tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post9034502195576480848..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: The one thing all successful writers have in commonJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-76139876608574773082016-10-08T11:08:34.938-04:002016-10-08T11:08:34.938-04:00Registration for Janet's Query Writing Worksho...Registration for Janet's Query Writing Workshop in Phoenix are open to the public. You are welcome to join us!<br /><br />To Register:<br />http://desertsleuths.com/events/janet-reid/Denisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13889684019679807443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-29448609980560586082016-09-11T08:02:02.272-04:002016-09-11T08:02:02.272-04:00I don't post often, but reading the comments o...I don't post often, but reading the comments on here always floods me with cheer and hope, and gratitude that I'm not alone in this journey.<br /><br /><b>BJ Muntain</b>:<br />"No, rejections are not failures. They are proof that you've had the courage to try. Celebrate each one with your favourite vice (chocolate is mine) and by sending out another query."<br /><br />I'd seriously need chocolate rehab by now. 8-l <br /><br />But your words are a much-needed reminder, or maybe, a revelation. I don't know about OP, but I personally struggle to feel celebratory during my rejections. I need to remember that each attempt isn't just "yet another rejection" to file away (although those form rejections on fulls -- GRRR) but proof of my progress/persistence, and yes, I should celebrate.<br /><br /><b>JulieWeathers</b>:<br />"Rejection is part of the journey. Dejection is a choice"<br /><br />Going on a Post-it! Maybe I'd stop choosing dejection if I was constantly aware it was my *choice*.Cheyennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17890805854685375778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25269076707723342942016-09-10T04:43:48.243-04:002016-09-10T04:43:48.243-04:00I recently read a book called How I Got Published:...I recently read a book called How I Got Published: Famous Authors Tell You in Their Own Words by Ray White. I love this book. The overriding message of the whole thing is persistence.<br /><br />Write on!CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28986915858016187782016-09-10T02:38:38.991-04:002016-09-10T02:38:38.991-04:00Joseph,
It's not the rejections. It's the...Joseph,<br /><br />It's not the rejections. It's the lack of acceptances.--<br /><br />Often, yes. JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-80523842852321597272016-09-09T23:11:41.852-04:002016-09-09T23:11:41.852-04:00I am aghast that anyone would use a phrase like “t...I am aghast that anyone would use a phrase like “the failure that I am” because a query letter does not work. When I was a kid I thought Dickens’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS was the abomination of desolation, mysteriously time traveled from ancient Jerusalem to my classroom. I actually had a Dickens dartboard I assailed with pyrotechnic darts. I could hit him right in the center of his face every time – if I walked up and stuck the dart in instead of throwing it.<br /><br />But I did not consider Dickens himself to be a failure. GREAT EXPECTATION is a book. Dickens is a Dead White European Male. He was also a genius, as I have come to appreciate with time. A Dead White European Male can be a genius, but he cannot be a book. A book can be a failure, but it cannot be a Dead White European Male. If GREAT EXPECTATIONS had been a failure, that would not have made Dickens personally a failure. It would just mean he needed to reach for the red pencil and think the thing out a bit better. I recall from one of my college classes that Plato was revising some of his works until the end of his life. That effort shows in the end result.<br /><br />One thing you could add is, think quality. Insist on quality. Get an opinion before trying again. There is no logic in sending a bad query to 10,000 agents and getting your name on everybody’s blacklist in indelible ink. If the query does not work, don’t keep sending it out. FIX IT. If the book idea sucks eggs on a good day, don’t keep shopping it around. DUMP IT. The last thing you want is a flashing neon sign hanging in every publishing office in the known world with your name on it and the statement that you are a loser. I have seen those signs in agent offices. There is a company in the Village that makes them by special order. It is really embarrassing. Some of those things have been around since the 1920s, tattooing some erstwhile author’s name into everybody’s brain as if with a branding iron. As long as ConEd stays in business, that sign keeps flashing.<br /><br />Also, some people have really great ideas but the idea is not ready for submission yet, KEEP WORKING ON IT. You don’t want to sell a pile of dog doo and blush every time you see it exploding records on the smash runaway bestseller list for another month in a row or 60 MINUTES calls - again.<br />Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421775912951050610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-20146654700194983452016-09-09T22:26:33.459-04:002016-09-09T22:26:33.459-04:00My Queen, first I must apologize for missing your ...My Queen, first I must apologize for missing your homecoming parade.<br /><br />Second, Agents are not the enemy of writers. They need to find books that can be published. Because of that they do not reject most writers. They pass on things they do not feel they can not sell. The next agent queried might think they can sell it though.<br /><br />In a way it is like losing your keys. They are always in the last place you look. Therefore you can't always find the right agent the first time. Or on the first day. Sometimes it is the timing of your offer more than the quality of your offer. Things change daily. Tomorrow might be that day that things change for you.<br /><br />A few years ago I tossed some real shit out at a couple of agents. Not only were the queries shitty but I had the wrong agents too. Luckily one administrative assistant had pity on me and pointed me in the direction of QueryShark. Now I am close to the query I wish I had at that time.<br /><br />It others are intrigued by you query then you have it about right. There are only a few perfect queries in this world. Maybe yours is not one of those but as long as it is enticing it will get you where you wish to go. We are, of course, enlightened people in this community.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18341420321485204992016-09-09T22:18:03.253-04:002016-09-09T22:18:03.253-04:00Joseph:
I hope nobody's that charming.
