The Fabulist Flash

Issue 121

with Photography by Gregory A. Kompes

Mexican Chili Peppers Journal

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. Why a Literary Agent are Important
3. Query Letters
4. Renee Russell takes the 18Q
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

Goals, resolutions, objectives, aims, targets, intentions...I've got them all. That's what this time of year is all about, right? During December, we've looked at goal setting. It's important to have goals, direction, and purpose in our lives and careers. It's easy to dream and visualize our year ahead. We want to accomplish so much. The difficult part is taking action, getting those goals off that page and into our daily lives. The most important thing is turning our goals into reality.

At the moment I'm working on two books: a novel and a nonfiction work. The writing idea I've been using and turning my coaching clients on to great success is 1000 Words a Day. Here's how it works. Sit down, read the previous day's 1000 words (NO EDITING!!!) and write 1000 more words. Every day, seven days a week, no excuses.

Some days my thousand words fly and I'm done, others I spend several hours at the keyboard. I like having two different projects going, so I alternate daily between the two.

Three keys to success: The first key is consistency. It's essential to write every day, no matter how you feel. The second key is that your writing time isn't research time, just writing. Keep notes about ideas you need to research, interviews that need to be conducted, etc. Those things will need to be accomplished at another time. The third key is no editing. You've got to get that first draft written, cover to cover, before you do the serious work of editing. This is one of the most difficult things for many writers. The problem is many writers get trapped in editing. They work and rework chapter one, while the rest of the book never gets finished. Once the whole first draft is completed, it's much easier to edit because you can see the big picture.

I like to write my 1000 words first thing, just after checking my horoscope over a morning diet soda. I'm a firm believer that our writing muses show up regularly when they know where to find us. By being consistent and writing every day around the same time our muses will arrive promptly and help us take our work to that exciting, creative level we strive for.

This week's articles, Why a Literary Agent is So Important to Your Success by Steve Manning and Query Letters: Ten Ways to Hook a Literary Agent by Lisa Silverman explore why we need agents and how to hook them. Plus, Renee Russell takes the 18Q.

Until next week,

Gregory

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Gregory A. Kompes (www.kompes.com) is a writer, manuscript consultant and author of the bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, The Endorsement Quest, The Everyday Gay Activist, Turning Your Writing Hobby into a Writing Career and Should You Write an eBook?

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Preview 9 essential books for writers on The Writer's Bookshelf

2. Why a Literary Agent are Important

Why a Literary Agent is So Important to Your Success
by Steve Manning

Ask any literary agent what they're interested in and they'll tell you, without a doubt, literary quality. That's what they want. They're looking for high-quality writing. That's their story and they're sticking with it.

But if you catch them in an unguarded moment, the truth might just slip out. Oh, they're still looking for literary quality, and if that's part of the package so much the better, but that's not really the determining factor.

The big issue, the one that can really turn it to your advantage, is a lot simpler and, we should have guessed, a lot more predictable. The real question is, will this manuscript sell? Will it sell first to a publisher, and, then, will it sell to the general public.

The answer to the first question is why you've got a literary agent in the first place. Will it sell to a publisher? Well, you as an author have no idea. You can hope, you can suggest, you can rationalize and you can predict, you can see no possible alternative. Of course a publisher will want to write your manuscript. But you don't really know.

Literary agents, the good ones, do. That's why they're constantly talking to trade editors at publishing houses, and publishing executives as well. They want to have their ears to the ground to scout out any trends that are developing, or, more profitably, any needs that publishers have.

"What we're really looking for now, Sam, is a children's chapter book that touches, gently, on the issue of terrorism and homeland security."

"What we need is a series of gothic horrors."

"The guys upstairs want to take a look at a new genre of romance…"

A lot of authors think that publishers make their decisions based on the manuscripts that come their way. That's not always the case. Publishers often have their own agenda. They see the needs developing and they want to have books ready to go when the demand is right. Often they're looking for specific kinds of books and they're letting literary agents know about their needs so the best manuscripts can be brought to them.

And that's good news for you. Okay, maybe you've spent a lot of time writing that book on science fiction trivia. The agent you're working with says it's a great book, but they've just been talking with an editor and they're looking for a trivia book for science. Would you be up to writing it.

