tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post4478220139374799435..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Let’s pretend my query isn’t the problemJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-35784229960964429682020-02-07T22:38:41.462-05:002020-02-07T22:38:41.462-05:00Aphra Pell - 'Cuddling with tiny arms' Bwa...Aphra Pell - 'Cuddling with tiny arms' Bwahaha! Love it!MA Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11055543285024785889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60656926255755094172020-02-07T20:47:47.355-05:002020-02-07T20:47:47.355-05:00So, I tried that query generator thing (hat-tip to...So, I tried that query generator thing (hat-tip to Jennifer). This is what came out...<br /><br />Dear Your sharkly majesty Reid,<br /><br />Giant horn or hunky tank - a battle for Jurassic love...<br /><br />[Age]-year-old has an enormous trombone Patrick the Parasaurolophus just wants to be recognised as having the biggest trombone in the world., but when Priscilla the pachycephalosaurus arrives, Pat toots his horn loudly. Now, Pat wants to show Priscilla his trombone.<br /><br />As Pat Travels across the grasslands, tooting, They discovers that Andy the ankylosaur is showing off his chonky armour. Pat is put to the test when Priscilla butts her giant bony head on Andy's hunky scales, and when Andy challenges Pat to a fight, They has to find a way to triumph with only a huge but fragile trombone or be pounded to a pulp by the dino-tank and never know Priscilla's bone-headed love.<br /><br />Complete at 513000 words, TOOT MY TROMBONE is a Adult Dino-porn set in The verdant plains and forests of the Jurassic world. It will appeal to readers of Jurassic Park and Romeo and Juliet. TOOT MY TROMBONE has potential for a sequel following Pat's story as They continues to meet Stella the stegosaurus. But can an enormous trombone overcome her prickly plates!.<br /><br />I am submitting TOOT MY TROMBONE to you because you are famous for representing many dino-porn writers including Jeff Somers, and I undrstand you will fulfil my dream of a one-way ticket to Carkoon .<br /><br />A qualified palaeontologist, I published my 400 page narrative poem fiction novel "Cuddling with tiny arms - a T-rex romantic tragedy" last year. [Personal Detail 1].<br /><br />Thank you for your consideration.<br /><br />Yours sincerely,<br /><br />Gigantica Horn<br /><br />Aphra Pellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13135216024164707901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25568410438921237612020-02-07T18:54:34.615-05:002020-02-07T18:54:34.615-05:00I was recently told by an agent in Australia that ...I was recently told by an agent in Australia that they don't take on fantasy by unpublished writers. Hmmm. That's the only genre I write in and can only ever imagine writing in, so I don't know where that leaves me. <br />I guess if it's our genre that's on the nose, the only thing we can do is just keep at it until our writing has so much Kapow! that it can't be ignored. MA Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11055543285024785889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60697607500862423672020-02-07T14:41:52.123-05:002020-02-07T14:41:52.123-05:00I am pretty sure that the best queries are writerl...I am pretty sure that the best queries are writerly don expositions of the story arc, with questions of how it ends, not questions of the query itself. I am only pretty sure because mine hasn't exactly gotten traction among Literary Agents. It has a good following on Query Tracker, though.<br /><br />The thing about multi POV is that every good book has that. All books have a Protagonist and Antagonist, so two POVS.<br /><br />Good books should also make you laugh in a few places and cry in a couple more.<br /><br />Hope y'all have great weekends. After cleaning up a few things here, big storm, I am going to do the same.<br /><br />That means that all of the tricky schnitzel has been seen by every agent and they have been let down by books that don't quite live up to the advertising.<br /><br />Get some other eyes on everything you write before thinking it is good. Even with that, it probably has a few shortcomings in it.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-91496173052225989932020-02-07T14:03:47.537-05:002020-02-07T14:03:47.537-05:00The thing about multiple POV is that it's real...The thing about multiple POV is that it's really, really hard to do it well. A lot of newbie authors struggle to establish a single distinctive voice, and you have to ensure that each POV not only has a voice, but that they sound different to each other. <br /><br />Most of the things us woodland creatures have decided are auto-passes fall under such a header: appealing techniques that are really easy to bungle. It's possible to do even the most maligned element really well. (The Hunger Games opens with Katniss waking up and it works beautifully.) It's more that if you take on such an element, you're choosing to play the game on hard mode.<br /><br />But the game is always winnable, even on Super Ultra Insane Hard Mode, if you've got the skills.