Tuesday, January 19, 2010

What you need before you query



....................................................Fiction..........Memoir........Non-fiction
query letter ....................................yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes.............. yes

website* ........................................yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes..............yes

dedicated query/author email,,,,,,,yes............ ,,,yes.......... ....yes

word count.....................................yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes.............. no

finished project .............................yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes.............. no

proposal ........................................no, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,no ............ . yes

platform/established presence......no............,,,,,yes..............yes

blurbs ............................................no,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, no............. . no

Marketing strategy,,..................,.,,no............ ,,,yes........ ......yes

Answer to the question: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,no............ ,,,yes..............yes
"Why I wrote this book"

comparison books ........................no............,,,,yes,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yes
"how is this book different
from others in this category"


*what counts as a website? Blog=yes. Twitter=no. Facebook=no. Myspace=no. LinkedIn=no
A blog and website can be seen by anyone who wants to reach you.
Twitter/Facebook/myspace can only be seen by "members"
It's important there be NO barrier between your contact info and the person who wants to reach you
at

50 comments:

  1. JohnO1/19/10, 1:09 AM

    I like the drunken columns! Quick fiction follow-on question: You don't care whether we include a "would appeal to fans of Author A and Author B"?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jade L Blackwater1/19/10, 1:09 AM

    I'm curious - would you say that a fiction writer should have a marketing strategy, even if it's not necessarily required at the query stage?

    Perhaps better asked: would you be more or less interested in a fiction writer who has already surveyed the market and has a plan in mind for their book?

    Thanks for this list - very helpful and relevant!

    Jade

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous1/19/10, 1:19 AM

    I love it for it's honest simplicity.
    Thanks Janet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yamile1/19/10, 1:22 AM

    This is so timely. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Emma Michaels1/19/10, 1:28 AM

    Thanks for the information!

    Sincerely,
    Emma

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jessica L. Brooks (coffeelvnmom)1/19/10, 1:30 AM

    Awesome checklist! Thank you, thank you and THANK YOU!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rachel Cotterill1/19/10, 1:47 AM

    I'm short one query letter... I knew that, of course, but it's nice to know I'm not missing anything I didn't know about!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Eva1/19/10, 1:59 AM

    This was a very helpful post. Thank you for spelling it out for all of us that are just beginning the query process.

    ReplyDelete
  9. therese patrick, author1/19/10, 2:49 AM

    You are a jewel!

    ReplyDelete
  10. csmith1/19/10, 4:29 AM

    A TABLE!!!

    (I love tables. Tables are so easy to read).

    Merci beaucoup!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gary Corby1/19/10, 5:26 AM

    You forgot to say, a website and an author email address which works.

    ReplyDelete
  12. lora961/19/10, 7:13 AM

    Thanks.

    The marketing plan thing freaks me out anyway. Glad to know I don't have to have a spreadsheet full of potential public appearances, podcasts, etc. in order to query responsibly.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heather Kelly1/19/10, 7:32 AM

    No synopsis for fiction work?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Scott Bryan1/19/10, 7:38 AM

    THAT'S why I love this blog. Striaght advice.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Laura Stone1/19/10, 8:12 AM

    LOL, it doesn't get more simplistic than that! But I'm sure someone will still write in asking what they need to include in a query.

    It would be great if y'all could put a script into your web page that makes this pop up in order to leave a comment, like having to prove you're not a robot. It might cut down redundancy by 5%...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous1/19/10, 8:16 AM

    Great table...simple and useful.

    And thanks for posting Rev. Dr. King's Birmingham letter yesterday. You often hear a lot of talk ABOUT him, but not many people actually pay attention to his message. Good on ya!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous1/19/10, 9:21 AM

    This is great! Especially because you included memoir, the all-too-forgotten category when it comes to submission guidelines.

    So here's my follow-up:

    If you do NOT need a proposal for memoir, but you DO need a marketing section and comparison books, how do you present those without a proposal?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous1/19/10, 9:49 AM

    "would you be more or less interested in a fiction writer who has already surveyed the market and has a plan in mind for their book?"

    Same question. I understand that authors don't really have any role in the marketing/book cover/etc of their book, but are their exceptions? What's an example?

    Also,@HeatherKelly so, should we write a synopsis just in case one is requested, or just assume we will never get requested (muahahaha) and wait until we are?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous1/19/10, 9:57 AM

    This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Marisa Birns1/19/10, 9:58 AM

    Always good to have a table. It shows AND tells!

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Shelly 1/19/10, 10:21 AM

    Ugh.

    I am confused. I have been told I need a proposal (by some agents I have queried) for my memoir. A friend of mine sold her memoir based on a proposal and three sample chapters. Was this a major exception?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Cam1/19/10, 10:27 AM

    I'm surprised that you think a website is required at the query stage.
    What components would you like to see on the webpage? Query? Sample Chapters? Synopsis?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Janet Reid1/19/10, 10:30 AM

    Cam, there's a whole post dedicated to why you need a website before you query.

    It's here

    ReplyDelete
  24. Stephanie McGee1/19/10, 10:35 AM

    Bookmarking. Very helpful post. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Unknown1/19/10, 11:10 AM

    Does parody count as fiction? For instance, if I wrote a novel about surviving life without an iphone (obviously meant as humor; don't try it!) would that be fiction?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Stephanie1/19/10, 12:08 PM

    Great no frills advice!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. ryan field1/19/10, 12:45 PM

    "Cam, there's a whole post dedicated to why you need a website before you query."

    I remember reading that post. But I'm glad you added the link, because I was wondering about the website thing, too.

