How the publishing world is like high school

Not necessarily in a bad way though :)

Recently I was chatting with an author friend about how we're both waiting ever so patiently for news from editors about our newest manuscripts. For anyone who is trying to get published the old fashioned way, you know the wait is often long. I said to her, "I feel like I'm in high school again. Why hasn't he called me back yet?"

And that got me thinking. The whole publishing process is a lot like those awkward self-concious years.

***Now I must say before you continue, this is high school in MY day....1991-1995. Things have changed a lot since then, with the internet and texting and such, so yeah, some of this might not happen exactly for teens today, or anyone who was in high school the last 10 or so years. But anyway, the feelings are still there. So now you can continue reading :)

When we send out that first query, it's like sending a note, or asking your friend to go over to so and so and ask if he thinks you're cute. It's the first line of communication. It's the opening, to see if this crush is gonna go any further.

And then you get a request, just the first 3 chapters. That's like the guy writing back or telling the friend, "Yeah, she's cute." There's a spark there.

Then comes the full request. That's the telephone number exchange and phone call. You're in! Partially, anyway. They want to know more about you....more about your story.

And then there's waiting. And more waiting. You're on the phone with your girlfriends whining, "Why hasn't he called again? What is he thinking? Does he like me?" In the publishing world, weeks and months will pass with no word. In the teen world, probably only a day or two, maybe a week. But both feel like FOR. EV. ER.

And then the contract or offer of representation lands on your doorstep, or inbox, which is equivalent to a guy asking a girl out. "He likes me. He really likes me!"And the jubilation commences.

But what if that doesn't happen? Yep...pretty much still the same thing. Rejection happens to us all. And just like 15 year old girls, us authors cry into our pillows wondering, "What's wrong with me? Why don't they like me? Am I not cute enough?"

And usually you never get an answer. Sometimes the publishing world will give you a reason, especially if you've gotten all the way to the full request phase. Teen boys, not so much. Usually it's because some other girl looks shinier. (Teen boys are easily distracted by shiny things.) They don't see the awesomeness that is you. And that's very true in the publishing world too. It's such a subjective business and maybe that particular agent or editor just doesn't see your book's awesomeness and shininess. But there will be someone else who does. I hope teenage girls know this. The right guy is out there. He just might not have seen you yet. For writers, the right agent or editor is out there...and you'll find them too.

How do you know you're ready?

So many editors, agents and published authors give the advice of "Don't submit a manuscript until it's ready." Well...how do you ever really know?

I'm in the middle of revising an old manuscript. This MS has been revised before. This is probably the second or third time. This MS has been out on submission twice. The second time was after extensive revision and probably a year and a half's time. Both times I sent it out, I truly thought it was great. I had worked on editing it for months. I'd gotten tons of feedback from writers group members and beta readers. Everyone thought it was great.

But as with anything, the more you do it, the more you learn. So of course I know more now than I did back then. And yeah, this most recent revision has fixed even more problems. Once again, I think it's great. I'm hoping to finish up one last read through today before I send it to beta readers.

But, I've been here before, thinking something is great, but it's really not.

Query Hell or Cupcake Heaven????

Which would you prefer?

This:

Or this:

Yeah...I know what I would pick!! Today I have the AWESOME Jen Daiker from Unedited here to guest blog!! If you don't follow her, definitely go do it now! Thanks Jen for being here!!

Querying.

Your friends may call it Query Hell but I prefer Cupcake Heaven.

That’s right, you’re about to embark on a journey that includes cupcakes and honestly, who doesn’t love cupcakes?

Since Stephanie invited me here I’ll share both positive and negative aspects of querying – after all it’s only fair.

Steps to query

1. Master your query letter. If you’re looking for help Elana Johnson’s Query to the Call will seriously knock your socks off. From there to send to a couple of friends. Don’t go crazy because you don’t want the negativity bug to bite you.

2. Compile a list. Not every agent is going to like you. It will be subjective – very subjective. So be sure to get a few TOP agents you want to query paired with a few that you just want to ‘test’ the waters with. QueryTracker is a great guide to not only keep track of your queries and agents but also to see the turn-around time. When you first start out just send a few (3-5) and see how they take. I watched who responded quickly so I could get my first rejections out of the way.

Side note: This is where the cupcakes come in. To keep from getting the negative attitude that comes when querying we remove the word rejection and replace it with cupcake. When an agent gives you a cupcake rather than a rejection you can’t be that mad can you?

3. Cry. This one you will not get away from. They start to sting after a while and I’d be lying to you if I said they don’t continue to hurt. It’s best to cry it out… eat a cupcake (but not for every cupcake you receive – trust me you’d end up a cow).

