Once again, Rejector is embarking on the insanity known as National Novel Writing Month. For that reason, I may get a little behind on answering questions, or may miss a question that's embedded in an anonymous post. If you really want me to answer, email me.
Now, back to work.
Okay, I'll bite. When you write a query letter and leave the typos & other errors out, what are you basically looking for beyond the hook?
Good writing. Maybe some publishing credits. That's it.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
How to Get Your Word Count
How do you count words? MS Word? Or something that will better equate to number of pages (for example, an average of words/per page of full pages multiplied by the number of pages)?
I find the difference in the two methods changes my wordcount by over 5,000 words.
I'm not sure why this is such an issue for everyone, but I've been flooded with emails about this. This is how to calculate word count:
1. Click on "Tools"
2. Click on "Word Count."
The old method of assuming there were 250 words on a double-spaced page and then multiplying that by the number of pages is a method that was used when we didn't have programs that did the counting for us, and we had to have some way to do it without actually counting all the words.
To be honest, we don't care about the exact count. (We certainly don't care about it in the hundreds and double-digit numbers) We care within a range of about 5 thousand words, which would be a couple printed pages. Don't lie, but 95k is not a big difference to us than 92K or 90K. Just use a word counter, round to a hundred (don't list the last two digits), and submit.
I find the difference in the two methods changes my wordcount by over 5,000 words.
I'm not sure why this is such an issue for everyone, but I've been flooded with emails about this. This is how to calculate word count:
1. Click on "Tools"
2. Click on "Word Count."
The old method of assuming there were 250 words on a double-spaced page and then multiplying that by the number of pages is a method that was used when we didn't have programs that did the counting for us, and we had to have some way to do it without actually counting all the words.
To be honest, we don't care about the exact count. (We certainly don't care about it in the hundreds and double-digit numbers) We care within a range of about 5 thousand words, which would be a couple printed pages. Don't lie, but 95k is not a big difference to us than 92K or 90K. Just use a word counter, round to a hundred (don't list the last two digits), and submit.
Chapter Length
I've got a question and since you've been talking about word count... I thought this fit in nicely. Is there a particular word count guideline for chapters? Does chapter length matter - either to agents, or to publishers (that half page for new chapter might take up space and add up to extra pages)...
I've seen some 300 word novels with 25 chapters and some with maybe on 19... People certainly say, "well, your chapter should be long enough to be interesting, carry the story, and end on a hook of some kind or be a logical break with point-of-view"... but that doesn't really tell you much... So, I'm curious if agents or agent assistance ever discuss chapter lengths.
We never discuss chapter length unless we've taken the author on as a client and we feel the manuscript needs revision in terms of structure and pacing.
Chapter length does not matter except in how they make the story flow.
We never discuss chapter length unless we've taken the author on as a client and we feel the manuscript needs revision in terms of structure and pacing.
Chapter length does not matter except in how they make the story flow.
Resubmitting
Dear Rejecter:
In a recent posting you advised writers to change their query letter if they were requerying agents (after rewriting their manuscript.)
Any advice as to the best way to reapproach agents who were kind enough to give helpful criticism on a partial or full, but did not specifically invite the writer to resubmit, after an extensive rewrite incorporating all suggested changes? Most of the agents loved the story concept but felt the writing needed a bit more tweaking. Should the new query specifically address their suggestions and how the writer sought to remedy the problems?
We get these all the time. Not every day, but certainly once every few months. "You gave me suggestions, I followed them, I'd like to resubmit." Our first response is, "Who's this guy again?" and our second is, "Ugh, this guy again." But then we probably will read it, as long as you don't send the whole manuscript unsolicited. You can send a couple chapters, maybe, and the agent might read it depending on how much time they happen to have and how many new authors they're interested in taking on.
In other words, do it. You have nothing to lose.
We get these all the time. Not every day, but certainly once every few months. "You gave me suggestions, I followed them, I'd like to resubmit." Our first response is, "Who's this guy again?" and our second is, "Ugh, this guy again." But then we probably will read it, as long as you don't send the whole manuscript unsolicited. You can send a couple chapters, maybe, and the agent might read it depending on how much time they happen to have and how many new authors they're interested in taking on.
In other words, do it. You have nothing to lose.
In Which People Take Adverbs Too Seriously
You're an agent. You know the power of words. But now you want to play semantical twister? Fine then. Let’s play.
Quoting you exactly: "I am not referring to Christian inspiration,(sic) which is a legitimate genre that occasionally has good writers."
*********************************************
From Answers:
“oc•ca•sion•al•ly (ə-kā'zhə-nə-lē) pronunciation. The adverb ‘occasionally’ has one meaning: now and then or here and there
Synonyms: on occasion, once in a while, now and then, now and again, at times, from time to time”
Idioms: Once in a while ---- occasionally, NOT VERY OFTEN (emphasis mine), as in ‘Once in a while I enjoy going fishing.’ [Mid-1800s] Also see every now and then; from time to time.”
