Yesterday's blog post about querying a second project brought this comment from Steve Forti.
Always looking to find the exceptions to the rule so we can know when to break them. That's us. So my question is in response to your comment at the end. When querying for a second book to an agent that rejected your first book - let's say that agent had requested the full first book, would you now, two years later, mention that when querying for the new book? Would you open with that ("hey buddy, you liked me some but not enough last time, remember that?") or at the end? Would that be more or less likely to get you a chance for a request?
Like all things in publishing, it depends.
If your previous novel got the dreaded no response means no, I suggest NOT mentioning that. It doesn't add value to your new query.
If it got a polite form rejection (do you know how to recognize those?) I suggest NOT mentioning that in the new query either. Again, it doesn't add value.
BUT, if you got a personalized "sorry, not this one" kind of reply, particularly if the agent read a partial or full, then yes, do mention it.
That would look like this: I'm querying you because you read and liked an earlier novel of mine "Forti is Famous".
No need to mention the agent passed. Most agents have a pretty clear idea of who their clients are.
(Maybe not before the first cup of coffee, but usually by 10am.)
7 comments:
Thanks for the response, Janet. Kinda wishing I typed more coherently and less stream of consciousness if I knew I'd be quoted verbatim :-P
My great joy is tormenting you.
:)))
This is really good to know. I figured it was never worth mentioning. So I don't.
Most people think writers sit down type for a few days and presto, they have a book. Little do they realise the trip wires, trap doors, dead ends and detours we actually have to navigate!
It's 10am ... do you know where your clients are? (I have that PSA from yesteryear ringing in my head now, thank you very much.)
an update on the year-old full I was grousing about...I got my polite form rejection yesterday, on its birthday! I didn't cancel the cake because, cake, and now I'm taking a pause to decide my next steps. I do think that I am done with querying for now, maybe for good, who's to say? (my submission in Gollancz slush might like a word, but on the other hand, maybe it won't)
Thank you, Janet, for your words of wisdom and your patience with us, as we all try to find our way!
(to be clear, this does not mean I'm giving up on writing or even publishing, but I do think it's gauche for me to advertise in this space...)
Jennifer - maybe that's a real thing? Last year, I also got a polite rejection exactly on the one year birthday of the full request. It was the final nail in the already buried coffin of that novel. A way to blow out the candle that had already burned through its wick. So pour one more shot in its memory, file it away to hopefully rise again some other day, and breathe all your life into the next one. Good luck!
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