Yes, I can just hear all the author's saying, "just a minute, I'll check my schedule to see if I can fit that in."

Agents also know, generally, which publishers are looking for which books. True, the information you have may say the publisher publishes horror stories. But you won't know they've got a back log of these manuscripts and aren't looking for any more. A good literary agent will not only know this, they'll also know which publishers are looking precisely for the book you've got to offer. Getting your manuscript before the right set of eyes is half the battle when it comes to getting your book published.

Agents will also know what's selling now, and whether this is the beginning of a new wave, or the end of an old one. They make their reputation and their relationships by helping publishers pick winners for the upcoming season. That's why they're so important. They have the knowledge and the contacts that you just don't have.

They know what will sell, why, when and where. And if you hook up with an agent who is committed to their own success, you've just formed a partnership with an agent who is also committed to your success.

About the Author
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Steve Manning is a master writer showing thousands of people how they can write their book faster than they ever thought possible. Here's your free Special Report, http://www.WriteABookNow.com/main.html.

3. Query Letters

Query Letters: Ten Ways to Hook a Literary Agent
by Lisa Silverman

During my years as a literary agent for both screenwriters and book authors, I received query letters by the thousands. Even small literary agencies are so overwhelmed by the influx that young, inexperienced interns weed through query letters from prospective authors before the agents even see those few "diamonds in the rough" with a chance at getting published.

So how do you become one of those agent-represented diamonds (or, at the least, get agents to request your full manuscript)? I could advise you at length, and will in the future, but for now here are ten query letter tips—-some dos, some don'ts-—to get you on track toward the representation and publication of your manuscript. These apply to letters directly to publishers, too—-but make sure the publisher accepts submissions that don't come through agents.

1) Leave out the bells and whistles.

Your words count, not your ability to suck up. (That counts only in person.) Your query letter should appear professional and mature: It should not be on pink stationery covered in hearts and flowers. It should not include candy—would you eat food mailed to you by a complete stranger? If you include a chapter of your manuscript (and don't include more unless they ask), refrain from binding it in any way. The agency will only get annoyed when they try to photocopy it. Put that effort into the prose of your letter, and agents will want to see the prose of your book.

2) Proofread it.

That does not mean use SpellCheck. It means you and your friend and your friend's friends should read it for typos and incorrect grammar. A single mistake will land it in a literary agent's recycling bin.

3) Include a SASE (stamped, self-addressed envelope).

Why not make it as easy as possible for them to respond? It's common book industry practice, and you'll appear unprofessional and/or cheap if you don't.

4) Include a synopsis, but keep it brief.

If an agent is going to represent you, they'll need a pitch to throw at potential publishers. Both species have short attention spans. Give them the important and unique stuff about plot and characters, not a scene-by-scene rundown.

5) Do your homework.

Consult the "Jeff Herman Guide," the agency's website, or any other reference that tells you what types of books they've sold. If they specialize in chick lit and romance, don't bother pitching your political thriller--or, if you do, play up the love story within it.

6) Type.

Seems obvious. But you'd be amazed at how many people handwrite query letters. Perhaps they think it's more personal and will make them stand out. It isn't, and it won't. It'll just make the agent doubt your professionalism and strain his/her eyes trying to decipher your handwriting.

7) Get the agent's name right.

You'd also be amazed at how many letters I got addressed to someone at a different agency, or with my name spelled wrong, or the name of my agency spelled wrong. Carelessness is not impressive. And while agents know you're pitching your manuscript to other agents, they don't want to feel as if they're getting a form letter.

8) Don't make it a form letter. Sure, it takes time to personalize, and you don't need to go overboard and ask how Literary Agent Smith's three daughters are, but this is another way homework can help. Find a book they've represented that's similar to yours and tell them you truly enjoyed it. One sentence--then go into the form letter part.

9) Don't compare your manuscript to bestsellers.

It's not "The Da Vinci Code" meets "The Devil Wears Prada." It's not the perfect vehicle for Harrison Ford and Nicole Kidman. If you want, mention other books by way of genuine comparison, or suggest an actor to help paint a picture of a character. But leave out the overblown marketing predictions.

10) If you've written 18 unpublished manuscripts, don't say so.

