Thursday, January 20, 2022

Recognizing when you ARE the exception



Dear Shark,
I am an author who has been querying my second novel for two years now. I have one published novel (originally self-published in 2014 but then miraculously republished by a press in Montreal) which has not sold much, alas, but has received great reviews and even an endorsement from Margaret Atwood.

My question is: Do I not even mention this in my query? Is this book, which I am proud of even if it didn`t sell much, hurting me? Some agents seem to indicate that past failures (in a sales sense if not an artistic sense) hurt you if you mention them, and you may be better off with a pseudonym or otherwise divorcing yourself from them.

Any advice you might have would be greatly appreciated.


Dear Chum,

What you don't realize is that a quote from Margaret Atwood trumps all.

And I don't think you realize that a publisher taking on a previously self-published book is quite rare. More rare than a Margaret Atwood blurb.

What you've got here is something a savvy agent is going to recognize as an opportunity.

Yes, you mention this. Almost exactly the way you did here:

I have one published novel (originally self-published in 2014 but then miraculously republished by a press in Montreal) which has not sold much, alas, but has received great reviews and even an endorsement from Margaret Atwood.



Any questions?






8 comments:

  1. *scribbles note* Become friends with Margaret Atwood

    *pause*

    *scratches out other note, scribbles again* Write a book that will catch Margaret Atwood's attention

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  2. What about a small press novel published in 2003 and reprinted twice? No endorsement from Margaret Atwood though.

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  3. Those are two big things to highlight, OP! Congratulations and best of luck with the query process.

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  4. A couple of years ago, when Wattpad was going gangbusters, almost anyone who got a million reads was offered a publishing contract.

    I can only think of one that did well, The Martian. Now getting a publishing contract from a self-pubbed book is a unicorn.

    Since I don't write stuff that dear Margaret would read, I can't use that as a bookmark. Guess I have to keep plugging at it the normal, even though I know that I too am a Unicorn. Mommy told me.

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  5. Embrace that praise from Margaret Atwood. Shout it from the roof tops or in a query (in a humble way). I once got a little literary love from Pat Conroy, which I cherish, and still can't believe.

    Onward, OP!

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  6. Congrats, OP. Sounds like you're in the best place you can possibly be with a self-pubbed book behind you. Good luck moving forwards.

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  7. Wow, OP, that is awesome, a quote from Margaret Atwood! 👏👏🎈

    I also self-published my first novel, and I got a blurb from The National Editor of The Atlantic, Scott Stossel, who is the author of My Age of Anxiety.

    But I guess that Scott isn't quite Margaret, is he? 🤔

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  8. Congratulations on being the odd one out. I am a huge fan of Margaret Atwood. I would love to read your novel.

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