**********************************************
The use of ‘Occasionally,’ in the context of your sentence was as an insult whether you want to admit it or not. That said, here's the implied meaning:
"I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.”
"I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers FROM TIME TO TIME.”
"I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers but NOT VERY OFTEN.”
Clear enough?
You wrote ‘Occasionally’— as opposed to: "I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers.” _PERIOD._
Just like any other 'legitimate' genre has good writers _PERIOD._
So why sandwich 'occasionally' in there at all? (Inquiring minds want to know) UNLESS it was meant as a backhanded compliment. UNLESS it was meant as a swipe. UNLESS you really do believe the Christian Inspirational (not inspiration) market has a shortage of quality writers, because that’s what ‘occasionally’ implies.
Your comment was condescending and offensive. I don’t write inspirational fiction, but if you were to substitute any other genre in your statement it would’ve been just as rude.
It is possible to make a point without insulting an entire group of writers. If you can’t see this—even after my admittedly long-winded (and yes, anal) explanation—any further clarification will be pointless.
Allow me to clarify, but thanks for the promotion to full agent. I'll let my boss know she should pay me more.
When I said:
"Christian inspiration, which is a legitimate genre that occasionally has good writers."
What I meant was:
"Christian inspiration, which is legitimate in that big chain stores seem to be stocking it, and probably has some good writers, but I'll be damned if I've ever read a piece of Christian inspirational fiction that wasn't terribly written and/or outright offensive to all other religions. But wait, I shouldn't say that on this blog, that might offend some people, so I'll just say 'occasionally.'"
In all fairness, Jewish fiction for the religious crowd (called "frum fiction" and not found in your average bookstore, unless you live in Boro Park) is pretty awful, too. It's not so much "inspirational" as it is "anxious and ridden with guilt."
Muslim religious fiction is rarely translated into English unless it has a larger political message.
I apologize for the confusion.
Quoting you exactly: "I am not referring to Christian inspiration,(sic) which is a legitimate genre that occasionally has good writers."
*********************************************
From Answers:
“oc•ca•sion•al•ly (ə-kā'zhə-nə-lē) pronunciation. The adverb ‘occasionally’ has one meaning: now and then or here and there
Synonyms: on occasion, once in a while, now and then, now and again, at times, from time to time”
Idioms: Once in a while ---- occasionally, NOT VERY OFTEN (emphasis mine), as in ‘Once in a while I enjoy going fishing.’ [Mid-1800s] Also see every now and then; from time to time.”
**********************************************
The use of ‘Occasionally,’ in the context of your sentence was as an insult whether you want to admit it or not. That said, here's the implied meaning:
"I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.”
"I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers FROM TIME TO TIME.”
"I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers but NOT VERY OFTEN.”
Clear enough?
You wrote ‘Occasionally’— as opposed to: "I am not referring to Christian inspiration (sic), which is a legitimate genre that has good writers.” _PERIOD._
Just like any other 'legitimate' genre has good writers _PERIOD._
So why sandwich 'occasionally' in there at all? (Inquiring minds want to know) UNLESS it was meant as a backhanded compliment. UNLESS it was meant as a swipe. UNLESS you really do believe the Christian Inspirational (not inspiration) market has a shortage of quality writers, because that’s what ‘occasionally’ implies.
Your comment was condescending and offensive. I don’t write inspirational fiction, but if you were to substitute any other genre in your statement it would’ve been just as rude.
It is possible to make a point without insulting an entire group of writers. If you can’t see this—even after my admittedly long-winded (and yes, anal) explanation—any further clarification will be pointless.
Allow me to clarify, but thanks for the promotion to full agent. I'll let my boss know she should pay me more.
When I said:
"Christian inspiration, which is a legitimate genre that occasionally has good writers."
What I meant was:
"Christian inspiration, which is legitimate in that big chain stores seem to be stocking it, and probably has some good writers, but I'll be damned if I've ever read a piece of Christian inspirational fiction that wasn't terribly written and/or outright offensive to all other religions. But wait, I shouldn't say that on this blog, that might offend some people, so I'll just say 'occasionally.'"
In all fairness, Jewish fiction for the religious crowd (called "frum fiction" and not found in your average bookstore, unless you live in Boro Park) is pretty awful, too. It's not so much "inspirational" as it is "anxious and ridden with guilt."
Muslim religious fiction is rarely translated into English unless it has a larger political message.
I apologize for the confusion.
Friday, October 27, 2006
The Word Count Controversy
Many people have written me to ask why I put in my notations in an earlier post about word count in new fiction needing to be in the 70K - 100k range, with certain genre exceptions. Yes, it is true that a lot of fiction violates these rules. Yes, some stories take longer to tell. Yes, famous authors have written much shorter stories. The real reason behind it is not about us but about the current demands of the publishing company. I'll explain it as best I can.
