A Conversation with Rejection by Linda Williams Jackson

Me: Hi, Rejection! Welcome to Project Middle Grade Mayhem! (I think….)

Rejection: Thanks, Linda! I’m VERY happy to be here. I’ve known many of you Mayhemmers for a long time. (Howdy, Caroline Starr Rose!) As a matter of fact, Linda, you and I go waaaay back.

Me: Hold up…. Let’s get something straight. Yes, we’ve known each other for a long time, since the early 1990’s, tbh. But that doesn’t mean we go way back. Going waaaay back, in my opinion, denotes a certain level of friendliness. And you, Mr. Rejection, are no friend of mine.

Rejection: Oh, touchy, aren’t you?

Me: You should know. You’ve made me cry a few times, haven’t you?

Rejection: A few times? Girl, please. I made you cry a whole lotta times.

Me: And now you’re bragging about it?!?!

Rejection: Not bragging. Just stating the facts. Here’s the deal, sweetheart. My job is to make people better, more specifically for the purpose of this conversation, to make you guys better writers.

Me (under my breath): Do you have to be so ruthless about it?

Rejection: I heard that. And the answer is yes. I can’t let you guys off easily. No pain, no gain, baby. I mean, would you have ever written Midnight Without a Moon if I had let you get that little funeral home story published?

Me: Hey, don’t make fun of my funeral home story. I love that story!

Rejection (under his breath): Obviously, you queried it for five and a half years.

Me: I heard that.

Rejection: Good! I’m glad you heard it. I hope you learned something from all that pain I put you through. Otherwise, my time has been wasted.

Me: Oh, I learned plenty. Thank you very much.

Rejection: Such as?

Me: Don’t get stuck on one project, no matter how much you love it. And regardless of how many agents have requested the full and provided positive feedback, or how many pitch contests the project has won, I should have been seriously writing more projects and querying them.

Rejection: But you did write more manuscripts. I remember doing my magic to make sure those were under my spell too. You didn’t get anywhere with them.

Me: I know. But I realized I had gotten to the point where I wanted an agent more than anything else in the world. My focus was all wrong. I was writing to get a “yes” instead of writing to tell a story that I felt like people needed to hear, or read, rather.

Rejection (smiling broadly): Awww. I feel like a proud papa. That’s exactly what I was hoping to accomplish by putting you through the wringer the way I did.

Me (rolling eyes)

Rejection: What else did you learn?

Me: Humility.

Rejection (clapping): Bravo! Another score for Rejection! I really know how to knock the pride out of you guys!

Me (under my breath): And the wind too.

Rejection (laughing): Sorry about that.

Me: Sure you are.

Rejection: Remember that time I made you break down and cry right in front of your computer? I mean, that rejection stung so hard that you hadn’t even finished reading the email before you started bawling.

Me: But, I survived.

Rejection: Yes, you did. You were a real trooper…simply unstoppable.

Me: Well, I don’t know about unstoppable. I think I was ready to quit. If you hadn’t stopped coming at me in 2015, I might have given up.

Rejection: Wait! What?!?! You mean I was THAT close to breaking you?

Me: Yep. You sure were.

Rejection (slaps forehead): Aw, man! One more year, huh?

Me: Yep. That’s what I was giving myself.

Rejection: You’re saying that now, Linda. But as I recall, you said that every year. “Just one more year. If I don’t make it this time, I’m quitting.”

Me (chuckling): I did say that, didn’t I?

Rejection: Yep. Every year. Actually, you said it after every full request, too. You said, “If this one isn’t ‘the one,’ then I’m done.” Then I’d show up. Then you’d cry. Then you’d go listen to some inspirational song or read some inspirational post. Then you’d be right back at it the next day.

Me: I was pretty stubborn, huh?

Rejection: No, honey. You were resilient. (Gestures around the Mayhem blog) You all were. I tried to break you guys, but you just kept going. You were all so determined.

Me: Why, Rejection? Why do you put people through all this? I know you said to make us better writers and to make us humble, but why make it so hard? Don’t you trust that we’ll improve our skills and appreciate our success without so much pain?

Rejection: You read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, right?

Me: I did.

Rejection: Remember what he said about brick walls?

Me (Googling): He said, “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”

Rejection (wiping tears from his eyes): I’m sorry I hurt you so badly, Linda. I’m sorry I hurt all you guys, Mayhemmers. But do you now understand why I did it? You guys wanted this badly enough to take everything that I threw at you. You were unstoppable. And I am very proud of you. But please know that my job is never completely done. You will still face rejection. But I know you will persevere. All of you, because you are winners.