"...Joseph:<br /><br />I hope nobody's that charming.<br /><br />"She could charm Colin Smith out of his British accent."<br /><br />John Davis Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020019400599228492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-82340974903429264592016-09-09T20:31:17.494-04:002016-09-09T20:31:17.494-04:00The one thing that separates successful people fro...The one thing that separates successful people from unsuccessful people (in any profession, but esp. in publishing) isn't talent. It's perseverance. Don't give up!Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02288010060936146108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-72302773736645193742016-09-09T19:50:07.990-04:002016-09-09T19:50:07.990-04:00BJ Muntain: I agree, his turnaround is lightning f...<b>BJ Muntain</b>: I agree, his turnaround is lightning fast! I don't know how he does it. I can also rely on Clarkesworld for that type of "palate cleanser", though I've only ever gotten forms from that particular market.Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-50055411519144346352016-09-09T18:30:37.173-04:002016-09-09T18:30:37.173-04:00Colin: Thank you! I love learning how to do somet...<b>Colin</b>: Thank you! I love learning how to do something new!Claire Bobrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15666082441972111293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87160198327117291372016-09-09T17:48:52.112-04:002016-09-09T17:48:52.112-04:00Here's Claire's link:
http://www.mercuryn...Here's <b>Claire</b>'s link:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/08/gordon-bierschs-new-san-jose-sharks-beer-is-called-chum/" rel="nofollow">http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/08/gordon-bierschs-new-san-jose-sharks-beer-is-called-chum/</a><br /><br /><b>Claire</b>: <a href="http://www.colindsmith.com/blog/2015/01/04/how-to-hyperlink/" rel="nofollow">Here's my article on how to hyperlink</a>.<br /><br /><b>Joseph</b>: Ha! My wife's been working on that for the past 25 years. ;)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-1356144721050965282016-09-09T17:38:26.128-04:002016-09-09T17:38:26.128-04:00I hate querying. I’m no good at it. So I’ll talk a...I hate querying. I’m no good at it. So I’ll talk about beauty contestants and basketball instead.<br /><br />My university hosts the Miss Alabama contest every summer. The contestants for a week ate in the CAF, the student cafeteria. When I was on campus, I’d eat there too. Before the new CAF configuration, diners stood in line to get to the food (cafeteria style).<br /><br />One day I heard a woman’s voice behind asking if anyone had seen the Chicago-Phoenix game the night before. I had. I turned. She was Miss Leeds (Charles Barkley’s hometown – he played for Phoenix; but she was a Michael Jordan fan – he played for Chicago.) I told her Chicago won and she was happy.<br /><br />We talked a good while (Luckily the food line was long and slow moving) as salivating football players stood back envying me.<br /><br />She won Miss Alabama that week and finished fourth in the Miss America pageant. She was pretty, but her standout quality was her personality. She could charm Colin Smith out of his British accent.<br />Joseph S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07437663031050410028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75931279227915857082016-09-09T17:16:29.203-04:002016-09-09T17:16:29.203-04:00It's not the rejections. It's the lack of ...It's not the rejections. It's the lack of acceptances.Joseph S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07437663031050410028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55200771603129923102016-09-09T15:52:24.475-04:002016-09-09T15:52:24.475-04:00I'm with John Davis Frain - I have nothing of ...I'm with <b>John Davis Frain</b> - I have nothing of value to add because you guys have already said it all, quite eloquently. <br /><br />So, I'll just go off topic and mention that the QOTKU has a new beverage she can slurp if beer is an approved beverage at the reef snack shack: http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/08/gordon-bierschs-new-san-jose-sharks-beer-is-called-chum/<br /><br />And <b>Colin</b>, help! I haven't learned how to make a link "live" yet.Claire Bobrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15666082441972111293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-69155978834221555212016-09-09T15:49:22.676-04:002016-09-09T15:49:22.676-04:00Yes, ten queries is too soon for dejection. Yet th...Yes, ten queries is too soon for dejection. Yet that's so easy to say in the full light of day. We all know how those rejection ghosts haunt us at night. So, go ahead and feel bad about the rejections, but keep going ahead. Hard work, persistence, and a bit of luck will pay off.Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18165072684559960801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55895705371972162732016-09-09T15:44:21.632-04:002016-09-09T15:44:21.632-04:00This post - and the comment trail with it - is ins...This post - and the comment trail with it - is inspirational. Thank you, Janet and everyone, for your willingness to share and encourage. I'm with John Davis Frain here - this community is AMAZINGLY! <br />Jenny C, THANK YOU for sharing your enlightening querying journey.<br />And ElissaM, hang in there. Yes, you ARE still a writer. Thinking of you...Kae Ridwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10356868531870405990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-73740938994425983482016-09-09T15:00:30.506-04:002016-09-09T15:00:30.506-04:00Rejection is part of the journey. Dejection is a c...Rejection is part of the journey. Dejection is a choice. Advice I have to give myself at times.JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-76313217965335952002016-09-09T14:49:29.202-04:002016-09-09T14:49:29.202-04:00OP, 10 queries is, like others have said, a drop i...OP, 10 queries is, like others have said, a drop in the ocean. The other day I was going to a course for work and realized I'd left my notebook in the office. I grabbed one from home, only to discover when I got to the course I'd grabbed the notebook I used to log my queries in. It was something of a shock to discover I queried 5 books over 100 times each before I got my agent.<br /><br />And the agent I ended up signing with had rejected me 3 times before I hit her with the right book.<br /><br />Don't give up. Rejection is part of the game. And it's a long game, not a 100 meter sprint.Kate Larkindalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06202347563426692610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-47532169710394867992016-09-09T14:40:36.155-04:002016-09-09T14:40:36.155-04:00Here are two more ways to look at query rejections...Here are two more ways to look at query rejections.<br /><br />So you aren't that agent's first choice. That's OK! I'm not most people's first choice. I wasn't even Sharon's. (OK, at the time I was, but not before that.) But she chose me and we've been happily married for almost 39 years (a good start). Looking back, I am SO GLAD that I didn't end up married to the ones who rejected me, but ended up with Sharon. The flip side? She wasn't my first choice before I got to know her, either. Then she became that, and still is.<br /><br />Turn it around. Are all the agents failures who didn't make your Top Ten? Of course not. If one of the ten picks you, great. If not, move on to the next group.<br /><br />I spent a solid forty hours building my initial query list. I had 30 or 40 agents ranked, to be queried in order. Why? Because I wanted to waste as little time and effort as possible- theirs and mine. How? By reading enough of their agency and agent info to make as informed a decision as possible. But that was no guarantee. It was still a crap shoot. Should I feel like a failure because I picked the wrong agent to query about that book with that letter? Heck to the no. I WAS QUERYING. That's a win.<br /><br />I admit that I did not try to query my short stories for years out of fear of rejection. But after I finally got free of that, nothing would hold me back. Don't let it hold you back. Treat the letter as any piece of writing: do your best with it; get other eyeballs on it; research; rewrite and edit. Customize it as necessary. And keep working on your book, or the next story.<br /><br />To the best of my knowledge, every one of my favorite writers got rejection letters. And yet, today I own their books. Don't give up. There are readers waiting for you, whether they know it or not.roadkills-r-ushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14029861300358380117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51813438670184217902016-09-09T14:38:31.657-04:002016-09-09T14:38:31.657-04:00Love this post!