There's a certain overhead for publishing a book. There's costs for the binding, the cover, any editorial work, the cover art (usually done by an in-house artist or contract employee), and publicity. These range from book to book (especially in the publicity area) but stay the same regardless of the size of the book, but it is very expensive to publish a book. The overhead is huge.
If you talk to publishers today about why the price of books always seems to be skyrocketing, they will go on and on about the rising cost of paper and ink, the two things that are affected by word count. If the book is too short, they can't charge as much for it (because it's small) and may not recoup their basic overhead costs. Oh yeah, and they have to give a portion to that writer too, or something. They have to consider the public, which often feels cheated if a book is too short, the same way people feel cheated if a movie is an hour long.
On the other hand, if the book is too long, paper and ink starts becoming a major concern because the cost of the book to print will go up and exceed the price they can reasonably sell it for. This doesn't count for Harry Potter, as everyone will buy the 8oo-page volumes the day they come out anyway, but if you look at the first three books (before JK Rowlings became a major success in the States), you'll notice that they are much shorter than 4, 5, and 6.
So, the publishers have a comfortable range that they think a book belongs within, which varies based on genre, and if you want to get published, you should stick to their rules. Once you're a famous author, you can do whatever you want, but let's take it one step at a time.
There's a certain overhead for publishing a book. There's costs for the binding, the cover, any editorial work, the cover art (usually done by an in-house artist or contract employee), and publicity. These range from book to book (especially in the publicity area) but stay the same regardless of the size of the book, but it is very expensive to publish a book. The overhead is huge.
If you talk to publishers today about why the price of books always seems to be skyrocketing, they will go on and on about the rising cost of paper and ink, the two things that are affected by word count. If the book is too short, they can't charge as much for it (because it's small) and may not recoup their basic overhead costs. Oh yeah, and they have to give a portion to that writer too, or something. They have to consider the public, which often feels cheated if a book is too short, the same way people feel cheated if a movie is an hour long.
On the other hand, if the book is too long, paper and ink starts becoming a major concern because the cost of the book to print will go up and exceed the price they can reasonably sell it for. This doesn't count for Harry Potter, as everyone will buy the 8oo-page volumes the day they come out anyway, but if you look at the first three books (before JK Rowlings became a major success in the States), you'll notice that they are much shorter than 4, 5, and 6.
So, the publishers have a comfortable range that they think a book belongs within, which varies based on genre, and if you want to get published, you should stick to their rules. Once you're a famous author, you can do whatever you want, but let's take it one step at a time.
Getting Into Publishing
I'm a senior in undergrad (English major, writing concentration) and I'm interested in becoming an editor eventually. What WOULD you suggest to do that? Is grad school necessary and *must* I move to NYC? I've tried finding out by browsing around online but the results are somewhat murky and my career services officer wasn't much help either. (Ok, I know that NYC is optional but I still *feel* like it isn't, esp. for fiction.) Thanks!
Grad school is not necessary or recommended. It is expensive, takes 2-3 years, and doesn't really aid your career in publishing.
The main way these days to get into publishing is to do an internship at an agency/publishing house, and then be an assistant to an agent for about a year before applying to a publishing company to be an editorial assistant.
Moving to New York, however, is basically a must, unless you can find employment at a small company/agency in the town where you live.
Grad school is not necessary or recommended. It is expensive, takes 2-3 years, and doesn't really aid your career in publishing.
The main way these days to get into publishing is to do an internship at an agency/publishing house, and then be an assistant to an agent for about a year before applying to a publishing company to be an editorial assistant.
Moving to New York, however, is basically a must, unless you can find employment at a small company/agency in the town where you live.
Rungs on the Ladder
What is the difference between an associate agent and a just plain agent? Is it anything like being a sub-agent or a junior agent?
Are there just a lot of rungs in the ladder, each with its own title?
Not really. Associate/Junior/Sub-agent generally all mean the same thing - "We've come up with a fancy title for the person who is not the head agent." Don't worry about it. If you've found someone who sells your work to a publisher, you're golden.
Are there just a lot of rungs in the ladder, each with its own title?
Not really. Associate/Junior/Sub-agent generally all mean the same thing - "We've come up with a fancy title for the person who is not the head agent." Don't worry about it. If you've found someone who sells your work to a publisher, you're golden.
"Commercial" Fiction
This may sound like a nitwit question, but I've read so many different answers. Can you define for us - once and for all - what 'commercial fiction' is?
It refers to fiction that does not fall neatly into a genre. It is often just put into Fiction/Literature sections of bookstores. The term "commercial fiction" is mainly an insider term, as is "contemporary fiction," which means the same thing.
It refers to fiction that does not fall neatly into a genre. It is often just put into Fiction/Literature sections of bookstores. The term "commercial fiction" is mainly an insider term, as is "contemporary fiction," which means the same thing.
