BookEnds, LLC — A Literary Agency

The Book/Author I Wish I Had Discovered

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

This post is actually inspired by a series of tweets agent Deidre Knight (@DeidreKnight) did a while back.

What book or author do we wish we had discovered?

When I first read her tweet there was one person who immediately popped into my mind and that's Sarah Addison Allen. I've read all of her books and I can say I have loved almost all of them, the other one I just liked. I love the way she weaves mysticism into women's fiction, creating almost a genre of her own. This is someone I would love to have found in a slush pile somewhere.
—Jessica Faust

Just one? Of course, I wish I had discovered J. K. Rowling and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Other dream books are Megan Hart's Dirty and Mary Roach's Stiff. Three very different books, but three I never get tired of rereading.
—Jessica Alvarez

R. L. Stine. I know that sounds weird, since I don't represent horror for any age group, but I admire Stine (and his 350 million books sold) because he's been writing for decades, has churned out one fun, cool title after another, created a middle-grade series (Goosebumps) that became a television series and selection of movies, and most intriguing and valuable to me, he writes in several age groups from middle-grade to adult—and he shifts with changes in publishing. Aside from all that, I still read his books . . . and I'm still scared. If R. L. Stine suddenly queried me, I'd represent horror.
—Lauren

While it may seem like too obvious or easy an answer, I have to say Suzanne Collins. Honestly, even though I first read The Hunger Games as a book and not a submission—and even though millions of readers had already found her before me—when I was turning those pages I felt like I had made an amazing discovery. That trilogy—especially the first book—really is the whole package: characters we care about, edge-of-the-seat suspense, and an always-keep-us-guessing romantic triangle. When I finished it, I really felt like I'd just ridden a roller coaster and experienced a true classic at the same time.
—Kim

Workshop Wednesday

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Book Title Formulas

2012-01-31T08:00:00.002-05:00

i read the section on "titles" and you mentioned there is a "formula" for suspense, thrillers and the like. what is the formula?

I don't think there's a formula like in algebra, plug in this and you'll get this, but if you look at a shelf full of thrillers or suspense titles, I think you'll soon begin to see a pattern of titles like: Bad Blood, The Cold Room, Still Missing, Edge, Skin, Torn Apart....

In other words, simple, chilling, and kind of scary. There's nothing too descriptive in a thriller or suspense title (typically).

When you choose a title, choose one that represents the tone or voice of your book. In other words, does your title itself convey a mood, or tell a bit of a story to the reader?

Jessica

When the Manuscript Differs from the Query

2012-01-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

I just started a second wave of querying, after a year of revising both the book and, even more so, the query (thank you so much for your blog’s direction on this, you were truly my best resource). This morning, I received my first agent response on the revised query: A request for the full manuscript! As soon as I sent off the full, I realized that a character I had renamed in my manuscript revisions was referenced by the old name in the query. Total bonehead mistake, I know. My question is, do I email the agent and let her know so that she is not confused?

First off, congratulations! A request for a full is cause for celebration. Great news. And lucky for you, there's a very simple answer to your question--the agent won't even notice. Don't worry about it.

Now celebrate.

Jessica

Giving a Project Multiple Reads

2012-01-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

I really have great admiration for critique partners and writers' groups. I honestly don't know how you do it. While I don't mind reading a client's work multiple times, I find that the more I read something the less perspective I have.

In other words, the first time I read a book I'm really able to come up with some great concrete tips and advice, some real revisions. The second time I read the same book I'm pickier. I'm looking for things I missed and of course to see if the changes the author made actually work, and after that I start to really lose perspective. I start to look for things that aren't there and I even question my own editorial advice. Are the things I'm pointing out really necessary changes, will an editor really not buy a book because of this, or am I just being hypersensitive at this point?

This is why, for me anyway, I always advise authors to submit to your agent and editor only when you feel you absolutely need to. I don't mind reading a book when you're only done with half if you need my perspective at that point, but I'd prefer you not use me as a critique partner, sending each chapter as you finish it or sending those first three chapters 15 different times just to see if you're getting closer. I want to be your freshest set of eyes, and yes, that might mean a whole heck of a lot of work for you, but hopefully when I give you those tips they'll be solid and full of great advice rather than wishy-washy.

And, before any of my clients panic thinking they shouldn't have sent those initial three chapters or partial or first 50% because you knew you were struggling or questioned the work and needed my advice, you're all fine. ;)

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all of your contributions, Workshop Wednesday has been a success. We're going to continue on with it for as long as we have entries and the energy to comment on them. If you haven't yet submitted but are still interested, don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear Jessica,

After struggling with epilepsy since childhood, twenty five year old [redacted] hit rock bottom and decided to go forward with a major brain surgery that changed her life forever.

I think for this to be more powerful it would be helpful to know a few more details. What exactly was rock bottom? What happened that would make you want to undergo such a major surgery.

Independent to the point of stubbornness, [redacted]'s biggest challenge was admitting that she needed help. Over the course of a year, she learned to depend on her family, letting them hold her hand, spoon feed her in the hospital when she was too weak to move, a gauze turban covering her exposed brain, help her begin to walk again and finally figure out what it means to lead a genuinely full life.

I'm not sure this has the pull you intend it to. Unfortunately, a lot of people regularly experience major medical trauma and are forced to rely on others for help. What makes this different? What makes your experience stand out from all others?

[redacted] ’s memoir chronicles her painful journey from frustration, to fear, to ultimate acceptance. LIVING IN A BRAINSTORM is expected to be 100,000 words in journal entry format.

Memoir, like fiction, needs to be completed before querying. A memoir is written like fiction in the sense that you need to create "characters" that come to life for the reader. I'm concerned that the journal format will read like a journal and not a story, which is what a memoir should be. That being said, I know others might not have that same concern.

[redacted] ’s writing has been featured in publications by the Epilepsy Foundations of both Minnesota and Colorado. Through her blog, [redacted], she has been sought out for her help and advice by people with epilepsy and their families as well as non-epileptics who need someone in their corner as they face their own limitations.

This is good. If you're getting a large number of blog readers you should mention that as well.

Sincerely,

Overall I'm not completely wild about this query. It doesn't have that oomph for me that makes it stand out from the many other memoir submissions I get from people who have faced serious medical trauma. What about your story makes it different from someone else who has gone through something similar? Sometimes that can be your voice and writing, but I don't get that here.

Jessica

Not Right for My List

2012-01-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

As an aspiring author, I will frequently hear "Not right for my list," or "the characters weren't compelling to me." What do you as an agent do if an author you've signed writes a second book that doesn't resonate with you? How do you pitch that book to publishers?

I think the important thing to remember is that these phrases you're hearing are form letter phrases. It's the wording agents have honed over the years because it's vague enough not to open ourselves to back-and-forth communication and yet truthful because there's something about this book that isn't right for our list. Maybe it was your voice, maybe it was the genre, maybe it was simply the story.

When an agent signs an author, usually there's a meeting of minds (doesn't that sound grand). In other words, usually the agent feels passionate enough about the author's voice and the general direction of the author's writing to want this author on her list and everything else this author might bring to the table. This is why it's so important that you sign with an agent who sees clients as a long-term endeavor and not just a book-by-book project.

I think the fear that authors have that an agent will love the first book but nothing after that is overblown. Sure it can happen, and I'm sure many have horror stories of it happening, but for the most part I think once an agent feels passion for an author's work, they feel passion about that author in general.

Jessica

Responses to Rejections

2012-01-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure we've covered this before, but it's come up again so I don't feel it hurts discussing it again.

Should you respond to rejection letters, and, if so, what is the appropriate response?

I don't think there's any reason to ever respond to a rejection letter, and some agents will even tell you not to, ever, for any reason. That being said, for me personally, it never hurts to hear a polite "thank you" now and then. Most agents use form rejections of some sort or another, and for that reason I see no reason to send a response. In fact, one of the reasons form rejections are used is to help prevent responses to every email we receive.

If, however, you receive real feedback from an agent that actually sparks something in you or helps you "see the light," for lack of better phrasing, I think it's definitely nice for an agent to hear that her advice was helpful, and something simple is all you need.

Jessica

Seeking New Representation

2012-01-19T08:00:00.002-05:00

After you have fired your agent (for not following through, etc), how do you address your previous representation in your query? If your work has not been submitted to publishers because agent not-following-through never even got you a first set of revision notes?

Do you say you're seeking new representation? Does that send up a red flag or make you stand out in the crowd?

Or, do you just query like you're any other writer and pray?

I think it's worth mentioning that you were previously represented, but parted ways before the project was ever submitted. Why? I think mentioning previous representation shows agents that there has been some interest in your project, that a colleague already showed interest in it, and it makes you stand out from every other query because you're rare and different. And let's face it, the goal of a query is definitely to stand out from the crowd. Explaining that it's before the project went on submission shows them that you aren't trying to shop around something that has already been shopped.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2012-01-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Approaching Agents with a Publishing Offer

2012-01-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

The agency representing me abruptly closed its doors, two months before my debut novel releases (yeah, bad timing huh).

Then a few days ago I got a three book contract offer, and I have no agent. I was wondering how to word a "query" to a handful of agents I want to approach to represent my novels, along with the 3-book deal.

Might I just send a simple email explaining? Or do I send a query of the book that landed the 3-book offer?

I would put something like, "publishing contract offered, need representation" in your subject heading to grab the agents' attention and then I would start a simple email explaining, and finish the email with your query so that agents have all the information they need to know if this is a project that might be right for them.

Good luck and congratulations!

Jessica

Meeting an Agent at a Conference

2012-01-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

This question came through on a blog post I did about preparing a nonfiction manuscript:

I have a meeting with a publisher at a conference at the end of the month. I will be presenting them several chapters and a proposal. Do you have any recommendations on how I should present it to them (bound, in a folder, loose, etc.)?

Please do NOT present a written proposal. I definitely recommend having your material with you, especially electronically, on the off chance an agent does want to see it while she's traveling, but I do not recommend showing up at a conference, proposal in hand, thinking you're simply going to hand it over to an agent. A pitch appointment is not an opportunity to hand-deliver your material. A pitch appointment is about verbally pitching your book and getting to know the agent and a little more about the industry. It's also the agent's chance to get to know you and to see if you're the kind of person she would like to work with. Honestly, I've had pitch appointments in which I've passed on material only because I found the author so abrasive I knew it wasn't someone I wanted to work with.

When you do prepare your proposal, never bind it. A folder is fine, but typically, if the agent is still accepting paper submissions, it's loose.

Jessica

Categorizing Your Book

2012-01-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

My book is set twenty years in the future, but it's more of a YA paranormal romance. Does a storyline set in the future make it automatically science fiction? I'm just not sure how to word my query: A paranormal romance with a futuristic twist is what I have right now.

Almost every book could have separate categories, because truthfully, almost every book has elements of different genres in it. Who is the core audience for your book? It sounds like your book is truly YA with SF elements. I suppose you could say the same for Hunger Games, which, as a dystopian, would technically be called SF, but because the voice and the true audience is YA, it's YA.

If your book is a paranormal romance with a futuristic twist, it's a paranormal romance and that's where it would be shelved and that's the audience you would sell to.

The question you need to ask yourself is where in the bookstore would it be shelved, which genre? That's what you would call your book.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2012-01-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all of your contributions, Workshop Wednesday has been a success. We're going to continue on with it for as long as we have entries and the energy to comment on them. If you haven't yet submitted but are still interested, don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear Jessica Faust,

The day Claire has prayed for the last ten years has somehow become an inescapable nightmare. Her best friend Alice woke up from her coma but Claire's guilt did not lessen. Jackson returned home with Alice and Claire is still just as heartbroken. More than that, she's terrified of what happens next. Claire failed to realize what their return would really mean - her reprieve is over.

I'm definitely intrigued by this because I sense that there's something about the overall story that sounds interesting. I love the idea of praying for what might be considered a miracle and when it happens realizing the nightmare hasn't ended. That being said, I don't think this paragraph, or this query, is particularly well written, and for that reason I have major reservations about wanting to read more.

I have no idea what you mean by "Jackson returned home with Alice and Claire...." Who is Jackson? Returned home from where? The hospital? Still heartbroken from what? And "just as" heartbroken as Claire, Alice or as he was earlier? None of this makes any sense here and I'm getting no sense of the story. I like the idea that Claire's guilt did not lessen, but lessen over what? I'm missing huge chunks of the story here.
I have no idea where these people are returning from or what sort of reprieve Claire had. Basically, I have far more questions than answers.

The happiness Claire has longed for is overshadowed by her fear. Alice's accident was not the only consequence of their last night together. Now, Claire has something more important than their friendship to lose - a daughter she would do anything to protect.

This feels a tad stronger, and only a tad. That doesn't mean I would recommend keeping it. I still don't understand the setup or how they got where they are or where this daughter comes in.

Claire knows in her heart that Jackson belongs with Alice. Resisting him will be easy. This time, Claire is older, smarter and she has a very good reason to stay as far away from Jackson Montgomery as possible. Besides, her love for him was replaced with hate the second he abandoned her. Or at least that's what she thinks until she takes one look into his eyes.

So in the opening I would have assumed this was women's fiction, but now I realize it's a romance, and that throws me.

Reawakened is a 70,000 word contemporary romance novel. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Overall I think you're going to have a hard time getting any traction with this query. It tells bits of what a story could be, but doesn't really tell me anything about your story. Most important, it doesn't give me the confidence that you could actually write an entire book.

Jessica

The Publishing House Procedure

2012-01-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

I need some insider info. My (wonderful) agent hasn't really given me any details about the situation so I hope you might be able to.

Last year we went on submission. We came close once with a revise and resubmit but ultimately the editor didn't make an offer. One of the editors from the first round was very slow and when my agent called to follow up, he told her I was doing an R&R. The editor asked to see the revision.

A few weeks after she got the ms, she called me and asked for some changes. They were very minor and I ended the call feeling very good about her and the work she wanted me to do. So we sent the newly revised ms back to her and then we got a note a few weeks later that she loves it. Another note a few days later said she finished it and was sending it to her editorial director.

My question is: what does this mean? Do editors usually send it to their editorial directors before they can make an offer? Is she sending it to the editorial director because she has doubts about it or because she's excited about it? How does a decision about an offer actually get made?

This is fabulous news. There's nothing else to say. Nearly everyone at a publishing house needs to get what are often called "second reads" before even considering an offer. These second reads mean they go to their colleagues to get their opinion. Unlike most agencies, no decision is made at a publishing house without the consensus of a number of people. Who these people are will depend on the house, the genre, the editor, the book, etc. Often an editor will bring the book up at what's called an editorial meeting to get the opinion of a number of editors. In this case she presents the book one week, often using your agent's pitch letter as her guide, and listens to the feedback of others at next week's meeting. Sometimes the decision makers include not just editors, but the marketing and sales team as well, and sometimes the only second read you'll need is from the head of the genre's department or the editorial director, or maybe just the editor's immediate boss.

In this case it sounds like she's hoping to get the go-ahead from the editorial director to make the offer. If the editorial director agrees that it's something they would like to add to their list, they'll discuss where the book would fit on the list and what kind of offer they will be making.

Congratulations and good luck. This is exciting news.

By the way, it sounds like you have a great agent, someone who's really active and involved, so don't be afraid to ask her these questions. That's just part of what you pay her for.

Jessica

So, You've Got an Offer . . .

2012-01-09T08:00:00.003-05:00

So, you've got an offer . . . but what if you've already been rejected by agents all over town?

I was going to leave this as a comment on your post "You Have an Offer" but decided to email you instead...

What if you've been rejected (or just not heard back from... no answer means no) by pretty much every agent on your list and THEN get an offer from a publisher? It feels kind of silly to email all the agents who've just told you no thanks and say "I know you didn't want this, but hey! Certain Publisher does, can someone represent me please?"

I'm facing this situation myself at the moment. I spent all last year querying a sci-fi with romantic elements, Atrophy. I got some great rejections, agents who said "I can't take this because it falls right between sci-fi and romance, so don't know what to do with it, but write something else and send me that!"

After I'd pretty much exhausted my list of potential agents, I was given the email address of an editor at HarperVoyager Australia from one of their authors I know and sent a query. The editor got straight back to me and said she wanted to see the first 10 chaps. A few weeks after that, the editor emailed again to say she was enjoying it immensly, there was so many things about it that were great and wanted to see the entire manuscript, plus was going to get another editor to read it as well.

Now, I know this isn't an offer and there's still every chance they could say "thanks, but no." Excpet taking into account how enthusiastic she seemed about it, I've got to consider what I'll do if they offer a contract. Some other published authors have advised me to forget about an agent since I got rejected by so many. If HV offer a contract I should just get a lawyer familiar with this sort of thing and go it without an agent. I now have several books published with Noble Romance Publishing and doing that without an agent it one thing, they're a small press, the contract was pretty straight forward and I was confident having a lawyer look over it and then going ahead on my own. But obviously HarperVoyager are a whole different ball game and honostly, I know that to make the kind of career I want, I need an agent.

So, on the chance HV do offer me a contract, what does an author do who has already been rejected by agents all over town do?

Would really appreciate an answer to this question that has really been stressing me out.

Well, what's interesting is it sounds like you have great feedback from agents who just didn't know where they could take the book, or they didn't feel they had the contacts, or could do you justice because they felt the risk was too big, and, sometimes, agents don't want to get an author's hopes up when they know something is a long shot. What I'd suggest is wait until you have the offer, and when you do, let the editor know that you'd prefer to work with an agent so will need two weeks before you can get back to her. Then I would immediately follow up with those agents you felt you got a good response from. Those agents who sounded very interested in you and your work and, if they asked to see other things, clearly your voice. Let them know you have an offer on that book and ask if they would consider offering representation.

Sure, you could definitely hire a lawyer (make sure it's a literary lawyer, someone who understands the publishing contract), but if you already have agents who are enthusiastic about your voice, this is a good opportunity to start building a relationship. When you interview those agents, really talk to them about their vision for your career, not just their strategy for selling this particular book, although that should be part of the conversation as well.