<br /><br />(Also, maybe this is a genre thing? I'm not sure how you could do something like epic fantasy *without* multiple POV.Brittanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02661380649581961221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-23859215795525888482020-02-07T13:44:52.327-05:002020-02-07T13:44:52.327-05:00All (most?) of Jodi Picoult's books are multi ...All (most?) of Jodi Picoult's books are multi POV in the first person (with a font change and everything, so you're REALLY CLEAR) and she is exceedingly popular. <br /><br /><br />Of interest (mostly amusement) to my fellow Reiders, I found a Query Generator that is sure to solve all of our problems (no not really). But it's also not as hilariously bad as I expected it to be, so... <a href="https://www.querylettergenerator.com/generator" rel="nofollow">Query Generator</a> Because, for me, the query is CERTAINLY a problem. And the synopsis. And wow is my main character unlikable...Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-36441905020888690572020-02-07T12:25:48.393-05:002020-02-07T12:25:48.393-05:00I’ve just finished The Left Hand of Darkness, a cl...I’ve just finished The Left Hand of Darkness, a classic I had never got to. I’m very glad I did! Coincidentally, it includes two first person POVs… Each of these characters is from a different planet and so it’s not only their personalities and agendas that are different. It’s also their entire worldviews. <br /><br />What I mean is, the second POV therefore really works in the service of the story, both expanding the worldbuilding and giving the reader more plot clues. If your story NEEDS two POVs, then it seems that to change it would hurt rather than harm your book.<br /><br />Aphra Pell, you’re as amazing as that dinosaur.<br />JanRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06827142186097605430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-32624667970343269532020-02-07T11:40:26.993-05:002020-02-07T11:40:26.993-05:00Louise Penny's wonderful -- and best-selling -...Louise Penny's wonderful -- and best-selling -- Gamache series has POVs that switch from character to character from moment to moment, so go figure. There is probably no writing "rule" that can't be broken if it's done well.Laura Stegmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00485244556776415608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12465037406948135322020-02-07T10:11:20.459-05:002020-02-07T10:11:20.459-05:00OP, I'm reading a novel right now that has a d...OP, I'm reading a novel right now that has a dual POV in the first person. As Janet said, it's a lot more than that for an agent to pass. My MS has multiple POVs, I won't say how many, but I'm sure if I don't hear from agents, I'll begin to wonder if it's too many. We can't help but get on that hamster wheel, but at least you've jumped into the query pool. Good luck.<br /><br /><b>Aphra Pell</b>, who knew? The things we learn here at the reef.<br />LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-37782876971708203532020-02-07T08:20:44.720-05:002020-02-07T08:20:44.720-05:00Hang on, dinoporn is out? You mean I've wasted...Hang on, dinoporn is out? You mean I've wasted (i)years(/i) on my tale of Patrick the Parasaurolophus and his enormous trombone*?<br /><br />Darnation.<br /><br />More seriously, some of my favourite books have multiple pov, and they are all trad published so people in the industry loved them too. It's not something I'd worry about in the query trenches. Karen Maitland's Comapny of Liars and the Owl Killers have so many pov I can't even list them, but by the giant holy wombat, they work.<br /><br />*ok, parasaurolophus - aka the bestest dinosaur ever - has, ahem, an enormous horn... on their head, which made trombone noises. Genuinely. We can reconstruct the noise from the bone anatomy, which means you can go on youtube and listen to the noise made by an 80 million year old dinosaur.Aphra Pellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13135216024164707901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-44881479042566135242020-02-07T08:04:30.111-05:002020-02-07T08:04:30.111-05:00OP, get someone else to look at both query and pag...OP, get someone else to look at both query and pages. Do you have beta readers, a writer's group? If you can't get to a conference, there are plenty of ways to get objective eyes on your query and pages and give you some honest feedback. <br /><br />But you never know really. If it's something like an agent thinking they can't sell anything in your category/genre, not much to be done about that. Good luck and good job getting a book written and out into the query trenches. That is a big accomplishment.E.M. Goldsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18387494005655553037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10362057600273115252020-02-07T07:55:25.959-05:002020-02-07T07:55:25.959-05:00What Timothy said. Just write your story. Write it...What <b>Timothy</b> said. Just write your story. Write it as best you can. If it's not what the market wants right now, write another one. There are many variables in publishing, most of which you have no control over--market taste being one of them. The most important thing you can control is your writing. So do it well. And all the best to you! :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-2466607547717964462020-02-07T07:17:24.602-05:002020-02-07T07:17:24.602-05:00You can do anything if you do it well. Easy to say...You can do anything if you do it well. Easy to say, very difficult to do. Keep writing new stuff, and keep querying the stuff you do have. Growth is the most fun part of trying, and you only need one person to love your work (at this stage, anyway).Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.com