#query tips

[ashleyearley]

✅ DO Address the literary agent name by name. Personalization is important for queries. You're trying to stand out among thousands of query emails. You have to make yourself memorable. Mention why you're querying a particular agent. Maybe they represent one of your favorite writers—mention that!

✅ DO Research the literary agent. The more you know about them and what they represent, the better you will be able to gauge if they are the right agent to represent your story. Don't just query anyone! Be sure they represent your genre. Be sure they are still seeking those types of books. A quick Google search will go a long way!

❌ DON'T Avoid saying that your book is the nest bestseller, or that you're the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. Doing this is your one-way ticket to an agent closing your email and moving on. Be formal. Be professional. Don't brag about yourself or your story. Even in your bio, remain humble.

❌ DON'T Email the literary agent insults or "that they've made a mistake" if you receive a rejection letter. This will get you on a list that will lead to you receiving rejections from every agent within the publishing industry. The book community talks. We love tea (all kinds). You will be put on a "do not represent" list and never be considered after you've crossed this line.

Hope this is helpful to those writers who are in the query trenches! 🤎

#query #query letter #query trenches #query tips #amquerying #author #writer #amwriting #booknerdigans #writing #writerslife #writingcommunity #booknerd #novelist #novel #novel writing #fiction #authors #women writers #writings #writerblr #writerscorner #writing advice #writing blog #writers on tumblr #writer warnings

[spaceshipkat]

I've heard that if you self publish and your books don't do well, that makes trad publishers less likely to take you on. Is this true? Would this make it more difficult to find an agent, and in turn more difficult for the agent to find a publisher? Thank you for your time : )

so that’s both true and it’s not, and i’ll explain why. if you self publish a book that sells incredibly well, you could easily approach an agent and/or a publisher to get representation/a traditional book deal for that book. if you self publish a book that doesn’t do well (and i asked my agent about this for a friend, and my agent said a good number for this specific scenario is somewhere bw 7000 - 10000 copies sold) but try to query or submit the book, you’re unlikely to get any bites.

however, if you self published a book that didn’t do well, and later decide to query a completely new, unrelated book, your chances for signing with an agent or getting a trad book deal with that second unrelated book won’t be affected. your trad publisher will likely just treat you as a debut author (i know someone this happened to), and if your “debut” does well, they’ll likely hype up your backlist, which could include your self published book.

so no, it wouldn’t affect your chances unless you try to query and traditionally publish your unsuccessful self published book.

i hope this helps! :)

#ask #anonymous #publishing #publishing industry #writeblr #querying #literary agents #query tips

[jameyannefuller]

Feel like I shouldn't need to say this, but apparently it needs to be said, so here goes. If you finished your book during NaNoWriMo, there is something you should absolutely not do.

Do. Not. Start. Querying. Your. NaNo. Book. Today.

#Writing #writing tip #traditional publishing #querying #NaNoWriMo #seriously don't do this

[novlr]

Lots of people have told me I should self publish, but I think I still want to try to go through traditionally publishing my book first. I've got a finished manuscript, so how do I go about querying agents to find the best fit?

Pitching your manuscript to literary agents is a length process that requires lots of dedication, and a great deal of research. To get the most out of your querying, you definitely need to go in prepared.

We've put together this walk through for how to pitch your novel to literary agents, including some helpful do's and don'ts at the link below!

#publishing #querying agents #publishing agents #literary agents #book agents #am querying #writing asks #writing blog #writers #creative writing #writing #writing community #writers of tumblr #creative writers #writeblr #writerblr #writing tips #book publishing #trad publishing #traditional publishing #book pitch #book proposal #writer #writing advice #writing resources #writers on tumblr #writers and poets

[hayatheauthor]

Update Regarding My Sudden Hiatus + Author/Publishing News

Guess who's back from the dead!