Repeat Queries
I sent out my novel, confidently, thinking I’d done the best possible job, querying widely. There were requests for fulls and partials, all leading to no, but with some encouraging advice on revision. They were right. Now I find myself in the position to query again, a year later, with a new and improved! version and would like to re-query not only those agents who wrote the encouraging comments, but the ones who passed on the original query. I’d imagine, I hope, that this happens to quite a number of people. From your side of it, what happens when you come across a “familiar” query letter?
Do you even notice? Is it necessary to change the title as some people will tell you to do? Are there records kept? In my case, I sent the first 5 pages which will be essentially the same. Does that matter/will it be noticed? I do plan on changing/improving the query letter.
And, while we’re at it, how would I approach a query letter to an agent that had read the partial or full and turned it down? Just query again without mentioning, not query at all, or query with a reference to “new and improved!”
We come across familiar query letters all the time, because there's rumors going around that agents don't remember every query and assistants change a lot. In fact, we see repeat queries, unchanged, within a month. And while we don't remember everything (I will not for the life of me remember your name), it will likely look familiar to us. More importantly, if we rejected it the first time, there probably was a reason, and that same reason will lead us to reject it a second time.
Query again, with no reference to previous queries, and significantly change your query. I don't mean move lines around. Change the description of the book (the "hook"), because that's what we're most likely to remember, not names and titles. If your writing has improved, you'll want to change it anyway so that it's better-written.
Do you even notice? Is it necessary to change the title as some people will tell you to do? Are there records kept? In my case, I sent the first 5 pages which will be essentially the same. Does that matter/will it be noticed? I do plan on changing/improving the query letter.
And, while we’re at it, how would I approach a query letter to an agent that had read the partial or full and turned it down? Just query again without mentioning, not query at all, or query with a reference to “new and improved!”
We come across familiar query letters all the time, because there's rumors going around that agents don't remember every query and assistants change a lot. In fact, we see repeat queries, unchanged, within a month. And while we don't remember everything (I will not for the life of me remember your name), it will likely look familiar to us. More importantly, if we rejected it the first time, there probably was a reason, and that same reason will lead us to reject it a second time.
Query again, with no reference to previous queries, and significantly change your query. I don't mean move lines around. Change the description of the book (the "hook"), because that's what we're most likely to remember, not names and titles. If your writing has improved, you'll want to change it anyway so that it's better-written.
I Always Get This Question
Can you post an example ot a query opening that grabbed you and one that you rejected?
No, because it wouldn't help you. You have to describe your own work in your own style, as the accepted writer did. Assume the rejected writer was boring and/or had a lot of basic grammatical errors.
No, because it wouldn't help you. You have to describe your own work in your own style, as the accepted writer did. Assume the rejected writer was boring and/or had a lot of basic grammatical errors.
Stationary Envelopes Suck. There, I said it.
When making a submission, at what point (paper count, presumably) does one abandon the tri-fold business envelope and graduate to either a half-envelope, with one fold, or a full-size envelope to accommodate unfolded 8.5 X 11 sheets? Are manila envelopes appropriate for either half-size or full-size, or should one go with white First Class? All this, of course, only after writing & rewriting to the best of one's abilities.
It is to your financial advantage to stuff as much in a small envelope as space will allow - which can vary based on the thickness of the paper but is usually not more then 10 pages. We don't care, honestly, how the query gets to us. We do, however, get annoyed by SASEs that are stationary-sized. That means we have super-fold our reply letter so it will fit and it looks ridiculous. Don't give us a return envelope smaller than a traditional letter envelope.
Try not to go first class unless you have to. (The post office will make you do so over a certain weight, unless you want to send it media mail) It's expensive and it's just a query letter.
It is to your financial advantage to stuff as much in a small envelope as space will allow - which can vary based on the thickness of the paper but is usually not more then 10 pages. We don't care, honestly, how the query gets to us. We do, however, get annoyed by SASEs that are stationary-sized. That means we have super-fold our reply letter so it will fit and it looks ridiculous. Don't give us a return envelope smaller than a traditional letter envelope.
Try not to go first class unless you have to. (The post office will make you do so over a certain weight, unless you want to send it media mail) It's expensive and it's just a query letter.
Small Publisher Questions
Questions:
1. Can smaller publishers get you out across your nation or is that
beyond
their reach? Or in other words, is their circulation to small?
2. Can you trust a smaller publisher to look out for your best
interests?
3. Do they push your book and advertise well enough? (I read one critic
say
that Shadow Mountain messed up with one author because they did not
give his
book the publicity push it needed)
4. Do smaller publishers pay the author less then bigger publishers?
1. It depends on the publisher. Now that we have amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and alibris.com, the sky's the limit, but the publisher's ability to get your book on the shelves of stores on the other side of the country depends on the publisher's resources to do so.
2. About the same as you can trust any major publishing company. Meaning, not at all.
3. Again, depends upon the publishing house you're talking about and the resources they're willing to commit to your book. If you've heard bad things about a small publisher, stay away.