I hope this helps. It sounds like you've gotten some good news lately so congratulations!

Jessica

Lauren: What I'm Looking For

2012-01-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Whew! 2011 was a busy year. From June to December alone, I received around 2,500 queries, and from those I requested about 140 proposals and 30 full manuscripts. I saw works geared to adult audiences all the way down to toddlers. I read romance from super-spicy erotic to Disneyesque, biography, Westerns, historical fiction, family sagas, mystery, women's fiction, memoir, fantasy, steampunk, nonfiction, thrillers, true-crime, literary fiction, chick-lit, up-market commercial fiction, horror, science-fiction, poetry, short stories, essays, and even an idea for a puzzle book. I was floored by literary prowess, confused by ridiculousness, and generally entertained nonstop. I have the perfect job.

This year, I'm narrowing the scope of my tastes and focusing more specifically on genres to which I am best suited. In 2012, I'm looking for:

romance—all genres
literary fiction
commercial fiction, especially up-market
urban fantasy with romantic elements
middle-grade—all subgenres
young adult—all subgenres
mystery, with a strong focus on cozies
women's fiction on the literary side
smart chick lit, a la The Devil Wears Prada

In nonfiction, I'm looking for authors who have a large following, are well-established professionals, and have big platforms, unless the work is a memoir. I'm looking for the following topics in nonfiction:

parenting
relationships
business
popular science
popular culture
popular psychology
memoirs of highly extraordinary people and experiences

I am specifically not accepting submissions of epic fantasy, science-fiction, poetry, short stories, essay collections, biography, thrillers, Westerns, or true-crime.

Here's to a prosperous and eventful 2012!

Lauren

Workshop Wednesday

2012-01-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all of your contributions, Workshop Wednesday has been a success. We're going to continue on with it for as long as we have entries and the energy to comment on them. If you haven't yet submitted but are still interested, don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear Ms. Editor

I would like you to consider working with me on the following manuscript.

We have agents here, not editors. And nobody here has the last name Editor. This makes me think you haven’t done your research. Also, and this is just my personal opinion, but something about your first sentence makes me feel a bit condescended to, as though you’re commanding me to do something in a nice way. “Please consider . . .” might be more effective.

Landing in New York in 1910, Martin Crain fell in love with the American Dream and reached out for it with both hands. Determination, hard work and his own inate loyalty, made him rise from chauffeur to the personal assistant of a wealthy industrialist.

Misspellings and errors in grammar and punctuation in a query are a pet peeve of mine. In a 100,000-word manuscript, errors are more forgivable, but you only had to write half a page and you’ve misspelled something any email program or word processor would highlight. Now you look lazy.

We meet his employer,whom Martin calls "the Mister"; the Mister's great love - Miss Ellie, his wife, his brother; Martin's son, Mo and Mo's cousin - DoeDoe (through whose eyes and memories the story is told).

If DoeDoe (whoever he or she is) is the narrator, why don’t we know more about him or her? What gives this person the authority to tell the story?

We’re halfway through the query and I know all the characters’ names, which mean nothing to me, but have no idea what they do (or even what the narrator’s gender is) or what conflict is presented.

This story follows Martins life, and those of his family in the Irish neighborhoods of mid-Manhattan, and through the homes and lives of his wealthy employers.

This might be interesting. But I’m thinking, “And?” Are there comparisons between the extreme poverty and social stigmas the Irish suffered in 1910 and the comfort of the wealthy? Because it sounds like there might be, and this is fascinating to me. But you haven’t given me a chance to see it.

When tragedy struck and Martin's grip on his dream slipped, his loyalty never faltered.

Aha! I see a glimmer of conflict. I can tell it is there, but you haven’t told me what it is. What tragedy struck Martin and his grip on his dream? Indeed, what is his dream? The American Dream is relative—it could mean a picket fence and a golden retriever, or it could mean ownership of a filthy deli in Hell’s Kitchen.

Through betrayal, deaths, murder, persecution, failures and personal misery, Martin was never known to speak a word of blame for his beloved "Mister".

Why would he blame Mister? This is the problem here. I get a vague sense of what this book is about, but in order to want to read more, I need specificity. What happened and how was it rectified, if it was?

They say 'no good deed goes unpunished', but perhaps in the end, Martin's devotion would be rewarded?

Well, is it or isn’t it? And in what way? Because my opinion of the story hinges upon knowing what happens, I do not like having the ending dangled in front of me like a carrot. I feel like you’re saying to me, “If you really want to know the answer and can’t stand the suspense, you’ll request my proposal.” And that feels sneaky and tricky. If you had confidence in your own plotting and the ending of your own story, you would have been too willing to tell me all about it. And I honestly wanted to hear it.

Thank you for taking time to read this.
Sincerely,

I like this closing. Simple and respectful.

I would reject this because even though I like stories that show the polarity of American socioeconomics, and I like stories about turn-of-the-twentieth-century New York City, I can’t tell from your query what the meat of the story is.

Lauren

Editor/Agent Etiquette

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

At a conference several months ago I pitched my suspense novel to both an agent and an editor with a NY publisher, both of whom requested the full manuscript. Recently I received an email from the editor suggesting changes to my book and asking me to resubmit it. What is the proper etiquette in a case like this? Should I let the agent know the editor suggested changes and that I'll be revising the ms? Should I let the editor know that when I resubmit the work it could be through an agent? Or don't I need to do anything at this stage?

The proper etiquette is really to put the book first. The only thing you owe the agent and editor is courtesy. Go ahead with the revisions for the editor as long as you feel good about them, but don't bother informing the agent until you're finished with them. If you finish the edits and feel they've made a significant difference, then I would contact the agent to let her know of the changes and see if she's interested in either looking at the book again (if she's already passed) or seeing the revised version. I would not bother telling the editor that you "might have an agent" because honestly, the odds say that there's a very slight chance you will. In other words, just because one agent asked to see the material doesn't mean she's going to offer representation.

The other thing I would do is query widely. Make sure you aren't putting all your hopes and dreams into one agent and one editor.

Jessica

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

If, like me, you were lucky to be able to take some time off over the holidays, welcome back. Like most agents and editors in publishing, we're returning refreshed, relaxed, and, most important, hungry for great new projects.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to 2012 and all that it will bring. Let's face it, 2011 was an interesting year in publishing. We saw a whole lot of change, most of it really exciting for everyone. Ebooks exploded and with that the doors opened for authors to self-publish and forge their own paths if they wished. It also changed things for publishers and agents, who needed and need to find ways to continue assisting and growing authors. I think it's fair to say we're all still exploring where we fit in this new world, and that means authors, agents, and editors. There are new options and each one has its challenges and its rewards. I'm a believer, however, that each of us needs to take the path that works for us individually and that no decision is set in stone. That we can change our path at any point and try something new. That's the great thing about this new world.

I am somewhat sad to say that I'm going to continue taking queries on referral only at this point. My wonderful clients have been keeping me very busy, and to give them the attention they need and deserve I want to limit my query inbox. Lauren, Kim, and Jessica are still open for queries and hungry for something new. Check the Submissions page to see what they're looking for these days. I'll also try to encourage them to do blog posts. And, one thing to note, while closed to queries last year I actually signed three new clients.

We had an incredibly successful 2011, one of our best years ever, so it's impossible to go into 2012 with anything but enthusiasm. I can't wait to see what the year brings for BookEnds and to hear what it brings for all of you.

Jessica

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-19T08:00:00.004-05:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Bookmas Giveaway, and that includes all of our terrific clients for their clues. I'm hoping everyone enjoyed the contest, and for those who won, the prizes.

Friday's question was:

I had just finished my very first interview in book publishing. I was nervous, excited and overwhelmed by New York City, tall buildings and the prospect that I'd just discovered my dream job. As with any publisher, when walking through the office there were books and posters everywhere and I couldn't get enough of seeing what types of books they published and who they published. Some of the authors I was already a fan of, many I'd never heard of. However, what really made the experience was when I got off the train to head home that afternoon I noticed a gentleman walking next to me carrying a book. A book I had just seen a poster of in the offices where I interviewed. I can remember that moment as vividly as if it were yesterday.

What was the book and who was the author?

And the answer is Paper Doll by Robert B. Parker.

Congratulations to Tracy. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

As I hinted at Friday, BookEnds has already had our holiday celebration and today the offices are quiet. I'm hoping Kim, Jessica, and Lauren are all at home doing something very holiday-oriented. I'll likely be baking cookies and making my final shopping lists because, in my mind, there's nothing quite as much fun as that last-minute shopping.

It's been a phenomenal year for BookEnds. We've had one of our most successful years to date and couldn't be more thrilled with how our clients are doing, and how we're doing. We've had no fewer than 7 books hit the New York Times bestseller list this year (and I might be missing one or two) and a record number of sales. We welcomed both Jessica Alvarez and Lauren Ruth into the mix and we've watched them grow, excel, sign new clients and make new deals. And most important, we've had fun. We still love what we do and the clients we work with and we couldn't be more proud of what's on our bookshelves.

So to end the year I'm going to raise my glass of warm Swedish Glogg in a toast to you, my loyal readers, to you, my amazing BookEnds agents, and to you, the clients who made it all possible and who I couldn't be more proud of.

As the Swedes say, "Skol!"

Swedish Glogg

1 bottle red wine
1/2 liter good vodka
10 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
Orange peel from 1/2 an orange
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup almonds

Place spices and orange peel into a piece of cheesecloth and tie shut.

Add all the ingredients to a heavy saucepan and set over medium-low heat until it just reaches a simmer. Do not boil. Simmer for about 45 minutes to allow all the spice flavors to steep.

Once finished, pull out your spice bag and pour the Glogg into a fondue pot or other similar pot with a ladle so you can keep the Glogg warm for guests. Allow the raisins and almonds to float on the top.

Serve with sugar so people can sweeten to taste.

Jessica Faust

The Twelfth Day of Bookmas

2011-12-16T12:00:00.014-05:00

Welcome to day twelve of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question was: Can you name one or both of the niche magazines Jessica Alvarez interned for during her senior year in college?

And the answers are Footwear News and/or the now-defunct InStep Magazine.

Since only one of the two answers was required, Working Stiffs is technically our winner. But daniel john10 commented shortly after Working Stiffs with both correct answers, so in the spirit of giving we're declaring both as winners. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prizes out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

While you're reading this last day of Bookmas, BookEnds agents are already settling into our holiday luncheon and raising our glasses to celebrate what's been a tremendous year. Don't worry, though. I'll pop in on Monday to reveal the answer to today's clue and send you off into the new year with a warm glass of glogg.

I had just finished my very first interview in book publishing. I was nervous, excited, and overwhelmed by New York City, tall buildings, and the prospect that I'd just discovered my dream job. As with any publisher, when walking through the office there were books and posters everywhere and I couldn't get enough of seeing what types of books they published and who they published. Some of the authors I was already a fan of, many I'd never heard of. However, what really made the experience was when I got off the train to head home that afternoon, I noticed a gentleman walking next to me carrying a book. A book I had just seen a poster of in the offices where I interviewed. I can remember that moment as vividly as if it were yesterday.

What was the book and who was the author?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Jessica Faust

The Eleventh Day of Bookmas

2011-12-15T12:00:00.012-05:00

Welcome to day eleven of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question was: Which author of modernist literature will Lauren be haunted by as long as she works in pubishing?

And the answer is Virginia Woolf.

Congratulations to Kayeleen Hamblin. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

Some of us know from an early age exactly what we want to do with our lives. We have a career in mind, we have a plan, and we execute it. I, however, was not one of those people. I was a voracious reader, but I never really considered making a career out of my love of books. It was only about a month before my college graduation that I saw a classified ad in the New York Times for a job at Harlequin and thought it worth a shot. Up until that point, I was leaning more toward a career in journalism, though continuing my education with either law school or culinary school were also possibilities in my mind.

My senior year in college I interned at two niche magazines that allowed me to explore a passion that I share with many other women. Can you name one or both of these magazines?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Jessica Alvarez

The Tenth Day of Bookmas

2011-12-14T12:00:00.011-05:00

Welcome to day ten of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question was: Which three authors has Kim chosen to read more than once?

And the answer is Phyllis Whitney, Jane Austen, and William Shakespeare

Congratulations to Bonnie Ferguson. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

I’ve always loved literary fiction. There’s something exquisite in an author’s ability to inspire new waves of thought in narration. I love being introduced to new worlds I’ve never seen before, new situations of beauty or horror or sorrow that I know, the minute they enter my mind, I’ll never forget as long as I live.

But it takes work, literary fiction. You can’t just relax and passively read through Chopin or Chandler or Vonnegut. For literary fiction to really do its job, you have to pay close attention and really lend your whole self to the text for a while. This can be an astonishing and mind-altering experience, if you let it. However, literary fiction exists on a spectrum, with the low end being upmarket commercial fiction and the high end being (cue earsplitting, hysterical scream) modernist literature.

There is one particular author of modernist literature whose work I simply can’t get through. Ever since I ignorantly took a college intensive on this author in my senior year of college, thereby allowing him or her to effectively hijack my life, I have disliked the work of this very highly acclaimed author of modernist literature. I will be haunted by it as long as I work in publishing, since modern authors quote him or her all the time.

Who is this author?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Lauren

The Ninth Day of Bookmas

2011-12-13T12:00:00.012-05:00

Welcome to day nine of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question from Jessica Faust was:

While traveling to speak at the New Zealand Romance Writers Conference (amazing, by the way), I had a lot of time to read. I mean A LOT of time to read. That's 30+ hours of plane time. Luckily for me I was two books behind on one of my all-time favorite authors. Who is that author and what two books was I behind on reading?

And the answer is Sarah Addison Allen: The Peach Keeper and The Girl Who Chased the Moon.

Congratulations to BW. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

As a former editor and current agent, I've read dozens of manuscripts 2, 3, 4 . . . maybe even 5 times. I love the editorial process and each time I read these books they are slightly different, because the authors and I are usually working on revisions together, but I'm not going to lie . . . it can all get quite repetitive. Maybe that's why I'm not one of those people that reads her favorite books over and over again. Once is usually enough for me. I'd prefer to read something new where there are still surprises in store for me.

That said, I can think of three authors whose works I've actually chosen to read more than once -- not been forced into through a class requirement. In most cases, I'd read them for the first time when I was younger and wanted to see if they still held up for me years later.

What three authors have I chosen to read more than once?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Kim

The Eighth Day of Bookmas

2011-12-12T12:00:00.012-05:00

Welcome to day eight of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question was: Which three books are Lauren's selections for Christmas 2011?

And the answer is The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Congratulations to SLAM. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

While traveling to speak at the New Zealand Romance Writers Conference (amazing, by the way), I had a lot of time to read. I mean A LOT of time to read. That's 30+ hours of plane time. Luckily for me I was two books behind on one of my all-time favorite authors. Who is that author and what two books was I behind on reading?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Jessica Faust

The Seventh Day of Bookmas

2011-12-09T12:00:00.011-05:00

Welcome to day seven of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question was: What works were Kim's wall art excerpted from and who were their authors?

And the answer is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Congratulations to J. Graham. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

Working in publishing means I read all day, in one form or another. If I’m not reading queries, a client’s new contract, or industry blogs, I’m reading exciting requested material from an author I’m planning to offer representation. When I’m not reading all of that, I’m reading something new to review on my blog. I used to read a book or two a week for pleasure, even all through college. Now, I’ve had to cut out almost all pleasure reading—I watch TV instead as a way to turn off my brain for a while. But when vacations come around, I plan my reading list like a new bride plans her honeymoon wardrobe. And then I tell all my friends and colleagues about what I just can’t wait to read and not criticize. This Christmas break, I’m planning to read three books I just can’t wait to get my hands on. I’ve spent extra time picking them out because I can’t risk choosing something I’ll regret. Which three books are my Christmas selections for 2011?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Lauren

The Sixth Day of Bookmas

2011-12-08T12:00:00.010-05:00

Welcome to day six of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question was a two-parter: What was the first book Jessica Alvarez found for Harlequin Historical, and what was the first book she found for Love Inspired?

And the answers are Shades of Gray by Wendy Douglas and Finding Hope by Brenda Coulter.

Congratulations to Kaitlyne. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

In college there were a few authors and novels that made a lasting impression on me. And back then I was a big fan of word-as-wall-art decor. When I moved to New York to start my first job in publishing, I had two framed pieces with excerpts from famous books hanging on my apartment walls. I'd bought one of them myself from the Guggenheim and the other was a gift from my mom that she'd found while on vacation.

What works were these pieces taken from and who were their authors?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Kim

The Fifth Day of Bookmas

2011-12-07T12:00:00.011-05:00

Welcome to day five of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question was: Which two companies did Lauren intern for?

And the answer is Simon & Schuster and BookEnds.

Congratulations to Alison. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

When I first started working at Harlequin, I was the editorial assistant for Harlequin Historical and Steeple Hill Love Inspired. One of my primary duties (and one of my favorite parts of the job) was going through the slush pile, which was always plentiful because it had submissions directed to me and all the submissions directed to Tracy Farrell, my boss. I love reading submissions. I love going through them, hunting for gems, and discovering new voices. While at Harlequin, I acquired a number of new authors for various lines and imprints, but the first manuscripts I found for each of my home lines will always have a special place in my memory.

This is a two-part question: What was the first book I found for Harlequin Historical? And what was the first book I found for Love Inspired?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Jessica Alvarez

The Fourth Day of Bookmas

2011-12-06T12:00:00.011-05:00

Welcome to day four of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s questions were: What piece did Kim have to memorize in her 10th-grade English class and who wrote it? And what author did Kim do her 11th-grade presentation on and what’s the title of that author's most famous work?