Jokes aside, I truly do feel terrible for going on hiatus without saying anything, and then I come back and see that I've hit 2k (which btw is absolutely amazing and left me shell-shocked) and that just made me feel worse for leaving unannounced. So, here's everything that's been going on:

(click read more if you want to learn about my experience at my first writer's workshop & pitching to an agent ++ publishing updates for The Traitor's Throne)

If you DON'T want to read more: long story short I'm back and will revamp this blog Monday onwards.

Would you look at that I'm finally getting the hang of Tumblr etiquette!

Anyways, I know if I took the liberty of casually explaining everything we would just be here all day and I would ramble endlessly SO, I'm going to summarise everything into a list:

One of the biggest reasons for my departure was because *insert drum roll* I graduated! That's right, your girl is officially a diploma holder and ready to conquer college! Although I've seen the 'finals week or my final week' meme enough times to start questioning what I signed up for.

My writing life has been a little...disappointing. There's no other way to break it to you folks, but when I started this blog, I was knee-deep in the query trenches, and now, I'm still there. Does that suck? Yes. Am I going to give up? Absolutely not! BUT I do have some changes planned:

I've officially decided if this final shot at traditional publishing doesn't do well, I'm going to give in and self-publish The Traitor's Throne in May-June 2024. Which means you might potentially be able to purchase my baby pretty soon!

BUT I decided to give querying one last shot and actually joined a writer's workshop (which is going on as we speak btw). I joined the online Boston Writing Workshop, I'll drop a review on that on Sunday, but so far I've actually learned A LOT from it, and have decided to give querying another go while implementing what I've learned. Dw I'll also be putting out a review about the workshop on Sunday.

So, here's a summary: I've created a self-publishing deadline for my current project while also giving traditional publishing a final shot. I also joined my first ever writer's workshop this weekend and will be pitching to agents for the first time.

Overall, I think my lack of success in the querying scene kind of made me feel like a fraud when giving writing advice. I'm the type of author who does A LOT of research when I write, which is why I have so many tips on so many topics, but that doesn't make me an expert.

This workshop especially made me realise I've been making some rookie mistakes and focused so much on my story that I forgot the query and synopsis are just as important. Maybe this realisation came too late and I've lost my chance of traditionally publishing The Traitor's Throne, but I am grateful for everything it's taught me.

ANYWAYS—see what I meant by we'd be here the whole day if I didn't use a list??

Let's get back to the important stuff; yes, I will start putting out blogs again, and answering my asks. I'm also thinking of launching a beta reader project where I'll beta read some of your works for free! Stay tuned to see that announcement since it'll come soon.

Thank you so much for supporting this silly little blog of mine, and I hope you have a good weekend! As always, I'll see you on Monday! 💕✨

#hayatheauthor #haya sameer #writing community #haya's book blog #writing tools #writer things #haya blogs #writer community #writing advice #writer tips #querying process #querying #querying agents #haya: talks #haya: navi

[em-dash-press]

Why Querying Is Good for Writers

When you’ve finished drafting your first query letter, enjoy the excited butterflies in your stomach. Reaching out to literary agents is a big step!

It can also be a frustrating experience after a while.

People estimate that 96% of query letters get rejected. Many writers would agree with that number. It takes a while to find an agent with the right experience and vision for your work. You might also have to wait for the book industry to find interest for stories like yours.

There are numerous reasons why literary agents reject letters, but what’s the point of trying if you’re going to get rejection notices?

Don’t lose hope. Even if you never get published (which is fine!), you’ll gain these essential lessons from your experience.

1. You’ll Learn About the Industry

You wouldn’t expect the fashion industry to always remain the same. People are constantly looking for new things to wear—they’re also looking for new things to read.

Literary agents keep up with the industry so they know which stories publishers want to sell. When they know what publishers want, they’ll seek querying writers who have those types of stories.

The good news: querying makes you keep up-to-date with book industry trends.

The bad news: that means some of your stories—maybe even your first querying project—might not sell right now.

While you’re querying, you’ll build skills and find resources to help you track book industry trends. You’ll use those skills the rest of your writing life (or as long as you want to get published).

