Today's bonus content!

Ok, so I'm REALLY behind on the contest results.
I hang my head in shame, it's true.

But, there will be a regular blog post today (yay!) and I promise the contest results tomorrow.
(no, really!)

Meantime, if you're so inclined: there's a new widget thing on the blog for you to sign up for my brand spanking new mailing list! Yes! You want to do this cause daily blog posts and Facebook posts are just not enough, right?

And you can also link to it here if you don't see it on the left side of the blog.

Well...the mailing list is actually going to be mostly about client books. Much less Janet, much more Fabulous.

Sign up!
(and let me know if there's anything weird, crazy or eyebrow raising when you do, ok? This is the first time I've tried this and if the past is any kind of roadmap, there are going to be some entertaining bumps coming up!)

Of course there are prizes for signing up! Random drawing of email names for actual books! (Domestic US addresses only are eligible for print books; international addresses can receive electronic books.)

Questions?
Complaints?
Spelling errors?

Let me know!

Query Question: so, you think publishing is a small world?

Bob and I have been sharing works forever. Bob hates my writing but loves my ideas. I guess one day Bob loved an idea so much Bob decided to write it better. I'm afraid to share my most recent work with Bob now. Bob really wants it.

Here in my little suburb everyone is friends and knows everyone. You can't have a critique partner that's not someone you sit with at church. For example, I sent my kids to a sleep away camp two hours away. I didn't tell a soul and fifteen people from my writing group and church told me how much fun the twins were having. Then they all sent pictures.

This isn't a writing problem. This is a people problem. I'm probably not the right person to ask about people problems because I've long believed the world would be better off if I was in charge and everyone had to do what I say. Not for nutthin' does my nameplate say Queen of the Known Universe

I often hear that writing is a solitary pursuit. It seems like you need more of the solitary and less of the pursuit. 

While it is true that everyone executes ideas in their own way and what Bob writes will be very different than what you write, even if you start with the same idea, it's just plain rude to ask a writer to see their work in progress. Of course, he's gotten in the habit of doing so because you've let him.

As to how you change this long standing practice of sharing, I do not know. My way would involve something that would probably get you shunned by the community, bless their hearts.

On the other hand, the readers of this blog often demonstrate they are very nice people. I'll bet they have some dandy ideas.

Readers?

FAQ help, please

I'm getting ready to end the query hiatus in January 2014.  In order to hit the ground running, I think it's time to freshen the FAQ's on my website.



Here's what it has now.

Please let me know if there's anything that should be added, deleted, or isn't clear.  You can answer in the comment column of this blog post or you can email me.


I'm not above lifting good ideas from other agents' websites either so if you see on that's really good, let me know.



----------------------------------
This page answers questions I hear most frequently from authors.



What are you looking for?

I'm particularly looking for narrative non-fiction; history; current events.

Other areas of particular interest in non-fiction are: justice and death penalty issues; African politics; contemporary art; contemporary music; and, how-to books.

I'm also actively looking for high-concept thrillers.
Just FYI, I do not consider books that deal with assassinating the US President as a major theme.





What have you sold?

Here are the most recent (forthcoming means the book has been sold but not published)
  (updating list of books here)  

+writers whose initial contact with me was by a query letter in the incoming mail.


Are you a member of AAR?
Yes.

I'm also a member of  Biographers International Organization; American Historical Association; American Library Association;  the NYC chapter of Mystery Writers of America; International Thriller Writers; and, the Women's National Book Association.


What does a literary agent do?
I represent authors in the sale of their work to publishers. 
That's a little like saying "a real estate agent sells houses".  It's accurate, but it doesn't give a good picture of what really goes
on here and the value an agent can provide to you.

What value does an agent provide?
I keep up to date on all aspects of publishing, and the people in it so I can place an author's work with the right publisher,
and then coach them through the post-publication process. I handle the business side of things so you can focus on your work.

Post publication process? I thought agents just sold manuscripts.
It's not enough to write a good book these days, you have to be part of the marketing and promotional effort as well. 
I work closely with my authors to make sure they are ready to hit the ground running when the book is published.

How do I get you to look at my work?
First, look at my list of categories.  Does your work fit into one of them reasonably well? If yes, follow the submission guidelines
and send me a query letter. Please, follow the guidelines.  It really helps me evaluate a project if I have all the information.
You're in a VERY competitive field.  Give yourself a fighting chance by following the guidelines! 
  
