And by “not-so-straight” writer I mean a writer who can’t manage to fly straight when it comes to writing a query letter. Just yesterday, Agent Nathan Bransford blogged about the sorry state of query writing here: http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2008/03/literary-agent-blog-confidential.html
There’ really no reason for bad queries, not with so many query writing resources out
there.
Last week I mentioned an upcoming online workshop with Laurie Schnebly Campbell on query writing, and I think it bears repeating here:
Q IS FOR QUERY, A IS FOR AAAACK!
May 12-23
www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html
No writer can get far without the most fundamental tool of selling their work: an
effective query letter. And yet it's frequently a source of dread for writers who create lyrical fiction, yet panic at the idea of creating a sales pitch. Laurie Schnebly Campbell brings 25 years of advertising experience to the task of identifying what makes people want to buy a product -- any product -- and how to convince them YOURS is the one they want.
Gotham Writers’ Workshop also offers online classes on “How to Get Published” – they’re taught by a literary agent! It’s expensive but how many chances do have to make a good first impression with an agent? One!
Here’s the course description:
Learn the most effective steps and techniques for getting published from a true insider—a literary agent. You’ve spent months, maybe years, sweating and swearing over a book project. Why not spend just a little time learning how to maximize your chance of getting published? There is no sure path or magic formula for publication. But there are definite Do’s and Don’t’s and there are time-tested steps to follow. We won’t tell you it’s impossible and we won’t tell you it’s easy. We will give you a realistic understanding of the publishing business and a wealth of things you can do to help get your work on the bookstore shelves. Among the topics covered: overview of the market, manuscript presentation, how to write great query letters, basics of a novel synopsis and nonfiction book proposal, how to research and target the right agents and editors, effective ways to make contact, how to send your materials, deciphering rejections, understanding contracts, making connection. These courses cover all types of books, both fiction and nonfiction.
Here’s the link:
http://www.writingclasses.com/CourseDescriptionPages/GenrePages.php/ClassGenreCode/HP
But even you don’t feel life spending any money, how about this free resource from Agent Noah Lukeman. (you simply must read his book – “The First Five Pages”). It’s a free download on query writing. I just downloaded myself – no problem and saw it’s 103 pages of query writing advice! Woot! Free! Yay! Here’s the link:
http://www.lukeman.com/greatquery/download.htm
Be sure to check an example of a successful query for the forthcoming YA novel, THE GOOD DAUGHTER by Amra Pajalic here: http://amrapajalic.blogspot.com/
21 comments:
Cool, thanks for the link. I'm off to download now.
Thanks for all the helpful writing info!
Your town has quite a history, wow!
Travis: I just got done printing it out - the cat supervised the printing process. I'm going to read it over lunch. Lukeman's book is great, I just saw he has more than one out now.
Rhea: Thanks! Lots more history where that came from!
I've been lapping up all the advice I could get regarding query letters, but sometimes I feel you can throw all the rules out of the window.
Someone at my critique website told how she sent an agent a book proposal ... for a fantasy novel. And the agent told her to write the book and send her the full manuscript!
I guess ultimately, it's all about a compelling story and/or good writing.
Thanks so much! I just finished reading Lukeman's "The Plot Thickens" as well as Maas' "Breakout Novel" and to be honest I enjoyed Lukeman's approach much better.
Luc: I was just thinking about yu, and wondering what you were up to these days. I wouldn't be so sure about throwing those rules away just yet. Definitely check out what Lukeman has to say - it's seems the author bio and past writing credits is way important to an agent than what I realized.
Anon 2 PM: Donald's approach is definitely not for everyone. I've yet to agree 100% with everything I've read in any agent advice or writing advice book.
Hi Josephine,
Thank you for thinking of me. I check in regularly, and enjoy your blog mostly in silence.
I'm fine, but busy at work and writing (too) little. I won't throw the rules away (note my use of 'sometimes'). And your comment doesn't make me feel less grumpy. ;-) I write novels, so have little chance to build up credits. Author bio is nice for non-fiction, but what helps me in fantasy?
I'll just try to develop my writing and storytelling, and enjoy the process.
I've thought Lukeman's books were extremely practical, but I was a bit disappointed by the query one. I think there are some very basics to queries, like keep it to one page and give your basic pitch and bio, that are universal, and many aspects of queries that are particular to the individual agent. Every single published author that has printed the query that got them the agent - that I have read - doesn't follow Lukeman's requirements.
These are the things I noticed particularly:
Lukeman says, Don't use the character's name.
Many agents (including the BookEnds gals) prefer the specific name.
Lukeman says, Compare to another book or author
so the agent knows what it is like.
Many agents say never do this, or do it very carefully.
Lukeman says that bio is everything. If you don't have publishing credits, take some time to write some shorts and send them out to magazines.
Many agents (including Nathan, I think) say don't waste you time trying to write shorts if you really just want to write novels. Bios don't mean that much.
Frankly, unless an agent has a blog or there is very specific information out there about what they want, no one formula is going to fit. It's a hit or miss.
His generously offered free book is a great start if you have no idea of what agents want, but the more you research the more confusing it can be. And since he isn't taking queries, it doesn't do me much good to know exactly what he is looking for.
I'm just frustrated on this end, because to say this is the format that will get your manuscript read is so untrue.
Hi Josie,
I loved Lukeman's First Five Pages though I read that one some time ago... I did notice that he doesn't take any queries, but he's still a great resource to take a look at...
Great post - informative as always... you should see a blog at my place in the next few weeks announcing my return to the blog-o-sphere, but I've been reading when I can, even though I haven't been commenting.
Just wanted to weigh in on the writing credits-I didn't know that some agents say it isn't important. I think writers should take this advice with a grain of salt.
