Truth Thursday: Impatience Sets In

A short blog post for today, since I'm getting a lot together for the next few days.

I keep thinking, can't it be July 15 already? I just want to be able to hold my own book in my hands, to breathe in the clean new book smell of my very own novel for the first time. I want to discuss the ins and outs of my novel with people I never would've expected would actually want to read my work, to be able to walk into the library and stare at my beautiful book glistening on the shelf, smiling back at me.

Instead I'm pulling my dog out from under my bed because he keeps escaping into that space like he owns it, my room is getting turned inside-out as I prepare to host relatives, I'm recovering from scraping my butt while longboarding (believe it or not, nothing else got hurt when I fell), needles are getting stuck in my arm to make sure I don't pass tuberculosis to children, and I keep shoving other people's books in front of my face so I won't think about mine as much.

So the truth is, yes, I'm getting impatient and can't wait to see my book in print. But at the same time, I am enjoying the process. I'm savoring the moments of being an unpublished writer and preparing to unclench my fists and allow my baby (that is, my book) to become widely available for the public to ogle, look at from every angle, and even hate. I'm still allowing the fact that my book will be published in a month sink into my poor disbelieving brain, and probably won't believe it until a box full of books finds its way to my house.

Until then, impatient Jelsa remains impatient, but very grateful and excited at the same time.

Toolbox Tuesday: Query vs. Synopsis

Having had to write several queries and synopses over the course of the last year, I've discovered that there are differences and similarities between queries and synopses. Some information will overlap between the two, but they are two distinct, dreaded but necessary pieces that need to be constructed. How are they similar yet different, you might ask?

Queries:
-Needs to be hooking, similar to a book blurb
-Do not give away the ending. It's one of the advantages you have if you write a really good query. It makes the agent and/or publisher even more interested in reading your work and possibly representing it.
-Need to mention word count, genre, etc.
-Include information about yourself. If you write under a pen name, be sure to state that. Some places might want a phone number and/or email at the bottom of your query. I would recommend putting this information so the agent and/or publisher can easily contact you.

Synopses:
-This is a summary. It can come across a little dry if need be, as long as it encompasses the story.
-You have to give away the ending. Sorry to disappoint, but this is what a synopsis is for. It will be difficult, but you'll have to give away that surprise you spend thirty thousand words trying to hide.
-Spend all the space you have packing in as much relevant information as possible. The query will take care of the word count, genre, etc. information.
-Once again, this is a summary, and all you are putting in the summary is information about your book, nothing about you.

Truth Thursday: Going Along the Publishing Road

The road to publication has been an interesting one for me. When writer friends heard that I was preparing to query my novels fall of 2013, I was told that I should prepare myself for a pile of rejection letters. Just as they told me, as I sent out query letters, the rejection letters rolled in. But my experience with rejection letters was very interesting, and from what I've heard, it was unusual.

There are rumors that say that rejection letters are brutal and impersonal. In my experience, agents do read through queries and sample chapters. There is no reason for them to be personal in their rejection letters with the hundreds of queries they receive a week, sometimes even in a day. Yet I received rejection letters such as the following:

"Thanks for sending along the pages of your manuscript, 'Facades'. Truth be told, though, I'm afraid these pages just didn't draw me in as much as I had hoped. I'm pressed for time these days and, what with my reservations about the project, I suspect I wouldn't be the best fit. Thanks so much for contacting me and for giving me this opportunity. It's much appreciated, and I'm sorry to be passing. I wish you the very best of luck in your search for representation."

Wacky Wednesday: Literary Rambles

Looking for agents, or looking to publish? Do you wonder where you can find information on various agents, what they represent, and if they are currently open to accepting queries? Well, if that's you, then hop on over to Literary Rambles!

Literary Rambles is extremely helpful for filtering (for example, you can choose to filter agents by genre) and for checking that agents represent your genre before you query them. For example, if an agent is only interested in paranormal and fantasy novels, my realistic fiction, character-driven novel would receive an immediate pass 99.9% of the time. (There are rare cases when companies or agents will be interested in a project they normally don't represent, but this is rare, and I would advise against it. No need to build a bad rep in the publishing world before you even start publishing.)

With this site, I advise that if it's been a while since an agent has updated whether he or she is accepting queries that you do some research before querying. It will make you look much more professional, and that means you're more likely to get your manuscript looked at and possibly a publishing deal.

Happy agent hunting, and I hope this site is as useful for you as it has been for me!