posted
Firstly, I've been searching the boards for a good link to some query letters but I can't seem to find the thread. Any pointers would be great.
Secondly, this is going to sound like a stupid question, but when sending a partial to an agent/editor, I know that the first chapter should start halfway down the page but is this the same for subsequent chapters or should they start at the top of the page?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
[This message has been edited by darklight (edited July 31, 2007).]
posted
Try Miss Snark for some pointers on query letters. She did, at one point, a review of many readers query letters, with lots of good commentary on what is good and what is bad. I found them helpful.
As for the second, I'd say that having the chapter start halfway down the page should be standard. It helps indicate where a new chapter starts. I'm by no means an authority on this, so I'll defer to any other opinions.
posted
I second the motion that you should be searching agent and editor blogs and websites for clues about query letters. They are, after all, the ones who deal with them on a daily basis. Miss Snark's blog is closed to new content, but she has a wealth of stuff in the archives. Try Rachel Vader Agent X, and Evil Editor. (Run these names in the search engine to find links; they are also linked many times in this forum, so do a search here on Hatrack, too.) Make a point of chasing all the blogs these folk link to, as well, and you will be well on your way to expanding your knowledge about query letters.
Oh, and you need to learn to spell the word "query" correctly.
posted
Google 'query letter' and look at the advice. Just remember, there is no perfect query letter. Just keep it simple, remember to have a hook towards the beginning, and don't break the rules trying to be too creative. Remember, agents and publishers get hundreds of queries a day. 95% get rejected, not necessarily just to trim the number, but, as one agent put it, 95% of them suck.
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posted
Once again, scour the Snarkives for the answer to this. I don't remember, but I believe Miss Snark mentioned not telling this is a first of X in a series, at least not on your initial query. Once the agent has bitten on your story and requested the complete, I think at that point you mention that this is 1 of X.
posted
3. In a novel you want to plant your surprises and build tension. In a query, you want to tell them exactly where you're going.
4. Opinions vary. I think Miss Snark said don't tell people it's a series because agents will feel bad for rejecting you. I think that's silly. An author, Jim Butcher, said that the fact that his book was the first in a series actually became a selling point. It means that if your first book does well, then they can sell your other books too. I mention in my query that it's the first in a series of five, but I'm also careful to say that the first book tells one, complete, story.
posted
I also heard mention that a series was a selling point, especially that an author had already written something like 3 of 5. When the agent said that to the editor, the editor bought it.
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posted
For a novel, your cover page should have your name, address, etc...and then the TITLE, name, # of words, and # of pages--usually centered.
Start the manuscript on the next page, an inch or two down as you would for each new chapter.
Not sure what to tell you about it being part of a series. My first impression is always, "why aren't you querying book one?" Seems like you'd want to know if it was marketable before writing too many other installments.
posted
I got great feedback from Evil Editor, as well as a lot of laughs. You have to have a reasonably thick skin to try it, but it was a great learning experience. I believe it was EE that pointed out it was better to work on selling the one book first, as there is not much of a hook in telling the publisher or agent that not only do you have one unsold novel, but a whole slew of unsold novels. If you haven't guessed yet, he can get pretty harsh. I posted "Murder in the Cards" there, a couple of months ago, if you want to see how it went for me.
Also, someone told me (can't remember where i picked it up from, but i thought it was a credible source) to start four double spaces down on chapters subsequent to the first. This puts me around the 2-1/2 inch line down from the top, so i just make sure i'm there. Today, anyways. Tomorrow, I could hear something convincing and completely different.
The reason I mentioned I'm planning others as a series is that I heard a long time ago to let the agent/editor know that you are serious about writing and not just a one book wonder because they're more interested in spending time and effort on someone if they think they have more novels in them, and mentioning that I'm planning on writing others (if the first one sells) shows that.
Don't know if that's still the advice these days?
I guess there is still some different between what people think but the best advice I've heard is keep it short and to the point.
Edit:
quote:My first impression is always, "why aren't you querying book one?" Seems like you'd want to know if it was marketable before writing too many other installments.
