journal, was chosen for student readings, etc. But it still took seven and a half years after obtaining my MA to snare that first book deal. (There were days I swore my diploma was just a really, really expensive piece of art to hang on my office wall!) But just as you would never expect taking a class about business administration to automatically lead to a position as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, taking a class in writing (or earning a degree in it) doesn’t automatically lead to publication of the Great American Novel. What it will allow you to do is learn how to write under deadline, how to revise, and how to deal with others critiquing your work.

4. Hamburger tastes every bit as good as steak. I doubt anybody goes into writing for the love of money—we do it for our love of literature. But especially during that rough pre-publication period, you’ll be surprised at the things you’ll wind up giving up, doing without, to make ends meet. But so what? You’re chasing your dream! Stuff is just stuff … new cars and fancy cell phones and designer clothes are nowhere near as important as time spent at your computer with your characters.

5. Not everyone is going to understand why you chose writing. Even some of your best friends are going to look at you like you’ve absolutely lost it once you begin writing and submitting, chasing that often elusive first book deal. As time goes on, that look explodes. While it can be hard to shoulder, just remember that the author of every book in your local library got that look at one time or another, in their own pre-published days.

6. Go ahead—get emotional about rejection! But then you’ve got to get over it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with feeling horrible about a rejection. You wrote the book—you’re emotionally invested—it’s going to hurt when an editor or agent returns your love with a few brutal comments. So go ahead—cry. Scream. Let it out. But if you stay angry or hurt, you will never get published. Period. Every author revises. Every. Single. Author. So after you’ve vented, look open-mindedly at what the editor or agent is saying. And think objectively and critically about your project.

7. A rejection is not always a closed door. OK, so you were just rejected. But the rejection didn’t come with a form letter—it came instead as a personalized letter with glowing remarks about your work, and the willingness to read your work again should you revise. This is huge. By recognizing it as an enormous opportunity—and revising and resubmitting—the very next letter you receive may very well be a formal offer of representation—or better yet, publication!

Writing YA? Check out author K.L. Going's
resource Writing & Selling the YA Novel

Want more on this subject?

Want to pen a guest column? Write me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

How many agents should you query?

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

7 Things I've Learned So Far

Wednesday, June 09, 2010 9:41:07 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [6]

Monday, June 07, 2010

6 Keys to Revising Your Fiction
Posted by Chuck

The two dirtiest words in this writer’s vocabulary both start with the letter “R”. The first, and worst, is rejection. Having spent more than two years on my agent search, I have loads of experience in the rejection arena. I wrote three manuscripts and sent out over two hundred queries before I landed that first call with an agent. In May of 2008, Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident Media Group offered me representation for what would become my debut novel, The Tension of Opposites. During that first call, Alyssa said she loved the voice and premise of the story, but the plot was “messy” and needed a “major overhaul.” Okay, I thought to myself. No problem. Thankfully, I had no idea what lay ahead. What lay ahead was the second dirtiest word in this writer’s vocabulary: revision.

Guest column by Kristina McBride, a former
high-school English teacher who wrote
The Tension of Opposites in response to
the safe return of a child who was kidnapped
while riding his bike to a friend’s house.
The novel (her debut) was released in May
2010. See her website here.

I am a former high school English teacher, so I’m familiar with the importance of revision. For eight years, I drug my students through several drafts of each essay I assigned, harping on them to tighten and sharpen their writing. When I received my first (six page) editorial letter from my agent, I found myself on the other side of the critique for the first time in a long time.

Cut to six months, four drafts, and pounds of M&M’s later, and you’d find me on the phone with Alyssa, cringing as she tells me that the fourth draft just isn’t working. “Should you consider putting this manuscript in a drawer and focusing on something else?” she asked.

“No,” I said, scared that I might lose her brilliant guidance, hating myself that I was such a loser and couldn’t figure out the plot. “I’m giving this one more shot.”

REVISION OR RE-VISION?

After a week of wallowing in depression and scarfing a few gallons of chocolate ice cream, I started to view the manuscript from a different perspective. I had a vision. Or should I say a Re-Vision? Though it pained me, I sat at my desktop and deleted all but five chapters of my terribly messy manuscript.

Let me tell you something about doing this: The freedom I gained was inspirational. It gave me the fresh start I needed to pull the manuscript together. Within five months, Alyssa said my manuscript was ready to pitch to editors. Three weeks later, I had three offers! The Tension of Opposites went to a mini-auction, and it was my turn to dole out rejection (a difficult task, as each editor I spoke with was lovely, and I was honored by the opportunity to work with each of them).

