January 2011

1 Manuscript, 2 Agents. What Should I Do?

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Dear Editor…

I met an agent at a conference who asked me to email my picture book to her. I did and she responded by giving me the names of two other agents who she strongly suggested that I contact.

I contacted a different agent at the same agency where one of the referred agents works. It has been a month and I’ve received no response from the agent. I’d still like to contact the referred agent yet I worry about contacting two agents at the same agency.

Can I contact the agent who was referred at the same agency by giving the name of the agent who gave the referral,  and mentioning the first agent’s name who I had already contacted at that agency?

Please advise.

Sara

Dear Sara…

This isn’t as complicated as it might seem. Simply explain the situation and let the agents decide. Contact the agent you were referred to and say that So-and-So referred you because he thought you’d be a good match . . . you respect So-and-So’s judgment but must point out that the manuscript is already with Colleague Agent . . . you respect the entire agency and would be honored to be represented by either agent . . . you’ll respect the agency’s decision about which agent should handle the submission. That’s respectful (three times over!), forthright, and appropriate. I was in a similar scenario as an editor, and all it took was a quick phone call, one editor to another, to decide who’d handle the submission. Easy-peasy.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Dare I Write a YA Western?

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Dear Editor…

I’ve hashed out an idea for a young adult western, which I think could be refreshing amidst a swirl of vampires and zombies and fantasy novels. What is your opinion on the marketability of a western in today’s market? Is it a difficult placement and sell in 2011?

Sincerely,

Lorie

Dear Lorie…

If the scuttlebutt at ALA Midwinter this month was on target, there are signs of vampire fatigue in the young adult marketplace. So maybe a western would be more intriguing to editors now than it would’ve been, say, a year or two ago. Still, because kids aren’t racing into bookstores shouting, “Where’s the YA western section?!,” pitching your project as a straight “western” may not be your best bet. Is your story anything else? That is, have you got an unusual love story, or some historical angle, or a plot twist that can be your hook? I’ve edited two great YAs that have a “western feel”: Much Ado About Grubstake by Jean Ferris and Billy the Kid: A Novel by Theodore Taylor. Both are something besides westerns. The first is a quirky story about a girl who yearns for the exciting life she sees in her “penny dreadful” novels—and gets it. It pokes fun at the conventions of cheap melodrama. Fans of “quirky” love it, which is exactly how it was positioned. Taylor’s is a gun-slinging, dusty, horsey, train-robbing western, no doubt about it, but the fresh take on Billy the Kid was the hook of choice. Beyond the genre and setting, what’s the hook of your story? That’s what I’d pitch, with the western part being the context.

Happy writing!

The Editor

NEWSFLASH: a DearEditor.com Giveaway – a FREE YA/MG EDIT

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Dear Readers…

To celebrate the completion of her manuscript for Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies, the Editor is giving away a FREE Substantive Edit of one YA or MG fiction manuscript. Deadline: January 31, 2011. Read on for rules….

Dear Readers…

I always urge writers to celebrate when they complete a draft because that’s a really big deal, and today I’m taking my own advice: I just sent the manuscript for Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies to my editor and I’m celebrating with everyone by giving away a free Substantive Edit* of one Young Adult or Middle Grade fiction manuscript. Here are the rules:

1. Your manuscript must be YOUNG ADULT OR MIDDLE GRADE FICTION.

2. Your manuscript must be COMPLETE.

3. Your manuscript SHALL NOT EXCEED 80,000 WORDS.

4. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified.

5. Deadline: MIDNIGHT, JANUARY 31, 2011, PST.

6. Winner will be randomly selected and announced on February 1, 2011.

TO ENTER:

One entry –  SEND EMAIL to DearEditor.com using the “Write to The Editor” button at the top of this blog. Type “YA Dummies Celebration Giveaway” in the subject line. In the body of the email, include TITLE of manuscript, YA or MG, WORD COUNT, and YOUR FULL NAME.

Bonus entry – SUBSCRIBE. DearEditor.com subscribers get a bonus entry by sending a second email with “Subscriber’s Bonus Giveaway Entry” in the subject line and your title, YA or MG, word count, and full name in the body. (Note: the Editor will verify!) Not a subscriber yet? Then subscribe now by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top of this blog and then email your second entry.

Extra bonus entries – SPREAD THE WORD. Blog, tweet, or otherwise electronically tell others about this giveaway to get additional entries. Send an email to DearEditor.com with “I Spread the Word!” in the subject line, and in the body include a link to your blog post or your Twitter address or your Facebook wall or whatever social media you used to spread the word. Don’t send screen-shots; attachments won’t be accepted. Include your title, YA or MG, word count, and full name in the body. Spread the word more than once? Then send an “I Spread the Word!” email for each one!

Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules will be disqualified, at the Editor’s discretion.

*In a “Substantive Edit,” the author receives general feedback about the manuscript’s overall pacing, organization, narrative voice, plot development/narrative arc, characterization, point of view, setting, delivery of background information, adult sensibility (children’s books only), and the synchronicity of age-appropriate subject matter with target audience, as the Editor determines appropriate and necessary after reviewing the entire manuscript. It is not a word-by-word, line-by-line “Line Edit.”

So how’s that for a celebration? Well, that and a big order of something chocolate. See’s Candies, here I come. Par-TAY!

Happy writing!

The Editor

A Changing Industry?

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Dear Editor…

Do you think the current publishing business model is dying or at least morphing? Agent-Editor-Big Publisher with long waits from acquisition to publication. How are advents in self-publishing, the Kindle & iPad changing things? Part of me is convinced I need to think outside the box today. Thoughts?

Sincerely,

Bill

Dear Bill…

You sure do need to get your head out of that box. Plenty of experts are struggling to do the very same thing as technology develops and readers pick their favorite mode of book delivery. In fact, Publishers Weekly ran an interesting array of answers to your question in its article “What’s Ahead in 2011” a couple of weeks ago. Traditional publishing, self-publishing, eBooks… there are plenty of valid ways to produce and deliver a book, and the big players are duking that out as we speak. The individual writer’s issue isn’t so much the production and delivery. Heck, the more formats, the better. Your challenge is letting your audience know that your book exists regardless of format—and that means getting your whole body out of that box. During this industry shake-up, you should be focusing your non-writing energies on exploring ways to market and promote yourself and your books. That is where you have power. For your 2011 New Year’s resolution, commit to turning yourself into a forward-thinking self-marketing expert who can tell the world about your books regardless of what business model sits atop the smoldering heap when the battle is over.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Mention High Word Count in Query Letter?

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Dear Editor…

How should one handle a word count that is far out of the norm in a cover letter. Should it simply be stated or is some explanation necessary? Thanks.

Sincerely,

Rosi

Dear Rosi…

I posed this one directly to agents at this weekend’s ALA Midwinter Conference, and the sentiment is consistent: You can’t explain away the knee-jerk skepticism that a word count “far out of the norm” inspires. Don’t try. DO try to go back to your manuscript and justify the final word count to yourself. Does every scene deserve to be there because it is essential to its chapter’s overall goal? Has minutiae crept in, like writing that your character picks up a glass, walks to the sink, and fills it with water when all you really need to write is that the character took a drink? Are you explaining how the characters move from scene to scene or can you just start a scene with the character already there? Is your language as tight and straightforward as it can be within your chosen style? Can the story be broken into two volumes, as with M. T. Anderson’s Octavian Nothing books (both of which are quite long)? If you honestly feel no shortening is necessary, that you aren’t just being reluctant about “killing your darlings,” then simply state the word count in your query letter and knock their socks off with a killer pitch.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Too Young To Be Taken Seriously?

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Dear Editor…

I am a currently unpublished writer at the age of 16, but I am approaching the stage at which I will start pitching manuscripts soon. Is there a good way to spot agents that will blow me off because of my age?

Sincerely,

A. E.

Dear A. E.…

Who says you have to reveal your age when you submit? Just say, “This would be my debut book” in your query letter and leave it at that. They’ll judge the manuscript on its own merit, with no age-related bias. You can share your age after they decide they like your work. And then, frankly, your age becomes a selling point. An agent would love to pitch the “next Christopher Paolini.” I’ve seen agents go out with that as the lead in their pitch. In fact, that may be an argument for revealing your age in the query letter. If you show in that letter that you’ve got writing chops and then swoop in at the end with the news that you’re just 16, agents will eagerly ask for your full manuscript. Should they ultimately decide it’s not for them, I’m confident “blowing off” won’t be involved. Typically, folks in publishing like to encourage young writers.

One more thing: Do your homework when researching agents. You want a well-reputed one. Start with the Literary Market Place, identify agencies/agents who want submissions in your genre, then google their names to see what other writers are saying about them and who they represent. Their agency websites should state if they’re members of the AAR, an organization that requires ethical practices of its members. Certain names will rise to the top of your list pretty quickly.

Happy writing!

The Editor