Once you finish your manuscript, it’s easy for pride to become arrogance if we’re not careful.  What is arrogance? Webster’s defines it this way: an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions.  My take on it?  Thinking that you know more about the publishing business than professionals who do this job for a living and presuming that you have a right to tell them how to do their job! Think about it. How would you feel if you were responsible to hire someone for a position  that you had held for years and  an inexperienced college student walks in for an interview. You begin to explain to her about how the job works and what the job requirements are and before you are finished she begins telling you what you will be missing if you don’t hire them and that they are the next CEO of the company waiting to happen. She further tells you it would be the biggest mistake of your life if you don’t hire her immediately before she slips through your fingers. You would think this person was pretty arrogant, right?  Yet many new writers do this very thing when presenting themselves (yes, you are presenting yourself along with your work, in case you didn’t know) and their project to a prospective agent or editor. Do you begin to see how this book professional feels when you begin to tell them how this exciting new manuscript of yours is the most exciting thing to come across thier desk in years and what a mistake they would be making to pass it by?  

  It’s okay to take pride in your work, in fact it’s desirable when refining your project and putting that final polish on it before you submit to an agent or editor. But once your project is the best you can make it and you send it out, you should now open your mind to recieve constructive criticism and advice from professionals who have been working in the publishing business for many more years than you have.

It isn’t true that these professionals are out to make you feel bad, or to cause you to give up looking for an agent/editor, or to make you feel that you are not good enough to make it in the business. In fact, just the opposite is true. Agents and acquisitions editors are ALWAYS looking for new talent! They are searching for that fresh, new voice that will make them sit up and take notice. That new writer who is so good, it makes them want to read more. So why shouldn’t you be that one who fulfills this role?

Remember, don’t fall in love with what you have written so much that you refuse to take suggestions from those who know. Chances are, if an agent or editor takes time away from their very busy schedule to ask you if you are willing to rewrite a portion of your story, and takes it a step further and points out the weaknesses in your story, they are considering taking you on as a client. If you stubbornly hold on to the notion that what you have written is perfect and doesn’t need anything and that it is fine the way it is–that professional doesn’t know a good thing when they see it. This is where pride can become arrogance.  This attitude might just cost you the very thing you’re after. The publishing contract.

Those who work at the business of buying and selling books have most likely studied the market, they know what is selling, they know what is hot and they have an idea of how a new writer stacks up against the competition.  And yes, this is a VERY competitive business.  They know what it takes to make it in the business, and listening might help you land the agent/editor you’re after,

If you write a query that is attention grabbing, you are well on your way to securing that agent/editor.  A query first and foremost, tells the editor/agent that you can write, believe it or not. If you submit a query that is riddled with errors, full of embellishments using adjectives to describe how your characters look, you are basically sabotaging yourself.  The agent/editor is more concerned with what your story is about, what moves the story (conflict) and how the story ends(resolution of conflict).  Contrary to popular belief, this is NOT the time to leave the agent/editor wondering how the story will end. Many believe that inserting a cliff-hanger will peak the reader’s interest and cause them to ask for more. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

YES your goal with writing your query is to get the reader to ask to read more of your manuscript and possibly even ask for the entire manuscript. If you can accomplish this, you have just raised your manuscript from unsolicited to  solicited status.   (Solicited means requested, and of course unsolicited means not requested by anyone) This means your manuscript, or at least a few chapters of your manuscript will be read by the agent/editor or one of thier assitants. Don’t diss the assistant! In my case the assitant to the editor loved my manuscript so much, she was in the editor’s office every single day raving about how great it was and telling her all the juicy details. The assistant actually helped me get picked up by the publishing company.

The crucial elements of a query?  Introduce yourself in the first paragraph. This is where you include your PUBLISHED writing credits.  For example, have you been published in a local newspaper or magazine. This is not where you tell about writing for the high school or college newsletter.  You are basically telling the reader here what qualifies you to be a writer. If you don’t have any previous writing credit, that’s okay. That doesn’t count your query out. Just wow them in the next paragraph with the brief synopsis of your story.

Use strong adjectives/adverbs to move the synopsis and keep them reading. Paint a picture with your words about the story, but avoid using descriptors like, ” this is a mind blowing, fantastic read”. These types of statements are a turn-off for the professional, because it read likes you are trying to Tell them what to think about your manuscript instead of allowing them to form their own opinion. Instead use words like  “this is the story of a woman’s unforgettable battle with an addiction that threatens to destroy her life, and the lives of her children…” I have just told them in my opening sentence what my story is about. Now I can use the ramaining sentences to build drama to make them want more. Remember give them the beginning middle and ending of your story in a couple of paragraphs. This is your opportunity to sell your story, so pour all of the passion that you feel into this portion of the query. If you feel what you are writing, so will the reader!

Next you want to compare your work, to works that are already on the market. This advises the reader that you know your target market and you have thought about the competition. You should tell the reader how your work is similar, but also how it is different and what will cause the prospective buyers of your finished novel pick up your new book instead of the competition. For example, I compared my work to a famous writer’s by using the comparison of both of us using religous threads and backdrops in our writing, but pointed out that my writing differed from hers because my writing was grittier, and gave a different point of view than her stories.

Finally, in concluding your query, thank the reader for taking the time to read your query. Include your contact information,  phone number(s), email address, etc.

One final note: Don’t send any part of your manuscript with the query! Agents/editors don’t like getting stuff they haven’t asked you for. This is the quickest way for your submission to end up in the dreaded slush pile, or even worse the trash bin!

Until next time!

Mari

NEXT: KEY Number Five: Make Rejections Work FOR you!