Category Archives: Queries
Slushpile Update
For the past few months, I’ve been sending out queries. But the other day, I had an emotional rollercoaster ride. At the end of January, I queried one of my top “wish list” agents.
Then she Tweeted that she wanted to do a query number analysis for the month of February. In order to do it, she wanted to get through all of her January queries in one night. I knew I was at the bottom of the pile. Not good.
She posted an update, saying she had over 300 queries to slog through. Extremely not good.
I’m ashamed to say, I checked my email every ten seconds. The night came and went. In the morning, she posted another update, saying she’d gotten through about half and requested 2.
The day wore on, and thankfully I had to work, otherwise I probably would’ve sat all day next to my email. Then the most miraculous thing happened. She requested a partial.
Later that night, she updated her feed. She plowed through over 300 emails and asked for six manuscripts. I’m still in a daze. 
Top Five Things to Do While Waiting for Query Responses
This weekend I kicked off my official query search for an agent. And like always, I wanted to check my email every few minutes to see if my favorite agents were already drooling over my story premise. They, of course, all wanted to take me on as a client immediately.
But alas, each time I checked, my inbox sat empty, so I had to devise a way to keep myself from going insane. The product of my insanity was to create a list of the top five things to do when you’re waiting for query responses.
5. Go back through your Angry Bird* levels and try to top your previous high scores. *Note, you may use insert another time-wasting, but equally as addictive game.
4. Create a list of all the characters from the Harry Potter books and then alphabetize them. Oh wait, someone has already created the list here. I guess, you can create a list of death traps from The Hunger Games trilogy.
3. Run a marathon of your favorite movies/TV show. If you need to waste even more time, you can always host a party and create personalized memorabilia, invitations, etc. Check out this hub page on how to host a marathon (scroll down the page to find tips on creating themes by actor/actress, topic, etc. and must haves at your night).
2. Use those old sticky notes, telling you to check your email, as sticky note origami. Don’t know how, there are plenty of books. Stick Note Origami. But you can also check out Youtube. They have a whole list of videos on sticky note origami. (Sample Video Below).
Origami Star
1. You can create a list of fun, but useless, things to do while you wait for a response to your queries.
What do you like to do to keep yourself from checking your email every five seconds?
The Good and the Bad
This weekend I received some great news on the same day I also got some bad news. First the bad, I entered Suzie Townsend’s query contest–Can You Handle the Truth. For one hour, she allowed people to submit queries with the promise she’d give some constructive criticism about why she liked/disliked the query. She did get back to me within a few days. And alas, it was my first rejection on Andropodan. Ultimately, she said she liked the query, but she already had too many sci fi projects right now. *Sigh* Oh well, on to the next one, right?
But my good news helped soften the blow. I found out Andropodan is a finalist in the Windy City’s Four Seasons Contest!!! When I got the email, I literally jumped around my bedroom. This is my first finalist win, and I couldn’t be happier. Honestly, I understand when people say it is an honor just being nominated. But I’m not going to lie and say I don’t have delusions of actually winning. How cool would that be!?!
Anyway, I’m off to do some more writing. It’s NaNo–and I’m already 3,000 words behind. Hope the rest of y’all are keeping up.
Would a rose really smell as sweet?
During the RMFW conference a couple of weeks ago, I sat in on Kristin Nelson’s query workshop–which was awesome. My brain felt overloaded for the next several days, but I took away more tips than I can count. One question Nelson fielded was about titles–how important are they when she is going through queries? Her response (paraphrased): while a title won’t make or break your book deal, it does have an impact.
This makes sense because an over done title might suggest your novel will be clichéd as well. A catchy title might make an agent look twice (or at least past the first sentence). So I started thinking about the title of my current novel, Lost Souls: Redemption. Google and Amazon didn’t produce anything specific on the full title, but many hits found the title, Lost Souls.
Then the ladies over at Restless Writer discussed the issue of character names over on their blog the other day which only solidified I needed to rethink my title. Juliet may wonder what’s in a name and claim a rose would smell as sweet, but people in the book store will drop a story if they don’t like the title or main character’s name.
Where to start though? I ran through a list of themes that appear in my book and narrowed down some of the most important elements: the soul, reincarnation, addiction, first love and grief. With this little exercise, I revised my title to–Soul Addiction.
This new title might not make it through to the final draft, but it doesn’t appear in a long list on Amazon.
Today’s question: how important is a story’s title in determining whether you pick it up off the shelf?
Partial Request
I don’t have much time to sneak in a comment tonight, but I had to share the news. Tonight (today while I was at work actually), I received my first partial request for Blurred Horizons–yay! While this isn’t a contract offer by any means, it’s one step closer to publication.
Okay, back to work on the sequel.
Lions, Zombies, and Nerf Guns–Oh My
My favorite shoe-obsessed agent, Daphne Unfeasible, had a sample query up on her blog this week http://ktliterary.com/2009/12/ask-daphne-about-my-query-xxxiii/. This one caught her eye as a great query, but it made me think of the zombie wars going on at CSU.
Maybe you all have heard of this, but I hadn’t until Friday. I guess students wander around the college tagged as zombies (noted by bandanas). “The human” students carry nerf guns around campus so they can take out said zombies as they make their way back and forth to class. Now, is this really fair? Or are we promoting racism against zombies? And I have to aske, is zombism something people are born with or is it a choice?
In all seriousness, does this really happen on college campuses or was my “friend” pulling my leg? If if does, I want to know why we couldn’t think something like this up when I was in school?
The Dreaded Query Letter
As I finish my edits on draft number…what am I on… of Blurred Horizons, I’m at a point where my husband is about to not only throw in the towel, but throw it at me. Why do I keep editing? Number 1–Of course I want my story to be the best I can possibly make it and Number 2–REJECTION. I know it’s inevitable, but…okay, no buts.
Today I sifted through the sites on how to write a query letter again. My last attempt didn’t go well (I can’t even show my virtual face on that writers’ site anymore). Anyway, I thought I’d share some sites that I found to be the most helpful…
- How to Write a Query
- Nathan Bransford
- Miss Snark (may she retire in peace)
- And just because…Miss Snark Crapometer: Query Letter Dissections
With any luck I’ll get those query letter out…someday.