Me: Thank you, Rejection, not just for being here with us at Project Middle Grade Mayhem today, but for being present with us during our writing journey. Thank you for showing up when we needed you even though we didn’t want you there. You were like a helicopter parent who knows what’s best for her kid even when the kid doesn’t realize it at the time. You made us better writers. And because you humbled us, we don’t mind helping others along the way. No offense, but you are both hated and loved at the same time.

Rejection: No offense taken, my dear. I’m just happy to do my job. Now I must leave you guys. I have some dreams to try to crush. Good bye.

Me: So long, Rejection. I’m not looking forward to seeing you again any time soon.

It Only Takes One Yes...or Does It? By Joy McCullough-Carranza

So there’s a lovely bit of encouragement that gets repeated when people are giving writerly pep talks to those on the road to publication. It goes a little like this: “It only takes one yes!”

Pep talkers will say this to people who’ve sent 290 queries (as I did): “It only takes one agent to connect with your manuscript and LOVE it!!”

They will say this to people who’ve had multiple manuscripts go on submission without selling (as mine have): “It only takes one editor to connect with your manuscript and LOVE it!!”

The implication is that it could happen any moment! Maybe right this very second, while you’re reading this blog post, that elusive agent or editor is reading and loving your manuscript. It’s totally possible!!

It is. I don’t take issue with hope. It’s why I write middle grade.

But the idea that “It only takes one yes” breaks down upon further inspection. It’s not always false when it comes to agents. Often, an agent can read a manuscript, decide they love it, and make an offer. But sometimes an agent has an intern or a reader who goes through their queries first. So in that case, it requires the intern’s yes AND the agent’s yes. Sometimes an agent must get the agency’s approval to offer representation. So there might be someone else (or even a couple other people) who must say yes.

But the real place where this platitude irks me is on the submission level. “It only takes one yes” is almost never true in this situation. I have one friend whose editor made the offer late on a Friday night – she was head of the imprint, and after she read, she called the agent immediately to make her offer. Even then, though, it was to say she would be making an offer. She still had to run the numbers by finance to make the actual offer.

But a far more common situation is the editor who loves a manuscript, and then must get it through both an editorial meeting AND an acquisitions meeting. Often editor colleagues read the manuscript, and it will be discussed at the editorial meeting amongst the editors, with the editorial director or publisher also weighing in. If it gets through that group of people, it goes to acquisitions, where departments like sales, marketing, publicity, and finance must also weigh in. If it’s a middle grade book, the school and library departments will also have input. Different publishing houses may have additional hoops, like Scholastic has a stage at which the book clubs department must weigh in.

I don’t mean to be discouraging. But I don’t think hollow platitudes are super useful along the writing journey, because when a writer invariably discovers these things are false, the disappointment is that much more frustrating.

My agent, who tends toward the positive (and thank goodness, for he balances me out), had this to say about the various stages it take to get to an offer:

In some ways, it feels like a series of obstacles to run through, but in other cases, it can become a series of opportunities—Sales doesn’t think it will do well in trade, but then School and Library will think they have a great shot with it.

So I’m going to do my best to think about it as a series of opportunities. And if you’re playing the waiting game, remember that it may take more than one yes, but there’s every chance your manuscript is currently making its way through the various obstacles (opportunities! sorry!) like a (super slo-mo) pinball on its way to the high score.

ON PARTING WAYS WITH LITERARY AGENTS by Joy McCullough-Carranza

Many stops along the writing journey are filled with maps and guidebooks and tour guides clamoring for the writer’s attention. Query Station, ‘The Call’ Street, Debut Year Blvd…these are well-lit and heavily trafficked.

Some other stations are necessary to pass through, but for whatever reason, they have nary a flickering bulb and certainly no tour guides. We rarely talk about being on submission, for example, or what happens if your editor leaves in the middle of your series. Another poorly illuminated stop along the writing journey is the one where writers part ways with their agents.

Here’s the thing though—Breakup Station is poorly illuminated, but it’s not lightly traveled. Many, many writers part ways with their agents and return to the query trenches. Some quickly find another agent and some toil in the trenches for another long spell. Almost all feel alone, and like they’ve failed in some way. Because it’s so poorly illuminated, they have no idea how many fellow travelers are stumbling around this station.

