tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post3262762223750570031..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: Submissions 101BookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-19521809128763222482010-07-20T10:13:53.879-04:002010-07-20T10:13:53.879-04:00I understand the query process a bit more - lookin...I understand the query process a bit more - looking at it from an angle I hadn't thought about. We writers put the agents through the query process as we look for one. We read their qualifications, their successes and their websites and decide if this is an agency we could work with. <br /><br />If it is a "perfect" match we put that agent on the "A" list - if not so perfect the "B" list and if it is really iffy - the "C" list or slush pile.<br /><br />Rejections won't hurt so much now as I view this process a different way. The rejection isn't personal - from the agent's point of view we just didn't gel. <br /><br />The only "personal" part in this is - the agents have to tell us we're rejected. We already rejected many of them just from reading heir websites but we don't then send them a letter saying - sorry your agency isn't quite what what we're looking for at the moment.<br /><br />Thank-you for taking the initiative and creating a site that is so helpful for people seeking an agent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-61388462713138794812010-06-05T14:29:40.470-04:002010-06-05T14:29:40.470-04:00New poster/aspiring author here - In your experien...New poster/aspiring author here - In your experience, what composes the average day of a busy agent? I don't dare say average agent, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-72289453039213638212010-03-04T13:37:19.287-05:002010-03-04T13:37:19.287-05:00Thanks so much for this post Jessica, as well as t...Thanks so much for this post Jessica, as well as the rest of your wonderful, informative blog. I really wish I had seen this before I started querying. I find the whole process teeth-pullingly tedious and after I first finished my novel I thought I would jump right in, flood the market with quick and easy queries and as soon as someone took a chance to read the MS, off we would go.<br /><br />As you can obviously guess things did not go as I'd planned. I got many form rejections and a few personalized ones that hurt my feelings but helped my query because the letters and emails I was sending out were pretty bad.<br /><br />So I swallowed my pride, snapped my lazy bone and started doing some research into querying. I had figured that writing the novel was the hard part (pouring out my heart and soul if you will) but little did I know that the creativity, though time consuming, was easy by comparison.<br /><br />I read some books but what really helped was when I found some of those blogs that critique queries like <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Query Shark</a> and <a href="http://ktliterary.com/2009/09/ask-daphne-about-my-query-xxii/" rel="nofollow">Ask Daphne!</a>. I'm still waiting to see if the Shark will post my query but Daphne already did and nothing else has made such a difference.<br /><br />Since then I've had 3 requests for partials and all 3 agents have said they like the voice and may consider offering representation if I can cut it to a manageable length as the book is far too long.<br /><br />So anyway thank you very much for being an experienced publishing professional who is willing to share their wisdom with the masses for free. We really appreciate it.<br /><br />Also, any writers frustrated with the query process who have a free moment please take a minute to read my blog: <a href="http://theqqqe.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">TheQQQE</a>. It's just a novice writer and first time blogger's clumsy attempt to find some catharsis but it just might make you laugh too.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-2226416964632479072010-01-21T08:13:31.775-05:002010-01-21T08:13:31.775-05:00This is really awesome post, i found this blog by ...This is really awesome post, i found this blog by surfing and i get exact what i need.<br />Thank youstudent aidhttp://www.estudentaid.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-88364633697129571782010-01-21T08:05:06.982-05:002010-01-21T08:05:06.982-05:00The process of daily discovering new blogs is righ...The process of daily discovering new blogs is right because if we surf few mintues we found some new bogs.Politicshttp://www.fpolitics.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-45954040867763184272009-08-19T16:33:00.925-04:002009-08-19T16:33:00.925-04:00I have a problem..I live in South Africa and there...I have a problem..I live in South Africa and there seems to be no literary agents who will accept my query because of my genre..My genre is YA/Teenage books. So would it be okay if I could try query an agent overseas( like an american one for example) while still living in South Africa? Is that possible?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-64299887152684149172009-08-12T15:14:44.869-04:002009-08-12T15:14:44.869-04:00sounds terrific. i'm getting close to have bo...sounds terrific. i'm getting close to have book one all prettied up, and i really don't know where to go from there. it's nice to have some good advice out there. thanks!SJ Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09304177082159067335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-82091610662621279972009-07-31T18:35:31.991-04:002009-07-31T18:35:31.991-04:00"Darn it! I just finished polishing my WIP an..."Darn it! I just finished polishing my WIP and thought would be a good fit for Kim."<br /><br />Don't worry, odds are yo'll still be querying in Sept.!<br /><br />I wouldn't worry so much about the fit--the right fit is the agent who agrees to take you on. Q them all, as long as they say they handle your genre and are open to subs. Should you be lucky enough to get more than 1 offer at the same time, THEn worry about fit. Until then, it's a moot point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-17011748946843607032009-07-31T09:17:04.383-04:002009-07-31T09:17:04.383-04:00Jeannie -- You still have today to send a query!! ...Jeannie -- You still have today to send a query!! :)<br /><br />I should clarify that I'll be going through the queries received and requesting material that interests me during this time. So I'll still be accepting partials and mss. that I've requested. Honestly, I don't like having to do it, but my inbox is OVERFLOWING and there's no way I'll ever catch up on queries if I don't resort to this measure.Kim Lionettinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13622014359637681812009-07-31T09:13:55.461-04:002009-07-31T09:13:55.461-04:00If you're a newbie, this is a particularly inf...If you're a newbie, this is a particularly informative thread. From my experience, queries and synopses are like dental work when done at the end, when they're purely sales copy. Do these darm things simultaneously with the writing, as early as you can bear, so you can benefit from the questions they raise and the clarity they require. As early drafts, you can chip away at them, do them as haikus, in crayon, walk away -- that feeling that they're holding up your book's debut just magnifies the pain, and may make you prone to rush and skip polishing. I'd also second the advice to begin a new work when the query process starts because: <br />1. First books are often learning aids more than they are saleable works<br />2. Even if yours is saleable, it will probably be years before it's agented, sold to a publisher, actually published, distributed and gleaming on the New Releases table.