Hello, Storytellers!! I hope you are having a fabulous day, morning, evening-whatever!
This is part two that I just decided to add to last week's blog about crushing your query which you can find HERE or just scroll down after reading this!
So it's time to submit, but you now have to write your query and your mind goes blank. You can't form a coherent sentence, and you just write something too long, too boring, or just plain bad. Why is that?
I think it's like a game of GOLF-all in YOUR HEAD. You put the pressure on yourself to write something amazing and BAM! just like that, nothing good comes out.
There are tons and tons and tons of resources for how to write a good query, so I won't bore you with those details. GOOGLE how to write a query and I promise you tons will come up. I have some favorites, which you can see in my earlier blog, but everyone is different, so I want you to do what speaks to you.
That said, as someone who used to run a query clinic, and I often work with writers one on one with their queries, let me share some of the most common mishaps that writers make.
I think that people get caught up in the "this must be perfect" mindset and freak out. Writers can obviously write because they just wrote a great book, screenplay, or TV script.
Okay, one more.
BE VERY SPECIFIC about WHO you send to. You don't need to send 100 queries.
Choose a small handful of people to send to, and get your manuscript ready for them. Tell them WHY you think that you will be great working together. If you are sending to everyone who you think of, trust me, that comes off on the page. Think of your agent like your spouse. This is a relationship. You need to interview them as well. This may be via social media posts, conference talks, but you need to send to the right agent.
I hope these tips help you. I want every writer to succeed, so if you have questions feel free to post. I'll tell you this. I have a very high request rate when I query. I have made the mistake of sending before the book has been ready and then failed at the manuscript stage. I have had three agents for writing. Currently, I'm finishing a new novel, women's fiction, I am being really picky about who I will be sending to soon. PATIENCE is something that is key.
DON'T GET DISCOURAGED!
Good luck. Contact me if I can help you. I also do work one on one with people. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION on working one to one
Sometimes I tell my writer friends and clients, first just tell me what your book is about like we're friends out having coffee. Nine times out of ten, what they tell me as a friend is MUCH stronger than what they just wrote in their query. I'm telling you all, it's all in your head. Be EXCITED for your book, and start by being casual about why it's great.
If you want you can do this exercise.
Write a letter to a friend about your new book!!! Trust me, a lot of what you write in there can go right into your query. :)
Sometimes if you can't simply say what your book is about, then your book probably isn't ready to be queried. Keep that in mind. If you are really struggling, there MAY be a reason for it.
Okay, no, go write and be excited!!!
xo
Stephanie
50% Complete
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