That'll only make agents ask why none of the 18 have been published. On the other hand, if you've had as much as a short story published in your college's literary journal, mention that. Published = good. Unpublished = irrelevant.

About the Author
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Lisa Silverman is a freelance book editor and works in the copyediting department at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, one of New York's most prestigious literary publishing houses. She has also worked as a ghostwriter and a literary agent representing both book authors and screenwriters. She founded http://www.BeYourOwnEditor.com in order to provide writers with free advice on both writing and the publishing business.

4. Renee Russell takes the 18Q

Renee Russell takes the 18Q

Biography:
Renee Russell is a seventh generation West Tennessean. Kate's Pride, a Southern Gothic Historical is her first novel and is currently available. To find out more about Renee go to her website at www.reneerussell.com

Bibliography:
Kate's Pride

URL:
www.reneerussell.com

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
I think the profession chose me. I tried to stop writing at one time and just couldn't do it. It must be in my blood. I have to write something (even if it's just a short paragraph) on a regular basis or I get really, really cranky.

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
I'm a college graduate with a Bachelor's degree in a double major of Marketing and Business Administration. Once I graduated from college I moved around quite a bit in the work world. Retail Management, Newspaper advertising, Buyer for a women's clothing store and now I'm in the Investments field. I still have a full time day job, but my dream is to be able to write full time.

3. When did you 'know' you were a writer?
That's difficult to say. Does anyone really "know" they're a writer? I'm my own worst critic. My advance readers will love something that I think is just not quite right. I've heard multi-published authors say the same thing about their work. I think this goes back to question one. You just have to write, you do the absolute best you can and hope others will love it too.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
I'm a self proclaimed 'pantzer' which means I start the book with a broad outline and let the characters tell me the story as we go along.

5. What is your writing process?
Ha. I have to squeeze it in whenever and where ever I can. Lunch time at my day job, sitting in the waiting room of the dentist. I try to write three pages total each week day and 20 pages total each weekend.

6. What was your path to publication?
I wanted to get with one of the big New York publishing houses and become an instant best seller. After the wake up call of form rejections for all those places, I began to look around for smaller venues. After a lot of research, I found Wings ePress and liked what I saw. Not only do they publish e-books, they also published paperback from day one. Some of the other e-publishers choose to do the e-book first and if that's successful, then they will publish that book as a paperback. I wanted both coming out of the gate and Wings gave that to me. They are truly a wonder and hard working group over there.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
I have a page in the beginning of my book that offers readers in book clubs the opportunity to set up a Question & Answer session with me once they've read the book.

8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer?
How extremely difficult it is to get published. Of course I knew it wouldn't be easy or everyone would be doing it, right? But until I got into it, I didn't realize just how tight the market is and how few slots are available each year in the publishing houses.

9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity?
I'm pretty much a dreamer at heart. I like to go away inside myself and just think about whatever comes to mind. A lot of the time, the next section of my book will come to me this way.

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
The moment I saw my book available on the Wings site. Before that it was the day I signed the contract, but seeing it out there for anyone to buy -- that was the moment of a lifetime.

11. What's the best advice you were given about writing?
Write the absolute best book you can. After that persistence, persistence, persistence

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
Mmmm. Haven't had one yet...and hope I never do.

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
Being with a small publisher that doesn't have distribution through the major outlets, I've not been able to get my book into stores yet--and may not be able to. Even the smaller independent stores don't want to stock my books. That means I have to find other creative outlets for getting my books out in the world

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
Write the best books I can and hope to build an audience that loves them as much as I do.

15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun?
Would you believe I read? Some friends think that's strange.

16. Who do you like to read?
I have many, many favorites. Jodi Picoult, Mary Higgins Clark, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Connelly, Lincoln Child, Anne McCaffrey, Stephen R. Donaldson.

17. What's your advice for new writers?
Don't give up. You may not publish the first novel you write, or even the second or third. It may take many novels before you hit one that gets published. Don't give up. Trust me, it's worth all the blood, sweat and tears along the way.

18. What are you currently working on?
I'm just getting started imagining a new mystery series.

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Are you a published author? Take the 18Q today!

To read all the 18Q responses or take the 18Q visit EighteenQuestions.com

5. About The Fabulist Flash

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