Submissions - Page 4

Dear Rosi…

I posed this one directly to agents at this weekend’s ALA Midwinter Conference, and the sentiment is consistent: You can’t explain away the knee-jerk skepticism that a word count “far out of the norm” inspires. Don’t try. DO try to go back to your manuscript and justify the final word count to yourself. Does every scene deserve to be there because it is essential to its chapter’s overall goal? Has minutiae crept in, like writing that your character picks up a glass, walks to the sink, and fills it with water when all you really need to write is that the character took a drink? Are you explaining how the characters move from scene to scene or can you just start a scene with the character already there? Is your language as tight and straightforward as it can be within your chosen style? Can the story be broken into two volumes, as with M. T. Anderson’s Octavian Nothing books (both of which are quite long)? If you honestly feel no shortening is necessary, that you aren’t just being reluctant about “killing your darlings,” then simply state the word count in your query letter and knock their socks off with a killer pitch.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Dear A. E.…

Who says you have to reveal your age when you submit? Just say, “This would be my debut book” in your query letter and leave it at that. They’ll judge the manuscript on its own merit, with no age-related bias. You can share your age after they decide they like your work. And then, frankly, your age becomes a selling point. An agent would love to pitch the “next Christopher Paolini.” I’ve seen agents go out with that as the lead in their pitch. In fact, that may be an argument for revealing your age in the query letter. If you show in that letter that you’ve got writing chops and then swoop in at the end with the news that you’re just 16, agents will eagerly ask for your full manuscript. Should they ultimately decide it’s not for them, I’m confident “blowing off” won’t be involved. Typically, folks in publishing like to encourage young writers.

One more thing: Do your homework when researching agents. You want a well-reputed one. Start with the Literary Market Place, identify agencies/agents who want submissions in your genre, then google their names to see what other writers are saying about them and who they represent. Their agency websites should state if they’re members of the AAR, an organization that requires ethical practices of its members. Certain names will rise to the top of your list pretty quickly.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Dear Lenny…

Well that’s certainly a hook. Here’s what you do: Identify other off-center memoirs and see who publishes them, then search those publishers’ online catalogs to see if your non-conformer would fit in. Knee-jerk comparative titles: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max or Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater by Frank Bruni. But even more specifically you put me in mind of the UK bestseller Tunnel Visions: Journeys of an Underground Philosopher by Christopher Ross, who wrote this fascinating Underground/coworker/human nature expose after working in the London Underground for sixteen months. You might say that book was about “all the drunks, nuts, and abnormal individuals” who work in and ride the Underground. You’ll find leads on similar books by looking for these titles on store or library shelves and then examining the titles surrounding them, and also by typing these titles into Amazon and scrolling down to the “Customers Who Bought This Also Bought” feature. One title will lead you to another, to another, to another…. Soon you’ll have a list of publishers to submit to.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Dear Robyn…

There’s a time and place for everything—even proposals for fiction submissions. Two such scenarios: 1) You’re previously published, proving you’ve got the stick-to-itiveness to finish what you start and the skills to realize what you promise; it helps if you come with confidence-inspiring credentials like significant awards, a solid platform, and strong sales. 2) Your proposal offers something irresistible enough to make the editors take a chance on something that’s not yet written, such as with a celebrity connection or a hot, timely topic. Generally, though, fiction editors require query letters instead of proposals, and they expect to buy completed manuscripts.

Happy writing!

The Editor