4. Know when to stop. Walk away from the email, quit checking the said agents twitter account, and for junk sake step away from Querytracker. As much as they can be your friends the wait will tear you down. Watching all the requests you receive can give you major doubt syndrome. When you see all the positives and you start feeling the negatives take a day off from the computer. You’ll thank me.

5. Never give up. Requests will come and go along with the cupcakes. The point is to never second guess and never give up. You believed your work was good enough now let it do the talking. Meg Cabot was rejected over a hundred plus times and never gave up, now she’s on top. You worked hard now let the hard work do the talking.

So enjoy Cupcake Heaven. One day after you’ve eaten one too many you’ll laugh remembering how long it was, how hard it was, and how much it paid off.

Pay it Forward!

Have you ever paid it forward??? I try to always live my life by treating people how I want to be treated and always giving the utmost respect. I try to help others as much as I possibly can, but I do admit, sometimes my time is limited. Kids and a home take up quite a bit of time. But I do what I can!!!

In my writers group, I sometimes have newbie writers ask if I can review their work, give some advice, etc... So even when my writing time is limited, I try to help out my fellow writers whenever I can!! And the seasoned vets in my group...they've helped me out numerous times and I am completely thankful!! I would not be where I am today without their help and endless support!!!

And a different kind of help, that I thoroughly enjoy giving, is Disney Advice. I am a huge fan of Disney World and after several trips, I am pretty good at planning!! I even started my own Disney Blog to help others plan their trips!!

I am also talking about paying it forward becuase Shelli at market My words is hosting a FANTABULOUS contest called Pay It Forward Contest!! Please check it out!! The prize is a great one...her personal recommendation to her agent for the winning pitch! Sweet!!

Tuesday Tips: Queries- Part 2!

Hello! And welcome to Queries, Part 2! If you missed it, be sure to go back and read last week's post first!

#6: Hook them as simply and fast as possible. We're talking main character, main plot here. No need for subplots and details on the character's second cousin's wife's sister. But leave them hanging and wanting more. Do not give the whole thing away. That's what a synopsis is for.

#7: Bio is a must. But keep it to pertinent info only. No one cares what writers group you belong to. No one cares if this is your first and eightieth novel you've written. List your publishing credits including anthologies and online contests, but if there are many, choose only the most recent. And list only contests you have placed well in. Do not include blog posts or letters to the editor for your local newspaper. If you have nothing for a bio...well...maybe you should try and get something before you query. There are tons of fiction contests online, magazines, etc... My favorite listing is Duotrope. They list all kinds of magazines that publish works of all lengths, including flash fiction, which can be a great way to get a few pub creds under your belt. My first ever published work was a flash fiction contest through WOW! Women on Writing. I didn't win, but I placed top 10. My story was published on their website and it was a great start. I placed in a couple more of their contests after that. There was a fee, but it was minimal and well worth being able to type it into my bio!

#8: End it with a simple "Thank you for your time." Sad but true, you'll be lucky if they even make it that far.

#9: If you're sending snail mail queries, first of all, make sure the agent is open to them. Many agencies are going green and prefer email queries. But if you find an agent who does want a paper submission, make sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you'd like a response.

#10: Don't stalk/email them for status updates. Agents get hundreds of submissions. I read lot of agent blogs and often they will comment on how full their inboxes are and how hard it is to get to them. Their priorities, first and foremost, are with their current clients. I wouldn't expect anything less. That's how I would want to be treated if I were their client. Again, it's an issue of respecting them. If you're constantly bugging them for an answer...guess where their respect for you goes?? Some agents will list a response time frame on their websites and will ask that you contact them if you have not heard back after that time frame. Then it is okay to send a quick email.

#11: Sit back and brace yourself for the rejections. They WILL come. It is a part of this business. Most times it's nothing personal. You're just not a right fit. They may already have a client with a similar story. They may just want something different. Will they tell you this?? Most likely not. Usually it's a plain form rejection. Under no circumstance email them after the rejection. They don't have time to explain. Even a "thank you" email just clogs up their inbox.

#12: Do not requery unless A- a significant time period has passed (I say at least a year) and B- you have made significant changes to the story.

Hope these tips help!!

Tuesday Tip: Queries- Part 1

I know how often authors struggle with the dreaded query and I am no exception. Not even in the tiniest bit. I wish I was. I wish I knew how to craft the perfect letter. But I don't.

I do know some dos and don't though. And as I wrote this, I realized how long the post was and decided to break it up into two! Be sure to stop by next Tuesday for part 2!