<br />3. If you can't quite move on because you know the first one really does need some cleaning up: stop, and ask yourself the hard question of whether you're querying too early.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17459217629877174147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-80176407885549909842009-07-31T09:01:21.557-04:002009-07-31T09:01:21.557-04:00Darn it! I just finished polishing my WIP and thou...Darn it! I just finished polishing my WIP and thought would be a good fit for Kim. <br />One thing I'd like to add is before sending the query recheck the agent's website as things can change quickly. <br />Like this. Kim was first on my list and now ... oh well. Maybe in September.Jeanniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12925799798036271268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-50151652808278666842009-07-30T23:24:16.367-04:002009-07-30T23:24:16.367-04:00I agree that sending a few pages with a query may ...I agree that sending a few pages with a query may help speed up the whole process. After all, top agents like Don Maass and Nathan now want 5 pages pasted in the body of the query (not attached). Frustrating to get partial requests that never get read or take forever to read...<br /><br />If agents can tell within the first few pgs or first graph if they like the writing, why not make this practice a standard within the industry? Or at least add the opening graph or ONE page to the query? Anything to accelerate this tedious process!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-10114856228334282262009-07-30T22:13:01.616-04:002009-07-30T22:13:01.616-04:00Something that's not been mentioned so far is ...Something that's not been mentioned so far is a submissions service.<br /><br />The blog, "How Publishing Really Works" warns about this here:<br /><br />http://bit.ly/47BSjF<br /><br />(Note: Jessica, I hope it's OK to include link to HPRW blog ... I see they reference you in today' post.)Maggie Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09397320196343147825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-36827155611101784382009-07-30T19:16:11.615-04:002009-07-30T19:16:11.615-04:00The goal of the query letter is to get pages reque...The goal of the query letter is to get pages requested. That's pretty much it. To up your chances, eliminate the no-no's of query writing. You can get good examples of what to do and not to do in the archives of several agents blogs: Nathan Bransford, Bookends, Ms. Snark, Kristen Nelson, are good places to start. Once you feel you've got a decent query, research the agents.<br /><br />Querytracker is a good choice, as it allows you a method to track them. Agentquery is a good sized database too. It's important to note however that these aren't always up to date. Once you've built a list of potential agents to query, track down their website and verify the info. Do they take email queries? Are they still open for queries? Are they actually representing your genre? Is the email/snail address correct? It's also good to look for info on turnaround time. Some will tell you that if you haven't heard in X amount of time, it means no. Querytracker is good for this because it lets you post the date you sent the query. Once you have the list and verified the facts, then you can think about submitting. It takes time to do all of this, and it's more than worth the effort.<br /><br />You increase your chances immeasurably if you eliminate all of the stupid mistakes. If you have a polished ms, and a respectable query, and avoid all of the no-no's then you've put it in the hands of fate, and hope you hit the right agent at the right time with the right story. That's all you can do. It doesn't mean you deserve to have pages read because you followed the rules. All it does is give the agent no reason to say no except for 'this isn't right for me.' <br /><br />As an addendum, I would add this. "This isn't right for me" is the response you should expect. Writing a great story is your job as a writer. The agent's job is to find great stories that they can feel passionate about selling to publishers and also believe they can do so. This is a very VERY rare alignment of coincidences. Odds are, you won't achieve this much sought after occurrence. That's just they way it is in this business. You're trying to hit a bullseye on a moving target that you can barely see. If you expect you'll hit it, you're in for a long and frustrating journey. Just make damn good darts and keep throwing them. If you're good and you keep trying, your odds of hitting the bullseye will continue to rise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-36123625659090603742009-07-30T16:55:49.812-04:002009-07-30T16:55:49.812-04:00"Kim will be closed to submissions from Augus..."Kim will be closed to submissions from August 1st to September 30th."<br /><br />I've seen the small publishers do this frequently, but agent, soo...wow! The sheer barrage of people who say they have salable, printed material!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-28686488950121744072009-07-30T16:37:57.750-04:002009-07-30T16:37:57.750-04:00"evolutionary process to rejection"
Jes..."evolutionary process to rejection"<br /><br />Jessica, <br /><br />I just got around to reading that and loved it. That's why I've never understood no re-querying.<br /><br />MarieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-55147466133708167902009-07-30T16:31:30.312-04:002009-07-30T16:31:30.312-04:00Would like to hear thoughts on querying small publ...Would like to hear thoughts on querying small publishers directly. By small, I mean pubs that pay an advance of a few thousand bucks, do offset printing with national brick & mortar distribution, as well as a decent reputation and track record.<br /><br />To me it makes sense to approach some of these right along with the agents, since the Q process wait is about a year altogether.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-23881235044247480992009-07-30T16:28:16.778-04:002009-07-30T16:28:16.778-04:00The reason I don't automatically include sampl...The reason I don't automatically include sample pages with every Q isn't because I'm afraid of breaking the rules, but rather because I like to be able to gauge the effectiveness of the letter. <br /><br />If you're always sending pages, then you can never be sure if it's the letter that's not working, or the pages. So, unless they specifically ask for pages, I don't inlcude them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-58448822253388735972009-07-30T16:23:30.902-04:002009-07-30T16:23:30.902-04:00"No one wants a one hit wonder."
