Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Question: Collaboration


If a author-to-be sends a query letter for a story they had a collaboration with, would the agent generally accept them still or wouldn't even bother? If so, how would the two writers send a query letter?



If you work with someone who will be considered a co-creator of the work you include both names on the query.

Example:

The first five pages of our novel Potato Vodka Queens Meet Sharkzilla are below.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

Barbara Poelle
Inge vonPeepenskeeven


People who are NOT considered co-creators are paid editors, crit partners, beta readers.  If you have any doubts, make sure you clarify with the person ahead of time.  I had one unfortunate friend discover that someone he thought was helping him was expecting co-writing credit after the fact.  It got sorted out eventually but it sure threw a spanner in the works that we didn't need.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have all three, paid editor, crit partner, and beta's. No one has mistaken their role in my "pursuit of happiness," and still, this is great advice - b/c you never know.

french sojourn said...

Of all the books out there you could have used....you chose "Potato Vodka Queens Meet Sharkzilla" biggest waste of $12 and a lost weekend ever!

NotaWarriorPrincess said...

Review of POTATO VODKA QUEENS MEET SHARKZILLA in the New York Times Review of Each Others' Books recently said "Poelle and VonPeepenSkeeven will take you places you've always hoped existed." Another one raved, "How did you get in here?!"

It is the Great Gatsby of our time, if only for the Dinosaur Erotica. (And no, no plans for Alot of DinoPorn....)

french sojourn said...

Seriously??? quoting the New York Times....how about a legitimate source.

Mince!

The Writer Librarian said...

I'd like to be friends with Inge. She sounds cool.

Loulymar said...

My favorite pie is my Life Lesson Pie.

I don't cook. However, I was seeing a guy that liked both pecan and chocolate pie. He invited me to Thanksgiving Dinner with his Mama. She was German and was pulling out all the stops. I asked what I could bring and he said, “pecan pie.” It’s one of my favorites as well. So I thought, "No problem."

I searched for the perfect pecan pie recipe and ended up combining several different recipes—one of which had a layer of chocolate between the crust and the pie filling.

The only thing I don’t like about pecan pie is it frequently has fewer pecans than I like—so I added extra pecans—a lot of extra pecans. I saved a handful of perfect pecan halves to make a design on the top.

I taste-tested as I mixed and liked the flavor and consistency.

When I removed it from of the oven—it smelled divine and had baked beautifully! I was pleased and puffed up with pride when the guy and his Mama gushed over how wonderful the pie looked and smelled.

That pie could have graced the cover of any food magazine...

...but it was solid as a rock.

That pie taught me the importance of knowing when to break rules for creativity...and when not to.