One of the things I’ve learned along the writing journey is how incredibly comforting it is to get to know one’s fellow travelers – the other writers who have gone on submission but not sold their book. The other writers who had to query five manuscripts before they got an agent. The other writers who parted ways with an agent.

So I hauled some floodlights into Breakup Station. I wanted to see who was passing through there—a LOT of people, it turns out—and for them to see one another.

I created a survey for writers who had parted ways with an agent and I shared it with a closed Facebook group of Pitchwars mentors—around 100 people. Those folks in turn shared it with debut year groups for 2014, 2015, and 2016, and with the MG and YA Binders groups. I had over 100 survey responses within 24 hours.

If you are in Breakup Station: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

So let’s look at some of the responses to see why writers and agents part ways, and what happens after they do. (And you guys, I tried super hard to make these into pretty pie charts, but I deal in words and it would have been simpler for me to make five actual pies.)

Question: Who initated the breakup?

Agent – 34%

Writer – 66%

Question: If your agent initiated the breakup, what was the reason? (Check all that apply.)

Agent left the business – 37%

Agent couldn’t sell a manuscript – 20%

Agent didn’t want to represent writer’s next project – 34%

Couldn’t agree on editorial direction of next project – 7%

Communication styles – 20%

Personality Clash – 10%

Other – Several of these responses included an agent switching to another agency and culling her list in the process, and an agent deciding to focus on a different genre or category.

QUESTION: If the writer initiated the breakup, what were the reasons (check all that apply):

Agent couldn’t sell a previous manuscript – 34%

Agent didn’t like the writer’s next project – 31%

Couldn’t agree on editorial direction – 25%

Communication styles – 61%

Personality clash – 31%

Other – Many of these responses included excessively slow turn-around time in reading manuscripts, getting feedback to a writer, responding to emails, or putting manuscripts on submission. Also included: concerns about the strength of the agent’s connections, agent not passing on feedback from editors, or writer not wanting to stay with the agent when they made a big career move (like to another agency).

QUESTION: How long were you with agent before splitting up?

0-6 months – 5%

6 months – 1 year – 14%

1-2 years – 40%

More than 2 years – 42%

QUESTION: If you’ve gone on to get another agent, how long did it take after your initial split?

0-6 months – 67%

6 months – 1 year – 13%

1-2 years – 15%

More than 2 years – 5%

Now, I’m throwing a lot of info at you, but there’s so little out there on this topic that I want to do it full justice. I know many writers who head into Breakup Station despair of ever getting an agent again. They think they’re damaged goods (actual wording I saw recently), they think the manuscript their agent subbed is dead forever, they think they’ve missed their shot. I wanted to get an agent’s perspective on receiving queries from writers who’ve been previously agented, so I talked to Brent Taylor of Triada US Literary Agency. He was kind enough to answer candidly. Querying writers should consider him—his manuscript wish list is here.

Me: How does it affect your consideration of a query when you see a writer has parted ways with a previous agent?

Brent: I want to note upfront that all of this is very much case-by-case. But for me, it sometimes works in the writer's favor and I'm more forgiving of query mistakes/my initial hesitations about the project if I know that this writer's work was "good enough" for a different agent. Not all agents might feel that way, though. I'm usually giving the writer the benefit of the doubt and assuming that the author-agent split was amicable and because of stylistic incompatibilities. 

But there are many other factors. Sometimes I'm very friendly with the agent that the querying writer parted ways with, and I might check in with them first just to maintain my professional relationship. Agents talk. We're a talkative crowd. 

Me: Would you sign a new client with a manuscript that had previously been seen by editors?

Brent: It depends on how I feel about the project and my vision. Every agent has different instincts, and I've certainly seen submissions lists that differ drastically from ones I would have come up with. So let's say you queried me with a middle grade novel and I felt it was a perfect fit for the more traditionally literary imprints with award-winning lists, and your previous agent had mostly submitted it to the imprints I considered more on the commercial side -- then there's certainly some wiggle room there. But I've also been in a position where I've had to say, "Look, this is great, but all these editors that passed are the same editors that I would have gone to." I know that's a completely unhelpful answer.

Me: How many editors would be too many for you to take on an already-subbed project?

Brent: I say at above ten editors, your ship has sailed and you need to write a new book. 

Thanks for your time, Brent!

I hope this gives some hope to those travelers passing through Breakup Station—or pondering a stop there. You aren’t alone. It will be a temporary stop for you, but there are fellow travelers to meet and wisdom to be gained. Much love on your journey.

