Don't forget the basics

Two weeks ago was our local writers group meeting.  There were three of us, and we had a blast.

One member of the group is just finishing up writing the first draft of her first novel--a fantasy/science fiction novel with a steampunk twist.  She has over 100K words so far and I told her I'd love to be a beta reader for it.

As our conversation rolled on, she asked me basic questions about publishing and agents.  These were things I've been dealing with for a while and honestly thought they were common knowledge.  I was wrong.  I've just been studying it for so long, to me it's common knowledge.  It's now up to me to help teach others.

No matter what endeavour you find youself in, keep in mind not to forget the basics.  Back in college, I studied Tae Kwon Do.  Eventually, I earned my 2nd Dan (that's 2nd degree black belt in layman's terms) and it always amazed me, no matter how complex the techniques or forms or combinations I had to do, you can always break them down into basic forms.

Bemidji Tae Kwon Do Master Spencer Brandt (who later became the late Grandmaster Spencer Brandt) always taught us: perfect practice makes perfect.  If you're going to practice something, don't do a sloppy job.  Do it right.  And continuously do it correctly so that it becames natural.

For writing, it's to know the basics.  To teach the pros and cons about finding an agent, querying them, and/or even taking the self-publishing route.

Part 6 of 6 Publishing Hurdles: PUBLICATION!

Last but certainly not least is publishing your work.  This is the very last hurdle (although that could be up for argument, I'm keeping this simple).  Publishing nowadays takes on two forms: self-publishing or traditional.  There is a third form, which is a blending of the two.  That's called a hybrid author: one who has their foot in both the traditional and self-publishing camp.

In the traditional route, by going to a publisher, there are usually two routes: direct or through a literary agent.  Agents are the gatekeepers and typically know what editor likes what.  If you're lucky enough to be able to talk to an editor, you may be able to bypass the agent avenue.  Then again, agents can help navigate contracts and selling various rights, like audio or foreign.

Self-publishing is an entirely new beast--and one I'm in.  This means putting it up on the Amazon Kindle site and Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, etc.

I'm not going to go into depth on either one here, but I have written about it plenty and there are several resources out there, many of them for free.

Publishing is a hurdle that stops many a writer from realizing their dream--if you've exhausted every traditional route and still feel your work is good, by all means, try self-publishing.

What can it hurt?

What if a literary agent says no simultaneous submissions?

A few days ago, I posted about simultaneous submissions for publications.

But what about literary agents?  There are a number of agents who also specify this.

This I wouldn't be too worried about, because unless you find yourself in the position of having two or more agents fighting over you, chances are they'll understand that you queried multiple agents with your query letter.

However . . . if you do find yourself in that position, make it clear to both of them that there are multiple offers on your work and you will give one agent a specified amount of time to look over and read your novel.  Then, if one turns it down, go to the other one.

Keep in mind, the simultaneous submissions only come into play when an agent wants to read the entire novel.  If you have two or more agents reading the first twenty or fifty pages, that's okay.  You may want to mention to them that other agents are also considering, so this could heighten the need to represent you.  Not a bad place, if you ask me.

The lost art of learning for yourself

First, I don't believe anyone learns in a vacuum--no, I don't mean inside a Hoover or a Dyson, I mean something devoid of outside influences.

These days, especially from my thirteen-year-old, I hear a barrage of "Dad, what does _________ mean?"

Fill in the blank with whatever you wish.  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind answering questions for my children.  But I'm finding more and more often they already know the answer.  When I was young I wasn't much of a question-asker.  I sought out the answers to whatever questions tickled my fancy.

While growing up, my parents had a large set of encyclopedias.  They took up one whole shelf, with a volume for each letter--what, you don't know what an encyclopedia is?  Imagine Wikipedia in physical book form.  I was constantly looking something up in either the encyclopedia or the dictionary.  You do know what a dictionary is, right?

At our town's little library, over the past few years, we've had a few writers grace our presence and give enlightening talks--two of which were award-winning Minnesota author Will Weaver and literary coach and publisher Ian Graham Leask.  During both of their talks, someone undoubtedly asked the old standby question: how do you get an agent?  This question did not come from me, for I've been researching how to contact literary agents for years.  How did I do it?  I sought out the answers.

I don't mean to sound like I am completely against asking questions, and I get a lot of questions asked of me on a daily basis, but I just feel that sometimes one should be accountable for themselves and try find the answer.  Especially in today's Information Age, where the answers to your wildest questions (for the most part) are at your fingertips.

