What have I been so busy doing?

Hi writers!

Long time no blog, eh?

Our agency has requested 17, yes 17 full manuscripts in the past two months. So, that's what I have been busy doing. I read 100+ query letters a day (yes, 35,000 last year) and 30-40 sample pages a week. So add that up and it's already a fair amount of reading. Now, add books I am supposed to read to keep on top of the market, and those that I just plain old WANT to read, and then 17 full manuscripts. OUCH!

Anyway, there is one thought that jumps out at me through this process. If you are agent hunting and have made it all the way to the full manuscript phase (ie. an  agent has read your query and your sample pages and has requested a read of the full book) here is my number one tip = have that manuscript ready to go! Have it polished, finished, as perfect as possible - as if you get one shot at getting it on the shelves and this is it! Sadly, I've had a few writers say, "can I get that to you in a month or so, I'm "almost" done with it" and I think "whooops, would have been better if it were ready. Likewise, I've had writers respond with, "I know I sent my full 2 weeks ago, but I've revised it since then - could you read this version instead?" And again, I think "whooops, would have been better if it were polished the first time."

These aren't deal breakers, but just some good advice.

Happy writing!
Sara

7:47 PM - 7 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

What’s the most common question I am asked here at myspace?

Hi writers,

I hope the muse has been good to you all this month! I have read some terrific queries and sample pages at work, so there must be something good in the air.

Want to know what is the most common question I get here at myspace? It reads something like this, "I just finished a book. It's about XYZ. Will you represent me?" I just wanted to make a quick blog about this because it seems to be happening quite a lot. Unfortunately, I do not read queries or sample pages on myspace.  So, my answer is almost always, "Great! Send me a query at work."

Here are the rules again:

1)      We accept queries at query@nelsonagency.com

2)      No attachments and no weblinks

3)      Simply a one paragraph description of the book (the book itself should be finished and ready to promote)

4)      There are sample query letters at www.nelsonagency.com

5)      Our submission guidelines as well as the genres we do represent are available at our website also (again, www.nelsonagency.com)

We are accepting queries from new and unpublished writers! We're hot on the trail for new talent and excited to read all your work. It's simply a matter of process that these queries should go to the correct place.

I am happy to keep answering questions here at myspace. I do get behind sometimes, but I will make an effort to read and respond to everything posted in my inbox (the comments section is not as convenient a place to post a question).

Happy writing,

Sara

11:56 AM - 9 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

Resolved to get published this year?

Who out there made New Year's resolutions? If you are a writer, and your resolution is to get published this year, here are some tips:

1)      I will start off with a disclaimer. There are LOTS of different processes for getting your book published. There is e-publishing, submitting directly to an editor, submitting to an agent, etc. Since I work at an agency, my tips will be biased.

2)      Following up closely with that disclaimer – the best suggestion I can give anyone is get as much information as possible before taking the publishing step!

a.       If you are submitting to an agent, READ their submission guidelines first (as well as the list of what genres they do and do not represent). This information should be on their website.

b.      If you are submitting to an editor directly, again READ their submission guidelines (some editors only accept manuscripts from agents, some prefer query letters, some prefer hard copy sample pages, etc. etc).

c.       If you have decided on e-publishing, remember to read that contract carefully (and note the degree of promotion that your book will or will not receive in conjunction with your contract)

3)      For my part, I would say, the best thing to do before setting out on your journey towards publishing is, get your work polished, finished and perfect! Try going to a writers conference or joining a critique group to get help with this step.

4)      Then, draw up your official query letter. There are oodles of resources for writing a professional query – these come to mind:

Evileditor.blogspot.com

Pubrants. Blogspot.com

5)      Finally, make a list of the places you want to submit the work and set yourself some deadlines. There are no good times or bad times of the year to submit, so relax and get as prepared as possible before starting out.

10:55 AM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

So, what are we looking for in the new year?

Happy New Year!

We are looking forward to a wonderful 2008 here at the Nelson Literary Agency. We took on 8 new clients last year, so we're already hard into the hunt for our new clients for this year.

Here are the genres that we represent:
literary fiction
commercial fiction
romance
science fiction
fantasy
young adult
middle grade
narrative nonfiction/memoir

I must say, personally, that I am hoping to find some more sf/f writers this year. Science fiction and fantasy are hard to write (it's hard to create a unique world and at the same time tell an enticing story with developed characters) and we are picky. Still, I have hope!

Remember - we are looking for a unique story with superior writing. There are lots of FAQs as well as sample query letters and helpful websites listed at www.nelsonagency.com. Hope that helps!

And, I hope to read many of your successful query letters this year!

Sincerely,
Sara

2:04 PM - 11 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

Are the holidays a difficult time to submit your work?

Happy holidays to everyone! We're in the process of finishing as much work in the office as possible before our break (the office is closed the last two weeks of December). So, what does that mean for submissions at this time of the year?

That's a good question, and it comes with lots of good news. I've been reading queries and sample pages for almost two years now, and I truly don't believe that there is a better or worse time of year to submit. If I am feeling tired, then I move on to other work. And, of course, I get tired in December. But, I also get tired in January and May. I am careful to always read work with all of my attention, so I think you should get those manuscripts polished and those query letters polished and submit them when they are ready. You don't need to worry too much about what's going on at this end.

I do remember coming back to work last January. We received 200+ queries a day for probably two straight weeks. I guess everyone was taking their holiday breaks to work on their writing. But, that just meant our turnaround time was a little slower.  And, of course, no one will hear back from December 19-January 2^nd because we'll be off skiing. Still, all in all, I think that we are pretty good at what we do and writers should feel reassured that we will read your work with all our attention regardless of any holidays. So, happy writing and happy submitting!

10:37 AM - 3 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

Check your titles and character names first...

Dear writers,

This is one of those tips that I have picked up from being in this business for a while. In fact, many of you probably knew to do this way before I figured it out. And, no worries – this is not a deal breaker when querying agents or editors. It's  just a helpful little step to push your work one step higher on the ladder of professionalism...

Before sending your query to an agent or editor, double check the title of your work and the names of your major characters. Both amazon and google are great resources, and it should be easy to run a quick search to make sure what you submit hasn't been done too many times before. 

Seems simple, right? You would be surprised how many queries we get each month for works titled SECOND CHANCES (fine title, but too generic). I even got one once for a work titled GREAT EXPECTATIONS (eeek, right? Been done before, big time!) I received a query recently for a work whose heroine was named Eve Dallas. Again, great name, but it's very recognizable to those of us who have read JD Robb's IN DEATH series (and there are millions, literally, of those books in print). So, pop over to a computer and run quick google and amazon searches on those names and titles before submitting them. 

Happy writing!

-Sara

10:01 AM - 5 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment

Three Tips from a Recent Conference

I spoke at the Heart of Denver Romance Writers Convention this month and I have some thoughts to pass along.

 First of all, let me say that I was blown away by how professional and prepared the participants of this conference were! Their pitches were fabulous and everyone seemed to have a solid understanding of the publishing industry. In my opinion, they probably got a lot of this knowledge by being a member of their local RWA chapter. So, tip 1 – a great way to learn about this business is to join a writers group like Romance Writers Association (www.rwanational.org) or Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (www.sfwa.org).

Second, I spoke at length about how to writer query letters that get better results (ie. more requests for sample pages). The group had a lively discussion about the process of querying agents and editors (alas, agents have different submission guidelines – Nelson Agency only accepts query letters via email, whereas some agents only accept query letters via mail, and some agents don't want query letters at all). This brings up helpful Tip 2 – before submitting to an agent or an editor – do your research and make sure you are familiar with their process! Finding an agent is a good first step – try www.agentquery.com. Then, once you have made an agent list, go directly to each of their websites and read their submission guidelines (for example, ours are at:  http://www.nelsonagency.com/faq.html).

Finally, the bulk of my presentation was a workshop in which we practiced writing queries and did group evaluation on them. This kind of work takes guts and I send out many kudos to the brave writers willing to share their writing! Of course, the business of publishing has an art to it, and I hope that I left these writers with some inside information to help them get better results into that world. Tip 3 – get your work up to professional standards before submitting it! Join a writers critique group to improve your work (www.bksp.org or www.writers.net), and check out Evil Editor to improve your query letters (evileditor.blogspot.com).

Hope this helps!

Happy writing,

Sara

11:03 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

How to address your query letter

I know this may sound silly, but the way you start off your query letter to an agent (or editor) is important. I look at 75-100 queries a day, and inevitably, the few for which we request to see sample pages start as well formatted queries.

I know there are lots of sites which list formatting tips, so I will try not to be too redundant. Here are some simple ideas which will help elevate your introduction to a more professional level. Please note that the Nelson Agency only accepts email queries (and only at work, not here at myspace). So, these notes pertain specifically to email users.

- The subject line of your email should say "query" and also the title of your work.
o Ex. "Query: THE DARK NIGHT"
o Ex. "Fiction Query by Jane Doe"
o Ex. "Query for a book about skateboarding, non-fiction"
o You would be surprised how many queries end up in our spam filter because they are addressed as, "your next big business success!" or something like that. Eeeeek!

- Remember to address your query to the agent or editor by name.
o "Dear Kristin Nelson…"
o NOT "Dear Sirs…"
o NOT "To Whom it may concern"
o NOT "to the poor schmuck reading queries…"
o Again, you'd be surprised…

- In the first (SHORT) paragraph, list the title of your work, genre (if you know it, otherwise just say fiction or non-fiction) and word count.
o "I am writing today to present my completed 100,000 word paranormal romance titled THE DARK NIGHT"
o That's really about it. Keep any biography info short and keep any other exposition short.

- The rest of the query letter should be the pitch paragraph describing your book. It should sound like the back cover of a book. Not to beat it into the ground, but it should also be short.

- If you would like to read some successful queries that came to our agency and resulted in representation, Kristin has several posted on her blog. Pubrants.blogspot.com


Happy writing!
Sara

8:00 PM - 5 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Is your agent hunt starting in the right place?

There are days when I feel like half of the queries I see are for projects in genres that we don't represent. Obviously, these writers get a polite "no thank you" response from us when they query, but I can't help but think a quick check into an agent's list of represented genres would help.

1) Before sending a query to an agency, visit that agency's website. Most agents list the genres of work that they do and do not represent. For example, we represent young adult, science fiction, fantasy, romance, commercial fiction, literary fiction and some narrative non-fiction. We do not represent poetry, cookbooks, gift books, horror, crime novels, etc. etc. etc. You can save yourself some time by submitting your project only to agents who represent what you write.

2) Now, here's a neat insider secret. In addition to checking their website to see what the agent SAYS they represent, check their recent sales to make sure they are actually SELLING what they represent. Most agents will prominently post their recent sales. If you can't find recent sales on their website or through other research – that is a big red flag! If you write young adult novels, look for agents who have recently sold young adult novels (and it's an even better sign if they have been sold to a major publishing house).

3) As always, a fabulous and FREE place to start is www.agentquery.com - a website to query agents by genre.

Happy writing!
-Sara

7:36 PM - 10 Comments - 18 Kudos - Add Comment

A fabulous article for new writers by Carly Phillips

Dear writers,

This article by Carly Phillips is fabulous! She really nails some ideas for technique that I am looking for every day in the query letters that are submitted to our agency. I hope this information is helpful to you all!

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977071357

Best,

Sara

10:54 AM - 2 Comments - 5 Kudos - Add Comment