Are Writer’s Digest Workshops a Rip-Off?

As a follow-up to my last post, this is about a trap that I want to avoid when it comes to increasing the odds of my book actually attracting the interest of an agent. I’m calling it the “advice trap.” 

Given the fact there are millions of us writers out there who dream of getting published and are willing to put in the investment of time and money to accomplish that goal, it stands to reason that there are numerous resources available to help get us there—for a price! Subscribers to Writer’s Digest receive emails every day offering workshops that promise to help you write irresistible query letters, slam-bang opening chapters, attention-grabbing blogs and so forth.

Most of these services are provided by reputable literary agencies and include a webinar and live chat session outlining best submission practices, and charge between $100 and $200. The cynical among us may think that these are simply quick money-makers for agents seeking additional streams of income to supplement the feast or famine commission structure of their primary job of landing publishing deals. Nothing wrong with that, as long as they are providing a valuable service that can move us struggling writers closer to our goal.

I’ve taken a couple of these workshops and I’ve encountered some pluses and minuses. They’ve helped me tighten my query letter and opening chapter a bit. This is, of course, critical because agents spend about seven seconds on each submission they receive, so you have to hook them quickly. 

The webinars themselves mostly reinforce knowledge that I’ve already acquired from other seminars and especially from THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. However, the major value I’ve received is the agent critiquing your query has to spend more than seven seconds on it and is more likely to see the value of your manuscript and possibly ask for a larger sample. That has been the case in one of the workshops in which I’ve participated.

The downside is nothing is guaranteed. Even after two workshops, my improved submission materials have not generated any additional interest. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that there are no hard and fast rules when composing submission materials—and agents are inconsistent in even applying their own standards. 

In one workshop, the presenting agent insisted that a fiction query include the book’s genre, word count, and potential audience. Also, she insisted that it’s a bad cliché to begin a book with the protagonist getting up in the morning. After covering all that, she produced what she considers the best query letter she’s ever received. The query was very good but it left out the word count, genre, and audience—and the synopsis begins with the protagonist waking up in the morning. Go figure.

So are these workshops a useless rip-off? Not necessarily. While some provide inconsistent and unreliable advice, they also increase your odds of making an agent provide a fuller assessment of your work than they would a cold query. For that reason alone, I will continue to sign up for the occasional workshop, not only to further refine my submission package, but also to develop relationships with the presenting agencies.     

Query Critique

I have about 30 submissions out and 14 rejections so far. The rejection rate is probably higher than that because many agents will only respond to a query if they're interested in seeing the manuscript. As a policy I find that rather impolite to the writer, but then again, I'm not being pelted each week with several hundred queries that most agents receive. Frankly, I see agenting as a pretty thankless job, whether it's in real estate, acting, or books.

Book agents are inundated with proposals and that's only part of the job. They're also dealing with editors, publishers, marketing people, lawyers and that just seems like layers of headaches to me. Then there's the rejection thing--when their authors get rejected, the agent herself is being rejected. I assume if an agent is rejected by an editor often enough, that editor may think twice about reviewing the agent's future submissions.  Too much pressure! My guess is a person goes into agenting for the jackpot potential and the thrill of turning an unknown writer into a superstar. I will never begrudge an agent his or her 15%.

So what am I doing now? I keep refining my opening chapter and query letter. I recently took a Writer's Digest course that included a query letter workshop and an evaluation of my query letter by a professional agent. I made some substantial changes on my draft based on the workshop and am awaiting the agent's critique.

At the end of the month I'll send out another batch of queries. If results don't improve by the beginning of next year, I'll engage a resource to analyze my query and first chapter to determine which elements need to be strengthen to improve my chances of landing an agent.

The bottom line may be that there is nothing wrong with my submission package. It could just be that I need to find the right pair of eyes to bond with my work. From what I've read, there's about a 1 in 100 chance that a query will generate an agent request to review a large sample of a book. And about a 1 in 400 chance that an agent may offer representation!

Given those odds, it's reasonable to call this a silly waste of time. But, heck, I'm retired--what else would I be doing with my time?

Waiting is the Hardest Part

Here's the scorecard so far with my query activity for COME THE HARPIES. I've sent out 34 queries, received 9 rejections, and one expression of interest from an agent to see more pages based on her review of my first chapter. Thus, I await word from 24 agents on queries sent out between July 24 and October 5.

That of course does not mean that I will hear from all 24. Several agents indicated that they're inundated by so many queries that they only respond if they're interested in the submission, which probably means that my rejection number is higher than the nine I've received so far. While each rejection stings a bit, I maintain a decent level of confidence in the quality of my work and that my hope of finding a publisher is not misplaced.

My current protocol calls for sending out 10 queries a month to a carefully curated list of agents. I haven't explored sending direct to small publishers yet, but maybe that day will come. So what about the "meantime?"

I think my query letter is in pretty good shape and my manuscript is as strong as I can make it at this point. I did go back and edit my plot summary in response to suggestions made by an agent at the Boot Camp described in a previous blog post. So I think my submission package is totally up to snuff for now. But as any writer or creative writing instructor will tell you, your writing muscle should be exercised every day to keep in shape.