And the answers are "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll, and Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca

Congratulations to Marlyn Beebe. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

When I first started out in the publishing world, I interned at two different companies. My first internship was a bold introduction to commercial publishing where I learned my first two valuable lessons in publishing: 1. Publishing is about art and money, but rarely only one or the other. All books are art. All books need to make money. The best, most successful books are those that blend these elements well. 2. Just because I wouldn’t personally read a book for pleasure doesn’t mean there isn’t a healthy audience of those who would.

My second internship was where I fell in love with publishing and learned the ropes as completely as I could. I find that I still learn things—daily.

At which companies did I complete these two internships?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Lauren

Ellery Adams on Reader Email

2011-12-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ellery Adams
The Last Word
Publisher: Berkley
Pub date: December 2012
Agent: Jessica Faust

(Click to Buy)

Reader Email: An Exercise for Aspiring Authors

Today marks the release of my 15th novel, The Last Word: A Books by the Bay Mystery. I believe this is my best book yet and I’m exceedingly proud if it. Of course, my celebratory feelings are tempered by a wee bit of trepidation. Will my sales numbers be impressive? Will the reviews be good? And when will the emails begin?

You see, once you’ve been published and have promoted yourself on every social network known to man, you’re quite easy to find. Folks will contact you. Most of the time the emails are full of praise and they’ll make you smile, but every now and then they can be, um, rather challenging.

So let’s pretend that you need to answer the following emails (all of which I’ve received within the past year). Pick your favorite and have a go. Remember, this might be you sometime soon, so word your answer carefully.

“You’ve obviously never been to the Outer Banks before because you never once mention sea oats.”
“Some pages from A Deadly Cliché fell out when I bent the cover all the way back (that’s how I read my paperbacks). You should be ashamed to have written such a cheap book.”
“I wanted you to know that I was very offended when your main character parked in a handicapped spot. I will never buy any of your books again.”
“I’ve never read your books, but could you donate a signed copy to my son’s school benefit auction?”
“Why does it take nine months for the next book in the series to come out? Can’t you write faster?”

That’s enough to give you a sampling of the ones I struggle to answer (though I totally ignored the first one. I lived in NC for 8 years, but sometimes you have to sense which battles you can’t win).

It’s far easier to reply to the dozens of lovely emails telling me that my characters are complex and memorable, that my plots are complicated and expertly woven, that the reader can’t wait to escape to my fictional town or stayed up far too late reading my book, and that I’m one of their favorite authors. I’ve gotten beautiful holiday cards and one reader knit me the most gorgeous scarf, so there’s plenty of love out there, friends.

*If you’ve ever written to an author, feel free to comment on your experience.

**And to the published authors, please share a few of your “challenging” emails.

The Third Day of Bookmas

2011-12-05T12:00:00.011-05:00

Welcome to day three of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce Friday’s winner. Friday’s question was: What was the first romance Jessica Alvarez ever read?

And the answer is Penny Jordan’s Levelling the Score

Congratulations to Lorenda. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

There are a few literary works that will always stand out in my mind because of the memories I have of my high school English classes.

In 10th grade I had a rather strict teacher who was fond of having us memorize various poems and other literary selections. One particular piece has always stuck with me and I can still recite pretty much all of it from memory, which is saying something since I can’t remember where I put my keys an hour ago . . .

When I was in 11th grade, my English teacher assigned us with preparing an oral presentation about the classic author of our choice. It was a big project and would account for a large part of our grade. I picked an author I’d just recently discovered, but who’d quickly become one of my favorites. I approached my teacher with my choice and he told me he’d never heard of her. To this day, I can’t believe he didn’t recognize the name of this author or her most famous book. He let me prove her worth to him and ultimately agreed to let me do my presentation on her. I think at the end of the day, I educated him.

What piece did I have to memorize in 10th grade and who wrote it?

And what author did I do my 11th-grade presentation on and what’s the title of her most famous work?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Kim

The Second Day of Bookmas

2011-12-02T12:00:00.010-05:00

Welcome to day two of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

And of course, before we start today’s contest, we need to announce yesterday’s winner. Yesterday’s question from Jessica Faust was:

At the end of last year I had the "brilliant" idea of tackling the Book List Challenge. At the time I thought I was smart by giving myself a lot of leeway. Probably not smart enough. I still didn't read nearly as many of these in 2011 as I would have liked, but I did get to a few and one of them became such a favorite that I read it twice and am a little sad it took me this long to read it at all.

And the answer is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Congratulations to Gloria Weber. Please email your contact information to blog@bookends-inc.com and we’ll get your prize out immediately.

Now on to our contest . . .

I am about to make a public confession of crimes committed when I was much younger. It’s been over twenty years since these crimes were committed, so I hope the statute of limitations has expired. Here goes . . .

I was a serial romance stealer. From the ages of nine to twelve, countless Harlequin novels were stolen from my best friend’s mother’s collection. I devoured these books and read them whenever I had a chance. My parents were not supportive of my romance addition. They wanted me to read “serious” books that might actually teach me something and help me get a career one day. And look at me now—I have made a career out of that passion.

Eventually my crime spree ended and, due to my parents’ unwillingness to fund my romance collection, I started buying my own books with my allowance money. Even so, many of those original stolen books are still in my possession, including the very first romance I ever read.

Which book was the first romance I ever read?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Jessica Alvarez

The First Day of Bookmas

2011-12-01T12:00:00.019-05:00

Welcome to day one of our Bookmas Giveaway contest. For those who missed the rules, hop back over to the November 30 post and give a quick read.

Now on to our contest . . .

At the end of last year I had the "brilliant" idea of tackling the Book List Challenge. At the time I thought I was smart by giving myself a lot of leeway. Probably not smart enough. I still didn't read nearly as many of these in 2011 as I would have liked, but I did get to a few, and one of them became such a favorite that I read it twice and am a little sad it took me this long to read it at all.

Which book was it?

Clues can be found here, using the Twitter hashtag #bookmas or by seeing what these authors have to say:

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson
Andrea Laurence

Jessica Faust

The Twelve Days of Bookmas Giveaway

2011-11-30T08:00:00.005-05:00

Because it was so much fun last year, we have decided to bring back the Twelve Days of Bookmas Giveaway, a book giveaway just in time for holiday gift-giving or as a little treat for yourself.

Since we close over the holidays and we want to make sure you receive your prizes in plenty of time to place under the tree, the contest will actually be held the first twelve days of December, beginning on December 1 and ending on December 16 (posts will run Monday through Friday only). And in an effort to involve as many people across the country as possible, we won't be posting the blogs until noon EST.

On each day we’ll post a clue, riddle, or quiz for readers to answer. The first reader to post the correct answer in the comment section will win the prize of the day, although unlike last year we won't be telling you who the winner is until the next day when we make the announcement. Just like last year, these aren’t going to be simple quizzes. They’re going to take a little research on your part, because finding the perfect gift always means a bit of a hunt.

In order to bring everyone into the fun, we’ve asked our clients to participate. They’ll know the answer (and no, they will not give in to bribes) and will be posting clues all over the Internet, clues that can be found through Twitter, Facebook, blogs, websites, or any other social media outlet we haven’t thought of. Participating clients and their contact information (where their clues can be found) will be listed on each day’s post.

A few rules and extra hints:

If you’re a Twitter follower, note that we’ll be using the hashtag #bookmas

There will only be one winner each day and each person/address is only eligible to win once throughout the course of the contest.

Prizes will be at the discretion of BookEnds.

Winners will be announced on the following day’s blog.

And to make things extra special, a number of our clients will be running side contests, so don’t just go to one or two links, check them all out to double your prize.

And finally, a sneak preview of where clues can be found (in no particular order):

Krista Davis
Heather Blake
Paige Shelton
Sharla Lovelace
Janet Bolin
Snarky Mommy
Monica Marlowe
Amy Eller Lewis
Ellery Adams
Erin Kellison
Peg Cochran
Elizabeth Buzzelli
Laura Alden
Sally MacKenzie
Stacey Kennedy
Charlotte Featherstone
Jennifer Delamere
Avery Aames
Molly Cannon
Erika Chase
Bill Crider
C. C. Hunter
Sofie Kelly
Annie Knox
Kim Lenox
Hannah Reed
Gina Robinson

Jessica

Breaking the Rules

2011-11-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

I'm a rule breaker. I believe there's a purpose to rules and I also believe there's a time and place to break them. As you know, I was closed to queries for some time, and yet I still got queries. Which was fine, because if you follow the guidelines you'd get my automatic reply that I was closed to queries and the query was dropped in my trash. I never saw it.

During that time, though, an author received an offer for publication through a contest. It was a decent offer, and even though I was closed to queries, with the encouragement of a friend she queried me by putting "offer from publisher" in the subject line. I was intrigued. I got back to her immediately and told her to send me the full manuscript. My thought was that I would take a look and see if it was decent. If it was I'd pass it along to either Jessica or Lauren, who are also looking for this particular type of book. Fortunately for me, I couldn't put the book down, and I definitely couldn't give it away. A day and a half later I eagerly offered representation, the author accepted, and we went on to sell the book for a deal we were both really happy with.

So see, sometimes rules really are meant to be broken.

Jessica

Writing Tense

2011-11-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

I would love to hear your thoughts on tense in a novel. Recently, I've read quite a bit of criticism regarding writing in the present tense. If any of you receive a novel written in the present tense, what is your immediate reaction?

I struggle with this because I find it most natural and liberating to write in present tense. However, I don't want to discourage agents right off the bat.

Frequently I hear from writers that they've been told by others that something can't be done or agents won't like something, and while that might be the case, what I'd rather writers told other writers was whether something was working or not working. See, anything can be done if it's done well, but are people telling you agents won't like this because it's not working or are they coming from a place of fear, a place where they are regurgitating everything they've ever heard agents say to try to create the perfect formula for getting published?

Present tense is tough and while yes, it can be done, it's not often done well. I find that a present tense story, as with first person, is sometimes easier for the author to write, "liberating" as you say, but doesn't necessarily make for a good story to read. It doesn't always allow the reader to immerse herself into the story as she would like.

So I think you need to worry less about what an agent might or might not think and worry more about how this is working for the story, not for you as the writer, but for the story.

Jessica

Giving Thanks

2011-11-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

It's one of my favorite holidays—Thanksgiving here in the U.S.—so don't expect anyone to respond to your emails this afternoon, tomorrow, or Friday. We'll be cooking, eating, and shopping, all in that order.

I think it's fair to start by saying what a crazy year it's been. So much turmoil, so much drama, so many people turning on each other, and yet, so much excitement, so many opportunities, and such a great time to be in publishing if you're allowed to stop and catch your breath.

When I sit down to my lentil roulade, gluten-free stuffing, and bottle of red wine (I'll share, I promise), I am so grateful to see how much I have to be thankful for. There's no doubt that at the top of that list are the family and friends who will be joining my feast this year, as well as those who have seats at other tables. I am thankful for the BookEnds team and the successes each of them are having in building their own client bases and in the sales they've made. I'm thankful for the huge number of successes BookEnds and our clients have had this year. At last count I believe we had six books hit the New York Times bestseller list and a large handful of others hit various other lists. We've made a record number of deals this year for both debut authors as well as brand-name authors and we've added close to twenty new clients to our roster.

I fear that too often I get caught in the daily minutia of life and sucked in by the bad news, forgetting to take time to rejoice in the good. Well, this weekend, for the entire weekend, I'm going to do nothing but rejoice in all that has been good this year, all I have to look forward to, and all that I have to be thankful for.

And at my table on Thursday I'm going to raise my glass in a special toast to all of those who have joined me over the years to build an agency I'm truly proud of; I'm going to toast my fellow agents at BookEnds who have been my right hand, my left, and sometimes my brain; I'm going to toast the editors we've worked with who have the same passion we do for books, especially our books; and most especially I'm going to toast the clients old and new who have climbed on to this ride with us, challenged us, and brought us books we love and are proud of.

Skol!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Jessica

Query Bio

2011-11-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

I am working on my query letter for a YA novel and have a question about what to include in my writing bio. In the past three years I've been published in five 'feel-good' anthologies and paid for each story. I've won several awards in writing contests, including a first in fiction and the overall "best in show" award. I've been accepted to a prestigious writing program. I spent the first 25 years of my career as a business writer in marketing and advertising. Will any of this information prompt a busy agent to read the first ten pages?

I can't guarantee that the information you provided will "prompt a busy agent to read the first ten pages" since only your blurb will really do that, but I think all of that is great information for the bio, information that shows you are serious about your writing career and that you've already had some success.

Jessica

Cutting Down My Novel

2011-11-21T08:00:00.003-05:00

I know I'm years too late too, but I have a question about my latest novel, which is very long. It's called "Broken Family Portrait, and it's an unbelievable 303,400 words long. My character is a severe cerebral palsic who, among other things, cannot censor things he says in speeches due to a malfunctioning brain tumor.

Between all the drama between his family, the bullying he endures in his childhood/school years, and dealing with his own dysfunctional marriage, putting up with his sisters and their husbands who are abusive parents, and battling a pro-spanking society that seems to favour including children with severe physical and mental disabilities and retardation, etc., he sure has been through a lot.

I really don't know how to get it down to 100,000 words or so without losing any plot elements or any part of my protagonist Robin's sarcastic and witty nature. Yet, now I'm worried that no publisher will take it, and this is a novel I'm most proud of.

Some advice would be most appreciated. Thanks

It's long and it's not just long because it's 300,000 words plus, it's long because from your description you're trying to include everything and the kitchen sink in there. I haven't read your book so I have no idea if it reads long. Length based on word count is one thing, and it can be a problem not just for publishers but for readers too, but one of the reasons agents can get hung up on length is because it tends to be a symptom of an overwritten book, a book that isn't concise and interesting, but starts to drag. I mean, frankly, and I realize it's only a blurb, but what does a character with cerebral palsy who can't sensor speech have to do with a pro-spanking society?

I'll defer to my readers who have actually had to trim their own books, but my guess is that it can be done.

Jessica

Understanding Women's Fiction

2011-11-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to wrap the basic marketing language around the book I'm close to finishing, and am having a tough time classifying it. My main character is a tough, no-nonsense, middle-aged woman who kidnaps her granddaughter, and the story takes place in large part on the road in rural Alaska. It's edgy and stark, a little frightening in places, though it isn't horror/crime/mystery, and while the heart-warming moments are few and far between, it DOES revolve around this woman's relationship with her son and daughter-in-law and the tough choices we make as parents.

As I get ready to query, would calling this women's fiction, since the primary market would most likely be women, throw an agent off since it seems to depart from the loose definitions of women's fiction I'm seeing? Is there a better way to wrap it?

As I often say, it's all about the voice. Women's fiction is not simply a book whose target audience is women. It's also a book about a woman's personal growth and change and it tends to be strongly emotional. It sounds like your book is women's fiction, but without reading it I have a hard time judging.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-11-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

By repeated request we've started Workshop Wednesday. It will definitely play out through 2011, and beyond that we'll just have to see. We've received well over 200 queries at this point, but we are choosing at random, so don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear Ms. Faust,

Noah Pressman has survived the IRA, the Taliban, and both Gulf Wars. Now the documentary filmmaker faces something far more threatening – old age. Retirement means only one thing; he’ll finally have to deal with the traumatic death of his son. Desperate to escape the painful memories, Noah accepts a job over the Christmas holidays - direct a TV show about the strangest places in America. When he arrives at the abandoned Fairy Tale Forest, Noah glimpses a startling apparition of his son – alive, and soon unearths a cryptic message: HIDE THE KIDS.

I love this opening. I think you've given us a clear description of Noah and his demons and I'm fascinated by where this might be going. The only thing I might add is how long his son has been dead and if he was a child when he died. In other words, something like "death of his son over 15 years ago" or something like that. If you give us a long time frame we can figure he was probably a child. The only thing I might delete is the retirement forcing him to deal with the death of his son. That rings a tad forced to me, but I get where you're going with it and I don't think it hurts the query.

After discovering video evidence linking the property to a wave of mysterious child abductions, Noah is determined to unlock the secret buried inside crumbling wonderland. Aided by Caleb Rafferty, the teenage host burdened with an alcoholic father, Noah uncovers a plot orchestrated by Professor Dominic Ballard. Obsessed with gaining immortality, Ballard has found the key in ancient Druid lore and its long-forgotten but profound association with Christmas.

Let's clarify in this paragraph that, I assume, Fairy Tale Forest is some former amusement park or something like that. I think we need a better image of where the character is. I'm still liking this; my concern at this point is that it starts to feel a little too over the top, and that might just mean the book isn't for me, or it might be your query. I really like the fact that he's aided by a teenager. I find that appealing and I like that the teen definitely has his own demons. I wonder if it's best if we don't get into the specifics of who orchestrates the plot or what it is, but instead simply say a plot to use children in an attempt to gain immortality. In other words, keep the plot vague and continue to focus most closely on the characters.

By performing a ritual sacrifice on midnight of Christmas Eve, Ballard will trigger the deaths of children everywhere, ensuring himself never-ending life. For Caleb, it means the grave. For Noah, it means suffering the unbearable pain of losing a surrogate son. They must stop Ballard before the stroke of midnight, but standing in their way is a sadistic creature with powers of illusion, a creature that has just found some new toys to play with.

I think this is too specific again. It seems pretty obvious that they need to stop this guy. Even if children everywhere won't die, he's presumably abducted children. I think you'd be better off bringing it back to his son somehow. Since that's how the query started, I'm curious to see a little of how that's going to play into the book.

A paranormal thriller, FEAR THE UNKNOWN is complete at 100,000-words. It’s my first novel. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I love how this query started, but I wonder if it gets a little too "out there" for me. I'd skip the mention of this being your first novel. To be honest, if I'm on the fence that will push me toward a rejection. If I have concerns, based on the query, about your book, the fact that it's a "first novel" will make me feel that it's probably not as sharp as I need it to be or that my concerns will probably be founded. A bias? Maybe, but aren't we doing this to get a sense of what might bias agents?

Jessica

Understanding Genre

2011-11-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to determine the genre of a fantasy series I'm working on (fantasy or YA fantasy). I tweeted Jessica in response to a tweet about YA last week. The protagonist of my first novel is 17, and her boyfriend is 20. By the time the series ends, most of the main characters will be in their early twenties.