4. On the whole, yes. Much, much less.
1. Can smaller publishers get you out across your nation or is that
beyond
their reach? Or in other words, is their circulation to small?
2. Can you trust a smaller publisher to look out for your best
interests?
3. Do they push your book and advertise well enough? (I read one critic
say
that Shadow Mountain messed up with one author because they did not
give his
book the publicity push it needed)
4. Do smaller publishers pay the author less then bigger publishers?
1. It depends on the publisher. Now that we have amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and alibris.com, the sky's the limit, but the publisher's ability to get your book on the shelves of stores on the other side of the country depends on the publisher's resources to do so.
2. About the same as you can trust any major publishing company. Meaning, not at all.
3. Again, depends upon the publishing house you're talking about and the resources they're willing to commit to your book. If you've heard bad things about a small publisher, stay away.
4. On the whole, yes. Much, much less.
Giving Someone First Look
When my novel was a work in progress, it was shortlisted in a competition. A couple of agents read the 25k words in existence then, and asked to see the novel when finished, as did a publisher.
It's now finished. I do want to follow up with the agents who read the work in progress, but I'd also like to not limit my options too early. Should I let the two agents read the full ms first before anyone else sees it, or would it be ok to send partials out to a few other agents at the same time? If I do, I assume I should tell them that the full ms is being considered elsewhere.
You can send out queries to other, random agents at the same time, and you don't have to tell the original agents you're doing that, but it's kind of rude. Honestly, if you have an "in" with a publisher and a couple of agents, try that first before blind-querying a bunch of other agents, unless you have someone specific in mind that you also want to try.
It's now finished. I do want to follow up with the agents who read the work in progress, but I'd also like to not limit my options too early. Should I let the two agents read the full ms first before anyone else sees it, or would it be ok to send partials out to a few other agents at the same time? If I do, I assume I should tell them that the full ms is being considered elsewhere.
You can send out queries to other, random agents at the same time, and you don't have to tell the original agents you're doing that, but it's kind of rude. Honestly, if you have an "in" with a publisher and a couple of agents, try that first before blind-querying a bunch of other agents, unless you have someone specific in mind that you also want to try.
Multiple Query Letters to the Same Agent
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it okay to send out seperate query letters out for each novel to the same agents at the same time? I'm not doing this, but I've read that it is done and might be useful to this questioner.
Uhh... I guess you could do that, but it would look a little odd. Seperate them by like a week or two.
Uhh... I guess you could do that, but it would look a little odd. Seperate them by like a week or two.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
A Typical Day's Mail
Today I decided to keep track of the mail so you can see a bit what the submissions are like.
2 Maybes - Both non-fiction. One was rejected immediately by my boss, the other placed back on the pile for more serious consideration.
The Rejections
3 Crazy Book Ideas - I am referring to not a person who is crazy, but the idea is crazy (it's different), though the person could very well be crazy for all I know. These queries, among my favorite, describe novels with plots that make no sense. ("These lovers get on a plane - and then a gorrilla comes out of fucking NOWHERE!!! and then it turns out he's invisible but he's still attacking them...") Or they are novels that are not properly described in any way that makes sense because the author rambles for about a page about other stuff, to the point where I wonder if he has written anything or is just lonely for return mail.
1 Famous Person That Can't Write - Many people who have achieved some mediocre amount of fame (in this case, as a popular sports radio personality) think they can translate whatever part of their career/act that made them famous into written form, and they are wrong. So wrong.
2 Manuscripts That Are Too Short - Seriously, if you're in fiction, don't go under 70k. Under 60k is an auto-reject, no matter what NaNaWriMo says about novel length. And definitely do NOT submit something that's 33,100 words.
1 Manuscript That Is Too Long - If you are in fiction or autobiography, please do not go far over 100k. Certainly, don't go over 120k. 240,000 words is just unacceptable. Auto-reject.
2 Crazy Christian Authors - Before I get a flood of hate replies, let me clarify. I am not referring to Christian inspiration, which is a legitimate genre that occasionally has good writers. I am referring to people who are obviously quite insane but are also all hopped up on Christ and have attempted to write a Christian inspirational novel, but their insanity slips through. One of them I remember featured a story about a town that re-introduced whipping as a form of punishment for sin. For two pages this guy went on about whipping and sin and Christ and more whipping, to the point that I was just suspicious.
1 Christian Inspiration - I forget whether this was someone's non-fiction autobiography about discovering their path to religion or fiction with the same plot, but the point is, it's not a genre we handle. No offense meant, but auto-reject.
1 Ex-Military Guy - And this guy wasn't from Iraq, either, though we see a lot of those. This guy was in the Korean war or something. Yes, you went to war. That doesn't qualify you to write about it, unless you can make it interesting. Unfortunately, you didn't.
