June Hiatus

Hi all!

I'm taking a hiatus from blogging during the month of June. I'll return with more topic months and Wednesday Reads.

During my hiatus you will see nothing from me on the blog. No updates, no Wednesday Reads. Zilch.

I am not taking a break from agenting. Queries will get answered. Partial and full mss will get read.

Keep your fingers crossed for some Northwest sunshine!

Happy summering!

May Conferences: FAQ

It's been a great month of talking about nothing but Conferences. If you missed any of my posts, please look at the doo-dad over there --> with this month's posts to catch up (remember, I've been doing topic months since January so there might be some other good stuff you missed too). To wrap up this month's topic is my Frequently Asked Questions post. If you have any more questions about conferences, please leave them in the comments and I will update the post as they come in.

• What is proper email etiquette for an agent who has requested a partial? Query format? Conversational? With attachments or without?
• See my recent post on just this subject. The note can be conversational (I was the person wearing the British hat that we were joking about at dinner), but mostly in a query format. You must mention that they requested it from which conference. And always include your query for reference. Attach only if the agent has specifically asked for an attachment (you can send the note and query and ask the agent's preference if you honestly can't remember).
• During my pitch, the agent asked if I brought in any pages with me. I didn't and am personally glad not to have, because I'd rather talk to somebody than have them read over my work. But is this standard practice and should I plan on bringing the first few pages with me in the future? 
• You certainly can if you'd like to be prepared. It's not standard and I, personally, will never request pages at a conference. If you have a really long pitch session (say 30 minutes--yes it's happened) then plan on bringing material just in case. You never know what sort of nuggets of wisdom you might get with that extra time. But I'm in the same boat, I don't like reading in the moment. Also, it is good practice to have a few pages on hand--if you learn something awesome in a session about first pages you can apply what you learn then and there before it flits from your mind.
• If I realize my manuscript isn't ready to send out because I learned things at the conference, should I email the agents who requested it and let them know I won't be submitting it for a few months?
• No. We don't expect you to send it out right away. You can take five years if you need to, or you can choose not to submit at all. An extra email like that in our inbox is just clutter.
• Do you know if there is a good resource online listing conferences and linking to information for individual conferences? I've been hoping to find a writing conference within driving distance of my house, but I haven't been able to find one. I live in a relatively major metropolitan area (halfway between DC and Baltimore) and I've been surprised at the lack of writing conferences around here.
• Google it! Also check out local writing associations. I just Googled it and found the Maryland Writers' Association and the DC Writers Group. Likewise, there is a Baltimore Writers Conference. If you're looking specifically for SCBWI or RWA, they usually have chapters by regions listed on their website, as well as meetings, writers groups, and extras throughout the year. My best advice (besides using Google) is to get involved in a local writing chapter or find a local writing group--they are a wealth of information and between the lot of you will know the upcoming conferences. 
• What is the protocol for conference queries? Would you give extra attention/feedback to a query you'd received via a conference?
• I definitely try my hardest to give a query from a conference (say a writer didn't have the opportunity to pitch me while there) extra attention. But if the query simply isn't my genre, there isn't much I can do. If a writer did pitch me and I requested the query and/or sample pages, I'll try my best to give the writer extra advice. But when I'm getting a hundred additional queries after a conference, I have to pick my battles.
• Is it common practice to send a Thank You note to agents (if say they took some time with you or gave your good advice during a pitch or at dinner) even if they didn't request any material from you? 
• I'd say no. Again, it's clutter. It seems callous, but it's our job at conferences to help you and I probably won't remember you. It's a kind gesture (and there are some writers who I've requested to keep in touch with me because we hit it off and they were a person I wanted to keep in my pocket) but in all likelihood, it'll end up in the trash. It isn't like a job interview in which a follow-up is expected.

Questions added:

• If an agent requests sample pages PASTED into the email, should we reformat the text in "email format" (i.e., no indents, single-spaced, extra space between paragraphs) -- or does it work to cut and paste the text directly from Word, including the first-line indents and double-spacing? I'm confused on this! 
• I think you're over thinking this. I've never encountered the problem before. You should be able to copy and paste from word (it works for me). Everything should translate just fine (double-spacing and indents included). If you're worried, test it. Send it to yourself or a second email address or a friend's address who has a different email provider to see how it turns out. As long as it's not too wonky, we don't really care.