Helpful Additional Resources:

How to Stay on Top of Publishing Trends Like a Pro

How to Keep Up with the Publishing Industry

Writer's Digest's 10 Best Publishing News and Resource Websites

2. You’ll Refine Your Query Writing Abilities

It’s important to know how to format a query letter and personalize it to each literary agent. Although it takes time to write new drafts and research each agent, you’ll refine your query letter abilities.

You’ll know how to pitch your book in a single paragraph, how to describe its marketability, call back to authors with successful, similar stories, and even describe your intended readership. You’ll also get better at line edits and writing grammatically correct sentences in a professional manner.

Your first few query letters may not result in publication, but that’s okay. Your letters will get more direct and professional with each attempt.

3. You’ll Connect With New Communities

Querying is most frustrating when done alone. You might become one of the many writers to join new communities during the process to find people who understand what you’re going through.

You can follow other writers on social media sites and even follow literary agents. Many post tips for genery querying and updates on how the industry is doing as a whole.

There are also Facebook groups dedicated to writers who are querying or seeking other forms of publication. I would definitely reocmmend joining a few. You don’t even have to make posts. Seeing what other writers are experiencing and reading posted tips will change your experience for the better.

4. You’ll Learn to Cheer Yourself On

Receiving a rejection can be hard. Sometimes, it’s just another part of your day. It depends on how passionate you were about working with the particular agent or how exhausted you feel about the process in general.

You’ll learn to cheer yourself on when the tough moments happen. After you have space to process whatever emotions occur after a rejection notice, remind yourself why you wrote your story. Reflect on what made you a writer in the first place. Repeat a few affirmations and stick written copies of them around your writing space.

Learning how to pick yourself back up is useful in all other parts of life too. Find your motivations, your passion, and give yourself a helping hand to get back on your feet on your journey to publication.

5. You’ll Figure Out What You Want to Write About

Sometimes the book industry and readers in general only want to read about certain things. If everyone’s flooding bookstores to find the latest vampire romance, your story about outerspace adventures that point out the failures of economic class structures might not sell.

When you’re ready to put your querying on pause or shelve a work for later, you’ll have to go back to square one. What are the themes you love writing about? Which story ideas make you most passionate about writing?

Going back to those foundational loves will strengthen your connection with your craft. Your writing gets better when you care about the core of each story. That’s a gift that some writers never figure out.

-----

Querying might seem scary, but it can be a great experience. You’ll learn a few of these things along the way and better identify what you want from your life as a writer.

#querying advice #querying tips #querying #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing tips #writing advice #publishing tips #publishing advice

[inkcurlsandknives]

Querying Stats for Saints!

This post originally went out via my author newsletter, but I realized that if I’m finally going to start using tumblr as an author platform that means I HAVE A BLOG AGAIN!! 

I  recently announced that Saints of Storm and Sorrow, my Filipino Epic Fantasy sold in a two book deal to Titan UK and will be coming out June of 2024. (if you’re interested in Submission Stats definitely go sign up for my newsletter as those stats will go out exclusively in this month’s newsletter. I also send out whatever Filipino recipe I’m tinkering with at the moment, this month is a mouthwatering Kang kong/water spinach adobo stirfry)

Saints was pitched as a Filipino EMPIRE OF SAND X POPPY WAR Lunurin, a mestiza stormcaller, hides in a convent—from the Inquisition branding her a witch, and the Goddess of Storms, who sings of drowning colonizers. When she’s discovered, a marriage-of-convenience might save her from the Church, but not her Goddess. A typhoon is brewing in Lunurin’s bones. Freeing it will destroy the violent colonizers, but also the family she found in the convent and her new marriage.  

QUERY STAT TIME!