2 Fiction About a Woman Discovering Herself - otherwise known as "chick-lit." Plus, one of them was about a woman who found out she was a lesbian over the course of the book.
1 Generic Self-Help - Hint: the words "generic" and "touching" don't go well together.
1 Just Plain Crazy Guy - I don't know what crazy guy's novel is about, because he doesn't usually get to it until the third page of his 16-size font rant, and it's only a brief summary. Before he gets there, he decides to discuss a bunch of non-related events in his life that are apparently supposed to be either hilarious or bitterly hilarious about the publishing industry and how it doesn't appreciate real literature, because this guy has CLEARLY written it, and that's why he has no punctuation.
2 Maybes - Both non-fiction. One was rejected immediately by my boss, the other placed back on the pile for more serious consideration.
The Rejections
3 Crazy Book Ideas - I am referring to not a person who is crazy, but the idea is crazy (it's different), though the person could very well be crazy for all I know. These queries, among my favorite, describe novels with plots that make no sense. ("These lovers get on a plane - and then a gorrilla comes out of fucking NOWHERE!!! and then it turns out he's invisible but he's still attacking them...") Or they are novels that are not properly described in any way that makes sense because the author rambles for about a page about other stuff, to the point where I wonder if he has written anything or is just lonely for return mail.
1 Famous Person That Can't Write - Many people who have achieved some mediocre amount of fame (in this case, as a popular sports radio personality) think they can translate whatever part of their career/act that made them famous into written form, and they are wrong. So wrong.
2 Manuscripts That Are Too Short - Seriously, if you're in fiction, don't go under 70k. Under 60k is an auto-reject, no matter what NaNaWriMo says about novel length. And definitely do NOT submit something that's 33,100 words.
1 Manuscript That Is Too Long - If you are in fiction or autobiography, please do not go far over 100k. Certainly, don't go over 120k. 240,000 words is just unacceptable. Auto-reject.
2 Crazy Christian Authors - Before I get a flood of hate replies, let me clarify. I am not referring to Christian inspiration, which is a legitimate genre that occasionally has good writers. I am referring to people who are obviously quite insane but are also all hopped up on Christ and have attempted to write a Christian inspirational novel, but their insanity slips through. One of them I remember featured a story about a town that re-introduced whipping as a form of punishment for sin. For two pages this guy went on about whipping and sin and Christ and more whipping, to the point that I was just suspicious.
1 Christian Inspiration - I forget whether this was someone's non-fiction autobiography about discovering their path to religion or fiction with the same plot, but the point is, it's not a genre we handle. No offense meant, but auto-reject.
1 Ex-Military Guy - And this guy wasn't from Iraq, either, though we see a lot of those. This guy was in the Korean war or something. Yes, you went to war. That doesn't qualify you to write about it, unless you can make it interesting. Unfortunately, you didn't.
2 Fiction About a Woman Discovering Herself - otherwise known as "chick-lit." Plus, one of them was about a woman who found out she was a lesbian over the course of the book.
1 Generic Self-Help - Hint: the words "generic" and "touching" don't go well together.
1 Just Plain Crazy Guy - I don't know what crazy guy's novel is about, because he doesn't usually get to it until the third page of his 16-size font rant, and it's only a brief summary. Before he gets there, he decides to discuss a bunch of non-related events in his life that are apparently supposed to be either hilarious or bitterly hilarious about the publishing industry and how it doesn't appreciate real literature, because this guy has CLEARLY written it, and that's why he has no punctuation.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
If You Don't Know Your Genre...
I am from India and my novel is set in contemporary India. It doesn't
fall into a conventional genre like
romance/thriller/historical/sci-fi, etc. and I am apprehensive about
calling it literary fiction as it isn't all that high brow.
Would my best bet be querying agents who handle multicultural fiction,
or is there some other category I should look out for?
Basically, I am looking for an answer to: You should query agents who
handle _______ genre. Please fill in the blanks.
It is probably contemporary fiction. Unless the agent's profile specifically indicates that they only handle specific genres (agents who only do sci-fi/fantasy, agents who only do romance, etc - but there's very few of them), go ahead and query.
fall into a conventional genre like
romance/thriller/historical/sci-fi, etc. and I am apprehensive about
calling it literary fiction as it isn't all that high brow.
Would my best bet be querying agents who handle multicultural fiction,
or is there some other category I should look out for?
Basically, I am looking for an answer to: You should query agents who
handle _______ genre. Please fill in the blanks.
It is probably contemporary fiction. Unless the agent's profile specifically indicates that they only handle specific genres (agents who only do sci-fi/fantasy, agents who only do romance, etc - but there's very few of them), go ahead and query.
Those Darn Assistants! (Again)
Wow, I've always wanted to ask this question. I seem to be a hit with assistants. They email, they've even called (freaky!). They always say they're going to pass my ms. on to the boss ASAP and that's when the crickets start to chirp. I can't wait for this generation of assistants to graduate to "boss." Of course, their mail will be screened by a new generation of assistants--assistants who might hate my work. Chirp, chirp.
