Total queries: 15! Lowest turnout yet.
First draft writing: 3
A good query gets me reading pages and often as not, the novel simply isn't ready to query. Over writing, starting at the wrong place, no world building, too much dialogue, lots of things can make me stop reading those pages and say no.
One of the best ways to train your eye to recognize this is read good books and copy the first couple paragraphs in your writer's journal. The act of actually writing the words you're reading helps you see them. It trains your eye and ear for cadence and balance. And if you read 100 books, you can start synthesizing some of the tricks that all authors use to get you into the story.
Novel was too short: 1
I look for novels between 80-100K. I don't auto-reject anything for the adult trade market until it's below 60K.
Middle-grade (referred to Brooks Sherman): 1
I don't do middle grade books but Brooks Sherman does and he's actively looking for projects.
Referred on: 2
I don't have as much room on my list as some of my colleagues so if I think something sounds good, but not quite what I'm hungering for, I'll pass you along to one of them.
Can't sell it: 1
There's a blog post about this here
Not actively looking for this
--small scale, amateur sleuth, regional mystery: 1
--YA fantasy: 1
---Urban fantasy: 1
---Zombie novels: 1
--too introspective or abstract: 3
Next chum bucket is Saturday 9/15!
3 comments:
Dear Janet:
Under your heading 'first draft writing' you list 'too much dialogue' as a reason for rejection. That one left me scratching my head because now it is the second time I have read/seen/heard that from an agent.
Seems self-explanatory, but not to this brain. Can you elaborate?
I wondered about the dialogue too. How much is too much.
I wish I had a polished work to query. No sense in burning my chances.
Oh man, I've been eating up everything I could find at Query Shark, and just made time to come over here.
I am in love with the chum bucket idea. I keep thinking I'm done revising my novel, and then have a relapse. If I'm ready to show my darling to the world by 10/20, count me in!
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