Any time a sentence begins with “clearly,” I know the sentence doesn’t belong. If the info is obvious, why tell the reader? Clearly, you don’t need to repeat things you communicated elsewhere. “Clearly” is a frequent way to add voice to a query. It sounds snobbish, hectic, resistant, pushy. Please, use anything else. At worst,… Continue reading Clearly overdoing it
In my last post, I gave 3 top reasons I rejected pages lately: small word counts, large word counts, and no plot. Small word counts more often belong to male writers. On the flip side, large word counts often belong to female writers. However, this is not due to the stereotype that women communicate more… Continue reading Demographics, plus how to plot
I just sent off 115 rejections. Last week all my efforts aimed at surviving: my post-conference illness still has me in its clutches. As I began feeling better, I decided to tackle my overwhelming rejection folder: 170 queries waiting for my letter. I sent 115 in an hour and a half. That’s pretty good time:… Continue reading Latest rejection batch
Besides returning home with a sickness that knocks you flat for three days (ugh), conferences are awesome. Attending writing conferences gives you the chance to take workshops from diverse industry experts. You learn about plotting, description, characterization, pacing, and voice in-depth. You hear query letter how-to, promo techniques, and much more. You can have your… Continue reading What writing conferences do for you
Your pitch is 250 words about your book meant to whet the appetite of readers. It’s a less-gimmicky book blurb. (We often call it the query even though the query letter includes word count, genre, comps, and one-sentence bio.) A synopsis is a run-down of the entire plot, start to finish. Most agents ask for… Continue reading Writing a synopsis, and how it differs from a pitch
As of this morning, I’m away at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference in Colorado Springs for the next five days. Conferences like this are great for learning about the craft, meeting other writers and industry experts, and pitching agents in person. If you want to become a better writer and further your career, I highly… Continue reading Away at a writers conference!
The first sentences of your query must introduce the protagonist and what’s wrong. (The “what’s wrong” may not be the overall conflict, but needs to create tension.) Consider these pitches for Gail Carriger’s SOULLESS: Alexia Tarabotti, an avowed spinster, has no soul. That might be appalling, but Alexia doesn’t give a fig about anyone’s opinion.… Continue reading A protagonist and her problems
I got more emails in the vein of, “Help me, I don’t know how to do this!” and “Which problems caused you to reject me?” Sometimes I answer — a few sentences, a few links. Sometimes I don’t. A deciding factor for me is proper grammar and spelling. I know some people struggle with spelling… Continue reading Sympathy and good grammar
As I’ve said before, I don’t have time to respond to all the emails asking why they got rejected. These authors are essentially asking for a critique. While I want to respond, I have to balance my time and the problem that my response may hit people the wrong way. Some people claim they want… Continue reading A simple thanks
When you research how to write queries, many tell you to personalize each query. Not just with the agent’s name in the salutation, but with a personal connection. For the record, personalizing queries is optional. Sometimes it’s easy: you met at a workshop or conference. Maybe you even had a query appointment and the agent… Continue reading Getting personal
In the Inbox 