A query letter - part 3 - a sample letter

***This is a basic example of a query letter, and yes I mean basic.  I'm not trying to be clever in any such way.  This is just a rough idea of what one should look like.***

October 26th, 2011

Your name
Your address
Your city, state, and ZIP
Phone number
E-mail address
Blog address

Literary Agency

Their address
Their city, state, and ZIP

Dear Steve: (or whoever the agent's name it)

     I am looking for a literary agent to represent me.  I have completed a 430-page, 85,000-word manuscript of humorous science fiction genre titled Fry Chef Alien.

     Fry Chef Alien is about an alien who lands on Earth and finds his spaceship is in need of repairs.  Repairs he can't do because, quite frankly, there are no repair shops for spaceships.  The alien then finds work as a fry chef, only to discover that many of the customers are also from his planet, also stuck here on unrepairable ships.
     I have both a B.S. and a Masters degree from the University of Minnesota in creative writing, and have studied under the direction of award-winning Minnesota author Mark S. R. Peterson.  I am also an active member of a local science fiction writer’s group named "Geeks R Us"

     Thank you for your time.  If so desired, I am able to send either the first few chapters or the entire manuscript for you to review.

Sincerely,

Your name

A query letter - part 2

How do you write a query letter?

If you were to type this question into Mr. Google's search engine, you're probably going to get millions and millions of hits.  Most of them are going to be similar, so let me sum it up for you.

(You may ask, why should I take advice from you, since none of your novels have been published?  I understand your inquiry, however even though no agents at this point have signed up to represent me, a handful have looked favorably onto my query letter and have asked to see a few sample chapters--one even asked to see my very first novel. Also, I've read quite extensively on this subject, so I do have first-hand knowledge of the subject.)

First and foremost, your manuscript needs to be complete and thoroughly edited.  If it is, then let's move on.  If it's not, then go back to work and finish it.  The vast majority of agents will reject you if your manuscript isn't complete.  There are a few exceptions to the rule, but you have to be one damn talented fellow in order to move forth through the gauntlet AND something special--like a psychologist who's been practicing for twenty years with troubled teens and have a wealth of information to share.  That kind of special.  Not a oh-I-think-I-can-write-like-J. K. Rowling (or whoever your favorite author it)-just-because-I've-read-all-of-the-Harry-Potter-novels.  Keep working.

Manuscript complete?  Check.

Thoroughly edited?  Check.

Good.  Let's move on.  At the top of the page, put today's date, then put in your contact info (put e-mail address, cell phone number, and even a blog website if it showcases your writing) right below that.  Next put in the agent's address.

For the salutation, find out the name of the agent you're sending it to.  DO NOT send it to the attention of Mr. or Mrs. Literary Agent.  Chances are it'll be rejected.  Make it personal and put in their name.

For the body of the e-mail, there are a few formats to choose, so experiment a little to find the right one.  It should contain: your name and also why you're contacting them (looking for an agent to represent me), three to five sentences on what your book is about, and a brief history of yourself.  Finish your letter by thanking them for their time, and if they're interested, you could either send them a few chapters or the entire manuscript to review.

Lastly, keep your query letter down to one page.  Any more than that, and you'll probably be rejected.  Think of the query letter as a sales pitch, an elevator pitch.  Keep it short.

Sounds fairly simple, doesn't it?

Try it.  In fact, even if you're currently working on a novel right now, start your query letter immediately.  That way, when it's done, you can go back and tweak it.  I even suggest having a few people read it (preferably not family, as they can be a little biased towards you) and ask for their honest opinion.

A query letter

I've written a total of five novels and have queried agents on most of them.  But the weird part is, writing a query letter to a literary agent is harder than writing the novel in the first place.

Why is that?

First, I think when one spends months and months (or even years) writing your book, to summarize it into a handful of sentences is a challenge equal to that of hand-to-hand combat with a gladiator.  There's so much to put in, even though you can't.  Second, there's a lot of importance to the query letter.  It's a lot like dating.

Very, very few agents will take a look at your manuscript unsolicited.  And with the cost of postage nowadays, I wouldn't want to shell out that kind of dough, because not only are you paying for the novel to ship sent to the agent, you'll have to pay to send it back in a self-addressed stamped envelope (or box in this case of your manuscript).  Of course, you could e-mail it, but no agent will open an e-mail with thirty to fifty attachments.  The agent will probably hit the DELETE key.

So, my fellow writer, you'll need to write a query letter.