Rejection Rate

Lucky 13th day again! Time to report my stats of query letter rejection. For those of you who are new, every month I report how many query letters I've rejected for that month, and offer a few words of advice/observations for the month.

This month, I rejected 82% of queries, a huge difference my previous 70%. Don't be too discouraged, a good number of these queries were completely the wrong genre for me, not a reflection of query quality. This number is good for showing how many people don't do their agent research or haven't perfected their queries yet.

Perhaps a better number to look at is how many partial manuscripts I've rejected, and how many I've requested. This number shows you how many people's manuscripts aren't ready when they query (for a number of reasons, but that's an entirely separate post--and book). This month, I also saw a huge difference in my numbers. 95% of partials were rejected, which means I only requested additional pages from 5%.

Discouraged? The beauty of this business is that there is always room to learn, and there are always people wanting to teach. As an agent, I get discouraged sometimes too, always wanting to find that ms that I will dream about, can't stop talking about. Remember all the books you probably read in a year; how many of those books will you talk about nonstop weeks after reading? That's what I'm looking for--that ms I'll LOVE.

Don't think the query business will pan out for you? It can, if you keep at it and learn from failure. I signed one author this month who I found just that way--through queries. I signed another this month, and I found her--or she found me--at the San Fransisco conference. So, to up your odds, query and attend conferences. You'll learn a lot both ways.

So now, things I've thought about/ learned/ realized this month:

My eyes sort of glaze over when I see "vampires" in the query. I think it's dried up in the YA world, but I'll consider it for adult Paranormal or Urban Fantasy. Make it original. Make it sparkle (but not in an Edward Cullen's fairy sort of way).

That said, don't start your query telling me how different or awesome or how sick I am of seeing vampire queries. Present your query. It should speak for itself.(This goes for everything else. You don't need to spell out why your book is needed in today's climate. We're agents--it's our jobs to know these things.)

Be clear if the book you are querying is self published already. In which case, the only thing we care about are numbers, no matter how awesome your query is. Because that's all publishers care about. General rule of thumb, if book sales aren't at least 5,000 in the first 6 months, neither agents nor publishers will look at it. And if it's older than 6 months (without spectacular sales), it's old news. (Very general rule of thumb, and it varies depending on who you talk to.)

Sign your name, not just your initials. It's all well and good if you want the name displayed on your book to be your initials (it works, just look at JK Rowling), but when signing your query letter, please use your first name. I like to know who to address it to. I'd feel awkward composing an email as "Dear JK."

I seem to be getting a lot of queries for superhero novels lately. Whatever the reason for the sudden influx, and whatever the age group, I don't represent superhero novels. To me, they belong in movies, comic books, and graphic novels. Leave the novels to the sparkly vampires. (Not saying it won't pan out for you, there are people out there who will like it--love it, sign it, buy it, give you lots of money for it--you'd just really, really, really have to sell me on it.)

I'd like to know a little about you, gentle readers. On this Lucky 13th day, what good things have happened to you this month? This can range from selling a book, getting represented, getting a partial requested, attending a cool workshop, finishing a page, getting inspiration from a walk--anything really.

Happy writing!

Wednesday Reads: Across the Universe

No longer just a reference to a sixties boy band! Across the Universe by Beth Revis was another one of those "this is why I love this genre" sort of books. It's described as a YA sci-fi mystery. Maybe with a touch of dystopian. But totally awesome. (By the way, admire the cover.)

Synopsis:

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.
Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awake on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into a brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

First Sentence: "Daddy said, "Let Mom go first."" Not the very best first sentence, but it's enough to make you wonder and read on. It's the first scene that will captivate you though. It is so unique and emotional that you can't help but keep reading. Far from anything you'd expect. And I was thoroughly hooked.

Beefs: Hm... there is one in here somewhere I think. Maybe it's that I figured out the ending--the "who dunnit?"--before we were told. But, as my mother tells, me I always ruin the endings because I can figure it out. Maybe I'm the only one. Maybe not. But honestly, this wasn't a major draw back because I didn't know exactly HOW things happened, WHY things happened, or WHAT was going to happen next. It's a ride this one, one you'll enjoy. (and there is a little delicious twist I definitely did not see coming--not giving anything away though.)