I’d like to start by saying I did query 3 books in addition to Saints, And They Called Her Stormbringer (2018- Epic Fantasy), One Half a Dead Witch (2019-Contemporary Fantasy), and Mushroom ABCs (2022- Picture Book) and I’m glad to have signed with an agent who’s so supportive of my backlist. If I’m completely honest I sent my first query for And They Called Her Stormbringer, my freshman year of college in 2012 and received such a brutal (though personalized) rejection that I stopped querying for 6 years and creative writing for almost 2. I will admit now that the feedback was accurate, but as a young writer I had no idea what to do with it or how to revise as I had no writing partners or critique groups at the time.

Fast forward almost a decade. Saints of Storm and Sorrow was fast drafted all 131k words in 31 days for Nanowrimo 2020. I worked to revise it with help from beta readers and CPs from February through August of 2021, I’m a fast drafter and a slow reviser. I went through several rounds of revision. I started querying Saints in the fall of 2021. In Oct 2021 I learned I’d gotten into Pitchwars with my amazing mentor Michella Domenici <3 and I quickly pulled all my active queries and fulls promising to resend the manuscript after the revisions I’d complete during the Pitchwars Mentorship. I then spent the winter of 2021 in an absolute whirlwind of revisions that culminated in the PitchWars Showcase in February 2022. I got 15 requests!! I was thrilled and sure that my querying journey would soon be over!! Saints and I then entered the LONG WAIT. I went into and came out of several writing burn out funks. At no point in the last five years I’ve never written so little as I did in 2022, I found it very hard to write the wait for the first time in my querying journey. Every few months I’d drag myself out of my agonies of waiting and hurl out another thirty or forty queries. Over TEN months post PitchWars I sent a total of 164 queries for Saints of Storm and Sorrow, I received 50 full requests, 4 partial requests, and finally 3 offers. For those who like maths that’s a 33% request rate. In my low moments it started to feel like I’d written a great query but a terrible book! I was told the pacing was too slow and too fast, that the world building was too hard to grasp and not detailed enough! I completed a panic revision in September 2022 trying to address these issues. I nudged everyone who still had my full or partials with the revision, and low and behold two months later, Saints got its first offer on the week of Thanksgiving. I was ecstatic. I asked for three weeks to consider (on account of thanksgiving) and quickly sent out nudges for every open full (18!) AND every query remaining open (65!). OVER 80 emails/Query Tracker messages WOW. 10 more requests for fulls and extensions to read came in. I waited, my inbox rattling with news for almost three weeks. I don’t ever want to send that many emails again! My agent Ramona Pina with Bookends actually ended up requesting my full on my original decision date! But I’d been asked for an extension by a few other agents and let her know she had 3 more days if she wanted to read. Ramona read Saints in two days and the day before my extended decision date sent me her offer of rep. We hopped on a call and I quickly realized there was no way I could decide in 24 hours between such excellent agent choices. I reached out to the other offering agents requesting the weekend to consider and contacted several of Ramona’s clients to get their perspective. After a weekend of decision agony I made the best decision for me and Saints of Storm and Sorrow.

I can’t emphasis enough how much of this process depended on LUCK and GRIT. The Luck of finding a fellow Filipina mentor in Pitchwars who totally understood my vision for the book. The luck of getting Saints into the right hands at the right time. The GRIT to keep sending my query package out even though at points I was convinced far too many people had rejected it to ever find my yes. My book had to get in front of SO many eyes before I found the right ones, but if you’re in the trenches now remember it only takes one yes. Querying is a numbers game and a luck game more than one of skill. You may read about those unicorn authors who send out 15 queries on their first book and get 7 offers, remember they are the outliers. Their books had the exceptional luck of speaking to the market at the right time. Many many wonderful books, telling excellent stories, having great literary merit will struggle in the trenches for reasons that have nothing to do with the book, but everything to do with timing, a contracting market, layoffs of editors and closing of imprints for particular genres.

It can be so hard to remember that rejections can come on your manuscript that have nothing to do with the quality of your work, but I think it’s one of the essential skills that this long journey to become published forced me to learn.