So, how did I do it? One key factor was a book. (In my life, there’s always a book.) Hooked by Les Edgerton guided me beautifully as I started fresh on my manuscript. There were also some important things I learned during my painful almost-year of revisions:

Try not to make things overly complicated. Alyssa once told me to take the plot out of its braid and throw it in a ponytail. Simple, but brilliant. Problem was, when I did this I had quite a mess to comb through.
Don’t be afraid. Of anything. If I can delete nearly my entire manuscript, you can axe a chapter that doesn’t fit.
Brainstorm several ways to reach each plot point. Choose the most unique.
Revision should not impede on your writing time. When you write, just write. Try to keep from listening to your brain’s insults.
When it’s time for revision, whittle away. If you can make a sentence more concise, do it.
Question everything. I often refer to the following questions, which are tacked to a corkboard in my office:

Does the book start with an inciting incident that will force your MC to act, and challenge your MC to grow?
Is there is enough emotion, tension, suspense, etc.? Or too much?
Is something too obvious? Does something come too easy because you need it to advance the plot?
What can you do to make each scene stronger?
How can you weed out your cliched sentences and/or ideas?
Is there a motivation for each event? What about a purpose?
Are you keeping your MC from attaining a goal? This is a must until the ending.
Will your reader wonder about or hope for something pertaining to your MC as they progress through the story?

If you remain open, revision can be your friend. Revision offers you freedom to totally screw up. So, make a deal with yourself that your first draft will be a dreary mess. It’ll give you the opportunity to make progress later, and give you a much needed sense of accomplishment.

Kristina gives a shout-out to Hooked, a resource
on how to start your fiction right and grab readers.

Want more on this subject?

Read an excerpt from Hooked: Agents talk story beginnings.

How to write a query letter: The 3 parts.

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Craft and Story Beginnings | Guest Columns

Monday, June 07, 2010 10:51:35 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [12]

Sunday, June 06, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Rhonda Hayter
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

Rhonda Hayter's kids book, The Witchy Worries
of Abbie Adams was released in April 2010 by
Dial. She is a member of the Class of
2K10 Debut Authors. See her website here.

WANTING "YES" IN A WORLD OF "NO"

I was an actress until the unrelenting rejection got to be too much. I was living in a world of "no" and I wanted "yes" in my life … and maybe a shot at earning a monthly mortgage payment, too. So I gave up acting, got gainfully employed, started a lovely family and bought that house. My life was one big dreamy yes.

But when my youngest son, a heretofore well-behaved, adorable boy, went through a tantrum stage, an off-hand remark I made to my husband tore the fabric of my life. We were grappling with our cherubic, tousle-headed darling as he raged, kicked, screamed and threw things … and in tones of harried wonder, I breathed, “My God. It’s like he turns into a werewolf.”

And right there, you see, that’s when it all began. I didn’t know it then, but I’d just opened the door back up to no. Because that remark gave me the idea for a little boy who really did turn into a werewolf when he got upset. And I wondered what it would be like if a boy like that were your little brother … and began pounding my computer keyboard obsessively until months later, a comic, middle-grade novel danced out of my printer.

SENDING ABBIE OUT

I loved every word of my book already, but I read a billion kids’ books, paid for a manuscript consultation, showed the thing to friends for their notes, wrote, rewrote and wrote again, until I loved it more. My book was good. I knew it. I harbored no doubt that the literary world was catching its bottom lip in its teeth in anticipatory excitement for what I joyfully titled, The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams.

From the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market guide, I made a short roster of the lucky ones who’d get first shot at my Abbie … and sent off pleasant, informative queries and pages. Weeks later, my tenderly inscribed, self-addressed, stamped envelopes began limping back to me. They all said one thing. “NO.” Astonished, I studied the guide again and sent out another round. But I’d only opened the door wider on no. Loathsome sensations of powerlessness, last experienced in my waning acting days, seized me. But I believed in my book (and stamped out recollections of having once fruitlessly believed in my acting ability, too).

Obviously it wasn’t my beloved book, it had to be my query letter. I began tooling and retooling it. Published friends gave me advice and I sweated over the thing until it was so good that if you didn’t want to sign me after having read that brilliant query, it could only because rigor mortis was setting in. I fired up the printer, unfurled rolls of stamps and invested in a sponge to save my tongue from the effects of prolonged exposure to envelope glue. Then I sent queries and pages to every remaining literary agent alive in America, and some who were possibly only recently deceased. They all said no. Not one of them would read my manuscript and I darkly suspected they hadn’t read my few pages either.

Sometimes they said no in really horrible ways … like the one who tore off a miserly corner of my query letter to scrawl “Not interested” on it… as if my work wasn’t worth an entire sheet…even a used one. Sure, some sent very nice form-rejection letters suggesting some other agent might conceivably be interested some day … but there wasn’t one personal word from anyone—no kind or positive feedback—no negative feedback for that matter. Nothing but no.

O CANADA!

