How do you get an agent or a publisher? You write a query letter. Maybe it’s called that because you’re asking the question, ‘are you interested?’ You only get one shot at each agent and each publisher, and they’re very busy people. If your letter doesn’t grab them, they won’t read the rest of your submission. This is why the query letter is so important, and it’s why I rewrote mine maybe twenty times. The most important part of the query is the ‘blurb’ for the back cover of the book. The aim of it is to give an idea of what’s in the novel and make people want to read it, all in around 100- 150 words. Doing this was a wonderful exercise in clarifying the main thrust of the book, being succinct and choosing words carefully. Although seven agents and, so far, three publishers rejected my novel, one agent picked it up, so it can’t have been too bad. Also my agent, apart from rewriting my brief bio - I would never have thought of mentioning the masks - has used the guts of my query … [Read more...]
Searching for a publisher – the next step
My agent has sent an email proposal for my book to Macmillan Australia, Text publishing, Macmillan in the UK and Simon & Schuster and Walden Media in the USA. The news we want to hear is that one of them wants to read the ms, but there will inevitably be rejections. … [Read more...]
Hits and swims
We're up to 920 hits already. Well done. The first 1000 is in sight! After my clarification on swiming, my agent agreed with "'Swim's over. Time to get out,' Walnut said." … [Read more...]
The reedited manuscript has gone to my agent
After doing a final check, I’ve emailed my manuscript to my agent. Now we wait. She'll read it again and let me know if she thinks it's ready to present to publishers. ( I thought it was ready before I took out 19000 words - thats why it's good to have an agent) In the meantime, when Kiama HS doesn't want me, I’ll be on the web reading book reviews and finding other authors like myself. I’d like to support others if their work is good. I might have to do some house work too – uggh. Anyone got any other suggestions? … [Read more...]
Moving on – another review
My agent got back to me today. As I figured, she’d been busy. She has an ipad, so she can read the edited ms electronically, so I’ll email it to her tomorrow. I just want to check a couple of things first. She’ll make sure it’s ready for publishers before we move further on it and I won’t be hanging out for a quick response, because she has other clients and other things to do. While I wait for her review of the ms, I’ll be setting up some links from here to good writer’s help sites – see the growing list under links - and I’ll be making posts on various aspects of my writing and publishing journey. If anything exciting or depressing happens, you’ll be the first to know. … [Read more...]
The phone call
I had to wait a day. I needed to be calm before the phone call . A few things had to be done first. Was I procrastinating? No. I took a deep breath – I seem to be doing a lot of them these days – and called. Yes, she was going to be my agent. Yes, we got on well. Yes, she had overseas contacts. She had great suggestions and … she wants me to lose 19,000 words! 19,000! Where from? Did I have to cut sections out? No, just. go through word by word and make sure that every word is needed. Make some of the sentences shorter. Cut down the descriptions Don’t have so much introspection by the characters. No sweat. I’ll do it tomorrow. Joke! ‘I know you can do it’, she said. That was nice. She has faith in me. I know I can do it too. There’s just a few things I have to do first. Oh, by the way ... this will make getting the prologue posted take a little longer, but it's coming. … [Read more...]
Step one achieved
There it is. The email I’ve been waiting for for nearly two weeks. The one I stopped checking my emails for. Why? Because, so long as I don’t know what the answer is, a positive outcome is still a possibility. Does the agent like my novel? Take a deep breath, drop the hope – fear slides away with it – and click. I leap off my seat and spin around. I laugh and jump up and down. I really do. Then I text daughter Kimberley and husband Chris. Hubby sends a message back – whoopy do, bananas and cream! That’s an in joke for those who’ve read the ms ( manuscript in publishing world speak). Kimberley sends lots of WOWs and other Neanderthal syllables that mean roughly the same thing. Here’s the cause of the excitement. I have read the ms and think it could be for me. It was hard to put down! Please note that it is a very crowded and difficult market and it is hard to get publishers to read manuscripts in a timely manner. I'd like to talk to you about the ms and how we should … [Read more...]
