How to Format a Query

Queries are business letters. They are your introduction to a stranger, your resume, and first impression.

Don’t screw it up.

Writers send queries one of two ways: snail mail and email.

Format snail mail using the typical business letter guideline:

Your Name 
Your Address

Date

Recipient’s Name
Their Address

Dear Mr./Ms.  Recipient:

Body of the Letter

Sincerely

Your Signature

The main difference between snail and email is the beginning. No addresses for email queries.

To: Recipient’s Name
Subject: Query 

Dear Mr/Ms Recipient:
  

Body of the Letter
  

Sincerely
  

Your Name
Your Address
Phone Number
Email

As in all else, Read the Submission Guidelines of the individual agent and their preferences. Some agents want a date on the email for instance. Others don’t. Always check interviews and their blogs for tidbits of info.

Now about tabs: Holy crap, don’t use them. EVER. They are the devil’s playground in emails and manuscripts. Avoid them like the slime balls they are.

Keep in mind that some agents download manuscripts to E-readers. Tabs and other formatting splats will gum up the works.

If you use the Word program, this trick will clean up a manuscript or format correctly:

Click on: Select, then Select AllRight Click anywhere on the shaded area.
 Click on Paragraph
 Alignment:
Left
(never Justified)
 Indention:  Inside – 0
Outside – 0
Special – First Line
By - .5”
 Spacing:Before: 0pt
After: 0pt
 Line spacing:Double
 Click on Okay.

Now search out those nasty tabs.

Click on Find and enter ^t. Rip the little buggers out of their hidey holes and destroy them.

There are variations to these formatting examples. Many writers begin with a simple salutation rather than ‘To and Subject’. Other queriers stick with the snail mail format for their emails. Just remember, agents have little time. One agent snarled, “I know my address. Don’t remind me.”

Use common sense and always research the agent’s preferences. You can’t go wrong if you follow their guidelines.

Links:

What You Need to Know to Write an Effective E-mail Query--16 points, no paragraph breaks, but muddle through it anyway. Good stuff.

Preparing E-mail Queries--Easier to read as it is broken up into sections. Talks about specific problems due to using email, such as "gibberish" when cut and pasting and how to fix it.

How to Format a Query Letter--specifically emailed ones. Once again Nathan Bransford knows how to advice and calm our troubled minds at the same time. He gives guidelines by example and then tells us to simply do our best and it will be ok. Thanks, Nathan!

And for you visual folks, it looks something like this:

Query Critique Sites--Links!

                         Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

So your manuscript is completed, critiqued, and polished. Now you want a venue to do the same with your query, your introduction to the hazardous world of publishing.

With all the resources in the blogosphere, the hardest part is choosing where to go and how much to put out there.

Like-minded writers populate forums looking for help. It's a ‘scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ world that works for everyone involved. By posting your query, you get feedback and your writing improves when you critique. It is a win-win situation for everyone.

Consider these sites. They are free to anyone willing to give of their time to return the favor and crit:

• Orson Scott Card. This fabulous author of Ender’s Game holds forums for writers.
• Nathan Bransford. A former literary agent and now author of Jacob Wonderbar and Cosmic Space Kapow.
• Absolute Write. This vast site has everything you need to put together a query.
• Query Tracker. An all-purpose stopping place with forums to hone your query and research agents.
• Query Shark. Enter at your own risk! Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary runs a site chock-full of advice. But watch out for the chum.
• The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment. Run by master blogger Matthew MacNish, this site takes aim on submitted queries with a critical eye that sees all. And I love his avatar.
• Miss Snark’s First Victim. Authoress remains incognito, still won’t reveal her name or photo. Very mysterious.
• YALITCHAT. Where they live and breathe YA.
• Writers.net. A site dedicated to writers.
• Adam Heine critiques queries, jacket copy, and first pages on Wednesdays.
• Evil Editor
• The Public Query Slushpile
• Ask Daphne! About My Query
• And of course, Unicorn Bell, the home of writers.

These are mostly free sites with some asking for donations or premium memberships. If you are interested in paying for services by professionals, research the sites like Writers Digest.

In truth, finding help is the easy part. It’s throwing that beloved query or manuscript into the icy cold world of critique and wondering if it – or you – will survive. Suck in a deep breath and take the plunge. 

It can only get better.

Have we missed your favorite writing forum? Please share it with us in the comments.

How to Write for Kids by Alicia Rivoli

I love writing for kids!  There is something very rewarding about having a child give you a compliment on your story, or the way their eyes light up as they discuss their favorite character, or my favorite. It's amazing when someone tells you their kids started a game they made up using the characters from your books.

However, writing for children isn't easy.  There are certain things you need to make sure you are doing if you choose to write for children.

1.  Decide what age you are targeting.  Sometimes I find that authors have listed their books as a Children's Book, but it's 70K words, and 25 chapters long.  This would more likely be considered a Middle Grade or Young Adult novel.