That's the reason I stopped writing number two half way through about a year ago.
[This message has been edited by darklight (edited August 01, 2007).]
quote:...I heard a long time ago to let the agent/editor know that you are serious about writing and not just a one book wonder because they're more interested in spending time and effort on someone if they think they have more novels in them, and mentioning that I'm planning on writing others (if the first one sells) shows that....
I don't think that an author only having one book in him/her is a real problem. Don't we all have many many books in us? Even if they're not in a series/trilogy/quintology? I don't think agents worry about this all that much.
I suppose it wouldn't hurt to mention in your query letter that this book you are querying is the first in a series. Definitly keep it low key though - I have the feeling that agents probably get swamped by people who, at the first mention of interest, inundate them with the first seven books of their ten book epic masterpiece.
posted
I've just been doing some internet research and found this:
quote:If you have other related works underway, it's a good idea to mention them here, showing that you're not a one-shot wonder
I found it in an article entitled: The complete nobody's guide to query letters by Lynn Flewelling. Here's the link if anyone wants to see the entire thing:
quote: I don't think that an author only having one book in him/her is a real problem. Don't we all have many many books in us? Even if they're not in a series/trilogy/quintology? I don't think agents worry about this all that much.
According to the Rejector, most writers only have one good book in them.
quote:According to the Rejector, most writers only have one good book in them.
Then why on earth would any editor pick up a series of 5 books, if only one of them is going to be any good?
If the topic at hand is letting your agent know this is the first book of a series, then I don't know if that plays a bigger role in their decision to pick you up/reject you just because you're already planning 4 more to continue your story. Every writer wants to write more than one book. If only one or two are good enough to be published, teriffic. Then the same ratio would apply to authors writing an epic fantasy series over 5 novels, wouldn't it?
quote:According to the Rejector, most writers only have one good book in them.
Granted, I haven't finished reading all of the Rejector's website, but I was getting the impression that she meant only one idea (which might include a trilogy of books). I can kind of understand that, since a lot of books by the same author are just the same characters with the same problems, but they're given new names and the books are called a new series. I try to keep this in mind when coming up with ideas and writing them: make them all truly different people with different struggles.
Sorry, off topic again. As for query letter help, I recommend reading Evil Editor's blog. Very, very helpful and fun besides.
posted
I've put up a query letter on the F and F for novels board. Any thoughts and advice will be very much apreciated. Thank you for all your help so far.
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posted
Eragon is the first book in a trilogy. They made a movie on it because the books have done well. The movie didn't do well. They just tried to capitalize.
I'm sure there are many books that were part of a proposed series that just bombed. Even publishing houses have to take risks.
This is from the Rejector's site:
quote: 2. Publishing is not generally a profitable industry. Yes, most of the titles on the Barnes and Noble shelves are from the big five corporations that have dozens of imprints that used to be independent companies, but just because you hear the words "giant corporation" doesn't mean a tax shelter on an island somewhere to hide the profits from the IRS. Random House recently revealed that most of their line is not profitable. Out of 8, they say, 1 is a bestseller, 1 loses money, and 6 break even or make a small profit (four digits). And this is Random House. Imagine how the small presses that don't have big authors and can't get their books into Barnes and Noble are doing.
quote:According to the Rejector, most writers only have one good book in them.
Ah! I finally found the actual quote in one of the posts I hadn't read yet. The Rejecter said:
quote:Even when you find something great, odds are against it that it will succeed at all, much less to the extent that you want it to. It has to sell to a good company, get all the right attention, get good reviews, make a couple lists, and sell a lot of copies. Then, hopefully, the writer actually has enough talent for another book. (Some writers legitimately only have one book in them, especially if they're writing a memoir)
Which, in context, explains her statement. To try to make this comment relevant to this thread, I'll also say that the Reject has good advice on query letters and publishing, so it's potentially another blog ( http://rejecter.blogspot.com/ ) to check out.
posted
The Rejector is in my favorites. I wish Miss Snark was still around, she was good and she posted almost every day.
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