What are the guidelines?
Click the button at the top that says "Query Information"

What's a query letter?
A query letter is a sales pitch.
It should entice me to read on. It should make the reader eager to find out more.
It should also be businesslike.
There are several examples of query letters and suggested revisions at queryshark.blogspot.com

Can't I just email you my idea so you can tell me if I'm on the right track?
No.
   
I emailed you a query and didn't hear back.
There is a post called Query Letter Diagnostics on my blog that might help you figure out what went wrong.


Can I email asking if you got it?
No. I don't keep track of query letters. If I have it, I will respond.


I have just a quick question about how to do something correctly in my query?
If you have a SHORT question about procedure or a technical problem (for example what font to use- NOT what kind of projects I want to see) you can email me. Put QUERY QUESTION in the subject line. I'll answer if I can;
if I can't I'll reply and tell you that the question is beyond the scope of the QQ project.


Do you charge reading fees?
No. Be careful of agents who offer to read stuff for money. 
Make sure they actually SELL work, not just "read it".

Do you take new/unpublished writers?
Yes.  And I sell their work too.


Do you consider simultaneous queries?
Yes. 

Can I send to more than one agent at a time?
Yes. Exclusives stink.

Can I send to more than one agent at FinePrint?
One at a time please. And of course, me first. If I pass on a project, it's quite all right to query other agents at FPLM.

I have a friend/child with a book... 
  ...stop right here.  Generally, I only want to hear from the author directly. If you are going to write the book, you send the query. 
If someone else is going to write the book, s/he needs to be the one to query.  Writing is hard work.
The actual author has to be committed first.  No one can do it for them, no matter how great the idea.


What happens when you get my query letter?
I respond  to queries very quickly. Usually the same day or within a day for email queries, a week to ten days for snail mail queries.

If I want to see a partial or a full, it usually takes at least 90 days to read and consider your work carefully.


You said no, and it’s a form letter that says “not right for me”. What does that mean?
 It means no.  There are a lot of reasons to say no. Don’t waste time or energy trying to parse out the hidden meanings.

I know you made a mistake saying no to this.  If I write again, telling you that, will you read it again?
No. There are more than 600 agents in New York City; double that figure in the US.  Query others before you re-query those who said no. Everyone is looking for different things. None of us is perfect, and none of us have a lock on what’s going to sell.


Why did you say no? I need help here!
These emails get deleted with no response. I don't offer critiques or feedback on queries.  Don't assume there is something wrong with your work either. I say no to many good projects that aren't right for me, or I simply don't have time to take on.  I do keep a blog about query letters and revisions at www.queryshark.blogspot.com

I'm also trying a new experiment called The Chum Bucket.  Read the FAQ for Chum Bucket too.




I have more questions
For general questions about the publishing industry pick up a copy of Writers Market.

I also answer questions sometimes on my blog: jetreidliterary.blogspot.com

For questions about whether your work is right for me, send a query letter.
         

Question: Reader input needed!

I know I have a story to tell, but I also know I don't know how to write a novel. Any recommendations for books on craft?

Well, I'm not a writer. I'm a shark.  But the readers of this blog are writers.  I bet they've got some good suggestions.

How about it, dear readers?  Which craft book has been most useful to you in learning your craft?

It's beautiful, but what is it?

Sometime back I posted a picture from the blog "Things Organized Neatly" and asked you to guess what the items were.

Here's another picture. Except they forgot to tell us what the items are!

Do you know? And if you figured it out (rather than already knowing) what did you do to find out?

Help me rename the New Wrinkle Query Experiment!

As regular blog readers know, I'm trying out a new approach to queries between 7-8pm on Saturday nights through August.

I've been calling it "new wrinkle" and frankly, that name STINKS!

Help me find something with a little more zest!


Post your suggestions in the comments column of this blog post.

VOTE for the finalists in the blog poll at the top of the blog


And no, "Janet Reid's Idiot Idea" is not going to win!

A new wrinkle in the query game

There I was bright and early on Sunday morning  July 1. I'd forgotten it was the day I reopened to queries. You guys had not.

Bing, bang, bong. 10 queries in 10 minutes.

Funny thing was though, I forgot to send a form reply.

Instead I answered each one.

And then I got this:

I know you get a lot of crap from writers for sending personal rejections, so I wanted to say THANK YOU. ... I know this rejection probably took you less than a minute to write, but it has really helped me out. Please continue to make little differences like this in the lives of authors- for every one author you get who snaps at you for it, there will be another ten of us who are truly grateful. I have other works in progress. Expect to hear from me in the future if I ever have something that's a fit for you!

well, you had me at thank you of course. It's always a pleasant surprise not to get yelled at for rejection.