The first book deals with issues the MC is having with her abusive father. I'm having a lot of difficulty determining the genre for the series. It's clearly fantasy, but it also deals with YA issues. Because of the ages of the characters, I don't know if YA is the most appropriate.

Can you offer any advice on this?

My advice is to read the genres. It's all about voice. There's no doubt that age makes a difference when it comes to YA, and writing about characters in their 20s is a little difficult if you're targeting a YA market; however, writing a 16-year-old isn't going to guarantee that your book is YA if the voice isn't a YA voice, just like including a romance in your book doesn't guarantee your book is a romance if you don't have a romance voice.

Jessica

From Digital to Traditional . . . or Not

2011-11-14T08:00:00.003-05:00

Hello! I am an indie author that published my YA paranormal romance through Amazon's KDP service. The novel has done remarkably well; I sold over one thousand copies its first month (April), and it is on track to sell about five thousand copies this month. It ranks 165 in the overall Kindle store and #4 in it's subgenre, behind only Amanda Hocking's uber-popular Trylle trilogy. My question is this: Do I pursue a literary agent and traditonal book deal, or should I wait it out for the sales explosion that occurs during November, December, and January? (Amanda Hocking reportedly sold 80% of her million plus copies during this period last year) Thanks for taking the time to read this!

There's no right answer to this question. You have to do what you want to do, and you also need to be aware that Amanda Hocking's success in that period is in no way indicative of a publishing trend; it's one year that she's looking at, and that one year also saw a breakout in digital books overall (a lot of people received Kindles for Christmas last year).

I think you have to do what you want to do for your career and to pursue your career goals. Just as sales could spike in November of this year, they could also begin to drop. Like anything in life it's a gamble, so what you do has to be what your gut tells you to do. My advice, if you want to eventually get an agent, is to use your next book to do so. Leave your current book on Kindle for now and find an agent for you next work.

Jessica

Thought for the Day

2011-11-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Just because your agent tells you, realistically, that your expectations from your publisher might be more than they're willing to pay or give up on doesn't mean she can't negotiate fairly for you. Part of having an agent is having someone who can tell you, from experience, what you might expect from a publisher. Sometimes that means revealing the hard truths whether you want to hear them or not.

Jessica

The Stages of an Edit

2011-11-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

When signing the first contract, authors will always ask what's next, what's the next step in the publishing process, and usually it's edits. While certainly every publisher and every editor is different, here's what you can typically expect.

Revisions: These usually come from your acquisitions editor, the editor who made the offer and "bought" your book. Revisions can be as intense or as simple as the editor feels is needed, and how revisions come can differ from editor to editor. Some might print out a copy of the manuscript and make marks all over the page, while others could send a simple two-paragraph email explaining what needs to be done. Personally, I always fear the shorter revisions, they usually contain the most work. Things like "The entire second half of the book isn't working," instead of specifics like "Tone down the character in this scene."

Line Edits: Once revisions are turned in, and the editor finds them acceptable, she'll do line edits. This is where she scrolls through the manuscript to make sure there are no other problems or inconsistencies. She'll look for things like a change in dress color and make sure that a plot change is carried through. Sometimes line edits will be sent back to the author, but more often they'll simply be made and sent to the copyeditor so that you can look at line edits and copyedits at one time.

Copyedits: These are done by a freelance copyeditor. This is when the nitty-gritty of the book is taken care of. The copyeditor's job is to check grammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency. If you have a lot of odd spellings or characters in your book, I would always recommend a style sheet be submitted with your manuscript to the copyeditor so that she knows the spelling of names, or the spelling you choose, and can keep things consistent from book to book.

Proofreading: This is when the book has been taken to the printer and designed into final pages. You have one final chance to review the book, to proofread, and make sure no errors were made in the printing, layout, and design. At this point you cannot make major plot changes, but simply correct small, minor errors.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Submissions 101

2011-11-08T08:00:00.005-05:00

I was reviewing the analytics on our blog to see what some of the most popular posts have been. The top of the list was Submissions 101, a post I wrote in 2009, and since a lot happens in two years, especially in the past two years of publishing, I decided it was time to update this post.

Many of our regular readers are experts in the submission process, but daily new readers and new writers are finding this blog, looking for where to begin. Welcome. I hope you learn a lot here and I hope we can gently guide you into the world of publishing without scaring you off.

Presumably you've found this post because you've just finished a book you feel you want to get published. It could be your first book, it could be your tenth, either way you're ready to take the plunge. Congratulations! The first step in the submission process is celebrating that moment because, as many others here will tell you, celebration is good and we should always take it when we can.

The second step in the submission process is making sure that manuscript is ready to go and sitting down to write the second. What?! Yep. You heard me. One of the mistakes I often see beginning writers make is taking the plunge too early. Unless you're writing a timely nonfiction piece there's no reason to jump into the submission fray until you're sure your book is ready. That means all writing, rewriting, editing and revisions are done. That means you're ready to move on to your next book. My reasoning for this is twofold. By moving on you have something else to focus on (obsess over) other than just submissions. If you've moved on you also know this book is ready to go out.

These days most agents require a query letter submission. Read the guidelines and do your research and remember, the query letter is the most important piece of your manuscript right now. It's not something you whip together and send out in ten minutes. It's something you work hard on to perfect. I've done close to a bazillion (maybe a slight exaggeration) blog posts on queries, so read up. Read samples, read the critiques, read my thoughts, but most important, know what a good query is and know that it's not about you, it's not about your kids, it's all about your book and what makes your book stand out from all other books.

I always suggest that authors consider forming a query critique group of people who have not yet read the book, but who you want to entice with the query (just like an agent). I know that online groups like Absolute Write, Writers Net, and Backspace will definitely help hone queries. You also can’t go wrong, as a fiction writer, by joining groups and local chapters of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, or Science Fiction, Fantasy Writers of America.

Research is essential to finding an agent, but I think research also needs to be done in moderation. There are a number of fabulous websites and books available that will guide an author through the agent maze and list hundreds of agents and what they are acquiring. There are three places that I recommend you definitely look. The first is Preditors & Editors; this amazing author advocacy group vets agents to make sure you are submitting to only those that are reputable. Do not submit to any agent until you’ve checked this site. The second are agent websites themselves; this is the best place to find the most up-to-date information on what agents are looking for and an agent’s guidelines. Granted, not all agents have websites, but it’s important to check. And finally, if you don’t become a subscriber to Publishers Marketplace, you should, at the very least, sign up for their free deal notifications so you can keep up on the news of some (not all) of the publishing deals that are being made. After you’ve checked those sites, sending out queries is a bit of an act of faith. Do enough research to know that the agent you are submitting to represents (or is at least listed as having represented) books in the genre or area you’re writing in. There’s no need to double- and triple-check this with every single listing ever written. One reliable source should be enough. Remember, when querying it’s really easy to get bogged down in things like research or editing your book and at some point you just have to decide that it’s time to make that next step.

Now that you’ve written your query and done your research, it’s time to take that leap and send the query out. This is where I’m hoping veteran readers will pop in with their own advice. I think it’s probably best to send a few out (maybe ten) at a time to some agents on your A list, some on your B list, and some on your C list. Get a feel for if the query is working, and a few weeks later (whether you’ve received responses or not) send out ten more queries. Whether or not you get a response will depend on the agent and her guidelines. This is one of those issues that stresses submitting writers out more than anything and, as we learned in Agentfail, causes more than a little anger and frustration. My advice is that if the agency has a “no response means no" policy, note that on your query-tracking sheet and move on the minute the query goes out. If an agency does post that they respond to all queries, note that on your tracking sheet and also when you should check in (I think 4 to 6 weeks is more than reasonable).

Hopefully you’ve written a strong enough query that you’ll immediately start receiving requests for proposals. If not, you might discover that you need to go back to the drawing board and revamp that query before making any new submissions. I believe there’s an evolutionary process to rejection and almost every writer goes through it. If you have revamped the query, are you allowed to requery those same agents who might have already rejected the work? I don’t necessarily advocate you do this. On the other hand, I don’t see a lot wrong with doing it. I don’t love the idea and I suspect most other agents feel the same way. Ultimately, it’s a decision you need to make on your own based on your own feelings about your query and passion for a particular agent. To read more of my thoughts on how to make that decision, I suggest you read Resubmissions and ReQueries.

Once proposals are being requested I can’t promise anything on timing. Again, it’s up to each individual agent how she responds. You might receive constructive feedback, you might receive little more than a form. Some agents might respond within days, others months. My best advice at this point is to stay the course. Continue querying, continue sending out proposals and hopefully full manuscripts, and, when that offer does come in, please, please use it to your advantage to make sure you are getting the best offer with the best agent for you, because not every agent is right for every author.

Jessica

How I Edit

2011-11-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

We've been having a discussion in the office about how we edit our clients' work and, not surprisingly, we all have different techniques.

Since I just recently sent a 17-page revision letter to a client (yes, Jessica gasped as well) let me start by explaining how I edit manuscripts. I really like reading on my Kindle. It's easy and I don't have to print any pages out, but more important, it gives me a book-like reading experience, which I find is helpful to editing. The experience keeps me in a place where I read for pleasure, but with an editorial eye. In other words, I tend not to cross that line into forgetting the pleasure part and simply reading for editorial mistakes.

So typically I sit either at my desk on the couch, or wherever I happen to be, and read on the Kindle, but with my computer by my side. This way I can take notes as I go along. I typically take the notes right in the body of an email, and really, it's a giant editorial vomit. My clients will attest to this. As I'm reading, I jot down every thought I have and I send every thought to the author. The thoughts could be major, "This prologue is really just confusing and I don't think it's needed," to minor, "What if she actually wears the necklace in this scene?" They can be things like, "Check your commas, they seem a little scattered," to "Don't forget to build the world more, I think it will make this stronger." They can be simple like, "I love this chapter" to "I really think this character is useless and could go."

And I expand on things. In other words, you won't just get "I think this character can go." You'll get my thoughts on why the character isn't working and how she doesn't add anything to the story. You'll also get my own suggestions for how you can change or strengthen the story. In other words, could you make someone else the killer, or what if character Jack and character Frank are really one and the same? And as far as I'm concerned you can run with my suggestions or you can ignore them altogether and go off in your own way. I don't care how you want to fix the problems I see, I just care that when I read it the next time those problems/my concerns are gone.

For me anyway, and for my authors, I find that jotting down every thought helps my clients see not just what I'm thinking, but why I'm thinking what I'm thinking. I also find that it helps us, hopefully, solve any major problems the book might have as well as smaller ones, and that by building both at the same time we're creating, overall, a stronger book. And keep in mind that in 17 pages you might hear me repeat myself a lot. In other words, if I think a certain character isn't working I might repeat over and over each time that character appears why that character isn't working for me in that particular scene. Because, as you know, it's an editorial vomit.

This year alone I've sent two massive revision letters like that and I'm happy to report both authors embraced them. I think, unless they lied to me, they saw much of what I was saying and enjoyed the back-and-forth the letter created. At least I hope they did.

Jessica

Finding Your Middle Editor

2011-11-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

I learn so much from my interns—when I'm teaching them I often find I'm also teaching myself. Recently I asked one of my interns to write up a revision letter on a proposal for a client of mine. Part of the job was an exercise in revision letters and part of the job was to have yet another eye on the material so I could incorporate some of her thoughts in my letter.

After looking at her letter I realized that she made a common mistake for young editors (something I'm positive I was victim of)—she over-edited. I strongly believe it's something all editors do at one point or another. It's not hard and it usually happens when you forget to read the book and let things jump out at you, and instead you read the book with the intent to find things, picky little things.

I think we can all agree that editing and reading are two different things, two different "heads," let's say. And I think there's a place in the middle, a place I call the Middle Editor. It's in between the editor who is looking hard for errors and the reader who avoids seeing the errors so she can just enjoy the story. A good editor finds that central spot (and remembers to go back there when she accidentally leaves) where the enjoyment of the book hasn’t left, but the editor brain is still on. Instead of searching for things to tell the author to fix, she waits for them to jump out at her. There might be many, there might be a few, and, yes, some of them might be picky, but she also learns to enjoy the story as she goes so she can ignore some of those things that are probably personal issues and not real editorial issues.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-11-02T08:00:00.003-04:00

By repeated request we've started Workshop Wednesday. It will definitely play out through 2011, and beyond that we'll just have to see. We've received well over 200 queries at this point, but we are choosing at random, so don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear Query Workshop,

Thirteen-year-old Cody hasn’t planned on running away, but when his mother refuses to tell her new boyfriend about him and his father is moving to California with his giggly girlfriend, Cody runs to the woods to think.

Interesting . . . I’ll continue reading.

He soon finds out why the woods are forbidden [They are? Says who?] when he meets two kids with ESP who talk about their fantastic city hidden deep underground. With only an empty sense of family to go back to, Cody follows his friends into the darkened tunnel to begin a whole new life in Larimar. With his new friends, Cody explores crystal caves, climbs giant rock walls, and hears legends of ancient artifacts.

And he discovers Larimar’s dark secret – the city’s leaders are scared to death. Despite their paranormal abilities, they have no idea how and why their people are disappearing.

A better sense of this world would be beneficial here. What paranormal abilities? What can they do? What kind of people live in Larimar? How long is Cody there? Does he develop deep relationships with the people there? Are there quirky and fun characters living there?

Cody can’t even juggle let alone do anything paranormal, but with his new home in a crisis, he tries anything to uncover clues to the missing people.

I want to get a better sense of Cody just as much as I want a better sense of Larimar. Is he quiet and watchful? Precocious and razor-smart? In this query, he appears to me as just four letters in a row who can’t juggle and I need more than that, even if just a few adjectives, to get a taste of him. And that’s what a query should be—an accurate taste of the real thing.

What he discovers is his freaky ‘accidents’ are no accident – someone is trying to kill him.

Whoa. You’ve lost me. What “accidents”? Who would have reason to kill him? Because there’s no description of the threat, someone trying to kill Cody seems outlandish and there’s no immediacy to it.

But just when Cody suspects he's getting close to the truth, he learns that his mother’s health is declining fast.

How would he learn this? He lives underground.

Cody rushes to the surface to reunite with his mother and meets a future stepfather he actually likes. As his mother’s health improves, Cody finally enjoys a loving family life.

Then a vision of Larimar’s destruction invades his dreams. Now Cody struggles between staying with the real family he’s always wanted and risking his life and his mom’s health to go back and save the friends he left behind, before his nightmare comes true.

Why would his mother’s health be dependent on him not going to Larimar? I think there are two major problems with this query, in addition to the ones I’ve written above. The first is that there is some information left out, such as why Cody’s mom is sick, and who might be trying to kill Cody.

The larger problem is that there is no hint of Cody taking an emotional journey of growth. This is middle grade, so the conflict in the story needs to be largely internal, just like conflict in the lives of middle-graders. Does Cody develop a stronger identity? A feeling of belonging to a family? It sounds like there are traces of a conflict when Cody is torn between staying with his real family and returning to help Larimar, but this is not explained fully, so I’m left wondering if that’s just my own supposition and expectation, or if it's actually in the manuscript.

LARIMAR – THE HIDDEN CITY is my middle grade manuscript complete at 59,000 words. The sequel, RETURN TO LARIMAR, is complete at 41,000 words.

I work in the medical field and I enjoy mixing science facts with myths and legends to create my stories. May I send you the full manuscript, LARIMAR – THE HIDDEN CITY?

This is a multiple submission. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best regards,

It is helpful to know that a sequel is complete and that it is a multiple submission.

Lauren

Gina Robinson on the Creative Spark

2011-11-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

Gina Robinson
The Spy Who Left Me
Publisher: St. Martin's
Pub date: November 2011
Agent: Kim Lionetti

(Click to Buy)

The Creative Spark—How Do You Get Your Ideas? And Where Do They Come From?

As a published author, the number-one question I'm asked by people who aren't writers is a variation of "How do you get your ideas? Where do your ideas come from?" Think this question is easy to answer? Give it your best shot. But be warned—proceed with caution.

Greater minds than mine have been trying to come up with a satisfying response for more than three thousand years. The ancient Greeks of Socrates's time believed ideas and inspiration came from being possessed by the gods and blessed by Zeus's nine daughters, the Muses. Later, during their Renaissance, the Italians tied the idea of genio to pazzia, the thought that inspiration was linked to madness. Neither claiming divine possession nor creative craziness work for today's writer.

The honest answer, "Uh, I don't know. From everywhere?" doesn't satisfy. People revere creativity and inspiration. And most want to be told how to capture it for themselves. They expect a more detailed answer from a fiction-writing professional than a vague, "everywhere." And to be honest, they think you're holding out on them and keeping the secret handshake to yourself.

"From life" seems like another good response. But on inspection, that doesn't fly either. I write humorous romantic suspense novels about spies. Tell people I get my ideas from life and they look at me funny. No, I've never garroted someone with a lei or been chased by a bike-pump-wielding assassin like my heroine in The Spy Who Left Me. And, no, I'm not a secret agent like my heroes are. Though you'll just have to take my word for it, because if I were a secret agent, would I tell you here?

Truthfully, I've been stumped for years, stammering an answer when asked. Until my husband pointed me to an excellent book, The Riddle, Where Ideas Come From and How to Have Better Ones by Andrew Razeghi. The book is geared toward building conceptual creativity for innovation in business, but much of what Razeghi says applies to artistic creativity. He posits that curiosity begets creativity. When I read that, I had an aha moment—that's where my ideas come from, my insatiable curiosity! For years, I've been taking this question too literally.

Where do my ideas come from? From pondering questions like, "What would it be like to be married to a spy in the vein of James Bond?" "How would I escape from an assassin?" "Would it be fun to lie for a living?" "How does it feel to love a dangerous man?"
Feel free to claim my answer as your own. By telling people curiosity inspires your ideas, you're giving them the secret to finding their inspiration. Anyone can be curious. It's a big relief to people that creativity doesn't take genius. And it preserves the real top-secret source of a writer's ideas—the Internet ;-)

Where do you tell people your ideas come from? I'd love to hear.