2.  Watch your language!  Children's books and Middle Grade books are targeting children under 12 years of age.  I can't tell you how many times I have put a book back on the shelf because of foul language. Just because today's society tells us it's okay to put in a few bad words, doesn't mean you should.  A lot of parents are pre-reading books before they allow their children to read them, myself included, because authors seem to forget the age they are writing for.

3.  Content!  Children love to use their imaginations.  If you are writing a fantasy or fiction book, give them something to try and figure out.  I have found the younger children can imagine the scenery better than older children if you paint a bigger picture. Don't be afraid to be descriptive, as long as you can keep the story flowing.  Don't put in unnecessary information.  Kids get bored quickly.  DO NOT ever put "romantic scenes" in a children or middle grade book! Even when writing Young Adult, less is more!

4.  Artwork is an essential part of writing for children.  The more colorful the better.  Make sure your artist knows the story. Don't be afraid to tell the artist you don't like something.  If they don't know, how can they fix it?  If you are writing a Middle Grade Novel, it will almost always be judged purely by the cover.  I have watched so many kids look at the cover of the book and if it doesn't catch their attention immediately they put it back on the shelf without ever flipping it over and reading the description on the back.  The spine font is also important.  It needs to stand out among the other hundred books it's sitting next to on the shelf.

5.  If writing non-fiction, make sure you use words that kids can understand.  I find that even ten to twelve year olds are having a difficult time with larger words that they don't hear frequently.  Sometimes it might be necessary to incorporate a definition in the paragraph.

6.  Remember who you are writing for.  You are writing for a child that probably still likes his/her parents to read them a bed time story, or tuck them in at night.

7.  And last but not least...ENJOY your writing!  If you don't like it, neither will your target audience.

I hope that I have helped.  I would love to know what you have discovered in your own writing.
What do you think are the best tips for others writing in this genre?

Alicia Rivoli is the author of the Enchantment Series. She is a stay at home mom, and currently resides in beautiful Northwest Arkansas with her husband and two sons. She enjoys reading, writing, spending time with her family, and traveling.













Rings of Enchantment is the second book in the Enchantment Series.   

Submission Guidelines Are Your Friends

You’ve finished your novel. You’ve written a query. Now it’s time to send that query out into the wide world. All you’ve got to do is find a bunch of agents and hit send, right?

It’s not quite that easy. First, you have to do your research. While you’re looking for agent names, you should also be checking their submission guidelines.

Submission guidelines? What are those?
Submission guidelines spell out specifically what the agents want to see. Do they want a query only? Do they want a query and the first five pages? Do they want a synopsis? Do they not want a synopsis?

Each agent’s preferences will be a little different. Also, agents will specify what sort of stories they are looking for. If you write fantasy, you don’t want to send your query to an agent that only represents mysteries and thrillers. (While most agents represent many different genres, not every agent represents every genre. That’s why you have to check.)

Why go to all that trouble?
Because you won’t be wasting your time. You may want to get your query out there to as many agents as possible, but if the agent doesn’t represent what you write, then the only answer you’re going to get from that agent is a no. You went to the time and effort of sending a query that had no chance of being accepted.

Yes, every agent has different guidelines. They sometimes conflict and contradict. Sometimes they may even be similar. Some are vague. Some are very, very specific. It is your job to know what these are and abide by them.

Agents have preferences. They know what they need to see to make a decision. If you can’t give them what they ask for when you’re essentially applying for a job with them, they’re not going to want to work with you. Who wants to work with someone who isn’t professional enough to follow the directions?

So, where are these guidelines? How do you find out what each agent wants?
With the Internet, submission guidelines are very easy to find. Find the agency website. Submission guidelines will be one of the prominent buttons (usually). If you look for it, you should be able to find it pretty easily.

If you happen upon an agency that’s not online (rare, but it happens), take the time to write a short note requesting the submission guidelines. Make sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope (remember those?).

What could the submission guidelines ask for?
While every agent will have different preferences, there are some standards. Start with the query. Anything else asked for should go after that query (pasted into the body of the email—never send attachments unless they are specifically asked for).

If the agent wants to see five pages, those are the first five pages in order. Same for chapters—start from the beginning and show them in order (if the agent wants three chapters, he/she means the first three).

A synopsis is a rundown of the whole story with the ending included. Aim for one to two pages, although how long the agent wants the synopsis should be in the submission guidelines. If the agent wants a synopsis, the agent will expect to know how the story ends. Don’t hold anything back.

One last thing…
You’d think that this would be a no-brainer. And I’m probably preaching to the choir. But, I’m going to reiterate this one thing: make sure to follow the submission guidelines.

If you spend any time following agents on their blogs or on Twitter, you’ll see the complaint time and again. It’s the one thing that seems to drive them all up a wall. They are inundated with queries that don’t follow their guidelines. Make sure yours do. That way, you’ll stand out over all those that didn’t follow the directions. Instead of an automatic pass, you may get a positive response. Pages! An offer of representation!

And that’s the point of all this. Isn’t it?