    I don't have an official writer's website and I may never have one. But I do have a daily updated blog, with contact info that's easy to find...thanks to your post about being reachable. It makes a difference.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Abby Stevens1/19/10, 2:01 PM

    Hi Janet,
    I've read the post you referenced above and I notice in it you say BLOG. So we don't need a www.authorsname.com then? A blog will do the trick?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Keith Popely1/19/10, 2:58 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dolly1/19/10, 3:07 PM

    I also had the question about website. Blog I can understand, but as an unpublished author, there isn't a great deal to put on the website. Off to read the post Janet referenced.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Krista Van Dolzer1/19/10, 6:35 PM

    Lost Wanderer, I think blog counts as website. You just need some internet presence so that, if Agent of Your Dreams needs contact information or wants to learn more about you, she (or he) has a place to go.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Jemi Fraser1/19/10, 7:26 PM

    Thank you! This list is awesome :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Lydia Smith1/19/10, 7:50 PM

    Once again an easy to follow, short and to the point post on a relevant question. I like reading the comments that follow almost as much. And I didn't know you had a post on websites. I will check that out.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jourdan Alexandra1/19/10, 9:06 PM

    Janet,

    Would you say you definitely need a synopsis before querying? I've heard that agents only really ask for a synopsis before sample pages if the author is already established and they want to see what the work is about. I'm personally having a hell of a time writing mine, but I don't want to voyage into the world of querying without one if it's an absolute necessity. Would you say it is?

    Thanks for your time if you had enough to answer this question!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Miranda Kenneally1/20/10, 9:22 AM

    This is cool. I think it should be on the cover of books like "Guide to Literary Agents." But I also think you need a category that says something like, "You know the difference between fiction and nonfiction, and you know better than to call your ms a nonfiction novel or a fictional novel."

    ReplyDelete
  36. Diana1/20/10, 1:36 PM

    I ask this in all seriousness: does an active twitter account with a decent following count as a web page?

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous1/20/10, 4:16 PM

    I'd agree that a Twitter account does -not- count as a website (it's too fleeting, and may not be very representative if you engage in a lot of topical conversations, friendly chatter etc.)

    However, as far as I know you -can- view a person's Twitter account without being a signed-in member (unlike Facebook. I detest people who just assume "everyone's on FB") unless the person has protected their updates of course. Just thought I'd point that out. =)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Rachelle Christensen1/20/10, 4:25 PM

    Great checklist. Thanks! I'd add that you need to put your name into Google's search engine and make sure that YOU come up on the first page of searches. Try to make it all 10.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous1/20/10, 5:04 PM

    You've done it again - thank you!

    Ricki Schultz
    www.rickischultz.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Michelle DeRusha1/20/10, 5:29 PM

    Wish I'd read this before I'd queried!

    But one question...and sorry I'm slow on this...what is a "dedicated query/author email?" An email address that just goes to me....or some sort of "special" email address?

    Thanks,
    Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  41. Betsy Ashton1/20/10, 5:47 PM

    I'm not sure I agree that a novelist shouldn't have a marketing plan. I've been teaching writers about marketing for the past year or so. When I mention what goes into a good marketing campaign, I get a "deer in the headlights" look. Stunned. Startled. "What I have to ask people to buy my book????"

    Trust me, "if we build it, they will come" worked for Field of Dreams, but not for anyone else. Besides FOD had a heck of a marketing plan/budget.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Deep River1/21/10, 8:36 PM

    @Graceful: A "dedicated query/author email?" means an e-mail address that you set up and control exclusively that is used for no other purpose than communicating about your literary work.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Unknown1/23/10, 1:23 PM

    Thanks for the great information. I just sent an email to my writer's group with a link to the post.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Karen Jordan1/26/10, 3:16 PM

    Very helpful info! Thanks a million.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Carol Silvis1/27/10, 9:55 AM

    Thanks for the checklist.

    ReplyDelete
  46. diane s2/10/10, 6:15 PM

    This is great, thank you! Can I ask a supplementary stupid question (SSQ) - what if the book I am working on is part memoir, part non-fiction (i.e incorporates factual stuff alongside my own story)? You're going to say write it first, aren't you? Would so love a contract first, especially as there are similar books out there... but will plough on!

    ReplyDelete
  47. Anonymous5/22/10, 9:57 PM

    Janet, this is great. Very concise, very helpful, very easily digested. thanks a bunch. I'm going to recommend this on my own blog.
    Cheers.
    Tristan
    www.dechalain1615.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  48. Summer Spring6/29/10, 6:53 PM

    Should you still have a website if you're writing under a psuedonym? For example, what if you have the same name as an already published author?

    I hear that sometimes psuedonyms change based on publisher's opinions, or they may even change at the agent level. I think it might throw some people off to read the blog of Jane Doe for a year only to have her say, "Just kidding. My name is now Francesca Murphy."

    And Jessica Faust says you should maintain your psuedonym on all your correspondance and so forth.

    So what to do?

    Also, if someone is writing under a psuedonym, do you want them to query you with that name, or with their given name?

    What about if the given name is the name of a published author?

    I know some agents google the names of authors, so wouldn't that trip a new author up?

    ReplyDelete
  49. Giggy7/8/10, 4:35 AM

    Hi Janet,

    I want to thank you so much for this blog! I only sent out one query so far and wish I would have found your blog before that. Ugh... I am sure I will end up with a rejection now, but at least I have learned!

    When you are talking about having a blog, I just started one through here and am wondering if you are looking for people dicussing writing, or can it be anything we feel passionate about?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Rhyanna7/30/10, 3:26 PM

    Thanks and Bless You Janet for posting this in its very EASY to read format. Now no one has an excuse not to know what your guidelines stipulate.
    Ahhhh...closed until Sept 1...enjoy your vacation...
    thanks.

    Rhyanna
    Doesn't school start about sep 26?

    ReplyDelete

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