***

Watch a video for The Spy Who Left Me:

(If you're unable to view the above video, click here to watch it at vimeo.com).

Social Networking Is So Easy

2011-10-31T08:00:00.002-04:00

We live in a world where everything changes daily and changes quickly. And just as those changes happen, so do my thoughts on the many opportunities available to us. When the blog post I wrote on Twitter v. Facebook posted, it made me think a lot more about the two places, and I think some of your comments helped that as well.

When it comes to marketing I think it's pretty fair to say that everyone is looking for the quick fix. We all want to spend as little time as possible doing the marketing we know is necessary because, truthfully, we want to write our books. And of course you know how important that is because when all is said and done, the only thing that matters is the quality of your book.

Unfortunately, Twitter and Facebook, and other social networking markets, are not the time-savers we either like to believe they are or have convinced ourselves they are. Gone are the days when marketing meant taking a design to the printer, ordering a stack of postcards or bookmarks, and sending them to bookstores. Not that it was easy work, but it was a one-time deal (per book). You maybe took a day or two, or a week, out of your writing schedule to complete the job and then you moved on. Now marketing is 24/7, and if you're going to be good at it, and use it successfully, you have to do the work, which is a lot.

As I said in my earlier post, Twitter is great for connecting with new readers. It's a way to connect over publishing news, world news, or just pass along your favorite muffin recipe. It's a constant conversation with strangers, but strangers who just might find you interesting enough to want to learn more about you and buy your books.

Facebook is for fans. On Facebook people seek you out. Your status posts are not for public consumption. They are for your "friends" only. Therefore, Facebook is a way for you to connect with those who want a connection specifically with you. It's the place for you to talk about your upcoming book and connect with those readers in a conversation. It's the place for you to find out which of your characters is the most beloved or who they would like to see killed off in the next book.

I think both Facebook and Twitter can be hugely beneficial to all authors, but only if they are something you connect with as well. They aren't easy to use and they don't work if you don't use them properly, but if you do, wow, you can really find something special there.

Jessica

The Archaic Query

2011-10-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

When authors spend time together complaining about query letters, one of the things I frequently hear is how archaic the process is, how queries should be done away with in place of sample chapters. The irony of this statement is that the importance of the query has grown significantly over the past few years, which makes it, in fact, not archaic at all.

As publishing gets "easier" through the use of technology, it's important for agents to come up with more ways to streamline their own processes. When we started BookEnds 12 years ago we accepted unsolicited proposal packages via snail mail. That allowed us to skip the query altogether and read the material. And then we got busier, more successful, and the proposals would come in at a stack that was somewhere between two and three feet tall daily. I'm not kidding. I had a wall of bookshelves dedicated to holding proposals and manuscripts. As time went on technology took over and things changed. I found that even if a proposal came in, half the time I wasn't reading it. I was basing my decision on the query anyway. So why was I asking people to submit the entire package?

I know many of you hate the query and feel that it's unfair because it's a different skill set. That might be true. I have to use many different skill sets for my job. Writing queries (ha! I write them too) is different than writing this blog, or the blurbs for the website, or the blurbs for my foreign agents, etc. It's what we do to become successful. We take time to learn what we need to do.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

By repeated request we've started Workshop Wednesday. It will definitely play out through 2011, and beyond that we'll just have to see. We've received well over 200 queries at this point, but we are choosing at random, so don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear Ms. Faust,

Sixteen year old transfer student Hannah Slaughtery never imagined her future would involve fighting against monsters she doesn’t believe in with people she’s not even sure she likes.

I like this opening. It grabs my attention and I think it works. If I wanted to get picky, although I don't know that it matters in the grand scheme of your query, I would wonder why you bother to mention that she's a transfer student. I don't know that it matters for a query.

But when she and four other students attend a retreat at Piaculum Academy, they discover they are the next generation of Partizans, a band of supernatural warriors dating back to the dawn of man. Each must decide how much of themselves they are willing to sacrifice as they stand against the Formorians, a ruthless and tyrannical empire of demons who have been wiping out the Partizan lines for generations in order to make way for their own ascension.

I like this, I only wonder if you aren't complicating things too much by over-describing. Do you need to name the groups in the query or can you simply say that they discover they are the next generation in a line of supernatural warriors charged with standing against an empire of demons . . . ? I also wonder, for the book's sake, if you need a bigger conflict. In other words, if they don't know if they are willing to sacrifice themselves, do they care about their own ascension (I assume you mean to power)?

All of that pickiness aside, I think this paragraph works.

As Hannah struggles to comprehend her legacy, she is distracted by the unexplainable, yet undeniable connection she feels toward Finn, another Partizan, who is obviously hiding something from her.

I think the problem I have with this is that I don't feel the action of the book or the big climax or conflict. I feel a little blah about all of this. You tell me the setup, but you don't really tell me a lot about Hannah's individual struggle, and I don't think her attraction to Finn is it.

Mentored by Garrett, a First Crusade era Catholic priest turned vampire, Hannah begins her metaphysical transformation to become a witch, knowing only one thing for sure: the carefree days of her youth have come to a screeching halt.

In the framework of your query this feels dropped in, and maybe this is the heart of the series. Maybe we need to learn more about this transformation. Maybe this is really the core of your query.

The Partizans, a YA paranormal is complete at 72,000 words and has series potential. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Overall I think this is a good query and I definitely think you'll get some requests off it. I do, however, worry that it's a little flat, that you could insert some excitement, some action into it that would push it over the edge and give it that oomph to get you lots of requests. I think your book overall is probably different and intriguing, but that doesn't come through in a big enough way in the query. The query sounds a little like a lot of other queries, which is why I think you need to work on focusing on more action.

Jessica

Taxes and Authors

2011-10-25T08:00:00.002-04:00

Can you please tell me if a publisher takes care of income tax in royalty payments? Or is paying tax the job of the author or agent?

As an author you are not an employee of the publisher, you are an independent contractor. Therefore you are responsible for filing your own taxes and paying them (quarterly). Typically, all payments are sent through your agent and issued from your agent, less her commission. Therefore, at tax time you should receive a 1099 from your agent that shows your actual earnings. And don't forget to save those receipts for things like your computer, Internet access, printer ink, or the ereader you use. All of those would be considered business expenses.

Jessica

**Quick disclaimer. I'm not even close to a tax attorney so before filing make sure you check with your accountant on what you really can write-off and what you can't.

Classifying Your Novel

2011-10-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

My novel is about a collage age student on a journey of self discovery. There are paranormal events, some sci fi components, romance, but ultimately it is about the main character finding herself and accepting all that she is. So here's my question, where would my story fit? I have tried representing it in different ways, but some agents suggest different catagories. I even had it classified as New Adult, but is that the best place? Any resources or help would be greatly appriciated. :-)My goal is to reach a larger audience, but if I classify my novel as New Adult, would these other components be okay as cross genres?

It's really hard for me to tell you where your story will fit without reading it. My question to you would be who will read your book? What else are they reading? Personally, I'm not a fan of the term "new adult." I think it's silly and, yes, I could easily be proven wrong and it could become a new genre, but in my mind it's a trendy term that's going to be gone tomorrow. Besides that, at what point do people go to the bookstore or log into their ereaders and ask for the "new adult" section. There's YA, there's mystery, there's SF (not Sci Fi, by the way), there's romance, etc., but I've never seen new adult. When all else fails, label it fiction, but it sounds like you're writing a genre that needs a genre home. You need to find which home.

One thought, the one authors hate most to hear, is maybe it doesn't fit anywhere. Maybe you've tried to make your book into something it can't be and you need to go back in and strengthen certain areas of your book so that it is something.

Now, before someone named "anonymous" jumps in to tell me that this is the problem with publishing and all of us who work in it, that we have no imagination and need everything to be the same, let me point out that in the advent of ereaders we're seeing a real strength in proper categorization. Generally labeled books are not doing as well as genre labeled books. People are finding it easier to go into a section in their ereader bookstore to buy a book than they are sifting through a fiction section where some books might fit their interests while a lot do not. That does not mean that you slap any label on a book. Your label needs to fit the expectations of the readers.

Jessica

What Is Platform

2011-10-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

Frequently agents will tell writers, nonfiction writers most specifically, that they need a platform. But what is a platform?

A platform is needed for non-narrative nonfiction. This is nonfiction in which your readers expect you, as the author, to have a certain level of expertise. If you're providing advice on anything—how to achieve happiness, credit repair, parenting, wart removal, movie suggestions, cooking, sleeping, eating, shopping, business start-up—you will need a platform. Heck, sometimes you will even need a platform for memoirs and humor, but not always.

So what is this elusive platform? Let me first tell you want it's not. A platform is not your credentials. It has nothing to do with your degree or degrees, or the level of respect your colleagues have for you. A platform is your name recognition on a national or international level. It's how well you can sell books simply because you have a following.

A platform is your national newspaper column, your television show on NBC, your regular appearance as an expert on radio, TV, or a major website, like theknot.com. A platform means you have thousands of Twitter followers, a blog with thousands of readers, and you get major attention for those things or have received major attention for those things through other outlets.

In other words, a platform means that thousands of people you don't know know you and would buy your book because they know you.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-10-19T08:00:00.003-04:00

By repeated request we've started Workshop Wednesday. It will definitely play out through 2011, and beyond that we'll just have to see. We've received well over 200 queries at this point, but we are choosing at random, so don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear [Agent's name]

Considering your client list and book sales, I am writing to seek your representation of my women's fiction manuscript "All of Us", complete at 85,000 words.

Dan Wilkins is having an affair – or at least, he thinks he is.

Hmm. I’m listening . . . I love this opening. I can’t wait to find what you’re talking about.

Gini is the spitting image of his wife, and everything he thought that depressed, lifeless Emma was when he married her. He didn't even know Emma had a twin, and now he's sleeping with her.

Dan wouldn’t find it incredible that another person looks precisely like his wife? He wouldn’t think it was his wife playing a trick? Have you ever met a person who looks so much like an unrelated person that they could actually be that person? This doesn’t seem plausible, and also, this part feels disconnected from the rest of the query—it’s completely forgotten after the next paragraph.

Then one day Emma shows him a positive pregnancy test – but Dan hasn't touched her in months. The truth comes out. Gini is Emma – she is one of seven alters in Emma's mind. Emma has Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Dan had no idea he married a multiple. He has to be the only man in the world to cheat on his wife with his wife.

Now Dan has to learn to accept the separate parts of Emma's mind or watch his marriage disintegrate. He joins Emma in therapy to meet her alters – none of which had any idea Gini was taking over.

He was cheating on Emma (at least emotionally) and thought she was lifeless and depressing. Seems to me his marriage had already dissolved. Yet he’s willing to go through therapy and the other issues that are often part of DID, such as paranoia, epileptic seizures, phobia, and panic attacks? I’ve missed something . . . I need to know more about Dan’s journey with Emma. Does he realize that he does in fact love her and want to help? Is he sorry or feeling guilty that he cheated? I think the part about Dan sleeping with Gini is not important enough, judging by your query, to be included. It might be best to scrap that part and focus on Emma’s disorder.

Assuming control of the body once again, Gini tries to get an abortion, and Dan feels he has no choice: he lays out an ultimatum. Emma must integrate all of her alters into one whole, or else give up custody of the baby. But is there a way to get rid of Gini so that Dan and Emma can become a family – multiple parts and all?

The element of the baby sort of takes this over the top for me. I think the baby is a great ticking clock to create a deeper sense of urgency to Emma’s healing journey and to up the stakes, but since you’ve started the query with infidelity, continued it with mental illness, and have now arrived at pregnancy and child custody, I feel like I have whiplash. It is probably because you didn’t want to leave anything out in your query, but that’s the thing with queries: to write one, you have to master the art of leaving the right things out. What is the main focus, the larger thread of your book? This is what you’ll want to focus on because a publishing professional will use it as a sales handle. It seems here the main idea is Emma’s mental illness. This is interesting enough without the infidelity and the baby. These bits should be in a synopsis, not a query.

Please find below the first [xx] pages of “All of Us” [+ other submission requests]. I would be happy to provide you with the complete manuscript. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

I would have rejected this because even though I love the intrigue of DID and Dan cheating on his wife with his wife, it seems like you present some misinformation, improbabilities, and contradictions, like Dan not knowing a person identical to his wife would be his wife, or Emma being expected to integrate her personalities during the short span of her pregnancy. Something about the casual way you discuss Dissociative Identity Disorder worries me that you haven’t done enough research to properly depict a character with this controversial disorder.

This query was a little jarring. I felt jerked around because things change abruptly on this page. First Dan's cheating, but only maybe. Then, he's cheating with his wife's long-lost twin. Then, he's actually not cheating at all because he's sleeping with two different women within his wife. Then! I don't like Dan too much in the beginning because he's cheating on his wife. Then, without much note to this, he's solidly helping her through her illness. Then we take another hairpin turn when Dan says Emma must integrate all her personalities, but in the next sentence, I'm told they are trying to become a family, personalities and all.

Lauren

Reading Your Contract

2011-10-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

It's a totally weird phenomenon, but I've had more authors hire lawyers to read the Author/Agent Agreement they sign with me than I have authors who have hired lawyers to read the publishing contract. Now, I'm not saying you have to hire a lawyer to read the publishing contract, since that's one of the things you pay your agent to do (read and negotiate), but when you do I find it odd you would hire someone to read the least important of the two contracts.

I appreciate that you trust me to negotiate a strong contract on your behalf, and I will certainly do that, but what I find most disconcerting of all is the recent realization that so many authors are signing these contracts without reading one word of either of them. Isn't that mom lesson number two? Right after saying please and thank you, aren't you taught to never sign anything without reading it first?

No matter what you think you are signing, you are responsible for it once you sign. Therefore, when getting your contract, it's important that you are aware of what it is you're committing yourself to.

Due dates? Those are your responsibility. That means if you commit to a due date that seems "absurd and ridiculous," well, you've committed to it, so if it is "absurd and ridiculous," maybe you need to discuss that with your agent and editor before actually signing the contract.

Manuscript length? The publisher expects your manuscript to be a certain length, and if you think it's too short or too long, discussing that with your agent and editor before signing is better than trying to argue the point with your publisher well after the fact.

Materials? If the contract says you are responsible for providing 25 pieces of artwork, permissions for copyrighted material, an index, or your firstborn child, you will be responsible for supplying that.

My point? Read your contract and ask your agent about anything that you have questions about. That's what you pay her for. I get that a 15-page legal document is a pain to read and can make your head spin. I read them almost daily and sometimes my head spins, and yes, I always think they're a pain to read. But they are important and they can be negotiated before you sign them. It's not so easy to negotiate after they've been signed and counter-signed and you realize you actually like and would like to keep your firstborn child.

Jessica

An Offer on the Table

2011-10-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

I was helped a lot by a previous post of yours, how to turn a small press offer into something bigger. I went back and read it again and was well prepared for the exciting day. I got the small press offer, did not accept it (but did not turn it down either), and found a good agent. The novel is now on submission with the knowledge that there's an offer on the table. My question is: how long can you keep the small press waiting? It's been about a month now (since the offer; two weeks since submission to other editors) and I'm hoping we'll hear from the other editors soon. Two weeks ago, I informed the small press that an agent would be handling the contract and could I have a few more weeks for my response? I haven't heard back from them as of this writing. Thanks very much.

In my opinion two weeks is more than enough time, bordering on too much time actually. I understand it probably took two weeks to find an agent and that's perfectly acceptable, but with an offer on the table, no matter how small the press, the other publishers should be jumping through hoops, at your agent's insistence, to respond as quickly as possible. In my experience, once you've secured an agent, she should submit the material immediately and ask for replies immediately. The only caveat to that is if you are fully intending to turn down the small press offer no matter what happens with other publishers.

What you really need to be doing is talking to your agent about her strategy and ask not only how she's approaching editors with the project but what sort of timeline she's giving them.

Jessica

Show Your Confidence

2011-10-13T08:00:00.004-04:00

Whenever I compose an email to an editor I think about every word I type and how it will be perceived. For example, when following up on a submission, I never want to say I'm "just" getting in touch because it sounds like what I'm getting in touch about isn't that important. While certainly overthinking things can be dangerous and I don't want authors spending weeks laboring over each and every word, how we say things and the words we use are important. We already know that because as authors, you already spend weeks crafting the perfect paragraph or sentence in your manuscript, and the professional correspondence about that manuscript shouldn't be any different.

What inspired this post is that lately I've been noticing a real lack of confidence in emails to agents, or at least what I'm chalking up to lack of confidence. Authors aren't using the best word choices when querying, following up on queries, or getting in touch to tell of an offer. The words used are often coming across as either too weak or too strong, almost combative.

Certainly, we all read with our own issues. In other words, how I read something might not be read by someone else the same way, but I think when proofing and revising our letters we can often tell, pretty quickly, when a better word choice is needed. After all, it's our job as writers to understand and look for how what we're writing might be perceived. It's how we check to make sure our characters come across as likable, for example.

As an example, I've had a few authors check on submissions lately (and I'm not that far behind) by saying something along the lines of, "I'm checking on the status of my manuscript. If you are no longer interested please let me know." Why would you assume I'm no longer interested? Should I not be interested? Is this a challenge? Are you angry that it's taken me so long when in fact it hasn't?

The truth is this makes me not want to read more. If you don't think I should be interested, or are going to present yourself in this sort of angry and combative way in our first correspondence, how are you going to operate months down the line when we're working together? If you've done any research at all on me you know I reply to everything, and most definitely requested material, so this sort of tone seems especially unwarranted (especially if I know that I'm still well within my submission response time frame).