I would like to point out that my answer to this is almost unrelated to the previous post because it discusses assistants, not assistants who are in the middle of becoming sub-agents.
In general, assistants do not request material on their own (unless they really push for it, which never works anyway). Even if they sign their name, they're doing it for the boss, because the boss wants to see it. The slowdown is unrelated. It's because agents are busy people and have a lot of other things to do, and so the partials and fulls pile up. I've got partials sitting at agencies for approaching a year now. (That's unofficially a rejection) So don't worry that it's the problem of who the boss has hired. It's a problem of the boss's busy schedule.
I would like to point out that my answer to this is almost unrelated to the previous post because it discusses assistants, not assistants who are in the middle of becoming sub-agents.
In general, assistants do not request material on their own (unless they really push for it, which never works anyway). Even if they sign their name, they're doing it for the boss, because the boss wants to see it. The slowdown is unrelated. It's because agents are busy people and have a lot of other things to do, and so the partials and fulls pile up. I've got partials sitting at agencies for approaching a year now. (That's unofficially a rejection) So don't worry that it's the problem of who the boss has hired. It's a problem of the boss's busy schedule.
Assistants as Agents
After a lot of research, I e-queried a well-known NY agent who has represented literary fiction that I feel is similar to mine. After several weeks, I had a very nice note from her assistant telling me how much she loved my first fifty pages and to please send a full. There was no mention of the agency owner, to whom my query had been addressed. I've sent it off and am continuing with my next novel and my queries on novel #1. Assuming--and this is a big assumption, I know--the assistant loves the full as much as the first fifty, what is likely to happen? I don't want to ask her directly at this point for fear of insulting her. Will the agency owner become involved? I looked up the assistant and she's listed on the agency website as actively seeking new clients (as is the owner). I can make certain assumptions about the owner based on her track record, but have no information on the assistant. She's young (no offense) and new to NY (after college). How can she possibly have the contacts the owner would have? Is it common for a response addressed to an owner to come from an assistant?
There are two main paths to becoming agent. The first is to work in a publishing house as an editor or a publicist for 20 years, burn out, and leave in a flurry of frustration about not being able to work with authors and having all of your projects crushed by upper management. The person takes all their contacts with them and becomes an agent, usually by joining a larger agency, and then breaking off when they have the client list to do so. This is the traditional way.
Today more and more people are jumping right from being assistants of agents to being sub-agents at that agency or a different one. I suspect the shift is largely because agencies are more likely to take on interns and assistants with no experience to help them get into publishing than a large, intimidating publishing company is, so more and more people start their careers at agencies (instead of publishing houses) and decide to stay.
If the assistant is listed as "taking on clients" for herself, then she is in the middle of making the transformation from assistant to sub-agent. Sub-agents get to use the name and resources of the head agent, which helps them get in doors and make contacts and have weight to throw around, but they also have to give a cut to the head agent. Eventually, they either build a client list strong enough to become a full agent (at that agency or elsewhere) or they don't and head into a different sector of publishing.
If the assistant is interested in being your agent, she's doing so with the tutelage of the head agent, so I wouldn't worry about it. She's also more likely to be agressively taking on clients because she needs to build a list to stay afloat financially if she's no longer being paid a salary like true assistants are.
I'm an assistant with no desire to move up the ladder because I don't actually want to be an agent. I don't particularly like working with contracts, bookkeeping, or publicity. I want to edit material, which is why I'll eventually end up in the editorial department of a publishing company, but I don't plan on making that jump until I finish graduate school.
There are two main paths to becoming agent. The first is to work in a publishing house as an editor or a publicist for 20 years, burn out, and leave in a flurry of frustration about not being able to work with authors and having all of your projects crushed by upper management. The person takes all their contacts with them and becomes an agent, usually by joining a larger agency, and then breaking off when they have the client list to do so. This is the traditional way.
Today more and more people are jumping right from being assistants of agents to being sub-agents at that agency or a different one. I suspect the shift is largely because agencies are more likely to take on interns and assistants with no experience to help them get into publishing than a large, intimidating publishing company is, so more and more people start their careers at agencies (instead of publishing houses) and decide to stay.
If the assistant is listed as "taking on clients" for herself, then she is in the middle of making the transformation from assistant to sub-agent. Sub-agents get to use the name and resources of the head agent, which helps them get in doors and make contacts and have weight to throw around, but they also have to give a cut to the head agent. Eventually, they either build a client list strong enough to become a full agent (at that agency or elsewhere) or they don't and head into a different sector of publishing.
If the assistant is interested in being your agent, she's doing so with the tutelage of the head agent, so I wouldn't worry about it. She's also more likely to be agressively taking on clients because she needs to build a list to stay afloat financially if she's no longer being paid a salary like true assistants are.
