March Madness: Queries are final... hands off!

I'm not trying to call anyone out with this post. And if you find you've done the no-nos in this post, no need to follow up with another email or comment of apology. Your intentions were good, and I do appreciate it. This is more of a "keep in mind for the future" sort of post.

I'll set up the scenario.

I write a blog post about particulars of the query process. You're reading and reach a particular faux pas and scream "Noooooo!" at the screen like a bad horror movie. Because you queried me two weeks ago. And committed the faux pas. You rush to your email, dig up our email thread, or start a new one with the subject "correction to query submitted Month/Day", and hurriedly (but not so hurriedly you don't forget to be diplomatic or check for grammar and spelling errors) write me a note apologizing for not knowing I prefer my queries a certain way and to please overlook the error or accept the new query. I see the email in my inbox, smile to myself, give you an e-cookie (warm, gooey, chocolate chippy, zero calories--it's an e-cookie, go with it), think "oh, you adorable dear," and delete it (not your query, I'll still answer that, non-biasedly). [query no-nos can be found in my January Query posts such as this one on What Not to Include]

Look familiar?

This entire process is unnecessary. And you're cluttering my inbox. And wasting your own precious time.

Most things that you're wanting to correct are tiny things, things that will not sway my vote from yes to no. The exception may be if you realize you get my name wrong and catch it just after sending the email. Go to that email thread, send me another with a quick apology. I completely understand that mistakes are made. And it is nice to know you were actually (mostly) paying attention.

When you send a query... hands off! No resubmitting, no do-overs, no minor or major corrections, no additions to your bio.

Move on to a new project. Do not rework your query or ms (unless you're submitting to new agents or contests) until you've received all the feedback from your first/second/third round of querying. And since you've been concentrating on something else, you can go back to it with fresh eyes and incorporate the changes.

The only reasons you should be bugging an agent after submitting a query are 1) following up after the agent's preferred time frame to be sure they've received the query; 2) following up after the agent has had your ms for a preferred time frame; 3) to inform an agent of another offer of representation; 4) to withdraw the query/ms from consideration for a myriad of reasons including shelving the project (not suggested--get as much feedback as you can--it'll help you, if not for this project, then for the next) or accepting another offer.

And now that I've gotten half of you fretting over the tiny imperfections of your query, and the other half fretting that I hate you because you did this, I'll leave you with a reminder--

I'm not trying to call anyone out with this post. And if you find you've done the no-nos in this post, no need to follow up with another email or comment of apology. Your intentions were good, and I do appreciate it. This is more of a "keep in mind for the future" sort of post;

--and--

Happy writing!

Questions for the Agent: Queries and Partials

From when I was gone, I asked you, the lovely reader, to ask me questions and/or suggestions for future blog posts. I'm back. I'm (mostly) caught up with work. And now I'm answering your questions in segments (this is part two). And asking for more questions. Here's the time to find out all you can about the agent (remember most everything is subjective and does not apply to all agents). 


Do I respond to all queries?

Yes, I do, usually with a form rejection or request. I wish I could add a personal note to them all, but I have too many to answer. If I am particularly struck by one, an exceptional title jumps out at me, or you have a well written query but I must reject your ms for some reason (either the writing, characters, or subject matter didn't draw me in) I will try to add a note to help or encourage you. 


When I'm on the fence:

I take into account your fiction platform; this means if you are active in writing communities, online communities, Twitter, and/or blogging, I'll be swayed favorably. If I see that you have a Twitter and/or blog that was started but abandoned two years ago or updated once in a blue moon, it might harm your chances.
I'll also take a look at the market. I might like a project (not love) but if it's in high demand, I'll probably take a chance. If I know absolutely no one is buying it (if, for example, your main comp is Twilight) I'll probably say no. 


Insta-nos for queries:

• Obviously, if it's the wrong genre for me, it's gonna be a no. 
• Also, if you don't address me by my name (spelled correctly), it's probably going to be a no. If you don't use my name, I'm going to assume you didn't personalize the query and you sent it to twenty agents at the same time (if you do, for the love of all that's holy, hide the bccs).
• Writer shows he/she does not understand basics of grammar and/or spelling (I'll overlook obvious mistakes, even I can't catch every error; I can usually tell the difference between "Whoops didn't catch that" and "I think this is how this goes but I'm just going to guess") 
• Not always an instant deal breaker, however, using cliches aren't going to get you far. "Fateful night" is one that gets under my saddle and chaffs.