In another example, I've always encouraged authors to use an offer of representation to their advantage. Use it to make sure you can find the best agent for you and your work. That being said, when I'm contacted by an author I want to know that I'm actually requesting and reading the work because I'm one of the agents they are interested in hearing from, and not that they are simply contacting everyone because they were told they should.

There have been times when an author gets an offer of representation about the same time I've requested more material, but instead of saying something like, "I am attaching the material you requested. I have just received an offer so am asking to hear from all interested agents by Friday," the author says to me, "I just received an offer of representation and am waiting to hear back from agents who already have the material. Are you still interested?" I don't know. Should I be? It feels like you don't care whether I'm interested or not, like you've already made your decision, which, frankly, is fine. I'd rather that I'm only in the running if I'm really in the running. If you don't care to entertain an offer from me, let me know, if not out of respect for me and my time, then out of respect to your fellow writers, all of those waiting for me to read their material.

Think of it this way. How would you feel if you contacted an agent to tell her of an offer of representation and her response is something along the lines of, "Okay, I suppose you can send it to me." Why bother? Do you really want to send it after that?

What if an agent requested material off a query with something like, "This seems okay. If you think I'm the right agent, send it."

Remember, you have a product agents want. They are looking for new and talented authors, so present yourself that way.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-10-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

The Query Isn't Working, Maybe It's the Book

2011-10-11T08:00:00.002-04:00

All too often I read a query, or hear a pitch at a conference, and think how the author didn't take the book to the next level. I'm sure many of you will say that it's hard to convey the entire book in either a query or a pitch, but I also think it's important to stop blaming the query process and start using it as part of your writing process.

Writing queries is hard. I know. I have to write them. I also hear that from authors endlessly. Writing a synopsis stinks. Something else I hear endlessly. But instead of looking at those two things as pieces that are separate from the manuscript, I think they should be looked at as part of the process. If you're working on your query and finding it hard to come up with something that makes your book sound special, maybe it's that your book isn't special. It might be a good book, but is it good enough to grab the attention of a brand-new readership, people who already have thousands of books to choose from?

If you're having trouble nailing down the true conflict in your query, maybe you don't have enough in your story.

Changing our mind-set to think of queries and synopses as part of creating the manuscript might make them more useful to you, as they should be, than just getting an agent or publisher.

Jessica

It's Your Attitude I Reject

2011-10-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

I had a boss once who was fond of saying "life is too short," and it's become a bit of a mantra of mine. Life is short and I want to spend it doing the things I love with people I enjoy spending time with. There's no doubt we always have moments in our lives when we can't choose who we have to spend time with, and there are always things we have to do even if we don't want to (clean toilets, anyone?), but when I have a choice I'm going to pick what I love (like my job) with people I know I'll enjoy working with.

Which is why a query like the one below is not going to get you in my door. It might work with another agent, but after reading this opening I don't care what your book is about, I know we're not a good fit.

I’m supposed to write a query letter to have you look at my book, and be interested in me as a writer. I’m an independent writer because I really have no use for formalities. I detest the pretentious rituals writers have to go through to kiss ass and hope they get their book published. And I would imagine an agent getting bored reading these monotonous ramblings of writers trying their best to write a query in the prescribed format, hoping they got it right, for if they falter in any way their hopes and dreams of “being” a writer will be lost forever. Their fate lies in that sacred of all documents: The Query. How can such a creative art have such dogma?

Jessica

Selling Novellas

2011-10-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

I read the blog about Sally MacKenzie and her novella. My question is: What is the word count for a novella? I [redacted] wrote my novella about an FBI agent, [redacted] (first in series). The first one is 40,000 words and about a heart surgeon living in San Francisco. I didn't know what to do with a novella and stuck it in the drawer. Can you tell me how to "get it out there?"

Contracted word counts for novellas are typically between 25,000 and 35,000 words. Usually novellas are part of an anthology, and how long they are will depend on how many people the publisher is asking to participate in the anthology. Typically they are looking for a final total word count of about 100,000 words.

It's hard to get a novella into New York publishers without an agent. It's not something publishers typically take on submission, but usually something they ask for, asking an author specifically to participate. In the new self-epublishing market there are opportunities to publish novellas yourself. Otherwise you can always expand your novella into a novel or hold on to it until you get published with a novel and see if your publisher is interested in your novella at that time.

Another option would be to create a collection yourself--two or three of your own novellas into a collection that you could submit to agents.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Ten Rules for Twitter Success

2011-10-04T08:00:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of amazing rules for Twitter success out there, they are easy to find, and in fact this post was inspired by a blog post by Novel Publicity.

However, since many of you read book blogs to help grow your career, I thought it would be valuable to include some tips of my own and hopefully encourage you, those of you hoping to use Twitter as part of your marketing plan, to do some other reading on the subject before diving in.

When I first started on Twitter I had no idea what I was getting into and, honestly, it took me a long time to get comfortable there and decide if it was for me. Now I love Twitter. I've connected with old friends, a ton of colleagues, and authors. I've signed authors because of Twitter exchanges, and introduced others to great books written by my clients. I've hosted give-aways and #askagent sessions in which I answer any questions writers might have about publishing. Twitter has also become my go-to source for news in publishing or otherwise. I've learned a lot from Twitter and you can too. You can also use it to market yourself and your book, but only if you use Twitter right.

These are rules based on my own frustrations with Twitter and those I follow or have unfollowed.

1. Include a bio. You have roughly 140 characters to create a bio for yourself. Use them. I can't follow someone by a name only. If I learn, however, that you're on Twitter because you're writing something specific, published in something specific, a blogger, an expert, or whatever, I might be inclined to test you out. And make your bio interesting and a little personal.

2. Personalize your photo. This is important. If I see a tweet from someone with no photo (or the "Twitter" egg photo), I immediately assume it's spam. When you sign up, include a photo. A lot of authors include the covers of their books. I get it, you're trying for maximum attention for your books. I don't like this though. I like some sort of photo or avatar because then, over time, I feel like I get to know the author and recognize the author whenever a tweet pops up, without the ever-changing cover. Don't be afraid to be creative either. If you don't want a photo of you, find an avatar that represents you.

3. Engage in conversation. You don't need to respond to everyone who responds to you. In fact, you shouldn't, but occasionally you should engage in the conversation you've started with your tweets. Or even connect with those you follow. I've found links on Twitter that I've tweeted to those I follow, but don't know personally, because it connected with something they had tweeted about.

4. Make your links make sense. I won't click on a link that's too vague. If your tweet is something along the lines of "Delicious Food [link here]" I probably won't click the link. If, however, you say something like, "Just made these amazing GF strawberry cupcakes [link here]" I will probably click the link. Like all of you, I don't have time to click random links just because someone suggested it. If I know the link is of particular interest to me I might click it, and if it looks amazing I will probably share it.

5. Be real. The best tweeters are those who allow themselves to be themselves. Sure, it's your professional face so you might not tweet every moment (and you shouldn't), but you are also going to let your passions come through. For example, in addition to a lot of tweeting about agenting and publishing, I share food passions on Twitter, as well as the occasional dog photo.

6. Be interesting. Too many people use Twitter as a regular way to post their morning blog link or to only tell about the release of their book. Boring and far too consistent. Sure, you can post those things, but you need something in between that's a little different and more interesting. For example, are you testing a new recipe to be included in the book? Don't post "testing a new recipe," post "can limes replace lemons in lemon meringue? b/c hubby bought limes instead."

7. Use Twitter. In other words, actually use it. No one is going to find you if the only time you post is the day your book releases. Why would anyone follow you for that? Make sure you post regularly. The beauty of Twitter is that you don't have to be there to post. If you know your schedule for the day you can easily set up some scheduled tweets. When I'm at a conference, for example, I often schedule my tweets based on my workshop schedule. That way I don't have to remember to tweet while I'm rushing to find the workshop, but everyone who follows me knows which one I'm speaking at.

8. If you're trying to start a contest or a conversation always include a hashtag. This way people who retweet can share the conversation by simply including the hashtag and people don't need to follow all of those who are retreating. They can click on the hashtag. Honestly, this is something I need to work on, but it's also something that will make a huge difference when your goal is to spread the word.

9. Feel free to walk away. Just because you tweeted something doesn't mean you need to now police it. Feel free to shut down Twitter whenever you need to and walk away. It's a constant conversation and you don't need to follow every single piece of it.

10. Follow others. Twitter is a conversation, not a press release. If you want people to follow you, you need to follow others, to find a purpose for yourself to be on Twitter beyond simply promoting yourself.

11. Schedule tweets. I mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again: If you know you're going to be doing a book signing at a certain place at a certain time, schedule that tweet ahead of time. That way your followers will know where to find you and you won't need to try to remember to tweet in the middle of prepping for your signing.

Jessica

Random Facts

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

I don't often do this, but every once in a while I like to waste time by researching the readers of my blog. Honestly, this isn't a true waste of time because it does give some insight into why readers are coming to the blog, what's bringing them here and what some of my most popular posts are. If you are a blogger, or just have a website, this can be an incredibly useful tool (I use Google Analytics) to help you decide what types of blog posts are most likely to get you new readers and which blog posts people care the least about.

And in case you might be interested, here are some random facts about the BookEnds blog.

Most readers Googling for us come to the blog through various versions of a search for "BookEnds" or my name. However, the seventh most popular search that brings people to the blog are those searching for "thank you for your time," which I assume was based on a blog post I did a few years ago that exploded into a ridiculous rumor that I will reject anyone who thanks me in their query. Sigh. I'm surprised I didn't quit blogging after that one. Some variation of this search actually pops up again and again. I'm surprised, really, but I guess it's for anyone searching for letter writing advice?

"Literary Agency Jobs" is number nine on the list, and the tenth most popular search leading people to the blog is "nonfiction book proposal." This makes me think that I should probably add a section to our FAQs section on the website giving people guidance on finding a job in publishing. I already have one on the nonfiction book proposal.

Other Google keywords that lead people to the blog include:

Specific search requests for foreign rights for one particular book and author. Good to know. I'm going to pass that information on to my foreign rights agent.
Word count is another popular search, which makes me think I should probably do an updated word count post at some point.
Someone or a few people came to the blog after searching for "lonesome love moonette," and I have no idea what that means.
"what literary agents rejected twilight" — not me to the best of my knowledge
"adhd literary agency" — is that a book idea or a description of the agency?
"paranormal literary agencies" — wouldn't it be great if we had vampire or zombie agents working here?
There are a few client names popping up here and there. It's interesting to know which clients are leading potential new clients to us.
"writing apprenticeship," or some variation, comes up frequently. It makes me wonder if this is something writers could consider doing more of.

Jessica

Working with an Agent

2011-09-29T08:00:00.002-04:00

I do not have a U.S. literary agent, but I do have an agent in Turkey who approached me a few months ago. At that time, she said she had a publisher seriously interested in one of my novels, and has now offered it to multiple publishers in Turkey. She says she is close to making a deal. My question is whether there is a commission involved when the author hasn't "hired" the agent, rather, the foreign agent is working on the author's behalf sort of in the background.

What concerns me most about this question, and the many similar questions I have received through the years, is the author who jumps into a deal or an agreement without asking any questions. These aren't questions you should be asking me, but questions you should be asking your agent.

My answer, though, is of course there's a commission involved. The agent is not working to sell your book because she loves to sell books, it's a job for her and she will expect to get paid a percentage of the sale and royalties. Typically with foreign rights sales she will seek somewhere between 10% and 20%, depending on how many people are involved, but that's a question you'll have to ask her. And note, this is the way an agent works. She's not working in the background, she's working to sell your book as any agent would do.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-09-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

We've been doing Workshop Wednesday for a few months now and so far I've been very happy with the way things are going. I wanted to take a break today from an actual critique to answer some of the questions and respond to some of the feedback we've received.

You may have noticed that we've only done, to the best of my knowledge, one nonfiction query. That's because we haven't received very many nonfiction queries for the workshop. We've had requests from readers to workshop more, but unless we're getting them we can't workshop them.

We also had a comment from a reader asking to see more critiques on queries that were "close" but not quite there. We've been receiving queries for the workshop since February. Every Wednesday we receive a few more. When choosing which queries to workshop we choose randomly. I scroll through the query folder, drop my cursor on an email and critique that query. I know that when Kim, Jessica, or Lauren critiques a query they do the same thing. In other words, what you're seeing from our query critiques is a very real example of what an agent's query inbox must look like. There are a few hits and a lot of misses for various reasons. We're not choosing queries that necessarily need more work, we're just choosing queries.

And last, I want to thank all of you who have been regularly participating and giving feedback of your own. Some of your insight has been fantastic and I've noticed that some of you have a real eye for queries and writing, a real editorial eye.

Stay tuned next week for another critique.

Jessica

LOL

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Sharing with you those things that can really make us laugh.

In a query the author started by going into great detail to tell the story of Famous Bestselling Author and how she struggled to find an agent and publisher. It was only "one visionary agent" who took it on. The Author then continued, after telling me the title of her book, to say, "I expect most agents and editors will dismiss it out of hand."

So before even telling me anything about your book, you've told me I'm not a visionary and that your book won't sell. . . .

Your query tells me nothing about your book. It talks about you, your children, your life (sort of like a Christmas letter) and finishes by asking me to take a look at your writing. The clincher? You know I'm going to pass so in your P.S. you tell me that you've researched lots of sample queries, they seem odd, so you're just going to write from the heart. That's all well and good. Writing from the heart is great. I still need to know something about your book.

"I have many different ideas for books. There are 3 major reasons why I have no manuscript for you 2 look at. A. Honestly, my grammar skills suck and writing a full manuscript would be futile. B. I just don't have the time to finish one and if I was living comfortably and had a person to help me with my writing dos and donts than I could finish one pretty quickly. C. I'm too ignorant about the process and would be embarrassed to hand people my work that didn't completely encompass my vision. Anyways, what I lack as writer, I make up for it with my story telling.

"I have four kids; I am single; and I am available. . . ." Now, the author did add: "for all aspects of editing, writing, and polishing my book," but those first words were rather jarring.

Jessica

The Perfect Pitch

2011-09-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

When I first queried editors about Bella Riley’s books I asked Bella to supply the pitch. This is something I frequently do because it helps give me a starting point for my own pitch. The one thing I say to authors when sending my request is, “Feel free to keep it rough. I’ll probably edit and change it anyway.”

Not the case for Bella Riley, and not the case with many other clients. Bella’s pitch was perfect. So perfect, in fact, that when I first queried her editor at Grand Central to ask if she’d be interested in seeing the proposal, the editor responded immediately with, “Wow. I’m not sure if I’ve been desperate for a vacation to the mountains or if you need a book deal yourself—could be both—but your pitch sounds awesome. I’d love to take a look.”

Don’t I wish it was my writing? I told her the pitch was straight from Bella herself, and it wasn’t long before we had a three-book deal.

Bella Riley is the contemporary romance pseudonym for erotic romance author Bella Andre. We like to think of these books as Bella Andre meets Susan Wiggs. Home Sweet Home is her first contemporary romance with Grand Central, and here’s the pitch that got her that deal:

After thinking she had left Emerald Lake – and the girl she had once been – behind forever, Andi Powell must return for one more summer at the lake to save her family's knitting store. She isn't prepared for Nate Turner, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks that she'd always loved from afar, to have turned into a man who takes her breath away. She isn't ready for his determined sensual plays for her body . . . and her heart. And she definitely isn't prepared to discover that the darkness he hides so well from everyone else tugs at her heart – and makes her wonder if leaving again is really the right thing to do after all.

But with the help of the Thursday Night Knitting Group, Nate's sister, Andi's mother and grandmother, and a pair of missing carousel horses, Andi just might find the love she's always deserved in the arms of the one man who has waited his entire life for her to come back and heal the hole in his heart with her love.

Jessica

Sucked into Negativity

2011-09-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

The other day I sat down with a group of publishing professionals to talk about the state of the industry, and by the end of the hour I was a wreck. This particular group was full of doomsday predictors, something I'm not, and it got to me. It got to me really fast. And then I walked out of the meeting, went home, chatted with Kim, had a glass of wine, and centered myself again.

I will not be meeting with that particular group again.

It's really, really easy to get sucked into other people's angst. I see it all the time with authors, especially after conferences. Suddenly everyone is in a panic and it's usually incited by one or two people. If you're a negative person, I'm sorry. If you tend to think the glass is half full, keep away from those who don't.

Jessica

Seeking an Agent Is Not Seeking a Job

2011-09-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

When talking about query letters we often use the analogy of the job hunter. We say things like, "Your query letter is like the business suit you wear to a job interview. It's your first impression." But that analogy has never been quite right because you are not looking for a job, and the agent is not looking to hire you. In fact, it's just the opposite: You are looking to hire the agent. That being said, the agent still has the chance to say no, unlike many in today's job market.

So instead of thinking of your agent search as comparable to a job search, I think you should look at it as the search for an investor in your new business, because that is, in fact, what you're looking for. An investor will only agree to back your business if she feels it's going to be profitable for both of you. She has a certain level of financial success, a gain or return on her investment that she hopes to achieve, and her decision to invest or not invest in your business is based entirely on her personal feelings and experiences with the business you are proposing.

In other words, you might be pitching a profitable-looking business plan, but the investor might personally feel that it's not enough profit or simply not the type of business she wants to spend her money on, especially if she has six other business plans to consider.

Finding an agent to work with is about finding the right person to invest in your future as an author.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-09-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

By repeated request we've started Workshop Wednesday. It will definitely play out through 2011, and beyond that we'll just have to see. We've received well over 200 queries at this point, but we are choosing at random, so don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear :

Sentimental Journey is a 98,000-word women’s fiction. My style has been described by writing instructors as having similarities to Anne Tyler, with some Maeve Binchy, voice of Barbara Delinsky, and the emotional appeal of Nicholas Sparks.

It's funny that I should open this just hours after we were discussing whether or not it's good to compare your book or writing to others. Our thought was that it's usually not. The reason? If the agent you're pitching happens to really dislike one of those authors you might be doing yourself a disservice. In this case you've picked a variety of writers so I don't think it's a huge problem, but I also don't think it adds much. You've pretty much just described what I would expect from women's fiction.

