Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Really? Really??

Incoming query this morning listed three projects. With the statement the author would like a reply for each one individually.

Really?

No.

In case you need it spelled out:

1. You query
2. I read
3. I click either form reply NO or form reply YES.
4. I click  "send"


If you query for n+1 projects you get either NO or what we like to call the Mayan reply. (And no it doesn't have anything to do with the end of the world.) You do not get N+1 form reply NOs.

13 comments:

Stephsco said...

But I have a cookbook, a noir mystery thriller and a YA dystopian romance! All three will be a sensation!

Stephen Kozeniewski said...

I'll do you one better. I did all three in one. I call it "The Maltese No-More-Hunger Games."

Elspeth Futcher said...

Do you call it the Mayan reply because it's some sort of pyramid? It's an ancient form letter? It makes you eat chocolate? Please elucidate.

Josin L. McQuein said...

It's the Mayan reply because when you do that, you get dragged out onto the top of the highest peak, in front of everyone in the known world, and the high priest takes a really shiny dagger and....

*edited for graphic content*

.... makes sure you never do it again.

Keisha Martin Romance Writer said...

When I read this I said to myself no way someone would actually say this in their query, I have learned many lessons last year when I was still learning but some things is just basic common sense. Happy New Year Janet=0) BTW I now want ALOT but I would not dare use ALOT in a sentence unless its I wanna ALOT of request the image makes me shudder or Alot of agents even creepier lol.

Deblit said...

Apropos of nothing, what happened to the results of the Poetry Contest??

Anonymous said...

And I was planning on querying you about a dozen story ideas I'd start developing once you offer representation. :-P

Kristin Laughtin said...

So they wanted individual replies to (I'm assuming) a single email listing three projects? Huh?

Maybe the author is trying to track responses for each project separately and sort email accordingly or something. Still, it would probably be easier in the first place to send three separate queries, thus guaranteeing separate responses. Or, you know, to not query for so many projects at once.

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

I now have a desperate burning desire to know what the Mayan reply is. I'm really hoping it has nothing to do with getting a heart cut out.

Polenth said...

I could see some merit in multiple form replies. One reply for "not interested" up to five replies for "what were you thinking!?"

It's like star ratings in reverse.

Anonymous said...

"I click either form reply 'No' or form reply 'Yes.'"

Hummm. Maybe I'll hang onto that "Do you like me?" idea in the query. It seems I'm getting closer to an agent's requirements, or at least synchronizing with her methods. :))

Terri Lynn Coop said...

"The Maltese No-More-Hunger Games."

I so want to read this . . .

Rashad Pharaon said...

A writer should not be allowed to submit queries without having obtained a Certificate of Commonsense. Said certificate is a 120 hour course, repeating the same hour one hundred and twenty times, to ensure understanding of the basic principles of querying.

Torturous as it may seem to the writer with commonsense, it would prove very useful in weeding out the above-mentioned query.

Happy New Year to all.