Insta-nos for partials:

• Unnatural dialogue.
• Excess of backstory.
• Cliche characters and/or situations and/or phrases. Ex: beautiful girl is so tragically misunderstood at school and that all changes when the mysterious new boy at school pays attention to only her.
• Writer shows he/she does not understand basics of grammar and/or spelling (I'll overlook obvious mistakes, even I can't catch every error; I can usually tell the difference between "Whoops didn't catch that" and "I think this is how this goes but I'm just going to guess"--this goes for query letters too)
• Writer shows he/she does not understand how to set a scene and/or plot. Ex: something I look for is length of sections and chapters. If the first chapter has sections or scenes a few paragraphs to a page or two long, it's probably because the writer doesn't know how to lengthen a scene and gives us what we need to understand the story or character.

Not so obvious insta-nos on partials:

• Lack of voice. If I cannot connect with the character, and if I can't empathize with him/her, I won't care about what happens.
• Unnecessary or excessive use of slang or bad language (this may or may not be subjective, because I understand some books use this as a device--I usually don't like those books). There is a fine line between voice and excessiveness.
• A prologue that is excessively long or I don't think is necessary; I'll try to skip ahead to the first chapter to give it a fair chance, but your prologue should be just as well written as the rest and if I'm in a hurry or super slammed with partials, I won't get that far.

Would I take an elevator pitch knowing the writer needs a month or more to actually query?

Yes. You're showing initiative by showing up the the conference (class, bathroom, wherever you may be) instead of waiting to research until after you've finished writing. Please don't send me something unfinished. You get one chance, use it wisely. I've heard of agents getting manuscripts from people they met at a conference two years prior. Agents understand that conferences are packed with a lot of info, info that probably makes you think "I need to revise that in my ms". Please, go use what you've learned, then get back to us.


Any more questions that go in this category of queries and partials?

Happy writing!

Questions for the Agent: Personal Preferences

From when I was gone, I asked you, the lovely reader, to ask me questions and/or suggestions for future blog posts. I'm back. I'm (mostly) caught up with work. And now I'm answering your questions in segments. And asking for more questions. Here's the time to find out all you can about the agent (remember most everything is subjective and does not apply to all agents).


Boy POV MCs:

I'm for it. One of my favorite authors of boy POVs of all time is John Green. Of course, I don't expect you to be John Green-- let me correct that: please don't strive to be John Green (his awesomeness is so great I cannot refer to him simply as John or Green). What makes John Green John Green is his personal style and voice and plot. If you emulate him exactly, you won't be unique (he came first so he'll still stand alone at the top and you'll be cast lower). Find your own style and voice and hooks. Remember that boy POVs are less in demand than girl POVs because, sadly, the majority of teen readers are girls (and all readers in general actually). That said, plot accordingly. You probably don't want to write a YA romance from the POV of a boy. And an action/adventure written solely for a boy audience probably won't sell. 


Dystopians:

What? Where? Can I have it?
I love dystopians. They are less in demand than they were right after Hunger Games came out, but people are still reading and buying. But don't forget about other genres that haven't been explored as widely. And you can mix genres as well. 


Have I read Jellicoe Road?

Thanks for the suggestion! It's in my TBR pile right now. Have any others for me to read? 


Would I represent an international writer?

Sure. The same parameters apply to non-international writers: namely, I have to love it. So worry about that first. 


How to query LGBT lit:

Cast your net as wide as you can go. Unless an agent specifically isn't looking for it, go ahead and query them (if it meets their other guidelines--for example, I say I'm not looking for Time Travel, so if you have a LGBT time travel, don't query me--that said, I'm personally not looking for LGBT). The thing is, as agents, we understand that we might fall in love with the project even if we've been quoted by saying we didn't like a sub-genre. I'm not a huge fan of ghost stories and guess what? Yup, I signed one. It's about voice and craft.


Any more questions having to do with my personal preferences? This can be genres or how I like things submitted or something general about the business.

Happy writing!