I'm an assistant with no desire to move up the ladder because I don't actually want to be an agent. I don't particularly like working with contracts, bookkeeping, or publicity. I want to edit material, which is why I'll eventually end up in the editorial department of a publishing company, but I don't plan on making that jump until I finish graduate school.
The point of this blog, which has apparently been missed
oh, please! all you rant and rave about is how much you hate this way that writers address a label to an agent or how stupid writers look if they mention in their query where they read about an agent, and you want us to act as if we care separately about you! ha!
guess what? I don't care about you. I don't care about your agency or your boss or anything else that has to do with you. I don't give a fig about your stupid assistant's position or any or your dumb griping. the only thing I care about is writing and my novel. Until you or anyone else at an agency wants to represent my work the last thing I'm going to worry about is your supposed feelings.
This is forced marching thorough the slimy ranks of commerce for most writers. get that? You have to act as though you care about us, the people responsible for you having your job in the first place, before I'll even consider treating you as anything other than just another possible agency.
At various points people have privately suggested that I disable anonymous comments in my settings, because all of the ranters seem to be named "Anonymous." (I didn't even know that was such a popular baby name) The truth of the matter is it doesn't bother me. It's a reaction of frustration. I am, after all, the rejecter of their work, and by implication, a rejection of them as a person, because their work is a part of themselves. I'm the person you're probably going to get mad at. Various people in my MFA program have come up to me and said, "How do you do your work with a clear conscience?" The answer is always, "Well, we accept the good writers and get them published. We reject the bad ones because we can't sell their work. It's really not a moral issue."
The purpose of my "ranting and raving" (see above) is to point out the various mistakes people make that either annoy us or make the writer look stupid, and you don't want to look stupid. A query is like a job interview - you want to be wearing your best suit and answer all the questions right, because you want this person to at some point give you money, and maybe a health plan with a low co-pay.
The things I discuss here are lessons to prevent you, the writer, from shooting yourself in the foot. If you only care about your writing and don't give a lick of your time to thinking about how to present it to an agent, I don't know why you are looking for an agent and I don't know why you're reading this blog. Since I'm the gatekeeper, my "feelings" (see above again) should actually be a pretty major consideration. It mystifies me when I offer advice and people say, "Well, I'm just not going to listen to that and keep doing what I was doing, even though you just said, at great length, why I shouldn't do it." If you're a writer seeking an agent, you should probably listen to what agents and their assistants have to say.
If you just want to write, that's fine. Join an MFA program, or save money and take an adult education writing workshop at your local high school (They're about the same level of education, but the latter is less pretentious). Have fun. Write some fan fiction - I love fan fiction. But don't come to me and ask for my advice about getting a professional agent if you have no intention of listening to it.
guess what? I don't care about you. I don't care about your agency or your boss or anything else that has to do with you. I don't give a fig about your stupid assistant's position or any or your dumb griping. the only thing I care about is writing and my novel. Until you or anyone else at an agency wants to represent my work the last thing I'm going to worry about is your supposed feelings.
This is forced marching thorough the slimy ranks of commerce for most writers. get that? You have to act as though you care about us, the people responsible for you having your job in the first place, before I'll even consider treating you as anything other than just another possible agency.
At various points people have privately suggested that I disable anonymous comments in my settings, because all of the ranters seem to be named "Anonymous." (I didn't even know that was such a popular baby name) The truth of the matter is it doesn't bother me. It's a reaction of frustration. I am, after all, the rejecter of their work, and by implication, a rejection of them as a person, because their work is a part of themselves. I'm the person you're probably going to get mad at. Various people in my MFA program have come up to me and said, "How do you do your work with a clear conscience?" The answer is always, "Well, we accept the good writers and get them published. We reject the bad ones because we can't sell their work. It's really not a moral issue."
The purpose of my "ranting and raving" (see above) is to point out the various mistakes people make that either annoy us or make the writer look stupid, and you don't want to look stupid. A query is like a job interview - you want to be wearing your best suit and answer all the questions right, because you want this person to at some point give you money, and maybe a health plan with a low co-pay.
The things I discuss here are lessons to prevent you, the writer, from shooting yourself in the foot. If you only care about your writing and don't give a lick of your time to thinking about how to present it to an agent, I don't know why you are looking for an agent and I don't know why you're reading this blog. Since I'm the gatekeeper, my "feelings" (see above again) should actually be a pretty major consideration. It mystifies me when I offer advice and people say, "Well, I'm just not going to listen to that and keep doing what I was doing, even though you just said, at great length, why I shouldn't do it." If you're a writer seeking an agent, you should probably listen to what agents and their assistants have to say.
If you just want to write, that's fine. Join an MFA program, or save money and take an adult education writing workshop at your local high school (They're about the same level of education, but the latter is less pretentious). Have fun. Write some fan fiction - I love fan fiction. But don't come to me and ask for my advice about getting a professional agent if you have no intention of listening to it.
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