On Writers For Hope, and a Query Critique Giveaway by Joy McCullough-Carranza

I’ve been struggling lately, Project Mayhem readers. My last post was about how I haven’t been feeling like I have much to contribute as a middle grade blogger. The team graciously gave me a couple months off to focus on the play I had in production, and I took it.

As the production closed and my next post has drawn nearer, I’ve been grappling with how to proceed. When I found out my next post date would be April 1, I realized that today is also the date of an online auction in which I’m donating a full manuscript critique (MG or YA). So first of all, I want to draw attention to that. I’m one of forty-five donors (many of them amazing agents and published authors) donating query critiques, manuscripts critiques, and more.

The Writers for Hope auction rules are here and a list of the auction items are here. I encourage you to check it out. It’s raising money to support RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and it’s a reminder that this kid lit community is more giving and supportive than any other community I’ve ever been a part of.

I love my theater people—they are giving in completely different ways—but kid lit people drop everything and show up IN FORCE to support other writers and important causes. I’ve seen it in my own life with my critique partners who have become my closest friends, and on a bigger scale with things like the We Need Diverse Books campaign. RAINN is a cause close to my heart and I’m so heartened to see so many wonderful community members giving of their time to support it—and provide critiques that might push newer members of the community to the next level.

But I know that when I was querying, auction items like these were usually out of my financial reach, as much as I would have liked to support the causes. Because of that, I’d like to offer a query critique to one commenter here at PM, who I’ll choose at random. If you’d like another set of eyes on your MG query, just mention it in the comments and make sure I have a way to contact you. I may do more than one, and I may do this periodically. Maybe sometimes I’ll offer more than a query critique.

Behind the scenes at Project Mayhem, we have been talking about the most useful ways for the middle grade writing community to support one another. What do you feel is lacking? What could you use more of, or what do you wish you'd had access to at an earlier stage? More query support? Critique partner match-ups? Opportunities to be mentored? To mentor?

What would serve you? How could you serve?

What Rejections Can Tell You - by Chris Eboch

Getting rejections may be the hardest part of a writer’s job, but understanding what they tell you could save your career. By studying the pattern of rejections you receive, you may identify problems – the first step toward improving.

Many writers send out submissions to 5-10 agents or editors at a time. Sending small batches means you don’t waste years sending out submissions one at a time, but you also don’t wipe out your entire list of possible targets at once. Save some targets for a second, third, or fourth round of submissions, so you can fix any problems you identify from your earlier rejection letters.

Since editors and agents rarely have the time to explain why they don’t want your manuscript, many of the rejections will be form letters. If an editor or agent’s policy is to only respond if interested, then no response also counts as a form rejection.

After your first 5 to 10 rejections, see what they can tell you by reading between the lines.

Query Fail

If you send a query letter and get only form rejections, you may have a problem with your concept or the way you’re presenting it.

Maybe your idea doesn’t appeal because the market niche is too small. Make sure you’re targeting appropriate publishers, maybe those with a specific genre or regional focus. Or try to broaden your audience appeal, such as adding a mystery or romance element to the less popular historical fiction genre.

Maybe the idea feels too familiar. If you’re following a trend like dystopian fiction or covering a common topic like the first day of school, you’ll need a really fresh take on the subject to stand out from other imitators.

If your manuscript isn’t currently marketable, you may need to make major revisions. If you can’t fix your idea, the best thing you can do is start a new project.

On the other hand, if you’ve done extensive market research and you’re confident that your idea is marketable, maybe you’re not expressing it well. Are you starting your query by clearly sharing a catchy “hook”? Are you focused on the main plot and character arc, or are you getting bogged down in unnecessary details about secondary characters and subplots? If your idea is trendy, does your query show what makes your interpretation different?

One final possibility is that you didn’t target appropriate editors or agents. If you suspect that’s the case, do more research.

Query letters are challenging, but many resources offer help. You can also ask friends who have not read the manuscript to read the query and tell you what they think the story is about. See if they get a good feel for what you’re trying to convey.

Good Idea, Poor Execution

If you have a strong idea and a well-written query letter, you may get a request for a partial manuscript. That’s a great sign that your topic is marketable. But if an agent or editor reads a few chapters and then passes, you may have a problem with your writing. That means more work on the writing craft. Is your opening too slow, with lots of back story and info dumps? Are you struggling with point of view, showing rather than telling, or pacing? Are you sure the writing is as good as you think it is?