Q&A Session on Google+

Sorry for the delay, but here is the link to the hangout. I'll be in the chat room from now until 10:30 PM CST/8:30 PM PST

https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/b2cfcb9c454b8bf7de5df3615310aca68f281be8?hl=en

After the Contract is Signed

So you’ve signed the contract. Now what? Here is a checklist of some things you’ll need to do or consider. Some might apply. Others might not be your cuppa. But give these a look/see. Remember: It is YOUR book, YOUR story that you want to tell. The one person showing the most enthusiasm should be YOU.

After signing the contract: 

• Create a Facebook, twitter, and a Blog/website. 
• Send a News Release to local Newspapers and Radio stations announcing your contract. 
• Join Loops that have authors and readers in your genres. 
• Get involved so that when you have something to promote readers won't think you are a spam and run author. 
• Blog! Practice, practice, practice. 
• Build you Brand. Start Hosting authors on your blog to drive traffic there. 

While waiting for edits, start searching for books similar to yours to find the best genre slots and tags for your books.

Once you have your Release date: 

• Find review sites interested in reviewing your book and let your publisher know so they can get an ARC to them ASAP. 
• Start lining up Blog slots/ interviews with Blogs outside your publisher for your release date and after. 

One Month before release or when authors have cover art: 

• Work on trailers if author is interested. 
• Line up guest slots on Radio Shows 
• Start signing up for blog hops. 
• Post Cover art on Blogs, Twitter and Facebook. 
• Contact local artsy places see if they will host a book reading. 
• Set up a Google Alert 
• Set up your Author Accounts at Goodreads. Note: You can’t make an author page at Amazon until your book is released. 

Week of Release:

• Make sure all your Blogs are out to the Guest Blog sites you are blogging at. 
• Thanking them for hosting you 
• Send out Press Release to local papers and radio stations follow up to see if they will interview you. 
• Talk up your book. (Remember there is a fine line from Promotion and Spam) If the Book is available for presale push people to your publisher’s site to get their copy. 
• Double check your tags, excerpt and Blurbs 

Day of Release:

• Talk up your book!!! Have a Release Party. 
• CELEBRATE 
• Make sure to visit the Blogs who are hosting you and leave comments and answer questions. 
• DO NOT ask people to TAG until all Amazon sites are live. Usually 48 hours after Amazon US goes live. 
• Add book to Goodreads (use the ISBN number) 

After Release:

• Keep Writing. 
• Keep Blogging. 
• Keep Promoting. 
• Get readers to leave reviews on Amazon. (Honest reviews) and tag your books. 
• Get Involved with Blog Hops. 
• Update Amazon to make sure all your books are showing up on your Amazon Author Page. 
• Remember the golden rule if you help other authors they will help you.

The Secret Blogging Ways of the Ninja Captain

The Man Who Needs No Hyperlink himself, Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh. *I feel a squee coming on*

I’m here today to share some tips about blogging. But wait, do Ninjas share their secrets? Well, this one does, because they aren’t really secrets. They are just things I’ve learned in the past four years of blogging.

It’s taken me time to build up readership of my blog. Counting all sources, I have way over two thousand followers now. But I remember when I only had thirty, and that was after over four months of blogging. Fortunately, I figured out how to do it better.

Here are my Ninja blogging secrets:

I found my groove. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to blog about. Once I found my groove, it became easier and more enjoyable. As writers, we have to find our groove in the balance between what we enjoy and what will attract our audience. I’m a science fiction writer, so a lot of my posts feature genre movies, books, and even music.

I learned how to be a better follower and commenter. I don’t follow every single person back (as sometimes I can’t find a blog to follow) but I follow most. If someone comments on my blog, I visit and comment on his. It’s about being willing to make friends.

I focus more on others than I do on myself. I was always open to guest posts, but as my blog grew in size, I realized it could really benefit others. I started the Ninja News, featuring the accomplishments of my fellow bloggers. People have dubbed my blog the water cooler, gathering to get the latest news. How do I keep up with everything? When I come across someone’s cool news, I copy the web address and note what happened in a Word file for my next post. By the time I am ready to put that post together, I already have five or six items to include.

I post on a regular schedule and only when I am available. Except for the A to Z Challenge, I post Monday-Wednesday-Friday. It’s easier to keep up with someone when you know when he’s going to post. If I won’t be available one of those days, I just don’t post. (And I’ll announce that ahead of time.) I don’t expect others to visit me if I can’t visit them.

I’m involved in the community. I participate in blogfests and I’ve hosted a dozen of my own. (It’s much more fun to host!) I’m also an A to Z Challenge co-host, managing the massive Linky List and visiting others. Two years ago I started the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, now over three hundred members strong, and it’s been a total blessing to all involved.

I visit a lot of blogs. I average a hundred blogs a day, more on Mondays and way more on IWSG post day and during the A to Z Challenge. My circle of friends just keeps growing and I do my best to visit everyone. My secret is that I can blog from my job. (Which I do while working and watching a movie at the same time!) Since most people don’t have that luxury, I advise them to select a core group of twenty-thirty friends and set aside enough time throughout the day to visit them.