#writeblr #authorblr #bookblr #writing community #my writing #querying #query #writing tips #writing journey #filipino author #asian author #fantasy author #queer fantasy #filipino fantasy #asian fantasy #saints of storm and sorrow #filipino food #long post warning

[literaticat]

Is it better to include an elevator pitch or not in a query? As an example, if the query is three paragraphs plus a bio, should it also have a one sentence elevator pitch at the top - do you recommend that or is it optional/doesn't matter either way? Which is better - elevator pitch, 3 paragraphs describing book, then bio, sign off or 3 paragraphs describing book (or 2 in some cases), bio, sign off, no one sentence pitch at top? I feel an agent might just read the first line then decide?

I have no questions in the inbox, but this was sitting in drafts for like -- a year? Haha. Sorry, original asker! I'm going to put this in the FAQ under Querying, as it's sort of the definitive "this is what you put in a query" answer, I think.

To answer your question: There are a lot of people who have a lot of rules and tips for queries, and here's what they DON'T usually tell you:

It doesn't really matter what order you put the elements of your query in, or three paragraphs vs two, or whatever whatever. Just include all the information we ask for and make it short enough to fit on a page. These are the ONLY two "technical" rules. Other than that - we just want it to be compelling. We want it to make us want to read the book. So make it how you like it! What sounds good to YOU?

Now. What you are calling the "elevator pitch", I'd call a log-line actually. I consider an elevator pitch to be something you are delivering in person - like if somebody asks, "hey what is your book about", your answer is nutshell elevator pitch. A log-line is a little shorter -- just the very top-of-the-treeline description about what we are about to look at.

Personally, if I were writing a query letter, I'd probably go like this:

Salutation: Dear so-and-so,

Short intro paragraph: I'm querying you for A REASON / I met you at A PLACE, etc. I'm delighted to share TITLE, a CATEGORY complete at WORDCOUNT about LOGLINE.

About the Book: 1 to 3 paragraphs. Mine would probably be two paragraphs: ONE paragraph about the book, expanding the log-line, ANOTHER short paragraph to wrap up the first paragraph as necessary.

Bio: Previous publications if applicable, if not just a little something about yourself.

Sign off: With social media handles, etc.

For example:

#1 - Salutation

#2 - Intro

I have such fun listening to your podcast, and when I saw on social media that you are a sloth fan, I figured it was kismet and I should send this your way! SLOTH COPS is a twisty MG whodunit complete at 60,000 words, about two polar opposite sloth police detectives who must team up if they are to have a hope of catching the mysterious tortoise murderer plaguing their city.

#3, flesh that logline out:

Captain of the Sloth Squad Callisto Jenkins is an experienced veteran on the force; she's seen it all in her day, and has the gallows humor to prove it. Officer Stormy McNair is a rookie on the beat, desperate to make his bones as detective and prove to every doubter that so-called "bad sloths" like him CAN solve crimes. A foolish mistake during an investigation causes Callisto to take Stormy's badge and gun away and consign him to desk duty, but the hothead rookie can't stand being benched and figures out a way to get involved with Callisto's last case before retirement -- the case of the Tortoiseville Strangler.

#3.5, close out the pitch part:

The strangler doesn't take kindly to sloth cops on his turf, and Stormy and Callisto soon find themselves embroiled in a case that is much bigger and more sinister than they could have imagined. It will take Callisto's patience and dedication to the hunt combined with Stormy's brazen attitude and quick wit to get them out of the Strangler's lair with their necks intact, and put the shadowy tortoise killer behind bars where he belongs.

#4 Bio :

I'm Fiona Q Whittlestone, and I'm a professional private detective, which sadly, is a lot less exciting day-to-day than movies would have you believe! I live in Palm Springs, CA, with a 100 year old Desert Tortoise named Ambrose who, as far as I know, has never committed a crime. SLOTH COPS is my first novel.