Meredith Fields’ formerly placid suburban life is shattering piece by piece. She feels guilty over placing her mother, Katherine, in a nursing home. Keith, her husband, has fallen in love with his young assistant, and wants a divorce. An accomplished author, she’s bored with her romance books, and has a tight deadline for her next book – which she hasn’t quite started.

Here's one of the problems with comparing your writing style to other writers: You've set me up to have really high expectations for your writing and you don't carry it through in your query. Either your voice isn't coming through in the query or your voice isn't what you described, and that's a concern.

That being said, so far I'm liking the description of your book, and this is where it gets personal. This is a plot that would interest me. I think part of the problem with this paragraph is that it feels very choppy. It doesn't really sing for me.

As Meredith sorts through her mother’s house and finds clues to the woman’s shadowy past, she recognizes much of her mother in herself. She begins to understand why her mother related so poorly to her children, and is shaken by parallels in her relationships with her own children. Her growing compassion for Katherine’s difficult life becomes the catalyst for her new novel, Hope’s Illusion, the early chapters of which are included in Sentimental Journey. Meanwhile Meredith finds a journal she kept in her twenties, she is reminded of the love she once felt for Keith, and the extent of his loss settles in. A series of crises forces them to confront their relationship, showing Meredith the way to restore her spirit and mend her shattered life.

Did she know her mother had a shadowy past or is that part of the discovery? I would skip using her mother's given name and continue calling her "her mother." I think that will make it clear who we're focusing on (Meredith) and prevent any confusion from too many names. The information about the new novel seems dropped in and unnecessary. In fact, it kind of throws me. I'm not sure you need it here.

Last, I think I'd change the title. It sounds rather flat and unexciting.

I am the author of Autumn Colors, a romance, released by Author House on March 23, 2011.

I’ve also published several articles in professional journals, an article in Runners’ World, and contributed chapters for two nonfiction books. More information and excerpts from Autumn Colors can be found on my website (www.dawnlajeunesse.com).

I’ve enclosed a synopsis and first five pages of Sentimental Journey. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jessica

Resending Queries

2011-09-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

This may sound like an unprofessional and very likely stupid question, but I had to make certain before giving up entirely: I was wondering whether it was alright to send a revised query letter to your agency when the first has not been replied to yet? I know that the query letter you send should have been edited and revised until it was polished but I just have to ask.

Hey, we all make mistakes. In fact, just recently I sent an email out to an editor, querying a book, with a major grammatical error in the subject heading. It happens. I don't think the editor judged me or the submission any less.

You must have caught me on one of those days because I'm of two minds on this. First of all, yes, I would rather the query be right the first time, but as everyone knows sometimes it takes a few days or months and a few rejections before you realize it isn't right. And in the end I think I would rather not miss out on an opportunity than have one less query in my inbox. But do you send it while still waiting for an answer? That does feel like it's mucking up my inbox to me. People do it all the time though.

The truth is that unless I happen to read the queries in backward order and notice that you've sent the revised and asked me to delete the original, I will probably just end up reading them both and wonder if they were both sent accidentally or on purpose.

So here's what I'm going to say: Just send the revised one whenever you want to.

Jessica

Handling Editor Interest

2011-09-19T08:00:00.004-04:00

Two years ago, an editor was interested in my previous novel. The novel was taken to acquisitions and not acquired. Subsequently, I withdrew that novel from sale and began to work on another novel. Over a year and a half later, the same editor contacted my agent to see if I had anything new he could look at. (I know, pretty flattering, huh?) In the intervening time my agent had retired and I hadn't found a new agent because the book was unfinished (and there was no point looking for an agent for an already-shopped book), so I emailed the editor directly and told him about my new project.

Well, he was really interested. Took a look at the partial and made some brilliant editorial suggestions. Which I have implemented. (They meant an entire rewrite, so I'm not quite done, but nearly there.) But when I sent him a partial with the changes, he sent them to another Senior editor, and they both got a little excited, and now they're waiting on the full. No promises, but lots of interest.

So what's the protocol here, in regards to queries? I really want to work with this editor should an offer be forthcoming, but I also want an agent. Preferably first, so they can negotiate the contract and make sure I'm getting a fair deal and for other novels - to help me turn this into a career. Should I mention anything in the query title or open with, 'I have an interested editor'? Or do I wait until I have an offer in hand?

Life never works the way it's supposed to, does it? All the time people do things out of order or "not the way they're supposed to" and it works brilliantly for them. The difference between these people and those who "do everything right" with little success is that the people who use the back door first also grab every opportunity the moment it arises.

Grab this opportunity. The moment you feel the manuscript is in fighting shape you get it off to that editor. You have someone waiting for your work, don't let too much time slip by (of course, don't rush it too quickly either). Then get your queries out to agents and yes, definitely mention that Editor Name at House Name is reviewing the manuscript by request. You can explain the details later if necessary.

If you get an offer from the editor before you hear from agents you can use the offer to push an agent offer. Simply follow my guidelines, ask the editor to wait, and get the agent on board before you agree to anything. You don't need an agent first to negotiate the contract. You're just going in through the back door.

Hope that helps. Best of luck!

Jessica

Do You Limit Yourself

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have this friend who "can't" or "doesn't" do so many things I sometimes wonder how she gets out of bed in the morning. She's a writer, but she "can't" write a synopsis because it's not how she writes and she's a reader but she "can't" read dark thrillers because she's too happy of a person, and she's a foodie but she "doesn't" eat curry (which by the way is a fancy term for a blend of spices).

Ultimately what this friend is saying is that she's afraid. She's afraid to try new things or re-explore areas that might not have worked all that well for her in the past. She's afraid of failing or of not liking something, so afraid that she's "can't"-ed herself into a box. Her world has become increasingly smaller because of all of the things she "can't" or "doesn't" do. It's frustrating and sad because this same friend will complain about how hard it is to get published or find new restaurants or discover great books, but when offered suggestions, before trying, she comes up with a list of excuses why she can't.

I firmly believe that the only limitations we have in this world are those we make for ourselves. You want to climb Mt. Everest? What's stopping you? No, really? What's stopping you? You want to write a great novel? What's stopping you?

To break free and find great success you need to break free of the limitations you place on yourself. There are enough people in this world trying to tell you what you can't do, why are you doing it to yourself?

Jessica

Following Up

2011-09-15T08:00:00.003-04:00

We writers always wonder about how long it takes agents to respond (if they do at all) and whether to follow up and so forth, but I was wondering - what about agents and editors? How long do agents (or just you guys, since I'm sure it's different for everyone) wait for a response from an editor before following up?

This is a great question to ask any agent when you get an offer of representation, because the answer is going to differ from agent to agent and situation to situation. Overall, I tend to follow up four to six weeks after a submission. How long I wait will depend on how quick other feedback is coming in, whether the book was submitted on proposal or full, how busy the editors are (sometimes I know that an editor has just returned from vacation or the time fell around a major holiday), generally how responsive the editors are (some tend to respond faster than others), etc.

Generally though, I will follow up in about four weeks.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-09-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Writers Beware

2011-09-13T08:00:00.005-04:00

It's been a long, long time since I've written a post on writers beware in publishing. I think that after a certain amount of time I've made the incorrect assumption that my readers know this already. I forget that daily I'm reaching new people and that some of those who were here in the early days have moved on to other things.

Not too long ago I received an email from an author with an offer. She had a contract in hand from Tate Publishing and was seeking representation. Of course she was really excited. Tate was offering to publish her book for free and, for an additional $4,000, would supply a publicist. Ouch.

It took me two seconds to google "Tate Publishing Preditors and Editors" and find that this publisher was not recommended. I immediately notified the author, told her she should never pay to get published, and sent the link. She replied that payment was for the publicist only and optional. I'm doubtful, but I don't know for sure.

And then I read some of the manuscript. And my heart hurt. This manuscript was nowhere near ready for publication. It needed a lot of work, and I'm not saying the author won't get there someday, because let's face it, we've all written something that should never have been shown to a beta reader, let alone been published, but it's not ready now. And I worried. Will this author sign this contract simply because it's there, because all other avenues have been exhausted and because she figures it's time?

I don't know what the final outcome was. I never heard back from the author. What I do know is that there are those out there in all areas of our lives, preying on those who are desperate for a good word, positive feedback, and success.

If you've never been to Preditors and Editors or Writer Beware or the Writer Beware blog, please go now. Even if you think you know how to spot a someone trying to take advantage of you go. It's up to all of us to protect the writing community and each other, and the more information we arm ourselves with the more we can help others.

I hope this author shredded that contract and went back to honing her writing skills. I really do hope that.

Jessica

What I’m Looking For

2011-09-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

Though I’ve only been with BookEnds since April, I’ve already made some shifts in what kinds of projects I’m looking to represent. Some of this has to do with changes in market trends, but a lot really has to do with my personal reading preferences. I want to be enthusiastic about each and every book I work on, and if I’m just not getting excited about submissions in a particular genre, I think it’s better for everyone if I concentrate my energies elsewhere. With that said, my focus is absolutely still on a wide variety of full-length, adult romance and women’s fiction. I’m not actively looking for YA, novellas, or nonfiction.

To help give you a better idea of what I’m looking for, maybe I should tell you about some of the clients I’ve taken on. I have a bit of a spread. So far, I have clients who write historical romance, historical erotica, paranormal erotica, category romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction, and African literary fiction.

That last one may have surprised you, right? It’s actually not quite as outside of my stated interests as you might think. While I am looking to focus on commercial fiction, I absolutely love women’s fiction set in exotic locations, and would love to receive more projects set abroad. I have a special interest in books set in Iran, India, and Southeast Asia, but would also welcome more submissions set in African or European countries, or set in the US but with a focus on immigrant communities.

I’m looking for a wide variety of contemporary romance, but I’d particularly like to see more small-town books in which the town and community are richly developed. Southern settings and New England settings work particularly well for me. Overall, I tend to gravitate toward darker voices and storylines, but quirky, comedic stories can be great, too.

With historicals, I have a strong preference for very sexy Regencies and Victorians. Also, it’s probably worth noting that I tend not to enjoy historical fiction as much as I do historical romance. As with contemporaries, I tend to like darker voices in historicals, and I like books with seemingly insurmountable obstacles to the protagonists’ relationship—like a story about a duke and a fishmonger’s widow.

While I still am looking for paranormal romances, I’m no longer looking for urban fantasy. I love kick-ass heroines, but I prefer to see them falling in love. What I really want in paranormal is something so different and original that I’m incapable of even coming close to now imagining what that might be. I enjoy a good vampire or werewolf tale, but the market (and my in-box) has been so saturated with them that it’s difficult for me to find something I get excited about.

For erotica, I’m mostly looking for books in which the central storyline is m/f. These can be contemporary, historical, and/or suspenseful or paranormal, but I’m probably not the right agent for anything futuristic or sci-fi. A few things that are absolutely necessary to me in erotica are emotional depth, rich characterization, and an actual plot. I may live to regret saying this, but it’s pretty darn hard to shock me with erotica. Graphic, kinky novels are welcome.

The above doesn’t encompass everything I’m looking to represent, but I hope it gives you more insight into my preferences. As always, I look forward to reading your queries!

Jessica A

LOL

2011-09-09T08:00:00.001-04:00

In response to rejections . . .

Jessica F. received this:
I understand this:
Literature is an occupation in which you have to keep proving your talent to people who have none.
- Jules Renard

Jessica A. received this:
Subject: You Are an A**Hole!

Jessica F. received this in reply to the auto-reply letting authors know the query was received:
Well, that confirms it. Take your form and stick it up your fat stuck-up ass.

. . . and this from the same author in reply to the rejection:
Interesting. You're not "hooked" yet you waste your time writing back to me. Anyway, the blood will continue to flow at BookEnds and beyond.

. . . and then, because the author continued to reply, he continued to receive the auto-reply about his query being received:
I did not query bookends this time though I did previously. Here's an idea. How about you get a fucking life, stop sending me these forms actually read the query I sent to you previously.

And so it went:
I don't mean to tie up your system or anything but this is getting kind of stupid. There must be some human somewhere to stop this madness. How about this? Read my query, feel its urgency and let's get started. If not, kindly stop your silly forms.

And again:
let's try it this way-STOP SENDING ME THESE AUTOMATED EMAILS YOU STUPID
FUCK!!

*** Now, keep in mind that I can go days without checking my queries. Luckily I popped into that mailbox and did finally stop the insanity. Although it was tempting to see how long my computer and this author were going to go at it.

Jessica

How an Agent Learns Craft

2011-09-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

I am currently an intern for [redacted] Literary Agency. I read your blog post about switching genres when writing, and it made me think of a question that I have been wrestling with. I am in the process of becoming an associate agent, and my strength is fiction. However, I want to continue to improve in non-fiction and memoir. Other than reading a lot of best-selling non-fiction and memoir, what are some ways that I might gain a really good sense of the genre. With fiction, I just know what works (plus, I have an English BA and MA (creative writing emphasis). I want to get to that place with non-fiction and memoir. Ideas?

After having a number of interns come through BookEnds, roughly three or four a year for five or more years, I've gotten a better understanding of what it takes to make a good agent. Certainly reading is big, but so is instinct. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I've seen some of the most well-read people come through and yet have no understanding of what makes a book work or what doesn't. It's not about properly placed commas, it's about pacing and market, plotting and characterization. And of course it's about voice.

I think to a certain extent agents have an instinct for certain genres and, yes, I think some of it comes from what we love, but it's also a basic understanding of why certain genres work. I credit most of my knowledge from working in the business. For five years I was an editor, and every week for five years I sat in an editorial meeting and watched and listened to editors discuss books. Not only did we discuss books that were published, but of course we discussed books we were hoping to publish. For almost every book an editor wanted to acquire she had to have others read it and discuss it in front of everyone in the meeting. Some of those discussions were brutal, but all were passionate. I learned more from those weekly meetings than I ever could from reading on my own.

We have similar meetings at BookEnds, but I'm afraid we don't discuss as many books we offer representation to as we probably should. Instead my interns are required to read and write a lot of reader's reports for me, and I make a concerted effort to comment on those reports and discuss the books with them myself. I ask them to write revision letters for me on books I already represent. Sometimes they'll see something I missed and a lot of the time it's a way for me to teach them what they should be looking for.

There's no magical way to understanding a genre. Read, talk to agents about books, ask for second reads on manuscripts. That's probably the best advice I can offer. However, I really think that if it's a real struggle to understand a genre, it's probably just not the genre you should be focusing on.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-09-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

Jessica's Query Status

2011-09-06T08:00:00.003-04:00

As promised: I said to check back in September to see when I would open for queries. Well, there's been a change of plans. I've so enjoyed the time I have had to just spend with my clients that for the time being I'm going to accept queries by referral only. This means what it says, you need to have a bona fide referral from someone I know in order for your query to be considered by me.

It's not such bad news however. 2011 has been a fabulous year for BookEnds. We've added Jessica Alvarez to our team and longtime assistant and former intern Lauren Ruth has also started growing her list. And of course, Kim Lionetti is always looking to add talented new authors to her roster. So even though I'm closed, there are plenty of opportunities with BookEnds.

Keep an eye on the blog in the following days and weeks for updates on exactly what excites Kim, Jessica, and Lauren these days.

Jessica

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

2011-09-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

The BookEnds offices will be closed today through Monday in observance of Labor Day. Have a great weekend, and we'll return on Tuesday with a new post.

Limitations of Common Knowledge

2011-09-01T08:00:00.002-04:00

What are the limitations of common knowledge?

The better portion of my manuscript is about Ragnarok and at some point in my working query I mention it.

So while going around the AW and QT forums, one person so far has asked: (Who or what is Ragnarok? I'm left guessing and guessing isn't good.)

I figure you would know better. I assume what is common for some isn't common for others, but where do we make that distinction? Our education levels and personal experiences make us different.

Actually I didn't know what Ragnarok was. And here I always thought I was a good Swede.

This is an interesting question because there are limitations to what all of us know or should know and we have no idea what limitations others might have. One of the most important aspects of writing fiction is the world building, not just in fantasy or paranormal but in any piece of fiction. Even in a contemporary novel the author is required to create a world the reader, any reader, can connect with and understand. The same holds true for a query letter. A common problem I see in queries is when the world isn't defined and therefore I don't understand the query.

It's hard to give an opinion without actually reading your query, but I think that if even one reader questions an aspect of your query it's worth assuming others will as well. I wouldn't assume that this reader is less knowledgeable than your average agent.

The truth is that we all hold a vast amount of knowledge, and assuming someone knows something just because you do, or judging them because they don't know something you assume is common knowledge, is always a mistake. I think in this instance rather than name Ragnarok in your query you might define it without using the name at all.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-08-31T08:00:00.001-04:00

Why I Do What I Do

2011-08-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to thank you. A while back, you had a post about querying agents at the same agency. Previously, this was something I would never have considered doing, but after reading your post, I decided to take my chances and send to an agent I felt might be interested in my novel in spite of the fact that another agent there had already rejected me.

Well, I received a request for the full manuscript almost immediately, and I recently signed with said agent. I never would have queried him had I not read your blog post, and I would have lost an amazing opportunity in the process. Thank you for your post and for giving me the courage to take a chance.

Jessica

An Agent Leaves

2011-08-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm hoping you can help me understand something. I see mentioned occasionally that an agent is moving from one literary agency to another. From what I've been able to tell, this can mean transitioning their clients to someone else in the old agency and acquiring new ones with the new group.

Is that common? A writer spends so much time looking for the right literary agent; someone they click with and get along with who is passionate about their work. So is the writer signing with an agent or with the agency when they finally make that connection? I realize it's different when an agent just takes another career path, but while they're still in the business, how does the managing of clients work under these circumstances?