Many books and websites offer writing craft lessons. A good critique group can also help, but less experienced writers may have trouble identifying problems, and even published writers are not always good teachers. Consider getting professional feedback, perhaps by taking classes, signing up for conference critiques, or hiring a freelance editor. (See my critique rates and recommendations here.)

If the agent or editor you queried likes your sample chapters enough to request the whole manuscript, that suggests your “voice” is working for them. If they like your idea and writing style but don’t make an offer after seeing the entire manuscript, most likely you either have plot problems or the manuscript isn’t quite strong enough to sell well in a competitive market. At that point, you’re more likely to get specific feedback if they decide to pass on the manuscript.

Rejections are always painful, but think of them as chance to learn. You’ll lessen the sting, and maybe help yourself reach acceptance next time.

Help with Query Letters

Author and former agent Nathan Bransford has many excellent posts on query letters.

AgentQuery.com has advice on writing query letters, with examples of hooks.

QueryTracker.net allows you to organize and track your query letters, and also to see reports of agent responses, for comparison.

Query Shark shares hundreds of real queries critiqued by an agent.

Slush Pile Tales also critiques real queries.

Books on Querying:

The Writer’s Digest Guide To Query Letters, by Wendy Burt-Thomas (Writer’s Digest Books, 2009)

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Book Proposals & Query Letters by Marilyn Allen and Coleen O’Shea (ALPHA, 2011)

The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock: The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Selling More Work Faster, by Diana Burrell and Linda Formichelli (Marion Street Press, LLC, 2006)

Do you have favorite resources for writing query letters? Have you ever revised a query and got more favorable responses? Do you find query writing even harder than writing the manuscript?

Chris Eboch’s novels for ages nine and up include The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy, The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; and the Haunted series, which starts with The Ghost on the Stairs. In The Ghost Miner’s Treasure, a brother and sister help a ghostly miner find his long-lost mine. 

Chris's book Advanced Plotting helps writers fine-tune their plots. Learn about her editorial and critiquing services, and find advice for writers, on her website

On Writing the Next Thing

When I was in college, I was fortunate enough to win an award for my first play, which resulted in a production of the play. It was a big deal—both my parents flew to Chicago from the west coast despite the fact that they were in the middle of a messy divorce. Sitting through the first act was strange, to say the least, and I dreaded intermission, when people would have to interact with me about my play to my face. Especially my divorcing parents.

So I was enormously relieved when my playwriting professor—who has gone on to win the Tony Award for Best New Play and has been nominated for screenwriting Oscars three times, by the by—whisked me off to his office the moment the lights went off for intermission.

I thought he was just saving me from the family tensions and weirdness of facing my audience, akin to sitting in a room with someone while they are reading your book. But as we sat down, the first thing he said to me was not about how well the production was going, or how I was feeling. It was this: “What’s next?”

My first thought: Uh, the second act?

But he went on. “What are you writing? What’s your next play?”

This mentality that my playwriting mentor taught me almost twenty years ago (yikes) has served me well as I’ve pursued a career in fiction. Just as I always began a new play by the time the previous one was sitting on desks in literary offices, I always began a new manuscript by the time I began querying the first one. And now that I have an agent…well, submission is like Fight Club and all that. But let’s just say the same rules apply.

I’ve heard some people say they cannot focus on something new when they are anxiously awaiting responses from agents or editors. But I think that’s one of the two main reasons to work on the next one. It’s not just that the act of writing something else will distract you—you’re not writing every minute of the day after all, and there will still be those times when you’re picking up library holds/toiling at your day job/wrangling children when you will continue to obsess over your submissions.

But for me, it’s more that when I am in the throes of something new, especially those exciting early days of drafting, my hope starts to shift toward that new project. When rejections roll in for the previous one, I think, That’s okay. Because this new project is going to be The One.

The second reason it’s so helpful to work on the next project is because it really might be The One. No matter how much you love your previous manuscript, there’s every chance it might not snag that agent’s interest. Or, frankly, the interest of 60 agents (not that I know that from personal experience or anything). If I had waited around to get an agent on my first manuscript, I wouldn’t have one now. And believe it or not, there are still a couple agents who requested the full for that first one four years ago and never responded. I could plausibly still be waiting.

But that manuscript wasn’t good enough. And my second, third, and fourth manuscripts—well, I still believe they were good enough and I got very close with a whole bunch of agents, but they still weren’t The Ones. But because it takes me about six months to write a middle grade novel from idea to submission-ready and because querying is a slow game, I was always ready to query my next manuscript right about the time I’d exhausted my list of agents to query and given the ones with fulls sufficient time to read.