#5: Sign-Off

--

Now - 1 and 5 obviously have to stay where they are. In my opinion, 2/3/4 make the most sense in that order, and that's about the right amount of room for them. But if you wanna do a hooky log-line, then the about, then the nuts-and-bolts -- that's fine! If you'd rather introduce yourself THEN put the description of the book and then the nuts and bolts -- or you need only one paragraph for the book -- or you need three paragraphs for the book but it still fits on one page -- that's fine! We just need all the info, and we need it on one page. That's it.

#querying an agent #query tip

[whileyoureinschoolidothisallday]

guess who signed up for some publishing industry zoom classes!!!!!!!!!!!

#risa is an author now #most about querying #but some about revision specifically!!!!!! #I think everybody could always use more revision tips tbh

[to-be-a-rose]

Here are many many many examples of REAL query letters that worked. 

I found this on the website for root literary when researching their submission guidelines. Many agencies will have querying tips and information on their website so be sure to look, but this link in particular has been super helpful for me when working on my query package so I thought I’d put it out there~ Good luck my writeblr bbs

#writing #writeblr #writing tip #publishing #query #querying

[ashleyearley]

✅ DO Use a conventional letter format when writing your query letter. Improperly writing a letter can tell a literary agent that you are unprofessional and possibly give off an "I don't care" attitude. So ALWAYS follow this rule to look professional, serious, and to reflect that you did your research.

✅ DO List your qualifications and publication history. If you don't have any publication history, that is fine, but be sure to hone in on your qualifications. Did you major in creative writing or English in college? Did you win a writing contest at some point? Do you have a Facebook Group dedicated to writing with x-amount of members? Mention anything you can and be professional rather than braggy.

❌ DON'T Writing more than one page can be a death sentence. Address the agent by name, hook them with the summary of your book, provide the genre and word count of your book, list your qualifications and publication history in a short bio, and then list your contact information—ALL WITHIN ONE PAGE. More than this will waste an agent's time and might cause them moving on.

❌ DON'T Do not send a query letter that isn't proofread. Read over your query letter, have a friend look over your query letter, and then have another person read over your query letter. Do this and ask for the other eyes on your query letter to catch any mistakes you might have made. Sending a query letter containing errors is a huge mistake.

Hope this is helpful to those writers who are in the query trenches! 🤎

#writer #author #amwriting #booknerdigans #writing #writerslife #writingcommunity #bookstagram #booknerd #novel writing #writer warnings #writerblr #writerscorner #writing advice #writing blog #query #query letter #query tips #query trenches #amquerying

[spaceshipkat]

Girl help! How do you know if your manuscript isn't right for the market? 😅 How many agents are the limit? I've only gotten one rejection but the other 5 agents haven't responded at all yet ...

so you’ve queried six overall? that’s not a lot, so i don’t think you’re in a spot you need to worry yet! figuratively, there’s no limit to the number of agents you can/are allowed to query. who’s gonna hold you at gunpoint to make sure you don’t pass X number, yknow? my cutoff was when i ran out of agents i’d be happy to be represented by (thanks to that old saying that it’s better to have no agent than a bad agent, and as someone whose first agent was a bad agent and my next two were/are very good agents, this is a true statement. i’m fucking thrilled with my current representation. my agent is fantastic and such a huge support system and just gets my books, which is how i know she’s the best agent for me. that, and we get along incredibly well, both professionally and personally). whether that was 30 or 50 agents depended on the genre of my book and any future books i’d want to write. and there are so many more agents to query now in 2023 than back when i was querying in 2020 because so many agents have left their past agencies to form their own, which allows for more options since you’re not stuck behind “only query one agent at xyz agency”

so were i in your shoes, i’d send out a few more queries (maybe to agents known to be fast responders) to see if your query and first pages are working. if they’re not, revise your query and polish your pages and try again with a new batch of agents. if you get a rejection, feel free to send out a new query right after—doing that always made me feel better, so i didn’t wallow. that agent may not have wanted my book, but the next one could.