If you have any additional questions, please ask in the comments, and I'll update the post.

Happy conferencing!

Wednesday Reads: The Girl is Murder

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines. Historical mystery, set in 1942 combines a lot of great historical elements and a bit of mystery--with a lot of growing up, very real, true to history characters, and humility. Think Veronica Mars for the historical set.

Synopsis:

It's the Fall of 1942 and Iris's world is rapidly changing. Her Pop is back from the war with a missing leg, limiting his ability to do the physically grueling part of his detective work. Iris is dying to help, especially when she discovers that one of Pop's cases involves a boy at her school. Now, instead of sitting at home watching Deanna Durbin movies, Iris is sneaking out of the house, double crossing her friends, and dancing at the Savoy till all hours of the night. There's certainly never a dull moment in the private eye business. 

First Line:

"September 1942.
Pop's leg was across the room when I came downstairs. I didn't ask him how it got there. Its location made it clear that the prosthetic had been hurled at some point, with enough force to bring down the photo of Mama that used to sit on the Philco radio."

You start with an unexpected scene, yet very normal in the life of Iris. If you're writing historical, pay close attention to this passage (and all passages in this and other historicals)--just look at these couple sentences and you'll see two things that paint it historical (besides the date)--to some degree, the prosthetic, and the Philco radio. Also, to some point, "Pop" and "Mama".

Brownie Points: I love how real Iris is. She is an entirely fallible character, but heart warming and every time she screws up--which is often--you want to sit down with her for some hot cocoa and talk about her problems. Too many times in historical, authors try to create a character who is ahead of her time. While it makes for controversial drama, it's not true to the time period. Iris is so deliciously 1942, as are each and every character--especially their Polish landlady who makes halupkies (best food ever!!! I grew up with halupkies--pigs in a blanket--which come from both sides of my family, both the German and Czech sides. Smothered in tomato sauce and sauerkraut... drool).

Recommendation: For mystery and/or historical lovers, this is a fantastic read. Or if you're a Veronica Mars/Nancy Drew fan, also a great rec. Like I said, Iris is a wonderful character, fallible and lovable, and the world is wonderfully built.

Would I represent it? I'd love to find a historical as rich as this one. With, like I said, true-to-the-time-period characters.

Happy reading!

May Conferences: The Follow Up

So you went to your conference. You pitched some agents. They requested.

Yippee!

Now what?

Firstly, cool your jets. You don't need to send those pages over ASAP. You definitely don't need to send it that night (like they request it on Friday and the conference goes until Sunday, ya the agent won't see it until Monday at the earliest).

And we completely understand if you need a few weeks/months/years to revise/rewrite/tweak your ms. Conferences give a lot of information. A LOT. And more often than not I'll hear writers say, "I thought my ms was ready, but I have a dozen ideas of how to make it better!" Do it. Take the time to revise before you submit. Because once you submit, there is no going back. No do-overs. I've heard stories of people getting a submission five years after they originally requested it. Wow.

Next, I hope you took notes of what the agent wanted. Twenty pages? Fifty pages? Full ms? Synopsis? Author bio? They'll usually tell you exactly what they want. And note "attached" or "pasted." Most likely, especially if it's a higher word count, they'll want it as an attachment. And, generally, they'll tell you to put "requested" and the conference name and title in the subject line. (always look up the agent/agency's submission guidelines)

Ex: Subject: Requested MS- NESCBWI- Wishing on a Star

I see the conference name and immediately know from what conference I requested it. Those go to the top of the slush pile.

Bonus tip--unless the agent specifically says not to, if you were unable to pitch an agent at the conference you can query them and mention you missed them but wanted to take the opportunity. Same thing, put the conference in the subject line along with Query. So: Subject: Query- NESCBWI- Wishing on a Star.