How un..."No one wants a one hit wonder."<br /><br />How untrue! Gone With the Wind was a 1-hitter.<br /><br />Pubs want to make $$$--they don't give a rat'ws butt about YOU. If you don't wanna write more than 1 book, that's your problem, cuz you prolly ain't gonna make anough on 1 to make a dent, but if you can write a megahit one-off, believe me, they'll want you to death.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-52089288430420592192009-07-30T16:17:11.783-04:002009-07-30T16:17:11.783-04:00"I only query at most three at a time."
..."I only query at most three at a time."<br /><br />Gonna take forever that way! You figure out the key to immortality or something? <br /><br />10 at a time is optimal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-53218762437022674632009-07-30T16:14:18.163-04:002009-07-30T16:14:18.163-04:00I add this precious piece of advice:
Don't ta...I add this precious piece of advice:<br /><br />Don't take no response as no. Only no means no. Query until you get a response one way or the other. Query 10 agents at a time, replacing each NO with a new Q as the rejects come in. Treat all no responses after 2 months as a NO, but put that agent back on the list for a future wave, until you get a response. <br /><br />Keep a spreadsheet to track the responses.<br /><br />Write something new while you wait to hear back.<br /><br />Good luck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-67666822540109859882009-07-30T14:58:51.850-04:002009-07-30T14:58:51.850-04:00Oh, I absolutely agree, Meg. I'm not saying &#...Oh, I absolutely agree, Meg. I'm not saying 'Woohoo! Anything goes!' All I'm saying is, 'be professional, and don't sweat the small stuff.' If your work is salable enough, and you're not easily discouraged, you'll find representation.<br /><br />This is something that worked for me. Of course, that was a while back; maybe things have changed. <br /><br />I'm all for making everyone's day better, Ainsley, I just think we sometimes focus too much on things like query letters. I'm assuming a certain level of professionalism; once we achieve that minimum level, we're good, guidelines or no.<br /><br />Hell, we're writers, we're -all- a little strange. As long as we're not completely freaky, nobody's gonna notice. (And if we -are- completely freaky, maybe it's best to only post to blogs as 'Anonymous!')<br /><br />As far as VIPs go, I can only think of a handful of agents who qualify. The rest are just hardworking businesspeople in a tough industry, who love books--and love finding new books to love. It's really pretty simple. Hellish, sometimes, but simple!<br /><br />JRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-45241218012350312252009-07-30T14:30:23.910-04:002009-07-30T14:30:23.910-04:00All useful advice. Thanks. Just takes so long, and...All useful advice. Thanks. Just takes so long, and end up so discouraging. Writing's more fun. Job-hunting less.Sheila Deethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465615546936319164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-16046058507476988122009-07-30T14:04:22.542-04:002009-07-30T14:04:22.542-04:00“but as authors I feel like we are under too many ...“but as authors I feel like we are under too many time constraints” <br /><br />After I posted that, I realized that wasn’t quite right. I should have said we have to deal with too many time thieves. Yeah that’s better. Now I’m heading to NB’s.<br /><br />MarieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-4855230115762624082009-07-30T13:54:55.550-04:002009-07-30T13:54:55.550-04:00JR,
I like your plan. I don't know if I'd...JR,<br /><br />I like your plan. I don't know if I'd have the guts to follow it, but as authors I feel like we are under too many time constraints, which increases pressure on us, which contributes to explosive behavior, which shows in our answers to blogs, which makes the blogging agents sad, mad, and upset, which leads to more tension between the relationship…Well you get the picture. My point is that everything we do takes soooo much time, and researching each agent’s individual preferences just adds to the stress. A uniform co-existence between agents would be great. How about a common form? <br /><br />Contact info, genre, word count, query, credentials, and first five pages. Even cooler would be a website we could post this form and the agents could type in mystery or romance, and it would pull up all the queries related to that genre…forget it. That would create too much competition between agents. Silly me. I tend to dream way too big. I believe Nathan’s blog is about dealing with the crazies, I’ll just hop right over there.<br /><br />MarieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com