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The other day I wrote 80 rejections in 30 minutes. I was proud of that: my fastest time yet. Not because I enjoy taking authors down a notch — far from it. But I have a lot of other things to do. Intern duties aren’t as demanding as agent duties, of course. (Though most interns… Continue reading Why most agents use form rejections
It’s been a while since I wrote a stats post! The other day I compiled months of data. The results… In 6 months I requested 60 books. They came in at any time: 19 in April, only 3 in July. (Median: 12 requested queries per month.) The rate of when I requested them was more… Continue reading Request Statistics
On occasion, I get queries for short fiction, especially novelettes and novellas. By word count, their rough categorization is: Flash fiction – up to 1,000 words Short story – 1,000 to 5,000 Novelette – 5,000 to 15,000 Novella – 15,000 to 35,000 These definitions are variable, of course, depending who you ask. Some people call… Continue reading Short stories
The previous post went over 6 queries and how and why I rejected or requested them. There 2 things to learn here. No book is rejected for one thing alone. It’s true that some problems interlock, of course. Long word count and boring pages are a result of the same issue. But I saw proof… Continue reading Today’s query batch: TLDR
I read a small batch of 6 queries. Here are my reactions to each and why I chose to reject, wait, or request. Note: I must be vague about some things. However, if you identified a small problem in your book and wondered, “is this bad, or am I okay?” this post will give an… Continue reading Today’s query batch: how I replied and why
In writing you always have two ways to evoke emotion: content and how you communicate content. In novels and queries, the former means creating a gripping plot. The latter is what we call voice: how you say what you’re saying. Some people have an easy talent for writing voice. I am not one of them.… Continue reading Creating voice in the query
Please don’t query from an email address and change addresses before we can reply. Several times, I’ve received “does not exist” messages or requests to re-send to a new address. I just don’t have time to dig through and re-send a rejection. It is the author’s fault if they don’t receive my email: you gave… Continue reading Keep your email alive
There are few rules for your comps (comparison novels/authors). The publication must be recent, reflecting the modern market. The author should not be too big of a name and the book should not be a #1 bestseller even your best friend’s husband has read. That last a bit flexible. You can comp Neil Gaiman if… Continue reading The authors everyone comps
Some agents want queries to say why you’re the best person to write this book. I didn’t include this in my query guide because our agency doesn’t care. I assume you wrote this book because it was in your heart and brain and soul. I assume you researched, edited, checked, and composed the best book… Continue reading Why should YOU write this book?
So you went to a conference or convention or book event and you met publishing people. As you gave the one-line pitch of your book to a friend, an acquiring editor leaned over and said, “Tell me more.” You did. And then she said, “I like it. Send it to me.” First, congratulations! Second, what… Continue reading So an acquiring editor wants your book
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