But I knew there were other ways. A recent proud member of SCBWI, I signed up for the summer conference and secured a manuscript consultation because I’d taken note that agents and editors were on the faculty. But I didn’t get an agent or an editor as my consultant. I got a writer! And while she was lovely and gave me insightful notes, which I gratefully employed and which appear in the finished book today, it seemed that no one in the entire agenting community of the USA was ever going to cast their jaded glance over the slowly moldering fruits of my literary endeavor.

But fate intervened. I’m Canadian by birth—not something that’s historically been any great advantage (aside from instilling me with rigorous politeness), but for once it proved a boon. I had a friend who’d just been published up in Canada, where agents only take on Canadians. She asked her agent to look at my book. And so it was that I got my lovely agent Lise Henderson and lived to see my Abbie on bookshelves (and in fact just got the news that she’s going to be in Scholastic’s book clubs, too!). So the lesson in all this? Hmm. Well, one is that it’s really hard to get an agent, but it doesn’t mean that your book is no good. And two, if you can ever give another writer in whom you believe a referral … do it!

Writing books for kids or teens? One resource
you need is The Everything Guide to Writing
Children's Books.

Want more on this topic?

What should you write in the bio paragraph of a query letter?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

How I Got My Agent Columns

Sunday, June 06, 2010 9:53:47 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Cover Band Soap Opera: The Art of Nonverbal Communication
Posted by Chuck

When I'm playing a show with my rock cover band, and the music is at 115 decibals, it gets hard to communicate. The lead singer and I can talk OK because we speak at close distances. But the bassist and I ... well, that's a different story. 25 feet separate us at any given show, so over the band's three-year lifespan, the bassist and I have developed an intricate system of nonverbal communication. Below you will find a smattering of translations—most of them having to do with assessing blame when someone screws up.

Head nod: The song is wrapping up; prepare to end.

Elevated spinning hand: Keep it going; stretch it out.

Head motion toward guitar: Follow me on this musical stretch; pay attention to what I'm doing.

Hand horizontal to ground, motioning down: Slow down the tempo (or "play softer")

Gritting teeth and making eye contact: Here comes the cool part; let's break it down!

Tapping hand to own chest: I just screwed up; my fault.

Finger point to other person: You just screwed up; your fault.

Eyes wide, look of disbelief: I didn't just screw up, dude—you screwed up.

Eyes wide, staring at other person: WTF are you playing, bro?

Vigorous shoulder convulsion: I'm playing the correct &^%$! notes, bro. WTF are you playing?

Look of exasperation to the heavens: You have never once got this part right! It's called practice!

Looking at ground, head shaking: I can't even think right now—I'm that frustrated. Please God, just let this song end.

Mimes typing on keyboard: I am putting out an ad on Craigslist to replace you! Just FYI...

Cover Band Venting

Saturday, June 05, 2010 10:22:00 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [3]

Friday, June 04, 2010

New Agent Alert: Chelsea Gilmore of Maria Carvainis Agency
Posted by Chuck

Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they're likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and postage.

About Chelsea: She began her publishing career at Oxford University Press, in the higher education group. Before joining Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc. (no updated website), she was Associate Editor at Avalon Books—a small, family-owned publishing house specializing in genre fiction for the library market.

She is seeking: women’s fiction, literary fiction, young adult, mysteries/thrillers, and pop culture.

How to contact: Send your query snail mail to her at Maria Carvainis Agency, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2320, New York, NY 10020. (Previously, there was an e-mail address listed, but Chelsea requested I remove it so she receives submissions this way.)

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking writers: Kimberly Shumate of Living Word Literary.

New agents at FinePrint Literary Management: Ward Calhoun and Laura Wood.

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

20 tips on query letters, from agent Janet Reid

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

New Agency Alerts

Friday, June 04, 2010 3:02:47 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Winners Announced: Fifth "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest
Posted by Chuck

The fifth "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest wrapped up last week and agent judge Rosie Wells has chosen her winners (listed below). Congrats to all three finalists!

THE WINNERS (IN NO ORDER)

Beyond The Dreams by Stephanie Sauvinet

Vicesteed by Abra Staffin-Wiebe

Azrael's Curse by Adam Heine

PRIZES!

Top 3 winners all get: 1) A critique of the first 10 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) A free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.

MEET THE (AWESOME) JUDGE!

Roseanne Wells is a literary agent
at the Marianne Strong Literary Agency.

Clients of the Marianne Strong Literary Agency include:

David Wallace, author of national bestseller Lost Hollywood, as well as Dream Palaces of Hollywood's Golden Age

Ian Williams, author of Rum: A Social and Sociable History

Roger Moenks, author of Inheriting Beauty

Lou Sahadi, author of 20 sports books, with his upcoming book, Affirmed, a biography of the last horse to win the Triple Crown.

Want more on this subject?

Should you mention your age in a book query?

Check out the Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters

What should you write in the bio of your query?

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.