The most important thing is you have to really care about others and be willing to give of yourself. If you’re negative or blogging for the wrong reasons, it will be painfully obvious.

See? None of those things are really secrets nor are they that difficult. Everyone can do them – just start small and build.

One day you might have a Ninja Army as well!

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“CassaStorM is a touching and mesmerizing space opera full of action and emotion with strong characters and a cosmic mystery.”

– Edi’s Book Lighhouse

"Cavanaugh makes world building on the galactic scale look easy. The stakes affect the entire known universe and yet Cavanaugh makes it intensely personal for our hero. The final installment of this series will break your heart and put it back together."
- Charity Bradford, science fantasy author of The Magic Wakes

Available September 17, 2013

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm:

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670532-cassastorm

Book trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Umm2l0XdHc&feature=youtu.be

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Umm2l0XdHc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Website – http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Twitter – http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4287922.Alex_J_Cavanaugh

Interview with Angela Kelly, Musa Publishing

Until Angela Kelly, editor at Musa Publishing, became a part of my writerly family, I had no concept of the word dedicated. When an editor joins the author, immerses themselves into their world, they become a partner. No one hears the Voices, lives the dream, or talks to the characters like old friends except your editor. Your dream becomes theirs, and a part of that dream belongs to them.

What do you represent?

I represent Spec-fic, which includes fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, utopian, apocalyptic, post apocalyptic, alternate history, steampunk, supernatural and those strange stories that are just a little hard to classify.

What are you looking for right now?

I'm looking for stories that amaze or excite me.  Scare me, show me how the world would be different if just one little thing had happened differently in the past.  Stories that make me think, especially if they make me think, "What if?" or "Why not?".  Stories that make me feel and that move me.  Strong protagonists that make me wish they were my best friends.  A writing style that draws me in and makes me live in that world, that makes me wish the story would never end.  And when it does end, I want to feel like I just have to go back to visit that world or see those characters again.  I want to feel a little sad when the story ends, not necessarily because it has a sad ending, but because the story's over and I know I'm going to miss those characters.  I guess my biggest thing is that I just want a good story!

How did you decide to get into editing/publishing?
Do you want me to tell you the truth or do you want me to lie to you? I’m sure I could come up with some fantastical lie (after all, fiction writers tell lies for a living. I think Stephen King said that.) that would be far more exciting and entertaining. Perhaps I was abducted by aliens and was told that I had to become an editor to prevent an intergalactic war that would destroy Earth. No? Yeah, that plot needs some serious work, so I’ll stick to the truth. For me it started with reading. I read everything I could get my hands on. Then I discovered early on that I also had the ability to write stories and the gift to write stories others wanted to read. Later I began critiquing the work of my fellow writers and I discovered that I enjoyed this side of the craft as well. Shortly after Musa’s launch, I started as a Submissions Assistant with Urania (Musa’s spec-fic imprint) reading submissions. After being in that position a little over a year, I was given the position of Submissions Acquisitions Editor. I enjoy helping writers polish their manuscripts and improve their craft. Helping them achieve their dreams and realize their goals brings me a great deal of happiness.

Why did you choose the publisher you are working with now?
I liked the vision the owners have for Musa and I wanted to be a part of that vision. The people I work with have definitely become a part of my family.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
There are so many things I enjoy, it’s hard to pick one thing as my favorite. I love being taken away to a new world, or seeing our world in a new way with a submission. I love making suggestions to an author that stirs their creative juices to help them see their story anew and helps them improve the story. I really love it when they’re able to take that suggestion and just run with it. I especially love it when I send an author an acceptance email and I can actually feel their excitement through cyberspace!

What is your current favorite book that you could read over and over?

Seriously? I have to pick one? I just can’t do that. I have a varied and extensive collection of books and I can’t say that there’s a single book that I’ve only read once!

Interview with Victoria Lowes, The Bent Agency

TheBent Agency. Reading their impressive “About” section is enough to put these folks on top of a short list of agencies. Their goal? Building bestsellers, focus on rights and marketing, decades of experience, reputation. My impression? Super professional and dedicated to their authors. With “30 New York Times bestselling titles, with many more on USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and other regional lists”, I am thrilled to have one of their agents on board as a judge.

Victoria Lowes. “I was born and raised in Queens, New York and graduated from the City University of New York, Queens College. Before joining the Bent Agency, I completed internships at Serendipity Literary and the Carol Mann Agency. In my spare time I can be found teaching dance classes for young students or watching re-runs of The Office.

I love books that teach me something, whether it be about a culture I don’t know, event in history or about the dynamics of a tumultuous young romance. I want to root for your characters -- connect with them and the problems they face. I'm looking for characters as complex and interesting as those I meet in real life.”

What do you represent?

I currently only represent YA & Adult digital-first titles.

What you are looking for right now?

I am always looking to represent contemporary and historical romance titles, mysteries, thrillers as well as women's fiction and humor. Right now, I'm more specifically looking for a suspenseful female-driven mystery, an historical fiction set in the early 20th century that has strong romantic elements and a YA or adult contemporary romance that has a strong, authentic voice.