So when my (super amazing, I love her forever) agent signed me on my fifth manuscript, I was actually just getting ready to query #6. So she read that, and was even more excited about that one. Now she’s got options, including a couple of my previous manuscripts that may still have hope.

I’ve just sent my next thing off to my agent and I’m pretty sure it’s The One. Are you writing the next thing?

HOW TO GET AN AGENT IN 14 EASY STEPS

1)   Get a degree in theater. (It doesn’t have to be theater. Just whatever artistic discipline you choose. Also, it doesn’t have to be a degree. You can probably substitute that for a lot of experience actually practicing said art. Though don’t tell that to my father, who paid for my very expensive degree.)

2)   Spend fifteen years writing plays. And okay—it doesn’t have to be plays. It doesn’t even have to be artistic. It could be sports. It could be medicine. Something that requires you to learn discipline, and how to put yourself out there, and receive feedback, and try again, and get knocked down, but you get up again, and my apologies if you’re now humming that Chumba Wumba song. It also probably doesn’t have to be fifteen years, because maybe you’re a quicker study than I am. (Here’s hoping.)

3)   Have a baby. All right, you can skip this one unless you have several other decent reasons to have a baby. They definitely cut into your writing time. Alternately, read picture books, then chapter books, then middle grade books aloud for many hours a day. By doing so, you will start to think in middle grade fiction.

4)   Write your first manuscript. It won’t get you an agent. (Or it might, but in that case, I do not like you very much. Also, you don’t need this list.)

5)   Master the art of the query letter. Avail yourself of the various online resources for query critique. Build thick skin. Eat chocolate. Learn to discern the helpful feedback from the…less helpful. Research agents. FOLLOW THEIR GUIDELINES.

6)   Write your second manuscript. By this point, you should also have found several particularly excellent critique partners.

7)   Write your third and fourth manuscripts. Congratulate your excellent critique partners when they land amazing agents and deals with major publishers. BE GENUINE. Their success does not diminish your chances. (If anything, it increases them, because wisdom and experience.)

8)   Eat a lot of chocolate.

9)   Be jealous. That’s okay.

10)  Have a phone call with a top-selling agent who tells you you’re a wonderful fit with the agency and she loves two of your manuscripts and just wants some revisions she’s completely sure you can pull off. Complete those revisions and wait nine months for her to read them and ultimately reject you. (This step is completely optional. There are things to be learned in this step about grit, and grace, and perseverance, but on balance, you’d probably prefer to remain a less evolved person than go through this one.)

11)Eat your weight in chocolate. Desperate sobbing is also advised.

12)  Write your fifth manuscript. By this point, it’s best if you don’t care anymore. Bonus points if you really don’t care, rather than saying you don’t care, but still feeling stabbed in the eyeballs every time an agent tells you they love it but can’t sell it, or love it but it’s too close to a client’s work, or love it but WHATEVER.

13) Start your sixth manuscript. And I didn’t mention this on points 6, 7, or 12, but each time you start querying one manuscript, you should have begun writing your next one. This point is non-negotiable. I’m not the quickest study (CLEARLY) but I learned this as a playwright and it is seriously the only thing that has gotten me through around 700 rejections, between books and plays.

14) Finish your sixth manuscript, complete with query letter ready to go. Be in the middle of a final polishing pass when you get an email from an agent who’s had Manuscript #5 for five months, saying she loved it and couldn’t put it down and could you talk on the phone? Bonus points if she’s an agent with absolutely amazing sales, clients you adore, and complete confidence in your work and a plan for how to sell it.

Anyway, that’s how it worked for me. And okay, maybe those steps aren’t all that easy. Except the chocolate-eating. And maybe you don’t have to write six manuscripts to get there. Maybe you write one, or three, or fourteen.

When it comes down to it, it can mostly be summed up in one easy step: Keep writing.

How much chocolate have you consumed on your journey toward getting an agent?

TRADING PLACES: NOTES FROM THE PITCHWARS SLUSH

When my first play was produced, I had the chance to sit on the other side of the audition table. This was a total Freaky Friday moment for me after many years as an actor. It was incredibly eye opening to see how often actors were rejected for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with their degree of talent.