And then it occurred to me that there were probably a lot more people like Miss Z here who were glad to hear more than "no" and weren't going to shriek bloody murder.

How to reach those folks?

Here's the idea: One night a week, probably Friday or Saturday night, between 9pm and 10pm (Eastern Shark Time) I'll reply individually to queries received during that time slot.

The queries get a reply NOT to be confused with feedback. There might be some feedback, but that's not the point of the experiment. The point is simply to reply individually, not via a form letter.

The queries need to be for realz. No querying western haiku just to try to get a reply.

I'd like to ask for no crazy replies, but I think we just need to let the chips fall where they may.

What do you think of this? Comment column replies welcomed.

Before everyone gets hot and bothered

There's a story circulating about a woman who complained when she came across this display in her local bookstore.

Much is going to be made of the fact she ghost-wrote Bristol Palin's memoir; that she's a Christian.

Well I didn't write Bristol Palin's anything, and while I'm a practicing Catholic, I'm not a fundamentalist.

And I agree with her.

She's not calling for the books not to be in the store. She's not asking anyone to boycott the store. She's certainly not asking for anyone to be arrested on obscenity charges.

Very reasonably I believe, she asked the store to simply move this display to a less front-and-center location.


Other branches of this chainstore have sexuality sections and they're close to self-help not the front of the store.

I'd be mortified to come into a store with a kid and have that display in our faces. I'm all for honest talk about sex with kids with kids about sex (argh!) but can we all just acknowledge this display is NOT designed for education or edification. It's using sex to sell books. And I'm all for selling books, but holy moly.  It's hard enough to not have kids drenched in sexual images these days. The last place we should have to worry about that is a bookstore.

Your opinion may vary.  Let me know. Vituperative invective will be deleted.

The titular head of my defenestration committee

Titles!
Hang on a second while I leap out the window to a fiery end on 7th Avenue please!

Ok, ok, you're right, I'd probably just bounce off all the pedestrians staring at the great round orb that has recently returned to the NYC skies.

Back to the reason for my window ledge excursion:

Titles!
Book titles!

I have several books almost ready to go out on submission and all of them need new titles.  I'm staring into space muttering things to myself such that the Sharkly Assist gives me her trademarked raised eyebrows and not-so-furtively reaches for the butterfly net:

Good titles aren't make or break items but a good title --the RIGHT title-- sure doesn't hurt. Thus my mutterings and grumblings.

I like to pick a phrase from the book, and when I read a novel I make a list of some of the words I think might work.

And then there are the times when the author has an idea and I have an idea and together we have:

And then there are the times we have a title and one of us decides it should be something else. #oops. It's not a good idea to change a title mid-submission so the new title has to be amazingly better than the old one. And even then I don't like to do it (it drives editors bonkers and makes it harder to track email conversations and submission records).  I want to come up with the right title BEFORE I go out on submission.

So, when you need a title, what do you do? I'm not above stealing your tricks of the trade for my own nefarious purposes.

Input needed

As we close in on Christmas, and the new year, it's easy for me to get caught up in clearing out all my queries and fulls. Hose out the place, ring in the new year with no backlog.*****

But, it dawned on me that y'all would be GETTING rejections at the holiday if I did that.  (I figure if it's good news you won't mind if I call on Christmas Day, right?)

Give me some guidance here.

Would you rather get the dreaded form rejection sooner even if it's the holiday season, or later?

Here's a survey to tab the results:

Quizzes by Quibblo.com | SnapApp Quiz Apps

**** oh chummy ones, how can you think that this might mean just blanket rejection? No no. Every query gets read. This is just about spending a bit MORE time to read everything and reply before the end of the year. I've been known to let things stack up for a week or two if I'm busy torturing my clients with revisions and such.

Is this real?

There's an interesting email exchange here on the Seattle Mystery Bookstore blog between an author who wanted to arrange a signing and the store owner.

The author is published by Amazon. The store owner said "no dice."

In reply the author said Amazon is actively promoting indie store events.  Quoting now "The results have been spectacular. Hundreds have been showing up at these events. It is a tremendous show of support for the independents."

This is in the past tense. As in this has happened.

My question is this: has it?


I'm very VERY interested to hear from bookstore owners, authors, or event attenders who have been part of any reading at all (not just crime fiction) held at an indie store that was promoted by Amazon.


I'm skeptical simply because I don't think the crime imprint at Amazon, Thomas and Mercer, has actually printed a book yet. Their website refers to the books as "coming soon."