The fact is it's really difficult to write a good query letter because it requires you to be objective about your book and look at it from a selling point. I know it's one of the hardest things I struggled with.
However when you have a biography that proves that your writing sells to editors this helps to weigh out your sucky query letter. I know for a fact that this helped me.
I know that writers out there say that they only write novels and don't want to take time out to work on something else. Personally I think this is a dangerous philosophy. The more you write and submit, the better you will get at the process and the more you will be able to handle the process of submitting a novel.
We all know that it's the hardest thing in the world to put our baby out there for the whole world to see. This is where short stories are great because while you love them and feel bad when they're rejected, you haven't invested all your time and creativity in it and the sting is less.
It also teaches you that even if you get rejections this doesn't mean your writing is bad. It just means you haven't found the right fit for your writing.
I also think that the comparing to other books is really important. It gives the editor and idea of your inspiration and an idea of your writing. You just have to be careful with the comparison.
When doing this you have to think about the elements that are similar between the published book and yours. If you have to then include the reason for the comparison.
So if it was a crime-"Inspired by Carl Hiassen I use screw ball humour," or "Just like Nicci French my heroine is isolated from the world," etc . This way the agent forms an idea of what you're trying to say.
I'm not saying I'm a query agent savant. In fact I can guarantee you my query letter is pretty bad. But the paragraph of writing credits is what made me stand out from the crowd and meant that the first letter I sent out (I'm not counting Donald Maass who I sent to after I attended his workshop) is the first agent I signed with.
My query letter bible is "How to write attention-Grabbing Query and Cover Letters" by John Wood published by Writer's Digest
I'm going to have reread The First Five Pages. I was disappointed in the book when I first read it, but looking back I think the fault was mine. I wasn't ready to grasp the lessons back then.
I'm more than ready now.
Hey Josephine-inspired by your post I've posted my query letter on my blog with explanations for what I included and why in case it's of any use to anyone.
Every time I come here, I find something valuable. Thanks a lot for sharing this. I've read two books by Lukeman - 'First Five Pages' and 'The Plot Thickens'. I will download this when I get the opportunity.
Thanks and take care.
Luc: I'm not much of a short story writer myself, but I do see the value of a having a credit or two. I also find when life intrudes with the novel writing (I hate when that happens!) perhaps there's still a bit of time for working on a short piece?
Heidi: Welcome! I thought Lukeman did have a valid point about the character name, and Rita award winner and fellow RWA chapter member, Linnea Sinclair recently chided me for using character names in my pitch, but yes, I understand some agents don't mind them.
More and more, I'm getting the message that credits matter - I think Nathan's advice actually echoed Lukeman's in that if you don't have any decent credits, you should still leave out any trivial ones - and that it's better to write less about yourself than pad the bio part with info that doesn't really matter to an agent.
I've never agreed with every single thing an agent advised, including Donald. And I'm with you on disagreeing over Lukeman saying you should compare your book to one already published - that seemed ham-handed to me. Still, I found a lot of advice he offered in the download valuable, and based on Nathan's complaints alone, there's much need for improvement in query writing.
Merry: Lots of blog buddies are finishing up WIP's and I fully understand making that a priority. Looking forward to your return to the blogoshere.
Maria: I too am re-reading lots of advice books, especially the writing advice books. Your mind-set and where you are in the submission process has a lot to do with what you get out of an advice book.
Amra: I think agents recognize that there might be some great projects out there written by people who don't have credits, and they don't want to discourage them, but overall, I think agents consider it a plus if you do have them, and they aren't afraid to say so.
And thanks so much for posting your successful query! It's always a huge help to the wanna-be's to read the ones that worked.
Sumit: Always nice to see you here. Glad you find my posts helpful.
Thank you for the links, Josephine.
This may sound weird, but I always looked at writing a query as much in the same way as posting on a blog. You summarize the main points of your opinion(or plot to a story) in the fewest sentences to get readers' attentions (or agents) so that they will want to know more about you.
I don't know if it will work or not, but it can't hurt.
MLH: Welcome! Love the avatar. If only I took such a professional view toward my blog posts as you do. I've been known to drop an F-bomb or two around here, something I'd never do in a query.
But I think you have the right idea: short and sweet works best.
Anything that helps me write a query letter is helpful.
Josie,
I'm sorry if I sounded combative. I didn't mean to trash the query book, but I meant to get across the point that no one formula, even an agent's, is going to fit all agents.
If I followed Lukeman's advice to a T, I can name three agents off the top of my head who would reject my letter outright.
And many authors who successfully queried without following that format.
Which is not to say that we shouldn't follow the rules. Someone's rules. I think Lukeman's book is a great start, but there is a lot of other conflicting information out there too. And if you believe that you have to have major writing credits (leaving out, as Nathan suggests, the little ones), many authors will never be published, or attempt it.
Still, I think it's great that you pointed out the information, because if someone hasn't already stumbled upon it, it's a great resource.
Thank you for the warm welcome. As for the avatar, I drew it myself.
I downloaded the Lukeman book and learned several important things although his advice for Fed-exing everything is a no-no for some agents. But the rest was gold.
MLH: Very pretty. You are quite talented.
Patti: I guess the point about the FedEx was to keep your letter from getting tossed in some huge pile of mail that won't be read for months.... but yes, know agents and their staff hate having to sign for stuff.
In Lukeman's download, I thought the advice about using CAPS, and that a lot of agents read bios first, and the point about keeping your plot description to the bare bones and leave 'em wanting more was especially worthwhile.
Heidi: I did not think you were being combative, but perhaps dismissive of an agent just because you could never gear his advice to a query letter to him because he's not accepting queries. A lot of agents offer no guidelines past "just send one page query" and I thought at least some of Lukeman's basic advice applied to all agents queries.
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