Chum Bucket tonight.
7pm
Remember: do not link to this post from elsewhere (your blog or Facebook page), or post/tweet about it.
Chum Bucket works because everyone who participates has invested some time in learning how it works. I LOVE doing Chum Bucket so I really want to keep it to those people who buy in to the premise.
The premise is that if you query me between 7pm and 8pm tonight, I will reply to you personally, not with a form letter.
The response can range from "this isn't for me" to "send full" but you'll know I'm sitting there typing it out when I get your query.
Of course, I often do reply with more than "not for me" because I think it's helpful to say why it's not for me. Sometimes it's because I'm not much on eyeball removal (eww!) and sometimes it's cause you
think a 240,000 memoir is publishable.
If I think I can help you, I'll try to do so.
Chum Bucket is NOT a critique.
And your part of the bargain is you will not email me back telling me I'm a cretin of the first order for failing to appreciate your masterpiece. (While that may be true, we will observe the social niceties of not stating the obvious.)
The reason I ask you to NOT tweet or link is that people who aren't regular blog readers, or twitter followers, who only see the announcement, may not know about the social contract not to reply with venom. I really want to keep doing Chum Bucket so the longer we can keep it to invested readers, the more likely it is to continue.
Questions?
The comment column awaits.
And in case you're interested, here's the run down from last week's Chum Bucket:
Total queries: 19
| 1. Not for me/some comments on why: | 5 |
| 2. Suggestions to improve red hot mess queries: | 5 |
| 3. Request full: | 3 |
| 4. Not for me/suggest other agents: | 2 |
| 5. Misc. | 2 |
| 6. Not for me/some comments on correct category: | 1 |
| 7. Writing needs a lot of work | 1 |
Oh, how I wish I was ready to query. What an amazing opportunity.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, there will be other chances for a chomping.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteA philanthropic shark...yeah I'd let my query guard down.
(You do Sci-fi Hank...you're not a threat.)
Back to the shallow end dammit.
“Fucking hell,” muttered General Hermit Crab."
(a nod to Amy Schaefer's great F.F.C. entry)
Wow. Three fulls out of 19 ain't shabby. At all.
ReplyDeleteYou're so generous with your time, I'm beginning to believe you do have a Tardis. Or two heads and four hands. Maybe you took time management courses.
I'm actually dog tired. Had an unexpected visitor this morning around 3:45 a.m. and have been up since. A squirrel who got in the house, dropped a pecan on the hardwoods, it rolled into the bedroom and woke us all up. Little Dog was going nuts. Little squirrel ran in circles, then took the time to gather his pecan b4 exiting to some unknown part of the house.
This is my NOT a happy camper face. :>(
Hey Janet, I was going to query you, but I read that you didn't represent fantasy (totally fine!). However, a quick question: The novel is self-published. Now I know that it's typically a no because I cannot give first publishing rights, but the James River's Writers Conferences (2013-2014) educated us on the changing perspectives of agents regarding previously published work.
ReplyDeleteWould it be OK to query an agent (who didn't specifically say "no self-published work")? If so, at what point should I mention that it's self published?
I only ask this now because I'm reading The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by David Henry Sterry and the wonderful Arielle Eckstut. After I read it, I plan to have a one-on-one with this fabulous woman (Shark fans, you need to buy this book- it augments everything Ms. Shark says)
Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, and: WAIT.
ReplyDeleteThere actually is an agent in the universe who would say "not for me but try so-and-so" ... ?
I have heard of this. Certainly, I think ALL of us fantasize about this. I just thought it was a fevered dream.
It is possible that a drink may be calling out to me now. Just to settle me down for reality.
Dammit, french sojourn, don´t make me feel good about my writing or I´ll lose my head completely and try the chum bucket even though I know perfectly well Janet doesn´t want sci fi/fantasy. Help me with my impulse control, here!
ReplyDeletedonnaeverhart, I´m glad your squirrel was polite enough to take his pecan with him. Maybe he can help me teach my six-year-old that letting a massive belch escape mid-sentence isn´t acceptable behaviour, even at home. (And even if it is hilarious.)
Today I had a very bizarre coincidence occur involving Jamie Ford's Songs of Willow Frost that I have just started reading.
ReplyDeleteAs I know sharks are incredible multi taskers (swimming while sleeping for example) I include a link here to a short blog post - enjoy or chomp, as you will.
https://alreadynotpublished.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/freaky-weird-cimarron-coincidence/
I do hope this is not a repost of my previous comment - the comment bot decided I didn't own my own blog, I think it internet ethered it. I hope so or I am ripe for the chomping!
Ah, Hank, you always make me smile. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDonna, that story reminds me of the Ray Stevens song about the time the squirrel got loose in the church. The song was probably more amusing than your experience.
James, I would be straight up front if you're querying something that's been self-published. The times they may be a changing, but I still see a lot of agents gnashing their teeth about a querier not telling them something has been self-pubbed or claiming they're published when they're self-pubbed. That being said, I'm not Miss Shark. I may be completely off base.
Julie
Why, oh why don't you rep urban fantasy.
ReplyDeleteParticularly when you rep Jeff Somers and Patrick Lee... sigh. Alas for me.
Jeff and Patrick don't write urban fantasy. (really!)
ReplyDeleteYikes, no. They definitely don't write urban fantasy.
ReplyDelete