But I don't want to start jumping up and down screaming "fowl" (yes that's intended as a joke; an oblique reference to Mr. Little and the velocity of the sky) without doing some research.


So, is this real?

So, whadda ya wondering?

Kathleen Ortiz, about whom much has been said here recently, is looking for input on a presentation she's preparing for a writing conference. Hop on over and help her out.

Ack! Help!!!

I'm attending Left Coast Crime in 2011 and attendees are asked to nominate novels for the LCC awards.  Of course, I can't remember the books I've read and loved this year, and like a true shinolaforbrains, I didn't keep a list. Plus the year isn't over!

Help!  In the comments column of this blog post please give me your suggestions for books that fit in these categories:



THE LEFTY:
Best humorous mystery novel

THE BRUCE ALEXANDER MEMORIAL HISTORICAL MYSTERY:
Best historical mystery novel, covering events before 1950


THE HILLERMAN SKY AWARD:
The mystery (short story to novel length) that best captures the landscape of the Southwest


THE WATSON:
Best sidekick in a mystery novel



To be eligible: works must have been published for the first time in the United States during calendar year 2010. If published in other countries before 2010, works are still eligible if they meet the US publication requirement.

Peering over the fence

I'm always interested in query tallies from other agents, so I read Jessica Faust's post here with interest.

I've noticed several respected colleagues are closing their queries in August: Jessica, Rachelle Gardner, Holly Root.

I've resisted doing that but these three are very serious, very successful agents, and I pay attention to what they do.

I'm interested to hear what you think. I guess the default reaction is no you don't like it, but if you could give me the next ten words or so about WHY, I'd be interested in hearing from you.

Your advice needed!

I'm going to several writing conferences in the next few months. In the course of these conferences, I'm meeting with writers who've sent pages ahead of time.

Some of the pages indicate the writer is a very very beginning writer.

Odd as it sounds, I don't have a lot of experience with writers at that stage. If they query me, it's usually a quick rejection.

And frankly, I don't want to terrify them by telling them all the things they did wrong.

What I want to do is tell them how to improve.

So, here's where you come in.

When you were starting out, what advice did you get that REALLY helped you? And I mean both helped you improve as a writer, and helped you deal with the sense of failure and frustration when you wanted to do something so bad you could taste it, and it wasn't working.

Suggestions about improving form letters

One of my twitter pals knows I'm always looking for ways to improve my form letter. She sent me this link as a suggestion.

So, what are you looking for?

Prompted by this post from Nathan Bransford, I thought it would be fun to see if you, the blog readers can help me hone a description of what I'm looking for to fewer than 100 words.

There's a practical reason I'm asking for help: I need this description for the upcoming Writer's Digest pitch slam and WNBA's Query Roulette.


To assist you here's the link to my most recent sales.

You can post your answer in the comments column.
You can email me!

I've got some great books here to give away as thank you gifts!

Ready, set, Go!

So, tell me what you think about Nathan's mad experiment

Nathan Bransford is running "Agent for a Day" on his blog.
I took one look and ran screaming to the bar (thankfully well stocked!).

If you participated in his endeavor, I'm interested to hear what you thought of it.

#agent fail at Bookends!

Here's your chance to really let us know what sticks in your craw.

I will be paying VERY close attention to the comments because this is a golden opportunity to hear valuable feedback.

And you can comment anonymously; you don't have to use your real name or your normal posting name.

I STRONGLY encourage you to use this chance.

(it's not an April's Fools Day joke, honest)

uh boy, time for a new one!

I was looking up "codswallop" today in my dictionary and came to the sad realization this poor tattered book has probably reached the end of its useful life:




It can't even stand up on its own spine any longer; small wonder given there's not any spine left to speak of.

I checked the copyright page


I'm not sure if you can tell, but this book is older than three of the people who work in my office!

Verily, it's time to send Mr. Webster to the Retirement Home for Good and Faithful Reference Books, and call in the new team.

To that end, since I haven't bought a new dictionary since..oh...the last century, I thought I might prevail upon more informed people to aid in the selection.

If you've got a favorite dictionary, let me know. I need one that isn't horrendously expensive (ie I'm not buying the OED!) and won't dislocate the Octopussy's arm if it falls on her (so again, no OED!)

All advice welcome!

PS I need an actual book, not a CD ROM or a website. There are moments, rare but true, when I'm not electronically connected to the world and I need to look up "brouhaha." Yes, it's true, we have word fights here.