good luck in the trenches, anon!! 💖

#ask #anonymous #writeblr #querying #query tips #publishing #publishing industry #writing advice #sorta

[bookwyrminspiration]

hi! this was the anon who thought there were only 3 twilight books. uh...i come from a place where twilight is really obscure. i can guarantee that not even 1/5 of my school has heard of twilight. when i was younger i remember only seeing 3 twilight books in the library even though i went there regularly and the other day was the first time i have ever seen a twilight box set in a bookstore. so yeah! thats where i got the numbers from..

fascinating! now that I think about it I don't know if the people in my area who are aware of twilight know how many books there are. I think this might be a "even when trying to compensate experts still wildly overestimate how much average person knows" kind of situation. most people just hear of it, I think. my apologies nonsie!

I also had a book series at my middle school library that I swear they were always missing a book. It was the Companions Quartet, and I don't remember which one was missing, but I remember always being annoyed because I liked to reread those books and my rereads were always interrupted by the missing one

despite how many times I read those I can't. actually remember what the plots were. I'm pretty sure the MC was named Connie, and her best friend was bonded to selkies? or maybe kelpies. And in the first book Connie takes the secret animal society bond test and fails, but it turns out she's actually a universal and everybody loves her. There was also a big bad evil guy monster, and I remember what happened to him and Connie. For some reason one of the last lines really stuck with me--one about balance and how close she was to losing it, and how she'd have to be better about it from now one.

I think maybe the ending is so distinct when I've genuinely forgotten all four books is because I was so miffed about where it stopped. Huge thing happened that would have Huge Implications and then we don't get to see how it plays out? We don't even get to see Connie tell anyone???

I have gone in a completely different direction Nonsie, but these books I have nearly forgotten were a staple of my middle school days. there was a scene about wind turbines. and the secret mythical beast society was split into four I think--and there were 4 books. did anyone else read these books I've gotta know

#quil's queries #nonsie #can I remember the titles? #secret of the sirens. mines of the minotaur...the gorgon's gaze...and one more #Ah chimera's curse. forgot the last one #also mixed up the order of minotaur and gorgon #there is so much on the tip of my tongue. I can feel it back there so faint. but I cannot recall #any companion's quartet readers out there I am calling to you

[thepedanticbohemian]

Agents constantly complain on Twitter about would-be writers breaking these simple rules that lead to immediate rejection. I've never broken any of them but still have had my fair share of rejections. 50 on the original "cozy" Ourderkirk House. Looking back, I earned those letters. It was complete drivel.

Now it's a powerful three-act rollercoaster. The characters leap off the page. The POV character is hilarious but deeply flawed. She suffers from anxiety disorder and must overcome it in the end to save lives.

IMHO, I think I need to hone my personal saleability. I can write suspense, thrillers, and erotica, for days. But put me at a blank screen writing that sell-me-and-my-book letter and I freeze like an antelope in headlights.

I'm going to submit my polished query letter to author and former agent, Nathan Bransford for critique. I already know I have to kill my favorite line in the letter, "Ruth O'Neill has ninety-nine problems but finding dead bodies isn't one."

Too close to hijinx, as Spock would say. Buh-bye.

#writing #writers #writers on tumblr #writing community #writerscommunity #writer things #writerslife #novel writing #writers and readers #writing tips #am querying #query letter

[novlr]

#writeblr #writers #creative writing #writing #writing community #writers of tumblr #creative writers #writerblr #writing tips #writblr #publishing industry #book publishing #publishing #writers corner #publishing tips #am querying #querying agents #book synopsis #writing a synopsis #synopsis #publishing agents #literary agents #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #writing advice #writing resources #resources for writers #publishing resources #references for writers

[sexcaliburs]

COMPATRIOTA QUE ME SIGUE? no lo puedo creer

Obvio, como se debe 😋

#| commonfolk's queries | #latine AND a sonic fan AND a hollow knight fan? I tip my hat at you