Querying Made Easy 101

So, I was tweeting back and forth with a fellow writer/CP, offering her things to make sure she did while querying. For sure the process is tedious and awful, but I'd like to share some tips that can make it easier/faster.

The Query Letter: Make sure you have a few set of eyes critique your letter. You'll most likely go through 3 maybe 10 versions before you nail it. After that, send out maybe 10 queries a week to gauge how it is accepted. You may need to re-evalaute the letter at the beginning. Unfortunately, it isn't an exact science. 

Finding THE Agent: Don't randomly query to Agent X or Agent Y. Make sure they represent what you write. It's wasted time and effort to send off your letter to an agent who doesn't even work with your genre. Here are some sites I used to research:

• Literary Rambles
• Agent Query
• Query Tracker
• Agency Websites (Google a list)
• Agent Blogs/Website (Google a list)
• Look into agents who represent your favorite authors, especially if what they write falls under the category of what you write

Agency Websites: If there is a certain agent you'd like to query, check out their agency's website. Perhaps, one of their co-agents will be a better fit for your book. These websites can give you an idea of what the agent may be like and what they're looking for.

Agent Preferred Query Method: Make sure you send agents your query letter EXACTLY as they accept it. If you don't, you might have your query deleted or thrown away. I thoroughly researched them out through their blogs, query websites, agency websites, etc. On agency websites they typically list their submission requirements. Follow them to the "T." If they ask you to email the query letter, synopsis, etc. in the body of the email, DO IT! If they ask for the first 10 pages of your MS, DO IT! If they ask you to title the subject of your email with the word "Query," DO IT. If they ask for you to mail in your query, DO IT!  Enough said about that.

Submission Requirments Made Easy: Querying can take a while with research and all that jazz. But with some pre-query work, you can make it faster. Ok, agents may ask for a synopsis, sample pages, etc. To make it easier to put all that in the email, do the following:

• Save your query where you can easily paste it into the body of the email or attach to the email (if they ask for attachments ONLY)
• Save your MS as 5, 10 , 20 , 25 , and 50 page documents. Yes, five different files. Take it from me, you'll be happy you did. Open the file with the number of pages required for the query email. Copy and paste will become your BFF.
• Also, save your MS as a .doc and .docx. Some agents require it in a certain format. Doing this will save you time. It is important to send agents your MS, synopsis or sample pages in the formate they deal with.

Important FYI: DO NOT query two agents from the same agency at the same time! Sometimes agents will hand off a query to one of their co-agents if it would suit them better. Assume that your query has been sent to the agency as a whole.

Excel Spreadsheet: I developed a spreadsheet of the agents I queried. It consisted of the following columns:

• Agent Name
• Agency the agent works for
• Genre they represent
• Why you like them
• Their submission email
• Agent's response time
• Date I queried them
• Agent's response to your query and date of response

I color coded my spreadsheet according to if the agent sent a rejection, or if they asked for a partial/full MS. In addition, I kept an eye on the agents response time. If an agent said they would get back to me in 4 weeks and its been 6, I assumed their answer was "no." I classified them as a rejection, so I could stop worrying about them.

Additional Tips: The first 25 or 30 query letters you send out will be nervous-making (as Scott Westerfeld would say). Know this is normal. There will be a time when you will push the send button without thinking about it. You'll get the hang of it. For example, when I was researching an agent or agency website, I scanned it for specific things like genre's, what the agents typically requested, and their personality. It can become a quick jump from one agent to the next. Have fun with it. I did with the Excel spreadsheet. And laughing off rejection emails.

Need to Know Item: You WILL receive rejections. It DOES NOT mean you suck as a writer. Remember this industry is super subjective. One agent may be looking for what you've written while another may be in the market for other stories. It's ok to get rejections. They are normal. You can cry and eat chocolate while veging on the couch for a while. But pick yourself up and query some more.

You can do it! If I can, anyone can.

What are your query tips?

Writing. Jewels.

Call the Presses: Phenomenal News!!!

I'm officially letting the cat out of the bag (sorry for the lame cliche). I've had this news for a while, but have been holding off telling anyone until . . .

NOW!

Julia King (aka: Writing Jewels) . . . Oh my gosh, I'm writing in the third person. Let me start that over again.

I, as in me, have a literary agent!!!

It all happened on a dark and stormy night when the phone rang . . . Just kidding, but a great start to a wicked awesome story of two years in the making.

I am represented by the lovely Lauren Hammond of ADA Entertainment Group. I feel so blessed to have an agent love my book, FÉLICITÉ FOUND, enough to help me get it into the hands of publishing houses. 