Brownie Points: Do I talk about POV a lot? Voice, yes (which is also well done here). But POV? Well, let me start. When alternating first person POV is done well, it's a big asset to the book. It can be trick of course. I did have to concentrate on the new chapters/POV shifts and remember who was talking (though most of the time the voice was distinctive enough to clear it up), but most of the time it was superb. All over, the major brownie point is craft--on everything: plot, pacing, characters, world building, etc, etc. Study this one if you want to write YA, mystery, sci-fy, or dystopian.

Ending: Wholly and completely 100% satisfying. You didn't know exactly how it was going to end, and believe me, you won't expect the twist (even I didn't). You'll believe in truth again, and courage.

Recommendation: Do you even remotely like any of the genres/sub-genres? Read it.

Would I represent it? Contemplated making my yes in really, really big, annoying font. But decided against it.

Happy reading!

Setting as Character

At the San Fransisco Conference, I listened to a great panel (Cara Black, Bharti Kirchner, Kemble Scott) talking about Setting as Character. I'd considered this before. In a few manuscripts I felt myself wanting more setting, especially if it was in a city that was interesting. In more manuscripts than I can count, there are faceless, nameless cities and towns that can be interchanged with countless other cities and towns. This isn't always a bad thing (but sometimes it is). In other manuscripts, it made me want to dive in even more, because the writer obviously knew what they were talking about.

So, when do you know setting is a character in your novel? Bharti says that you know you've achieved it if you take the story and set it in a another city and then examine it. Is it the same story? If the story no longer works, then you know you've made setting a character.

Kemble's stories take place in a specific neighborhood in San Fransisco (which means he's also got a built in audience). There is no way he could take the story out of the neighborhood, it wouldn't be the same story at all.

Now, I'm not saying to rush out and make setting a character, so necessary that we learn so much about it we want to puke. But I am saying to reexamine your story. Is there any place that could be made a little more interesting by exploiting the setting?

Dystopian novels are obvious: think Hunger Games. Setting was a HUGE part of that novel. The world, the district, the town, the house, the government, were key players in every scene. Make sure in your Dystopian (or SciFi or post-apocalyptic) novel that the setting is absolutely necessary (and developed, and flawless, etc).

But contemporary novels can work just the same way. I'm thinking of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. The towns that both Wills lived in didn't strike much of a cord with me, but the city they went to, did. There's a scene in which one Will is staring at his distorted reflection in the Bean. Does the artwork mean anything to me? Not really. But it got my imagination going and I started picturing the city as if I've never seen it before.

Thirteen Reasons Why is set in a nondescript town that could be anywhere in America. Thinking back, I can't even remember if we're even told what state it's in. But the town was vital to the plot, while the character is led from one landmark to another.

Historical novels are another great example. A Great and Terrible Beauty really captivated me because it is set at first in India, then England, and then in a fantasy land. Each, no matter how small, was beautifully crafted, small nuggets spread around for our pleasure. It never hit us over the head with historical facts, they just were; they sat there like o ya, that's the way it's supposed to be.

Now, my examples aren't solid examples of Setting as Character (check out the authors of the panel to see how to do it), but my examples do show how to sprinkle in a little flavor.

So whether you add a lot or just a little, make sure you add enough to get the reader interested, thinking, imagining. But don't go overboard and pepper us with lengthy descriptions (it's not the nineteenth century anymore, you'll bore your readers).

What are your favorite books based on the setting?

Happy writing!

Author Bios

I've been getting a lot of questions about what to and what not to include in your author bios lately. I answered this question a couple months ago, but I think it's time to revisit it.

First, what NOT to include:

• You've been writing since kindergarten. 
• Your Mom (best friend, Grandma, class) thinks you're the cat's meow!
• Elementary, Middle School, High School, college credits (paper, yearbook, etc). If you were published in recognized magazines during that time, then, yes, include it.

In my last post about bios, I said I didn't care and that I paid little attention to them. I've changed my tune slightly since then. I've been paying a little more attention to bios in query letters. If you're part of writing organizations, attend conferences, participate in an active critique group, if I'm on the fence about your query, you'll probably get a request instead of a rejection. But if your query is just plain bad or uninteresting or the wrong genre, no amount of credits are going to sway me.

