Agent. A five letter word.

I remember growing up and hearing my mom say, "Don't use four letter words" (cursing) because they aren't "nice."

What about five letter words like? AGENT or QUERY
Never having had an agent I can't say if they are naughty or nice, but I would think they are nice to have due to their wide experience with publishing, publishers, promoting, etc. Some are probably better than others, but if you don't have one you must do the job (to some extent) yourselves and keep the 15%, but it may be difficult to ingratiate yourselves into the industry when you don't have the connections. Networking is a huge part of getting published, the agent has those contacts. They are part of the inner circle (hopefully).

The word "Query" above is another "five letter word." Frankly, queries are difficult to write for me and many of my writing compatriots. You have one page to tell either the agent or publisher about you, your story, your credits if you have any, give them a flavor of your writing voice and encourage them to want more of you and your work. Advertisers say "that's easy" just wow them. Okay, but loud music, dancing girls, gooey chocolate, or gimmick's don't really work. Or so I've been told. The words have to do the dancing and whet the appetite.

Telling the agent or publisher you are the next Nora Roberts or your book is the next Fifty Shades of Gray in a query letter, just isn't going to cut it. We may be as good as Nora Roberts, but we aren't Nora - we are who we are and write with our own voice, which may or may not resonate with the masses. Our book may be even better than Fifty Shades of Gray - but will it appeal to audiences all over? Good question. What we do have to do is make the agent or publisher realize our work is good. It's a business letter with heart and imagination.

How do we do that? Answer these questions in your query:

• What is the story about, the theme, or the problem that is addressed? 
• Is there a quirky main character that you can introduce in the query?
• Is your story similar to other very popular stories you can use as a comparison?
• Why are you the best one to write this kind of story, your experience, or education? 
• What have you published before so that you have a following?
• What demographic does your story appeal to? Young Adults? Mystery buffs? Horse lovers?

That's a lot, so keep it short - to the point - punch it! How do you know you've done well with your query? Read it out loud. Critique groups can help you review it. And when you can't imagine your query sounding any better - send it! What have you got to lose? Because you may have written just what that agent has been looking for.

Enjoy the writing journey, my friends. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Why you should start saving your pennies for a writer's conference

I know, writer's conferences are expensive. Not just the conference itself, but the transportation to get there, lodging, food and of course, the irresistable shopping expeditions on the side. But if you're a writer looking to renew and re-inspire your writing, if you're looking to hone your craft, if you're hoping to make contact with agents, editors or published writers who might act as references, the writer's conference is the place to be.

Last week, I had the honor of participating in two panels at the Backspace Writer's Conference in the Big Apple. During the three day conference, over twenty-five agents attended. That's a lot of agents in one place, and they were all looking to help authors develop stories the agents could sell!

There were writers--multi-published writers. Writers who have been in the business for decades, like Gayle Lynds . And writers who have garnered a boatload of professional praise, like Hank Phillippi Ryan. (The picture is of me and Gayle Lynds connecting at the book signing.)

And agents didn't just wander around looking superior with wine glasses in their hands (although wine glasses were never far from view!). They offered their valuable time in workshops where authors could present two pages of their manuscript for agents' critiques--all anonymously!

Those sessions were the stars of the show! Here's some of what authors learned:

* In what part of the opening did A.E.G.O. (Agents eyes glaze over). For some, it was after the first paragraph. Great! Those writers knew it was back to the keyboard. For others, after their two pages were read, an agent would scream, "Whose is that? Send me that manuscript, tomorrow!"

What a thrill for those authors!

More of what writers learned about querying an agent:

*Don't be cutesy, ever, in a query letter. No adorable fonts. No watermarks with your name in elegant script. No flowers around the border. This is a business letter. Keep it that way.

*Avoid telling agents your book is funny, interesting, amazing, suspenseful, soulful, powerful, chilling, bittersweet or sure to be the next best seller. Use exact descriptions to tell them about your story. Study how successful queries are written. (And there are enough resources available for several posts on that topic!)

*Don't overwrite. Don't try to impress with using obscure vocabulary words and over-abundant descriptions. Take out unnecessary character movements, dialogue and physical description. Grab your reader with a story that won't let go!

A conference can get a writer that valuable one-on-one time with an agent or an editor. An extra expense?Yes. Priceless? Absolutely!