Thanks to all my family, friends, tweeps, co-workers, followers, and all the cute puppies in the world for your support. You've helped me get here. I appreciate my dearest parents for putting up with my writing journey. They are brilliant!

I feel like I won an Oscar Award by thanking so many people!

I want to thank Lauren so much for having faith in my writing skills. It means the world. Merci Beaucoup!

I'm so happy! But I wish all those who are querying agents great luck! Keep on going! There's light at the end of the tunnel! You can do it! Mwah!

Writing. Jewels. Out.

All Sorts of Busy

I want to apologize for the brief nature of this post. This week is turning out to be rather busy for me. My day job is crazy--I like it, though! And I've started another edit--the edit that will launch me to query-dome. 

This edit is freaking me out because of the fact that I'm planning on actually querying my manuscript out to agents once I'm done re-evaluating the story I've patiently worked on for so long. 

Have you ever felt like this? 

Gah! What I've wanted to do for so long is now upon me. But I'm going to do my best to make my story as beautiful as I can and hope for the best. Bring on the querying. Bring on the offers. No, really! Bring on the offers. Haha

Thanks for supporting my blog, my lovely followers. I hope you have a great week. I'll be back on Friday with something funner than this to feast your eyes upon.

The Happy Query Letter

A couple days ago, I wrote a query letter for my novel—my baby. With the help of a couple Tweeps, I’ve tried to make it more polished. Of course, it will probably evolve over the next couple weeks. Perhaps it never will BE perfect. I can sure hope it will be seamless enough to get some requests and, ultimately, an agent and publisher. There IS a lot of weight bearing on this one short letter. The book I’ve worked on for a year and a half now could be shot down or embraced by a few paragraphs. I’m freaking out. But. I’m really, very excited to venture into the agent querying stage of my desperately wanted writing career.

To be honest, I look forward to the rejection letters because I’ll know an agent HAS responded to me. But, in my squealing and giddy ways, with a sheepish grin clothing my face, I’d rather get a nice fat YES from an agent or two, three, maybe four. I won’t be greedy, though. It is what authors dream of at night. Um, I never had that dream, but I’m sure it will come soon.

For all who have written a query letter, I feel your pain, now. After at least one more manuscript edit and another round of beta readers, I hope to be turning that letter in to agents who may or may not take me on as their protégé.

I look forward to this stage and hope I can overcome the obstacles that surely will blow into my life. Uh, like more rejection letters than I’d like to receive. But as the quote at the top of my blog says: “There’s a word for a writer who never gives up . . . published.” – Joe Konrath. So let’s not give up, champs.

Pay It Forward

Shelli Johannes-Wells is doing this totally rad contest where the winner gets the chance to have their query letter passed on to her agent. That would be A-FREAKING-MAZING! Wish me luck guys!  

Note: Query Letter – An intense one page letter sent to literary agents – The way you introduce you and your book to agents – If they like it – You have an agent – Agent Query can take a long time – And you will receive A LOT of rejection letters – If you are lucky – You will get an agent

For more information about the contest and a synopsis of my book, please check out Pay It Forward Contest 

Anyway, along with the contest, I get to Pay It Forward to people who have helped me along the way.  I couldn’t pick just one person, so I’m going to recognize six peeps.

·       Mom and Dad – you encouraged me to keep writing. I remember this one day—about half way through the rough draft—I didn’t want to write anymore. I thought it was hopeless. They told me not give up, but to keep writing. I appreciate their constant support and, above all, their love. 

·       Pam for bleeding on my manuscript, it helped me to make it BETTER. If it weren’t for her, I would not have done a lot of research on how to improve my writing. Thank you Pam for wanting to have a little two-woman critique group!

·       Sarah, my good buddy, who helped me recognize a fatal flaw in my writing—repetition. I hope I’ve been cured of that terrible, habitual disease. She works full-time but still has offered to edit my manuscript.  She is one of my best friends and I love her dearly. Thanks Sarah!

·       Robin, my sister-in-law the super woman. She is a really good mom of four kids, wife, tutor for teenagers, marathon runner, coupon queen, sewer, and everything else under the sun, moon, and stars. And she is editing my manuscript regardless of her hectic schedule. She already has given me so much insight as to how I can make my book better. I love the girl so much and I’m happy she’s in my family.

·       Kiersten White for being my example to make my book become a reality. If it weren’t for some great advice she told me, I don’t think I would be where I am now in the writing process. Thank you so much.

Thank you everyone else who has pushed me along the way. 

Who are you going to Pay It Forward to?