again with the queries?

Love_Question_Mark_by_wantu2nowhoiam

yes. again.

If you read this blog because you are a newish writer, like myself, then this post is for you. If you’ve been querying endlessly and never seem to get a bite, this post is for you as well. If you are super-awesome queryman/woman then read this anyway and add your helpful comments. The topic of queries will be on-going throughout the week and the more info available, the better.

A Twitter friend and I were jabbering about the difficulty of condensing her 90,000+ word novel into two hundred much-too-short, must-be-stunning words. The conversation eventually devolved to us writing “Dear Agent” letters–what is in on the surface of our hearts or pretty much for me, what I thought was funny.

7:56 PM Me: dear agent, please read my novel..at least ask for a partial so i wont cry myself to sleep. thank you.

p.s. you don’t have to read it really. just pretend.

7:57 PM My Twitter Friend: Dear Agent, You will be blessed with good luck and be able to sleep with a clear conscious if you read my novel. P.S. Ignore the stalker type chick following you. Really…she won’t hurt you.

7:59 PM Me: dear agent, my husband wants me to get a real job. help!

My Twitter Friend: Dear Agent, Don’t you want the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with helping someone like me?

MTF is so sweet, isn’t she? Of course an agent would be appalled by these appeals.

***********

K, back to business.

Excellent Links –-

Written by agents (these are the people who actually read the queries, so it’s a good idea to listen to what they have to say):

Rants & Ramblings On Life as a Literary Agent by Rachelle Gardner

Nathan Bransford – Literary Agent

If you learn better by seeing actual query letters torn apart by an agent try: Query Shark by Janet Reid

More visual learning can be found at Upstart Crow’s site

Query basics from QueryTracker.net

These are the best I’ve found. What have you seen?

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Tags: lit agencies, queries, twitter, writing

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 8:09 am and is filed under lit agencies, queries, twitter, writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “again with the queries?”

Debra Schubert Says:
September 9th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Definitely check out Janet Reid’s Query Shark http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ and author Allison Winn Scotch’s recent series on queries: http://www.allisonwinn.com/ask-allison/2009/8/27/query-5-nice-work.html Great query resources!
Jen Says:
September 10th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Thanks for the new query resource. I’m checking it out…now!