And what do you put IN the email if an agent has requested pages? Start with something about the agent requesting pages from the conference. If there was something memorable about your pitch to them (if you used a hook) put it in there to jog the agent's memory. If you discussed something the agent would remember (we joked about putting staplers in the jello at dinner) or if you yourself are memorable (I was the only fifteen year old there), mention that. We talk to a lot of people at conferences--A LOT--so don't assume we'll remember you.

After that, include how many pages you've attached and any other material the agent had requested. Below that, include the query letter, even if the agent didn't request it specifically. It's a great refresher and I like having it for reference (plus then I can gauge your query-writing skills which are way different than pitching-skills).

Dear Agent,

I met you last week at the NESCBWI conference. It was wonderful meeting you (I would totally provide the getaway car should you ever be taken with the notion to kidnap John Green again). You had mentioned interested in seeing my YA contemporary romance Wishing on a Star--a mix between a modern day Cinderella and Gangs of New York, if either featured a vegan Goth girl, world champion baton twirler. Oh, and she has a penguin for a pet. As requested, I've attached the first 50 pages, synopsis, and author bio. The query is pasted below for your reference. Please let me know if I can provide anything else. Thank you for your time.

[query]

[closing signature]

And remember these helpful posts from back in February about requested manuscripts. You'll be following the same guidelines, just slightly different at the beginning because your pages were requested via conference rather than query.

The Note.


The Return Email.

Formatting your Email.


The Nudge.

And the always useful: How to Format your Manuscript. (just to make it look pretty, especially for those of us who read on an e-reader)

Happy writing!

Speaking of pitching...

There's such thing as Twitter pitching! It's completely difference than your query, verbal pitch, etc. It can be similar to your hook though or a quick one liner. And no, you can't just send Twitter pitches to agents whenever you feel like it. That's not what Twitter is used for. But developing a Twitter pitch "just in case" is great practice for you to look at your ms differently. If forced to use 134 characters (minus six for the hashtag and space), can you describe your ms better than using 300 words? I bet you can, and you'd be amazed at how much information you can convey.

Keep all the same info in mind as you would when constructing a query or verbal pitch. You need character (with the "why we should care" in there too) and conflict. But in 134 characters.

For example, if I were to pitch whatever book in sitting on my desk, which happens to be Cinder by Marissa Meyer (it should be on my bookshelf, but it's too pretty to put away), it might look something like this:

#WVTP In a steampunk twist, Cinderella, a cyborg mechanic, catches the prince's attention; only she can save him from the evil moon queen

(Give me a break, I came up with it in two seconds)

You'll notice I'm not using chat speak. I consider it cheating, so steer clear as much as possible.

Here's a great post about constructing your Twitter pitch (more in depth than I'm getting), with links to more help in the post. I think I might have broken like five of her rules--especially with the vagueness.

And what is this #WVTP you might ask? Apparently you haven't been on Twitter lately. If you've seen anything about The Writer's Voice that was going on all this month, this is a related event. Tomorrow (Thursday) you can pitch via Twitter using this hashtag (which stands for Writer's Voice Twitter Pitch). If one of the lurking agents (myself included) likes your pitch, we will request it. If you get two or more requests, you get to choose one of us to submit to (a twist on The Voice).

Find out more info here on one of The Writer's Voice contest coaches, Brenda Drake's blog (including time the pitching opens and closes--so if you do it wrong, I know you didn't actually read it) as well as which agents you can expect to see lurking.

What's the point of Twitter Pitching rather than querying? Well, you can certainly query. But this is fun! Plus, it gives you a chance to try out Twitter pitching, hooks, one-liners, etc. If you don't get any bites, you know your pitch needs work. If you get a bite, you know you have something great. Instant gratification of sorts.

Otherwise, just come and hang out at the hashtag (if you don't think about it too hard, it doesn't sound so nerdy). Us agents might be flinging poo--er, trash talk--around.

(PS, no Wednesday Reads this week. I'm pacing myself since I'm reading less lately. June is still scheduled as a hiatus month, so no Wednesday Reads then either--I'll have one more Reads for you before I go on break though)

For a little (more) fun, and practice, Twitter pitch me your favorite book (not your own) in the comments. Let's see if yours is better than my Cinder pitch--and I welcome Cinder pitches too. Show up the agent!

Happy pitching!