How did you decide to get into editing/publishing?
Well like most agents/editors, I’ve always loved getting lost in a novel. And while I don’t remember exactly where or how I found out that a literary agent was a possible career, I remember how everything clicked and the feeling of, “Oh, so that’s what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.”

Why did you choose the agency you are working with now?
I started working at the Bent Agency first as a query consultant, then as Jenny Bent’s assistant. I knew I wanted to work at a boutique agency and loved the Bent Agency’s list as well as their approach to client care.

What's your favorite part of the job?
Being able to say that I read for a living.

What book could you read over and over?
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hossieni.

Also, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

Interview with Andrew Buckley of Curiosity Quills

Here's a reminder of what he's looking for in a manuscript at this time.

I’m looking for adult fiction be it paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy and/or anything quirky or humorous. No YA or NA please. I like strong protagonists with a unique voice and wonderfully evil antagonists. Please, please, please, no in-your-face sword and sorcery type pieces. They’ve been known to cause sharp pains in my posterior. I’m also looking for cookies. Oatmeal raisin are my favorite.


1. How did you decide to get into editing/publishing?

My journey is currently a short one as I’m fairly new at editing and acquisitions. However, as an aspiring author attempting to market different pieces of work, I’ve been doing this for over 6 years just from a different end of the spectrum. When I finally signed a novel with the publisher I’m with they thought I was weird and quirky and fit well into their mold (the defined shape, not the green stuff that makes houses smell funny) and they asked if it was something I’d be interested in doing and offered me the position. I dived at the opportunity and am happily sinking my teeth into it every chance I get.

2. Why did you choose the publisher you are working with now?

Curiosity Quills Press is a fantastically innovative publisher, self described as ‘literary marauders’, and have their hands in EVERYTHING when it comes to publishing and marketing. I discovered them over a year ago and started my relationship with them by publishing some short stories on their site about a deranged cat I used to own. I chose them because the landscape of publishing has changed over the past five years and Curiosity Quills is not only at the head of those changes but they’re also working on new and exciting industry technology and processes. They’re also a full service publisher that works with the author’s best interests in mind which, as an author, I can truly appreciate. Not to mention they’re social media gurus of the highest order (picture a small Tibetan Monk floating in the air...above the Google logo).

3. What's your favorite part of the job?

Reading the queries. I love to be sold right off the query before I ever see a sample or full MS. I don’t think storytelling has to be a grandiose thing. It can be short (like Twitter) or it can be epic. To me a query is a larger story wrapped in a pitch, seasoned, sautéed, and served up as a query. Make it tasty!

4. What is your current favorite book that you could read over and over?

I find it so hard to boil favorites down to just one thing. I’ve read Douglas Adam’s Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy multiple times throughout my life and can always go back to it and have it still tickle my funny bones.

And a little more to help you get to know Andrew:

Andrew Buckley has been writing steadily since he was six years old when he wrote a story about a big blue dinosaur and received a gold star from his elementary school teacher. He had the good fortune to grow up in England where the sense of humor is rather silly.

Andrew now dwells happily in the Okanagan Valley, BC with 3 kids, 2 cats, 1 beautiful wife, and a multitude of voices that live comfortably in his head. His debut novel Death, The Devil, and the Goldfish is available from Curiosity Quills.

Queries That Worked- Wilder Mage

The earthquake wasn’t his fault. Not this time.

I wrote those words three years ago as the beginning paragraph to Wilder Mage. Then I deleted them, added them back, changed them, deleted, added...ah well. If you are a writer, you know what I'm talking about.

"I spent the morning putting in a comma and the afternoon removing it.” - Gustave Flaubert

I received four "full" requests in three days for the following query for Wilder Mage, book one of The Magic Withheld. With the release of Wilder Mage in August, Musa Publishing, my fab editor Angela Kelly, and I formed a partnership that I hope will last for many years. 

Justus Aubre figures Iowa is safe for wizards like him. He can lay low and hide in plain sight answering to no one when he uses magic. Especially the guild of wizards. They would nail his hide to the wall and strip him of his freedom. If only they knew where he was.  

Then Sable, a female mage on the run, enters his bar looking for a job and a place to hide. Justus hires her but sets the rules immediately. No romantic entanglements. Sable agrees. All she wants is anonymity. But the two rules are quickly broken and the Guild learns of their location. Justus and Sable have massive talent. They could team up and fight the Guild together to remain free but Sable has a secret. She is an unwilling servant to the Guild. If her emotions are triggered the Guild will own her soul and then use her magical talent to capture the Wilders. 

For them to succeed, Justus must accept the magic and the power he does not want. Or decide if loving Sable is enough reason to become the Guild’s newest acolyte.

 The One and Only Huntress

Researching Small/Midsize Publishers and Patience

You need to research publishers the same way you research agents. Why? For the same reasons.