About the WD webinar, I've p...Love this post! <br /><br />About the WD webinar, I've participated in two of them, a query webinar and one about first pages (ten, I think it was), both by literary agents. Both came with a critique. The query webinar wasn't that useful, I thought, because it felt very much like a personal opinion rather than generally useful information. I saved it all somewhere on my computer so I should really have another look at it to see what the agent said. <br /><br />The first ten pages webinar on the other hand was AMAZING. It was given by a whole agency and every participant was assigned an agent to work with beforehand, depending on your genre. The critique I got was incredibly helpful, and we could then revise and resend, which I did, and she then said she would definitely want to read on after the changes I made. Which made my day of course. I didn't actually query her, though, because my novel was 145,000 words and she made it very clear she wouldn't read anything above 100,000. (I asked her during the webinar) Also, if she'd really wanted to read the full, she probably would have said so.<br /><br />Long story short... if you want to do anything like a WD webinar, really check out the agent as much as possible, to see if they'd be a good match. I think it's better to get a critique from an agent who would potentially be interested in your work and who you'd like to work with. Basically research them as if you're going to query them. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00328411110801244620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87352614170064483032016-09-09T14:35:49.633-04:002016-09-09T14:35:49.633-04:00I once got a role because I reminded the director ...I once got a role because I reminded the director of his ex-wife. He was still in love with her. <br /><br />I once lost a role because I reminded the director of his ex-wife. He did have the grace to tell me I was the best, so I didn't take it terribly personally.<br /><br />You just never know.<br /><br />Back when I used to write (I've only recently taken it back up again) I did well with short stories and opinion columns. For my novels and screenplays I got very nice rejection letters with phone numbers and invitations to send them something else. Did I do that? No. I thought it meant I sucked and I quit writing (by that I mean I quit sending stuff out. I've always written, I always will write, I just quit letting people see it until I discovered Janet's writing contests.) Pretty darned sneaky way to flush me out of hiding.CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9730672161506216832016-09-09T14:34:02.657-04:002016-09-09T14:34:02.657-04:00Elissa — you've got that right. Perseverence c...<b>Elissa</b> — you've got that right. Perseverence comes in many forms. Wishing you all the best with yours. Holler if you need encouragement, okay? We've got you.Brigidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13768090206152536761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-52698577441248658452016-09-09T13:01:25.733-04:002016-09-09T13:01:25.733-04:00Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry. One...Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry. One of my favorites and a perfect illustration of persistence. <br /><br /><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Justin-Morgan-Wesley-Illustrator-Marguerite/dp/B0026CU3ZC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473440289&sr=8-3&keywords=justin+morgan+had+a+horse" rel="nofollow">Justin Morgan Had a Horse</a><br /><br />Just tossing that out there...nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-33481194603373201222016-09-09T12:58:10.026-04:002016-09-09T12:58:10.026-04:00No, rejections are not failures. They are proof th...No, rejections are not failures. They are proof that you've had the courage to try. Celebrate each one with your favourite vice (chocolate is mine) and by sending out another query.<br /><br />Joy: Yay for not giving up!<br /><br />Jennifer: What I love about submitting to F&SF (as well as Mr. Finlay's lovely rejections) is that he's so QUICK about it. That means I can then send the thing off elsewhere right away. Then lick my wounds for months before hearing from them.BJ Muntainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12977414826388000094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-3735198898842764292016-09-09T12:53:12.952-04:002016-09-09T12:53:12.952-04:00I certainly am not the poster child for persistenc...I certainly am not the poster child for persistence given my cranky mood lately, but I would encourage the OP to keep trying. As Janet said, ten is nothing. <br /><br />I have around 100 rejections on Far Rider and a fairly detailed suggestion on how to revise it, which I will do at some point. I also have several agents who said remember me for your next book. I will.<br /><br />Every now and then someone will pop up on Books and Writers all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed about their query. They're almost finished with their book. Would someone give them the best list of agents or help them with their query?<br /><br />The war horses kindly suggest BEBT finish their masterpiece, let it sit for a while, then devote some time to edits and revisions. Hahaha Oh, yeah, sure. <br /><br />"I finished my book last week and did edits and revisions yesterday like you suggested. Now, where's that list of super agents?"<br /><br />Or, "Oh, I'll have plenty of time. I think I'll start querying now. I'm a careful writer so it won't need much edit."<br /><br />Shortly thereafter. "I got three rejections. I should just quit."<br /><br />During the Civil War, raids on supply trains were common. In one such raid, the Confederates captured a trainload of Union horses. Stonewall Jackson bought two of them from the CSA for himself. Well, one for himself and one for his wife Anna. He named the little sorrel gelding Fancy and the big, stout sorrel stallion Big Sorrel. Unfortunately, Big Sorrel was afraid of loud noises and was very flighty. He wasn't the ideal horse for battle or a man who wasn't a great horseman to begin with. In the meantime, he had a chance to ride Fancy who was a little Morgan horse. Fancy rode like a rocking horse and was totally bomb proof. Nothing bothered him. <br /><br />Jackson renamed him Little Sorrel, he had a way with names, and kept him for his personal war horse. He'd go forty miles a day, which is about twice what an average horse does. Jackson often slept on the horse, while Little Sorrel just kept plodding along. When they'd stop, Little Sorrel would lie down, curl up like a dog and sleep. Little Sorrel saw more engagements than almost any other horse.<br /><br />Writing is war and most of the war is spent getting from one place to another. It's doing the unglamorous things like writing every day, and picking out the extra adjectives, and writing query letters very few people enjoy writing, and waiting for responses to query letters. Sometimes it's better to be the plain little war horse who just keeps plodding along, than the fiery stallion rearing to go.<br /><br />OP, just keep going. <br /><br />And, while we worry and complain about the process, <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/71422-why-camus-s-the-stranger-almost-wasn-t-published.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=d3f38ee2a9-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-d3f38ee2a9-305718497" rel="nofollow">we should thank our lucky stars we are not Albert Camus.</a> <br /><br />JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.com