I recently had another Freaky Friday experience as one of the middle grade mentors for Brenda Drake’s online contest PitchWars. In PitchWars, prospective participants submit queries and five pages to the mentors of their choice. As mentors, we had a few days to sort through our applicants and pick one—ONE!—and two alternates. We gave our mentees feedback on their full manuscripts, helped them craft their pitches, and later in January, the selected pitches and first pages will go up for an agent-judged contest.

As I sorted through the 65 middle grade applicants who had applied to have me as a mentor, I was suddenly on the other side of the audition table again. After years of my own querying journey, I had a condensed glimpse into the life of a literary agent—and I realized how it’s not always about being good enough or not.

A few observations that I hope might help querying writers:

·      I turned down a TON of great material. And I turned it down easily. The quality of my submissions was extremely high—there were only one or two who clearly had no idea what they were doing. Most were really solid. But once I’d read a couple that I absolutely adored, it became incredibly easy to pass on anything that didn’t surpass those. I feel like I better understand now how agents have to absolutely fall in love with something to take it on.

·      I read a lot of not-awesome queries followed by fantastic pages. There are a lot of resources out there for query critique, but I don’t think they’re being as well utilized as they could be. This is what I said over and over in my feedback to writers I didn’t select: Queries should sound like back jacket copy, not like a list of events that happen. Try to keep the whole thing around 250 words. Try to answer these questions: 1) What does your main character want/need? 2) What’s standing in their way? 3) What will they have to do to overcome it? (This format doesn't work for all manuscripts, but it worked for probably 95% of what I saw.)

·      I read many submissions with completely solid writing and very good voice, but the premise just didn’t feel fresh. Portal fantasies, dying races of magical creatures, feisty princesses, coming to terms with the death of a parent. You might have written a fantastic manuscript around one of these things—I’ve written about one of them myself—but you have to make sure that whatever sets your story apart really shines through in the query and first pages.

·      Following agent guidelines is important. SO important. I don’t want to undermine this. If an agent says “no horror” then by all means, don’t query them with horror. But if they don’t mention horror at all, and you think they might be a good fit? No harm in trying. My top pick was, not surprisingly from my wish list, a literary verse novel. But my two alternate picks were things I absolutely never would have predicted I would choose—super creepy & superheroes (not together). But great storytelling + terrific voice trumps all and those two pulled me in, despite having subject matter I wouldn't usually gravitate toward.

Have you ever had a Freaky Friday publishing moment? Have you gotten a valuable glimpse into a different position—an agent, an editor, a reviewer? Did you learn anything? How did it enrich your journey as a writer?

Writing Advice by Marissa Burt

I often get queries from aspiring writers who ask me for tips on how-to-get-published, and I find my responses now falling into a familiar set of recommendations.  On the off chance that these tips might be worth more than the proverbial two-cents, I post them here.  I’ll also leave the comments open for tips or road-to-publication questions.  Join the conversation!

On Writing

Read.  Read.  Read.  As much as you can and as widely as you can.

Write.  Write.  Write.  If you are stuck on a story, write a scene or a character sketch.  Journal.  Not only is it good practice, but you have a nice little keepsake at the end of it.

Revise.  Revise.  Revise.  Don’t be afraid to make dramatic changes.  Edit boldly.  Cut scenes.  Kill off characters.  If one or two crit partners offer you similar feedback, listen.  Don’t respond immediately to critiques and try not to argue with readers.  Most are on your side.  If they had a particular response to a scene, consider what they’re saying.  Sit with reader input for a few days, then revisit their advice and see what you want to implement.

Stop revising.  You can make changes forever, and at some point, you’ll need to send your manuscript off to face its fate.  Polish as well as you can, and then get ready to submit.

On Querying

 

Do your research.  There are so many fabulous resources available to help make the querying process less intimidating.  You’ll easily be able to find some of your own favorite blogs, forums, and books to help you figure out how to format a query letter and find reputable agents.  My favorites are:

The Absolute Write Forums.  There is a wealth of information here and the added bonus of writerly companionship in what can often be a lonely journey.  You’ll find space here to indulge in a bit of submissions-angst but you’ll also find practical tips for every stage of the writing process.  One of my personal favorites is Query Letter Hell, where you can post a draft of your query and receive expert advice.  This lovely people were a huge help to me when I was querying.  And after you receive some input, pay it forward!  Drop by and offer your tips for other writers and share the love.

Nathan Bransford’s Blog.  I discovered this gem back when Bransford was still agenting and blogging regularly, but I think all the posts are archived and easily searchable. 