• To make sure they are a reputable publisher
• To make sure they work with your genre
• To see if they fit your style
• To see how they compare to other publishers with royalties, etc
• To find out how their authors feel about their experience

Sometimes it’s hard to be patient through all the research, but this is necessary. Let me share a story with you to illustrate why.

I have a friend who started writing a book. He has a lot of potential, but he hasn't learned about patience yet. Or the importance of researching publishers. He submitted his first three chapters one August (read only three he had written) to a publisher (I don't know where he found this publisher) and two days later he received a sample contract in the mail to look over. This publisher was thrilled with his rough draft and said they would love to publish it if he could finish it by November 1st of that year and get it to them.

What???

Red flags were flying all over the place when he told me this. I've never heard of any publisher who accepts unfinished FICTION. There were a few things in the contract that rubbed me wrong as well. Since I don't know everything, I did a little research. 

• A simple Google search of the company brought up all kinds of rants about their dishonesty. 
• Other writer friends responded to my questions with a "Run away!" type answer. 
• This particular company received an F from the Better Business Bureau. 

With all this new knowledge under my belt, I had to inform my brother that he should walk away. I felt like a dream crusher. For his part, my brother handled it quite well. He has since finished the book and is learning about the publishing world.

Now, how do WE look into potential publishers? 

We use the tools at our fingertips.

A simple google search can turn up some interesting things. The trick is understanding what you read. A new company may not have a lot of concrete info available, but that doesn’t mean they are a bad choice—just riskier. You also have to deal with people who chime in with their opinion (on forums and such) when they don't know anything about the company. They may not be intentionally harmful, just ignorant.

In the end you're going to need to make a judgment call. Talk with other authors in the company before you do, and if you have a copy of the contract, seek legal help interpreting it.

Example:

When I looked into my publisher (WiDoPublishing) there were only a few places I to learn things about them. They were not listed on BBB, had no notes on Preditors and Editors, were not on Publisher’s Marketplace, but they did have a short thread on Absolute Write started in 2010 (links at bottom). This thread’s main concern was that "it’s a family owned business with little real experience in publishing, started to publish one of their family’s first book." The last post was in 2011.

More research took me to an article on the struggles of small independent LDS publishers--also from 2010. This article mentions that WiDo:

...avoids the term ‘Mormon publisher’.  Karen Gowen stated the company is “veering away from Mormon themes and characters to make our titles appeal to a wider demographic.”

The lack of information might seem like a red flag to most, as well as some of the comments on both sites. However, I read books released by WiDo and was impressed with the quality. Their growth might have seemed slow to some, but they were moving forward as they learned how the business worked. 

When offered a contract, I made a judgment call based on my personal goals for publishing, the interactions I had with the owner and other writers, and my gut reaction.

You have to do the same.

Whether you continue the hunt for an agent, or look into small publishers, follow your heart!

Here are some helpful links:

• The Better Business Bureau--clickable for US or Canada. Simply type the name of the publisher in the search engine. Click Here for the publisher talked about above.
• How a Book Gets Published by Nathan Bransford--This is from 2009, but not THAT much has changed about the industry. While we are with Nathan, here are some other great links.
• Publishing Glossary, for all those terms you might not be sure about.
• Writer Beware Blog--new to me, but the August 18th, 2011 post was about the very same publisher my brother almost fell prey to.
• Talk to others and see what their experience has been over at Absolute Write Water Cooler. 
• There's Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents
• Publishers Marketplace Track Deals, Sales, Reviews, Agents, Editors, News
• And of course good old Predators and Editors
• Don't underestimate a Google search as well. What comes up can be quite revealing.

How to Write the Dreaded Synopsis by M.D. Waters

Hey, everyone! I’m here to talk to you about the dreaded synopsis. To this very day, the synopsis gives me a headache, but I would say it’s gotten a lot easier. I think a lot of the fear I had in the beginning was over formatting, of all things. You see a lot of different “right” ways to do it, and as far as I’m concerned, they’ll all work.

For ARCHETYPE, I single-spaced with a double-space between paragraphs. I didn’t capitalize the character names, but you can. Maybe the first time they’re mentioned would be helpful. 

In the Heading (left or center justified), put TITLE / Your Name / Synopsis. You should have all your contact information on a cover page in the manuscript itself, but I’m not so sure it’s necessary here unless it’s the only thing you’re sending.

So that’s formatting. Now let’s talk about the information going into the synopsis. Everyone wants to throw in every single storyline and character involved… RESIST. Stick with the main storyline and heroine/hero/antagonist. You should have that one main Goal/Motivation/Conflict in your story, and that’s the one you need to tell. 

Because we’re so full of storylines in the end, it may help to do the following; one each for your heroine/hero:

THEN jot down your Plot Points. It doesn’t have to be much. One sentence will do. I mean, who’s going to see it but you, right? I use Cathy Yardley’s Rock Your Plot, which is a great tool for plotting, but also, in my opinion, perfect for when it comes time to narrowing down exactly what needs to go into the synopsis. 