#1: Don't query too early. I have definitely done this. I was so green back then. I thought my first book was awesome and I felt so accomplished just having written it. I had no writer friends back then, only the opinions of my five closest girlfriends (who, of course, loved it!) I hadn't taken a grammar class in many many years. Looking back now, I can see how horrid that story was. But I didn't know it at the time. I sent the query out and luckily one agent gave me some honest feedback, telling me I was not ready to query at all. I was a little taken back at the time, but so grateful later on when I realized she was so so right. Don't query until you've gotten lots of honest critique on the book...not just friends who've adored it. Join a writer's group, online or in real life, put in your time by critiquing other's work and learning from it. Be very well read in your genre so you're aware of the cliches and can avoid them. You have to know what's already been done. I truly feel no story is completely original, but you need to make sure your book has a different take.

#2: When you're finally ready, do your research. Visit every agent's blog. Never rely on info on Publisher's Marketplace, Agent Query, or any other place ACCEPT the actual agent's website. The info can be outdated or just plain wrong. And check their background too. My favorite site is Predators and Editors. They're all listed alphabetically. Just because an agent looks professional online does not mean a thing. There are plenty of bad agents out there.

#3: Follow their guidelines to the tee! There's nothing more aggravating than having instructions written out in plain English and receiving everything else under the sun. Why turn them off before they've even read your blurb?

#4: Don't be gimicky. Just tell them what your story is about. Hook them. Don't try to be funny or witty or play games. Show your voice, yes, but don't be weird.

#5: Be professional. It's a business letter and should be treated as such. These agents are not your friend or even an acquaintance. A simple "Dear Ms. Smith" is appropriate. They are professionals and deserve respect. Get their name correct, get their gender correct.

Okay, that's it for now! Stop back next week for the rest!!

A last ditch effort

Double post today...it's a couple hours later..and while I did not accomplish much today, I do feel somewhat better. I managed to fix a few typos in my latest story and started myself a Myspace page dedicated to me and my writing....check me out: http://home.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user

Anyway, I sent off my last ditch effort to find an agent for my third novel, Spellbound, which I have been querying like mad since March.

While writing this story, I never ever once thought of it as controversial, but apparently is can be viewed that way. I am told that one of my characters, (not the MC) who is a hoity toity bitch, is being seen as a representative of a religion. That was not my intention at all...her personality and the things she does have zero to do with her religion...that's just how she is. I think this is why I'm having trouble...not a single bite from even one of the 55 agents I queried. Maybe they are concerned that this will offend readers, even though I am not saying this religion is a mean nasty bitch like that character is...her son is completely opposite of her and he's the same religion, and his character is more prominent in the story.

So anyway, I can't seem to find anyone to flip a page with a ten foot pole.

But...I have this one last chance to find an agent....I have someone that will actually read it...becuase I have a connection. A friend of a friend's aunt is a published author and asked her agent to take a look at it. She was really swamped a month ago when this friend contacted her about me...so she told me to hold off till June.

Sent the email off today with my entire manuscript attached, as she requested. Fingers are crossed......

New queries, new rejection

Sent some new quesries today. These were for my children's book/series idea. It was something that's been floating in my head for a few years and finally I wrote it out and wrote up a query/proposal. It sat in my computer for a few months and today I decided to send it out. 17 letters I emailed today I think. 3 rejections so far. I'm not heart broken about it and I'm not expecting anything at all. Children's writing is a whole new thing for me.

I also sent the submission for my novelette. That one I am anxious to hear back about. But that could take a while. I think they say it could take 3 months for a response.

Busy busy busy!!

YIKES! This new blog was not supposed to go so many days without a post!!

Apologies to my loyal readers...all 6 of you.

Seems we all have busy days, weeks, months...things just get away from you. You get so immersed in whatever you're doing...and some things just get tossed aside.

I have been looking into some new and exciting things though...for me anyway. One is the Romance Writers of America. Now that I know what I write is definitely in the romance genre....I feel quite at home on the RWA site and really feel like I need to join. Unfortunately the $110 fee is standing in my way. I plan on working on it....sell some blood on ebay or something..I don't know.

I also checked out Amazon.com and what is involved in publishing your work for the Kindle. Apparently anyone can publish and it's free. You set the fees for your work, and amazon obviously gets a cut. I need to read all I can. I just need to make sure that if I do this, that some day down the road, if I say, sell 1000 copies on Amazon, can I then go to a publisher and use that info to get a publishing contract for that book.

And lastly, I've been snooping arond the Harlequin website and I'm excited to find they accept unagented submissions. I prepared a query for A Bitch Named Karma and that will be shipping out tomorrow. I plan on querying Spellbound as well...but will hold on that for at least a few weeks. There are still tons of agents I haven't heard from yet.