An agent leaving an agency can mean a ton of different things depending on the contract the agent has with the agency. The clients could go along for the ride or stay with the original agency. Sometimes the contracts the agent negotiated stay with the agency, but the clients themselves, and their new clients, would go along with the agent. I don't know that it's common for agents to leave agencies unless they are starting their own. I guess I've never thought about how often it does or does not happen.

The only way to know what would happen with you in that situation is to ask the agent when an offer of representation is received what would happen if that agent chooses to leave the agency.

Jessica

Christie Craig: Three Why Questions; Three Writing Tips

2011-08-26T08:00:00.007-04:00

Christie Craig
Don't Mess With Texas
Publisher: Forever Books
Pub date: August 2011
Agent: Kim Lionetti

(Click to Buy)

I get a lot of questions tossed my way. For today’s guest blog, I decided to answer three of them, along with three connecting snippets of writing advice.

Why do you set all your books in fictional Texas towns?

Most people are surprised to learn that I’m not a native Texan. However, I was only here a few weeks when I knew this was where I’d hang my hat. Texas and Texans are just . . . well, unique. I mean, where else is it illegal to put graffiti on someone else's cow, shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel, or own more than six dildos? Yup, those are real laws in this fine state; I know because I checked when I decided to live here. (Not that I’m into graffitiing cows, shooting buffaloes, or stockpiling dildos. I just like to know the laws of the land, so I can poke fun at them in my books.) So I guess what drives me to base my books in Texas is that this place is one of a kind. And since I try to write one-of-a-kind books, it fits. And for what drives me to use fictional towns, that’s easy. I don’t want to worry about getting geographical facts incorrect. Okay, I’m lazy and hate research.

Writing tip #1: Using fictional towns equals less research and less hassle. You won’t get readers emailing you notes like: There isn’t a fifty-foot-high bridge in Spring, Texas, like you used in your book.

Why do you add suspense and humor to your romance novels?

Years ago, I published a sweet Silhouette Romance. Unable to sell a second book, I focused on my freelance career. I wrote words to feed knowledge-hungry individuals. I wrote about China, calligraphy, window fashions, tomato horn worms, and ugly shoes.

Basically, if an editor would pay for it, I wrote it. After an eight-year sabbatical from fiction, I was desperate to return to writing novels. I announced my intentions to my family, my friends, and to the innocent bystander at the post office: I, Christie Craig, was going to publish another book even if I had to kill somebody to accomplish it.

What I didn’t realize was that’s exactly what it would take. When I whacked my first person, guilt sat on my shoulders like a fat gorilla. But as soon as I washed the imaginary blood off my hands and reread my deadly scene, I had an epiphany: Nothing can liven up a party or a plot like a dead body.

Since then, mystery and murder are prevalent in my work. Yes, there’s other stuff like romance, but I’m not sure I can write a story without having one person kick the bucket. Or at least having someone try to kick someone else’s bucket. Death or someone facing death excites me, and that comes across in my writing.

As for the humor? A writer needs to stay true to their writing voice, and my voice is humorous. When I first started writing my funny suspense novels someone warned me that murder wasn’t funny. They’re right, but how people respond to it under duress can be a real belly-roller.

Take Nikki Hunt’s situation in Don’t Mess With Texas: Nikki thought her night couldn’t get worse when her no-good cheating ex ditched her at dinner, sticking her with the expensive bill. Furious, she tells anyone who will listen to her that she’s gonna kill that man. Then she found his body stuffed in the trunk of her car and lost her two-hundred-dollar meal all over his three–thousand-dollar suit. Now not only is Nikki nearly broke, she’s a murder suspect. See, that’s kind of funny.

Writing tip #2: Find what excites you, what sparks your emotions, and stay true to your writing voice. Be prepared to ignore well-meaning pieces of writing advice when your gut says it’s not right.

Why did I choose Kim Lionetti as my agent and why I’m still with her?

I’d heard some good things about BookEnds, and I liked the fact Kim had been an editor. I submitted, not knowing of her upcoming maternity leave. Months later, one of Kim’s clients judged my work in a contest and recommended me. Kim recognized my name as someone from her post-pregnancy slush pile. And the rest is history.

Why I stay with Kim is another matter. Contrary to what Kim probably believes, it’s not her wit or sparkling personality. This is a marriage. And it holds a lot of similarities with regular marriages. There’s a honeymoon stage where everything is blissful: i.e., I love her because I’m sure she’s going to sell me to some big rich publisher; she loves me because she’s sure she’s going to sell me to some big rich publisher.

Ahh, but the honeymoon period doesn’t last forever. Revisions are requested—rejections come in, and the initial bliss wanes. (Kim and I were together for a year before I sold.)

Just like in regular marriages you learn your partner doesn’t lower the toilet seat lid and they stop telling you they love you every day. Now, I’m not accusing Kim of not putting the toilet seat down and I’m not sure she’s ever told me she loves me. My point is that you start learning how you and your agent are really going to get along, how you communicate—or don’t communicate—and how you will have to compromise to make the marriage work.

This is actually the most important stage in an agent-author relationship. If you can’t learn to respect, communicate, or compromise you’re likely headed for the Big D. It may even be after you’ve sold several books. Over seventy-five percent of published authors who divorce their agents do so due to a lack of one of the above elements. Sometimes the personalities never meshed, and sometimes it was a breakdown in communication on the side of one or both parties.

So exactly why am I still with Kim after six years? Two reasons. One, agents wear many hats. A good agent will wear different hats for different clients. And Kim Lionetti wears all the hats I need her to wear: editor, adviser, cheerleader, contract negotiator, big bad agent who fights in my corner. All good agents in some instances wear these hats, but if you get an agent who prefers wearing the editor hat more than you want them to wear that hat, then you may not be a good fit. If they excel at wearing that adviser hat but you’d like them to wear the cheerleader hat more often, this can cause friction. Kim’s preferences for the hats match all my needs.

The second reason goes back to the respect, communication, and compromise issue. She respects what I want to achieve in my career. I respect her knowledge of the business. Her style of communication and mine fit well; neither of us are intimidated by the other, and when we don’t agree on something (and that’s not that uncommon) we debate until one or the other changes the other's mind, or we compromise.

And much to Kim’s dismay, this doesn’t mean she’s the perfect agent, any more than I’m the perfect client. I don’t think those birds exist. Again, it goes back to the whole marriage thing. I’ve been married to my hubby for over twenty-five years. Some of you couldn’t live with that man for twenty-five minutes. But our personalities work and we’re almost perfect for each other. And the same goes for Kim and me.

Writing tip #3: Before you sign on the dotted line for any agent, ask enough questions to know if your personalities will fit together and be prepared to communicate and compromise. Know what type of hats the agent is mostly likely to wear and compare it to what you need them to wear.

Thank you, BookEnds, for having me and a huge thank-you to the readers for letting me share a few of my Why answers. I hope something I’ve said is helpful, and if it falls into that category of not matching what your gut says, then toss it out like last week's leftovers.

Have a great day.

CC

Only the Righteous

2011-08-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

So here's the story . . .

I receive a message through my LinkedIn account. Honestly, I'm not sure why I have a LinkedIn account. Occasionally I've looked for clients for nonfiction projects through LinkedIn, but rarely has anything ever come of it. Truthfully, the most success I've had in social networking comes through Twitter.

Anyway, a message came through LinkedIn from someone I've never met, I'm not even sure we're connected, asking for assistance in "partnering with a literary agent." This person was a fellow alum from Marquette University and proceeded to tell me about their book. The author ended by telling me there was a book proposal ready. My response, as is my response to all queries sent through social networks (if I respond at all), was that I don't accept queries through social networks, but the author should feel free to query following the guidelines on our website.

The author, apparently because we attended the same school, felt that she was exempt from following my guidelines and was apparently put off by my response, "I'm afraid I do not accept queries via social networking sites. To query me and BookEnds you should review the guidelines on our website."

Well, not that you're surprised, that set off a sh**storm. One that I can now honestly say amuses me and I'm sharing for your entertainment only. The author corrected me to explain how, after rereading the original message, there was nothing in it to indicate this was a query and that not only was my response disappointing, but indicated I have a "lack of belief in Marquette Ideals." What?! What?! Because I stick to a company policy I am now apparently morally corrupt?

And then after explaining that LinkedIn is a professional networking site and not Facebook and that I use it to solely seek to benefit from others the author said, "While I realize you cannot instill decency into people, it disturbs me to have Marquette's name to continue to be represented in such a poor manner."

And there you have it. I am nothing but a money-grubbing, self-absorbed, indecent human misusing my alma mater. Dang, I'm a jerk.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-08-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

By repeated request we've started Workshop Wednesday. It will definitely play out through 2011, and beyond that we'll just have to see. We've received well over 200 queries at this point, but we are choosing at random, so don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Before I get into the critique I want to say that I think this is a really good letter. Sure, there's always something to critique, but for the most part I think this query could go out to agents as is and I do think the author will have some success with it.

Dear Ms. Faust,

I am seeking representation for my 98,000 word mainstream novel, Doubting River.

This is just fine. My only comment is that I think you could come up with a better title. I don't see how this title ties into the book and I suspect you could come up with something a little more striking.

Former runaway, Charm Freeman, returns to his old life after his sister's husband is killed in a car accident. Initially planning to fulfill his brotherly obligation and then disappear for another twenty years, Charm reluctantly agrees to stay and help with his sister's injured son, but they clash over how to best help the ten year old deal with the death of his father.

I have to admit, maybe I read too many romance novels, but my first thought was that Charm was the husband's brother and that the two were going to fall in love. My second thought was that since it doesn't come into play in the query at all, do you even need to mention that he's a former runaway? Honestly, this makes the book sound like it's about Charm, but later I sense that the book is really about the boy and Charm. I think you could switch the focus and make it more about the boy and what Charm needs to do to help his nephew.

Before the accident, the boy and his father were training a neighbor's retriever for a field trial. The boy desperately wants to fulfill his father's dream, but his mother believes anything to do with the dog is a setup for heartache. The past belongs in the past; the way forward is forward. Against his sister's wishes, Charm and the boy join together to turn an injured retriever into a champion, a journey that forces the family to face the issues that tore them apart only to find salvation in the past they tried to forget.

My only concern with this is it lacks a little voice to me. It feels a little lifeless. If the dog is injured I think you should mention that from the beginning. The first time you mention it you say it's a neighbor's retriever. So are they training the same dog or are you talking about two different dogs? I also think you don't focus on the conflict enough. Since I assume this is women's fiction and there's a high level of emotion in this story, I want to get a sense of that emotion in the query since that is what will draw readers to the story.

An excerpt of this novel, Doubting River, won the mainstream category of the 2010 Sandy literary contest. I am a former dog trainer and the author of Click for Joy, the winner of the 2003 "Best Training/Behavior Book" award presented by the Dog Writers of America. I am also the owner of the 7000-member ClickerSolutions (dog training) mailing list, and I have published numerous articles in the magazine "Teaching Dogs."

This is all good.

My contact information is below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Jessica

Life as Seen Through Queries

2011-08-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

If life were like queries:

All children would be orphans
All husbands are keeping a marriage-destroying secret from their wives
Small towns would have an impossibly high murder rate
At the age of 16, 17, or 18 we would all learn the secret our parents have been keeping from us (and it's always some super-cool paranormal power)
Returning home always means falling in love with the hunky man (or gorgeous gal) we left behind

Jessica

How Many Clients Do You Have

2011-08-22T08:00:00.003-04:00

Anytime I offer representation I'm asked how many clients I have. It's a fair question and I get why authors ask. The problem is that there is no right answer. The other problem is that I refuse to count up my clients. I don't want to know. I don't need to know.

The problem with this question of how many is too many has so many variables that it really doesn't matter.

For example, what is the agent like? I've known some agents who are superagents. They can seemingly jump giant publishing conglomerates in a single bound while juggling hardcover tomes, reading a novel, and editing a masterpiece. I've known others who can barely get their pants on in the morning without help. How organized an agent is can make a big difference in how many clients she can handle.

What are the clients like? I have clients I literally haven't heard from in years. I still consider them clients, but at this point they are either busy with other things or quietly working on their next books. I have clients (especially nonfiction) who have written one or two books, and while they're still clients and we're still seeing money and working on foreign sales, I don't hear much from them either. I have clients who call or email almost daily. I have clients I edit for and those I don't. . . .

The answer to this question isn't about how many clients an agent has, it's about how the clients feel about the agent. Do the clients feel that the agent is too busy to answer emails or attend to their needs or do the clients consistently feel like they are the most important person on the agent's list (or up there anyway). Maybe this isn't a question you ask the agent, but instead you ask the client how the agent makes her feel and how well the agent attends to her needs.

Jessica

Thought for the Day

2011-08-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

I love it when people start their query with something along the lines of "I know a query should get to the point, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way," or "I know you don't accept unrequested manuscripts, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way," or "I know a mystery should really have a mystery in it, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way."

Isn't that a little like me saying, "I know I shouldn't get fall-down drunk at writers' conferences, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way"?

Jessica

Taking the Summer Off

2011-08-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

In your opinion, is it better for an agent to wait till after the summer to send a novel out on submission? Is it a myth that the publishing industry basically shuts down in August? Are there any advantages in NOT waiting?

I don't think there's a universally correct answer to this. I think it depends what your agent knows about the editors she wants to submit to and your agent's own schedule. If your agent has plans to be out of town maybe it is best she hold off on submitting. I don't know that publishing "shuts down" in August. Truthfully, I had a crazy two weeks between RWA and the July 4th weekend when I had offers on the table and it was taking weeks to finalize them because of RWA, editor vacations, and the holiday. It happens. It's summer. All of that being said, we've had many years where August resulted in our largest sales month of the year, primarily because it is so quiet and so many do vacation that editors have more time to actually catch up on their reading and hopefully find something they can get excited about.

When it comes to August, like many things, there's no right or wrong. A book could easily be read quickly by an editor who finds a relaxed schedule in August or sit and fall to the bottom of big piles because an editor happens to be away for two weeks and your material arrived during that time.

Jessica

Workshop Wednesday

2011-08-17T08:00:00.004-04:00

By repeated request we've started Workshop Wednesday. It will definitely play out through 2011, and beyond that we'll just have to see. We've received well over 200 queries at this point, but we are choosing at random, so don't be afraid to participate as per the guidelines in our original post.

For anyone wanting to comment, we ask that you comment in a polite and respectful manner, and we ask that you be as constructive as possible. If you can be useful to the brave souls who submitted their query and comment on the query, that's great. Please keep any anonymous tirades on publishing or other snarky comments to yourself. This is and should remain an open and safe forum for people to put themselves and their queries out there so that everyone can learn. I'm leaving comments open and open to anonymous posters, as I always have; don't make me feel the need to change that policy.

And for those who have never "met" Query Shark, get over there and do that. She's the originator of the query critique, the queen, if you will.

Dear Ms. Faust,

I would like to submit KINDRED THREADS after learning of your interest in historical fiction through WritersMarket.com:

My first caution to this author is to check and double-check where your information is coming from. I don't represent historical fiction, although I do represent historical romance and historical mysteries. They aren't the same thing. Whenever possible, always check an agent's website. That's where you'll find the best, most up-to-date information.

There are many ways for a woman to die in 1795 and Jane Wallis has seen most of them. Sickness. Childbirth. Kitchen fires. Though Indians mostly stay put across the Ohio, outlaws still roam western Virginia. Dealing with an occasional thief is as much a part of frontier living as selling her husband's whiskey to trappers and hunters.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say in this paragraph. It gives me the sense that Jane Wallis is going to discover there's a way to die that she hasn't yet scene and yet, when I read the next paragraph, that's not the case at all. I also feel a disconnect with the sentence "Though Indians stay put..." Are you implying she hasn't seen an Indian massacre or just generally describing the area? I guess the last two sentences don't really fit to me with the huge statement that she's seen many ways for a woman to die.

Jane pays scant attention when she hears of an outlaw camp somewhere in the backcountry. She has other things on her mind: new settlers, troublesome in-laws, and a difficult pregnancy. But the outlaws become bold as winter sets in, increasing their thefts and throwing the settlement of Meadow River into turmoil. The night comes when Jane is alone with her children and thieves force their way into her home. One of them is a local girl with a grudge, giving Jane every reason to wonder if she—and her family—will survive the night.

My biggest concern with this paragraph is that it feels very contemporary, there's no historical voice in here. This is something that is hard to explain because there's no specifics to point out, but it just doesn't feel historical.

If the outlaws are throwing the settlement into turmoil, wouldn't she start paying attention? If left alone wouldn't she be warned? It doesn't ring true to me. I also don't get the "local girl with a grudge," that doesn't sound scary to me. I guess, based on the preceding two paragraphs, I'm not seeing enough of a book here. I can see where a woman trapped in a house with outlaws could be terrifying, but that's not coming through in your query at all. Is that all the book is about? Because in your next paragraph you say it tells of a year in Meadow River, which implies this just might be one of many stories.

Seen through Jane's eyes, KINDRED THREADS tells of one year in Meadow River. It is a 98,000 word historical novel depicting the feminine side of pioneer life. Woven into the fabric of KINDRED THREADS are old-time ballads, figures from Appalachian history, and tales nested within the tale.

I think this is a nicely written paragraph (and query), but I have no sense of what the story this book is telling is or, I guess, what's compelling about the story.

The success of Kathleen Kent's The Heretic's Daughter and the newly released Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks indicates there is a market for fiction set in early America. KINDRED THREADS shares with these books a female protagonist, though it moves the frontier forward in time and location.

I think this is a great paragraph. It shows you've been doing your research and know the market. The only hitch I see is that you're picking huge names in the historical fiction market, which means that a debut author is really no competition. It's like saying horror is selling (it's not) because Stephen King came out with a new book. Stephen King, like Geraldine Brooks, no longer rights in a genre. They have become brands unto themselves.

I have loved pioneer stories since discovering A Little House on the Prairie as a child, growing up to receive a BA in history from Atlanta's Emory University. My work has been published in journals and magazines.

I think this is fine, as is the rest.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Jessica