• INCITING INCIDENT: 
• PLOT POINT 1: 
• PINCH POINT 1: 
• MIDPOINT / PLOT POINT 2: 
• PINCH POINT 2: 
• PLOT POINT 3: 
• BLACK MOMENT: 
• RESOLUTION: 

These points are all about your heroine/hero and their main storyline, right? I promise, once you do this or something similar, your entire focus will become laser-fine. None of the other storylines will matter.

Now for the hard part. The best piece of advice I’ve received came from a synopsis workshop I took at Savvy Authors. Tell your story at a campfire. Campfire stories are always told differently, yes? They’re told with a certain amount of drama and flare. Just remember to tell it in third person, present tense. And tell it ALL. Beginning to end. This isn’t a query. The agent/editor want to know the ending. This is a campfire story, after all. You wouldn’t leave your listeners hanging after the Hook Man scratches up the car…show the bodies, too!

First time out, just write. Don’t worry about the page count. Personally, with my focus on the main storyline, I can turn that into three pages on the first run. Typical requests are three to five pages, so that’s perfect. Run your cleaned up version through your crit partners. Make sure there aren’t any lingering questions. You want the motivations behind the goals crystal clear, because you’re giving this synopsis to someone who’s never met your character before. 

Once that’s done, trim it down to a single page, because you’ll get more requests for this version than the other. And that’s easy. Cut out the Pinch Points. Maybe you can combine the Inciting Incident with Plot Point 1. Same for Plot Point 3 and the Black Moment. They’re close enough—or should be—in the structure that they nearly run together. 

If you get that rare request for a longer draft, then you’ll add your minor characters in. You’ll add your subplots. Keep in mind that this request is SO rare, you could probably go without actually writing it. I’ve never, in all my years of writing, had to do one that long.

That’s it! I’ll pop in throughout the day to answer any questions you have, so hit me with what you’ve got! 

Leave your email if you want the Word Document I’ve set up with the GMC boxes and Plot Points. I’d be happy to send it to you.

M.D. WATERS lives with her family in Maryland. Archetype (2/6/14 from Dutton Books) is her first novel. Its sequel, Prototype, will be published in July 2014. She is represented by Jennifer Weltz at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.








From Goodreads:
Emma wakes in a hospital, with no memory of what came before. Her husband, Declan, a powerful, seductive man, provides her with new memories, but her dreams contradict his stories, showing her a past life she can’t believe possible: memories of war, of a camp where girls are trained to be wives, of love for another man. Something inside her tells her not to speak of this, but she does not know why. She only knows she is at war with herself.

Suppressing those dreams during daylight hours, Emma lets Declan mold her into a happily married woman and begins to fall in love with him. But the day Noah stands before her, the line between her reality and dreams shatters.

In a future where women are a rare commodity, Emma fights for freedom but is held captive by the love of two men—one her husband, the other her worst enemy. If only she could remember which is which. . . .

How to Research Agents

Picking which agents to query when you are all finished polishing that shiny new novel is A LOT more work than you might think. It's best to start now, so when the time comes you'll be ready.
The main idea here is to learn as much as you can about an agent before you query them. Make sure they are looking for your style of writing. Check out their blogs, their facebook page, their twitter feed to get a feel if you would like working with them. Channel the stalker. Become the stalker.

*cough* *throat clearing* What was I saying? Anyway...

Step One: Find some names. I like QueryTracker, but there are other places you can look for agents. Query Tracker has several ways to search: genre, specific agent or agency, and how they receive submissions and such. Below I typed in my genre. Since I write a science fantasy mix, I added both genres to make sure I've covered my bases.

Hit search and this is what comes up.

I now have a list of names, their agency, and I can see if they accept regular mail (envelope) or email (lightning bolt) queries. (This is page 2 of my search. The check means I've already added them to my personal list, and the frowning face means I've queried and received a pass.)

Step 2: Research one of those names. I clicked on Sara LaPolla because she has a lot of searchable material. When you click on a name you are taken to this screen where you get more information.

Now I have her email, a link to her agency web page, her blog and I can follow her on twitter. I check out all of these links, and I follow blog and twitter. This helps me get a feel for her personality.

You also see the tabs across the top. Clicking on these will give you information that Query Tracker has collected based on information submitted by users of the site. For example, reports will show you how many people on Query Tracker sent in a query, how long it took for them to get a response and what that response was.

Check out the other tabs. For now, let's go to her agency page.

Yay, more official information. While I am at an agency's page, I often browse other agents to see if there are other names that might fit with my style. If I find some, I type in their name on the query tracker search and add them to my list.

I also click on the submissions link. This tells me what they expect to see with my query and any formatting specifics if there are any.

Alright, I also check out her blog and follow on twitter.  Now, if you find a blog, search through it and find all the goodies the agent may have hidden in his/her posts. In other words, READ THE BLOG, as much of it as you can.

NOTE: Krista V over at Mother. Write. (Repeat). has interviewed several agents. Scroll down on the right hand sidebar to see who and read what they are looking for.