2013 Writer’s Market.  You can easily find this at your public library or local bookstore.  For those of us who are often overwhelmed by the searchability of the internet, this provides a finite way to search for agents, understand what they’re looking for, and find further contact info.  I recommend starting with the book and then following up with an agent’s website as sometimes submissions requirements change between printings.

Once you’ve done your research and crafted your perfect query letter, you’re off and running.  You’ve probably heard the sound advice of sending out your queries in batches.  This is a good idea, because if you send out your first round of ten queries, and get ten form rejections fired back at you, you have the opportunity to tweak your query and get input from crit partners on what might not be working with your story idea. 

As far as finding agents that represent MG, I’ve found that many who represent “juvenile fiction” or “young adult” also represent middle-grade.  It’s often lumped in there somewhere, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t find MG specified on agent listings.

A word of advice: we all know this industry takes a bit of a thick skin.  The first rejection still stings.  It does get easier.

On the Call

  

Do more research.  This will help you from obsessively checking your e-mail while out on submission.  Read up about what the agent’s role is in publishing and determine what kind of professional relationship matches your personality.  I know some writers who loathe phone calls.  Others who have regular friendly chats with their agents.  I found that the Idiot's Guides were helpful for understanding the agent role.

If an agent does call to talk about representation, have a list of questions about things that are important to you.  Of course you’ll have done your research on scammy agents on the outset, so only reputable agents will be contacting you. 

I would suggest considering:

1.     How enthusiastic is the agent about your project?  How many clients do they represent?

2.     How do they handle communication?  When can you expect to hear back from them if you e-mail a question?  How available are they by phone?  Something I have profoundly appreciated about my own agent, is I can count on a speedy reply to every e-mail.  Figure out what elements of communication are important to you and make sure you find out if the agent is a good match.

3.     Do they have a “handshake agreement” or a written contract?  I’ve heard mixed opinions on this.  Study the ins and outs of both and find out how your potential agent operates.

You’ll find other elements that you may want to consider, but I think understanding an agent’s communication style and figuring out how that matches with your own expectations is central to a positive professional working relationship.

On Submission

Congratulations!  You’re agented and you’re on your way.  Over the first hurdle, that is.  The submissions process can be quite the rollercoaster.  In some happy success stories, authors land an agent and then a deal almost immediately.  For debut authors, it seems to typically be a longer road.

Most agents have some editorial input, so plan to make revisions before your book even goes out on submission.  This will be good practice for your eventual editorial letter.  Remember, that your agent is your friend.  They want to sell your book.  They have experience in the industry.  Listen to their professional editorial advice.  

Unplug.  Go offline.  Start another writing project.  Get caught up on your reading.  While your book is on submission, you’ll go nuts with the waiting.  Twitter-stalking potential editors will only leave you half-crazed.  Was that snarky comment about your lame manuscript?  Or maybe the rave was because she read your masterpiece?  Opt out of this.  It will also be good practice for future book reviews.  At this point, there’s not a lot you can do except wait, check in with your agent, and wait some more.  This is yet another reason why it’s important to determine communication styles early on and make sure you find an agent that’s a good fit.

Be positive and try and cultivate humility.  In my case, my now-editor asked if I’d be willing to do an exclusive revision for her.  We went through two significant revisions over a period of about six months before she took my book to acquisitions.  I loved her for her willingness to invest in my book and me as an author.  I learned so much through the process and owe much of the final book’s form to my editor and agent’s astute input.  An exclusive revision was not at all what I imagined.  I imagined the “Of course we want it!  I couldn’t put this book down while I was reading it!  I stayed up all night to finish it and we must buy it now.  At auction.  For lots of money” reply. 

This is a touchy subject, because our creative work is always dear to our heart.  We obviously think it’s in great form before we send it out to agents and editors, so hearing that it’s less-than-perfect, in fact that there’s much room for improvement can sting.  Remember that your well of creativity won’t run dry.  You won’t miss out on an opportunity by being willing to listen to someone else’s feedback.  But you can pretty much guarantee stagnation if you’re only listening to your own creative voice.  Be willing to learn from others.  Seize every opportunity.  Even if a revise-and-resubmit request doesn’t pan out, you’ll have benefited from valuable insider professional input on your work.  Celebrate that!

On Writing (Part 2)

Enjoy the process.  Enjoy writing.  Enjoy your story.  The road to publication can rob you of some of the joy.  Hold on to joy. 

What about you, dear readers?  What questions do you have about the road to publication?  What tips would you like to share with others?  Where do you find your favorite resources for writing good queries or researching agents?