What to include:

• If you've been previously published: where, when, what, etc; magazines are a great way to break into the writing world. Several published articles (especially in the genre you're querying) will look impressive.
• Groups you are a part of (RWA, PNWA, SBCI) (but you don't need to mention if you attend conferences regularly, but there are ways around it; say, if you met a great contact such as a writing mentor, famous author that is now your friend, or an editor requested your material, then slide in the conference--but really, it's just padding)
• critique groups
• classes you've attended (if you've studied with, say, Donald Maas)
• if you have a mentor who's been recently published and well recognized (not someone who has been independently published and no one has heard of her).
• Awards
• Degrees (MFAs, masters, graduate school)
• if you're a teacher or librarian or have taught classes specific to your genre
• if you have a high traffic blog or contribute to a high traffic blog well known in your genre

NOTE: I don't pay attention to MFAs or things like that (but they look pretty and I love sending those along to editors). And, just because you have a major in English Literature, doesn't mean squat (I'm an English major too, doesn't mean I can write a good novel). Some agents don't care for a lot of this list. Some will tell you to take it out. It's all subjective really. Sometimes I completely skip the bio if it doesn't seem all that interesting. I skim and look for words like "published in such and such magazine" or "attend such and such a class with Donald Maas." But, if you haven't been published, you don't personally know Stephanie Meyer, and your only followers on your blog are your mother and cats, make sure to pad it with relevant stuff (second group of bullet points, not the first one). And you don't necessarily have to include your bio in your query (most agents like it, I like having it there to refer back to if I need to while I'm reading the partials), but make sure your bio is the best it can be for when it's requested.

And yes, your bio will be different in your query than a full author bio, especially if you have a lot of credits. If you do have a lot of credits, give us the highlights, then go into detail in the full author bio. If you have few credits (try to fix that) then your query bio and full bio might look the same. Some people like adding cutsie stuff like you'd see on the back flap of a hard back--but that's really not necessary. I want the hard facts.

Update in response to question: It's not necessary to have an author bio. I like concentrating only on the query. But make sure to read an agent's preferences first, if they specify at all. Some say to include it, if they don't, then it's up to you. If you have something impressive that will get you requests, then include it, otherwise don't worry about it.

Happy writing!

Wednesday Reads: Hunger

I read the back cover of this book and just had to read it. I love the idea, the plot--it's beautifully morbid in all the right ways. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler.

Synopsis: (from Amazon)

Lisabeth Lewis is seventeen, anorexic...

and the new Famine, one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Seventeen-year-old Lisabeth is fighting a series of demons the only way she knows how: by refusing to eat. Her cold, acerbic mother; distant father; and friends who disapprove of her and each other all trigger her inner Thin Voice, which derides food, confirms her fatness, and shames her into the control necessary to reject food. As she sinks deeper into anorexia, she summons Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who in turn assigns her a black steed and a scale and transforms her into Famine, another of the Four Horsemen. Kessler has written an unusual allegory about eating disorders, one that works on several levels. As Lisabeth gallops across the world, she witnesses examples of both gluttony and starvation. Using her newfound power, she combats famine, visits horror upon the privileged, and strives to bring balance to the world, all while ignoring the need for balance in her own life. Kessler offers a refreshingly new approach to the YA eating-disorder genre that reinforces the difficulty of conquering these diseases. 

First Sentence: "Lisabeth Lewis didn't mean to become Famine." I'm usually not a fan of first sentences in which a character is introduced by name, but it's such an excellent hook that it works. Who doesn't want to keep reading after that?

Beefs: I couldn't help but imagining what this book would have been like had it been longer, for an older audience, and more in depth. As it was though, it worked, and was an excellent read.

Brownie Points: The characterizations of Lisabeth and her friends, especially her bulimic friend Tammy, were wonderfully done. Heart wrenching in every way, honest enough to be real, but written in a style that's in-your-face without pummeling-your-face-in.

Ending: As it should be. A wonderful self-discovery.

Recommendation: Teenage girls should definitely read this, especially girls with a penchant towards fantasy, because it mixes just the right amount of fantasy in with the real world to be very effective. I'm not saying this book will make an anerexic girl better; but it is a good self awareness book for all girls.

Would I represent it? I've said before that I like longer books, things much more in depth. So I'm not entirely sure what I would have done with it had I found it in my slush pile. I'd like to think I would have snatched it up, but who knows? I love the idea of girls becoming the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, so I'd love to see something like it.

Happy reading!