Another great place to browse agents is Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Blog. He has tons of great info here, but I'll start you on the Agent Interview page. Often the agent will tell you exactly what they hope to see in your query letter and how to set it up. Some want you to jump right in with the query, others want the personal info first, most don't have a preference. Read these to find out if they do have a preference!

Step 3: Keep track of what you find.
Twitter--I have a list for agents. This way I can have a column for agent tweets on my tweet deck (I'll save that for another post). HOVER. READ. REPLY. LEARN. STALK. Wait, don't stalk, at least not the creepy kind. Although if you think about it...

Excel--I created an excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the information I gather online about prospective agents. When I query an agent, I add the day I queried and then the dates I get replies. I also color code them by date so I can visually see who I have queried and who is still fair game.

Step 4: Write and send the Query. Don't worry, we have a post for that too.

Other helpful links on How to Find a Literary Agent:
From Nathan Bransford
Advice from Writers.net
More from About.com-- we will cover the topics mentioned here in the next few weeks.
University of Pheonix makes these suggestions.
There is also Agent Query but for some reason this one is harder for me than Query Tracker. My mind doesn't fit well here.
Casey McCormick does a lot of Agent research and posts the info on her blog, too! She always gets some good info.
Another resource to dig through is Publisher's Marketplace. You can search pages for a particular genre.

Queries that worked - West of Paradise

As some of you may know, I signed a contract with WiDo in June to publish my Historical Romance. Here's the query that got me the deal:

Dear Agent;

Katherine Kennedy has it all; she’s beautiful, she’s wealthy, and she’s engaged to the perfect man. There’s just one problem. She can’t marry him. Worse yet, she can’t say why. All she knows is there is suddenly nothing she wants.

Jack McCabe has little in the way of possessions, less in the way of wealth, no where to go and no one to go anywhere with. All he has is a vague sense of discontent, a restlessness that will not abate.

Both are drawn to Cristobel Island and Louis Cade, a man who offers them the unimaginable, something neither can quite believe until they actually find themselves over 100 years in the past, 1881 to be exact.

For Jack McCabe it’s the adventure he always dreamed of – until he meets a beautiful but deadly train robber. Katherine can't believe an ignorant bounty hunter has mistaken her for a criminal – until she sees the picture, which looks exactly like her. Neither of them can imagine how the past has a way of catching up with the present.

Set in the old west, this is a tale of mistaken identity, romance, and murder.


West of Paradise will be available next year from WiDo publishing.

All about query letters - Matt MacNish

  

Matthew MacNish of the Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment (QQQE) wrote this excellent guest post for us last year for Query Con. His blog is a great place to read up on all the intricate details of queries and see examples. We highly recommend you check it out. Here's Matthew...

All about Query Letters 

When I first queried my first novel, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know a single writer. So I wrote what I thought was a good query, and sent it out. I got a couple of requests (surely based more on the pages than the query), but I was inevitably rejected. I wasn’t ready. Neither was my query—or my book.
You can read some of my terrible old queries, and see many good examples of the mistakes I made, by checking the label “queries-rejections” at my blog.

After all that rejection, I decided to study query letters, and decided I would get good at them. So I started my blog, and began by sharing my own mistakes, so others could learn from them. Then I started finding some great resources for helping to learn how to write a better query. First, was Nathan Bransford’s blog, specifically posts like Query Letter Mad Libs, and Anatomy of a Good Query Letter. Then it was Kate Testerman’s blog, and especially her service Ask Daphne! About My Query. Then I met Elana Johnson, read her e-book From the Query to the Call, and after getting to know her (and the other great hosts) for a while, I won a query contest at Write On Con, which you can read the results of Literary Agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe's critique of my query, here.

Once I figured out how to write a decent query, I started hosting and analyzing successful ones on my blog. You can find a list of those posts, here. Then, once I became familiar with good queries, I started critiquing query letters on my blog.

You can find those posts by checking the label “queries-critiques.”

So, now that you know some of the history of how I ended up running this blog about query letters, let’s talk about some of the basics of a standard query letter.

Assuming you want to write a standard query letter, and not break any of the “rules,” this is how it works: One page or less, 250 words is generally a good guideline. Usually 3 paragraphs.

• First is your opening hook and pitch. You need to get across a strong sense of character right away, and if you can sprinkle in some backstory, in a nice, organic way, that's great. Then try to finish up with the inciting incident.
• Second, you want to introduce the conflict. If you can sprinkle in setting and stakes, great. Try to be specific as possible. Avoid clichés, and make it clear why your story is unique.
• Finally, you need to give us an idea of what choices your character has to make in order to overcome the conflict. The best choices are really tough ones, in which there is no clear or easy solution.

So that's: Character. Conflict. Choice. The three Cs.

Some personalization about why you queried that specific agent, and some kind of writing background bio are a great way to finish, but it’s the heart of the story that really matters.

If you can get those three things across clearly, and sprinkle in some great voice, you’ll be off to a good start.

I want to thank all the Unicorn Bell authors for having me on. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments.