Query Queries…and the 'S' word.

 

Well, I have begun to submit my manuscript to agents. As any writer will attest, this is no simple matter. Is my query letter too long/too short? Is the ‘hook’ sharp enough without being alarming? Does it make my butt look big? And this is just the introductory letter, folks! Anyway, I have now cobbled several Query letter versions together - and I think they are all pretty solid. I think I just smirked.

The next step is backwards. Many steps back. I need to step back far enough so that I can view my story with a wider lens. I now must learn to breakdown my approx. 125k word novel into a much smaller document, the synopsis. Wait, wait, wait. AND I should have several versions of a synopsis ready to go? A five pager, a two pager and a one pager? No biggie. I can just jot down all the plot twists and turns and, you know, I can list the characters...bullet points for the subplots...hang on. It'll be like curling up with a dishwasher manual. No lovely language, no tension, no room for foreshadowing or cliff hangers or any of the gorgeous stuff that makes a story sing. Fetch me my smelling salts.

OK, dramatics aside, I have actually completed my synopses assignments. I have a weird tic now whenever I type the word synopsis and I'm pretty sure I black out for a minute, too.

So, anyway, I am now armed with a couple of query letters and several 'S' words. Variety is key. Agents are apparently real people. Some like butter on their toast and some prefer bagels with cream cheese (and certainly, there are gluten-free, lactose-intolerant agents, too!).

 

I digress.

 

No surprise then that the agents’ submissions guidelines differ as much as their brekkie likes and dislikes:

Mail me a letter, a five page synopsis and the first three chapters.

Please email a letter and attach the first ten pages.

Please email a letter, a three to five paragraph synopsis and the first 10,000 words – paste in the body of the email, we will not open attachments.

Email query letter only – we’ll let you know if we want to see more.

 

And then there are the response guidelines:

We respond to all queries.

We will reply within 6-8 weeks unless we are very busy, in which case it could take up to 739 days…or longer.

No response means “No, thank you.”

 

And still, we writers are a tenacious lot. Sign me up for the crazy, we say!

 

Fortunately, there are a number of helpful websites such as Query Tracker and Publisher’s Marketplace and Absolute Write. My personal favourite is the Compuserve Books and Writers forum. The folks there are second to none when it comes to support and advice.

 

Another plus is Twitter. It’s a great place to stalk/research agents. Until you stumble across a tweet that tells you not to trust Publisher’s Marketplace, for example. Wait. What? I thought they were good! I was making choices based on the information I found there. Ugh. Breastfeeding through mastitis is less painful than this.

I know have sent half a dozen queries. I have not yet heard from three of them. Two have requested to read the full manuscript. One requested the first fifty pages and sent me a "Not for me, thanks!" response. I'm *this* close to  sending out some more queries. Wish me luck!