You know by now that I love helping writers realize their potential as storytellers and career authors. My favorite part is guiding them in developing a personal style that both embodies their creative vision and appeals to their audience. Above all, I try to do it in a fun and supportive way. That’s the heart of this website, and it’s the heart of my book Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies. I’m honored and excited for this chance to do the same for writers of New Adult fiction.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Danny Fingeroth

Dear Heather…

The graphic novel market is an especially tricky one. Because of the time and specialized skills required to create a graphic novel, advances are often fairly high to enable the writer and artist to live while they’re working on it. Plus, outside the work-for-hire world of Marvel and DC superheroes, there is really no way to accurately predict what a GN by someone relatively unknown in the field will sell. Is your husband the artist as well as the writer? Either way, having pages of the story drawn and lettered to include with the proposal is generally a good idea, although there is the chance that some editors may not like the look of the art, and so may reject the story even if they like the writing, and even if you make it clear you would be willing to work with another artist. In addition, the “hybrid” part of the description may be confusing or off-putting to some editors. Many graphic novelists are turning to Kickstarter and other crowd-funding venues to finance their work. That may be an option worth exploring for you.

Sincerely,
Danny Fingeroth

Don’t be a tease: submit the “comprehensive” version, all secrets revealed. The reason agents and editors turn to the synopsis is because they’ve read that “book blurb”-type pitch in your query letter and liked the concept, and they’ve read your sample pages and liked the narrative voice and opening, and now they want to know your plans for the plot. ALL of your plans. Now’s not the time to get cutesy or try to entertain. Show step by step, in a 1- to 2-page, single-spaced document that’s more like an enhanced outline, how the plot will unfold for the main storyline. If the subplot is directly related to the resolution of your main plot, lay that out step by step, too. End with showing not only how the plot is resolved but how your character’s internal journey has been completed. Think of this as handing the agent the blueprints to your story.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Leave the steamy stuff out of the query. There’s plenty of steam in New Adult novels, and agents know that, so there’s no need to “prepare” the agent for it. Plus, it’s not a selling point in particular. It’s better to use the short query space to highlight your awesome hook, emphasizing what differentiates your manuscript’s plot, characters, and themes from the masses. Pitch your concept and your craft, not the sex.

Happy writing!
The Editor

Aim for a “relaxed professional” tone for your fiction query, which is more like flap copy than a letter to your banker. Strict formality is at odds with your project and does nothing to demonstrate that you can manipulate the language to tickle funny bones or spark wry smiles. You’re a professional of the creative arts, pitching to a professional who deals in creative products, so draft the query as a professional but then “relax” it with fresh, lively phrasing. Don’t go too far, though: wild wordplay and wackiness can easily overwhelm out of a fictional context.

Happy writing!
The Editor