I'm not currently working on any particular writing projects, but since my novel ends on a cliff-hanger, it probably wouldn't hurt to start thinking about the sequel. I've already started collecting some research material, but don't have the vaguest idea for the story. Now's as good a time as any to focus some effort on that. It would also be a good time to work on some new musical recording ideas--don't want that part of my brain to fall asleep as well.

Query Update--Let the Games Begin

I haven't tried publishing commercially in close to 15 years, with my last novel, MEDICUS. Over the last couple of weeks I started sending out my submission package to literary agents for COME THE HARPIES, and it's bringing back painful reminders of how enervating the process can be.

So far, I've sent out 22 queries and have received 9 rejections. For you foolhardy writers out there who have taken on the publishing industry in the past, you know quite well that those numbers are hardly significant. Still, the absolute worst part of writing is rejection. Like all writers, I take my work seriously, and having it dismissed out of hand by a busy agent who has skimmed maybe a page or two of a 300-page manuscript, is depressing as hell. And even at my advanced stage in life, rejection stings almost as bad as when I was a fuzzy-faced 27-year-old trying to get my first opus published.

Of course, everyone's heard the stories of famous authors with slam-dunk books being repeatedly rejected. Publishers rejected CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL 144 times, ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE 121 times, Gevova's STILL ALICE got 100 rejections. And the list goes on.

That of course doesn't mean that my latest book is destined to be a classic if it starts racking up three-figure rejections. Maybe it'll never get a green light from a publisher. Maybe the world isn't ready for my genius. Maybe the publishing gate-keepers will all agree that the book simply sucks. But all a writer can do is keep sending it out and refining his submission package. Only time will tell if there's a home for my book. Rejection became so unpalatable for me that I gave up prematurely on my last two books, sending each out only a few dozen times.

What I will do differently this time is to invest in a professional opinion of my submission package if I reach a dozen or so rejections without a manuscript request. More details on this in a future post.

What NOT to Read When You're Writing

I made a terrible mistake recently, which resulted in a psychic setback in the marketing of my novel, COME THE HARPIES. Over my long career as a writer, I learned that it’s best not to read fiction while writing a novel. It’s even more important that if I violate that rule, it’s best that I not read great fiction, because it can totally compromise the self-confidence factor.

I recently broke that rule. I just finished reading a great writer. Though technically I’m at a stage where I’m now marketing my book to agents, it should’ve been okay to return to great books. However, I’m also reviewing my draft again and tweaking and tweaking, a process that could go on for a while. Thus, I should’ve stuck with non-fiction until I sign an agent contract or give up the ghost.

The great writer in question is Zadie Smith, and the book was her smash debut novel called WHITE TEETH. OMG! WHITE TEETH is a tour-de-force. It overflows with humor and wisdom, incredibly well-drawn characters representing a wide gamut of ages, races and cultures. She demonstrates a total mastery of setting, dialect, and emotional range. She covers religious fanaticism ranging from Islamism to the Jehovah Witnesses. Her scope as a writer seems without limit, covering a period from the 19th century to 1992. Her breadth takes you from London street culture to the rarified world of science and technology. Her talent seems infinite. And…she was 25 when she published this book!

Needless to say, Zadie Smith and I are not on the same planet talent-wise. But if she’s five times better than me, then she’s probably five times better than most other professional writers. But that realization doesn’t help much when you’re trying to write and market a book, which requires a maximum of enthusiasm and confidence on the part of the author. I shouldn’t have read that book and I’m paying the emotional toll of unworthiness for it now! 

If it’s any consolation, not all critics were enamored of WHITE TEETH, and it has a below 4 rating on Goodreads. It was criticized for being overwritten, too many main characters, a seeming disdain for most of the characters on the part of the author, tedious and plodding plotting and way too much detail and storylines. Yeah, I can see that. But I also see that books like INFINITE JEST, J.R., GRAVITY’S RAINBOW, and FINNEGAN’S WAKE could be similarly criticized. These books are demanding and certainly not page-turners, but they brilliantly display the otherworldly gifts of their authors, including the great Zadie Smith. 

I suppose as writers we should be satisfied and try to appreciate our more earthly gifts, and accept the fact that the greats don’t come along that often. I think what I need to get me out of the dumps is a nice factual history of the Korean War or maybe a sloppy detective story. 

Writing a Plot Summary

Some, but not all, agents will ask for a plot summary, or synopsis, which is the same thing. Based on my research, agents requiring a plot summary usually do so because they want to see how your story develops beyond the few sample pages in your submission, and whether it’s the type of book that suits their fancy. Most importantly, in my opinion, a strong plot summary is indicative of a writer’s style and skill at condensing and writing persuasively.

That said, I hate doing plot summaries! I find them as difficult to write as the novel itself and even more challenging than writing query letters. With COME THE HARPIES, I had 670 words to describe a 97,000-word novel! That’s right, you get two double-spaced pages to describe your story, including spoilers and the ending of the book. Your plot summary has to introduce your most important character, describe what he/she wants, the personal and external barriers to achieving his/her desires, how he/she is changed by the experience, and how everything in the book ties together in the end. 

In 670 words…or less!

Notice the emphasis on character in the summary. It seems that, while agents are interested in unique and clever plots, what they really crave are fascinating and realistic characters, which is why the personalities in my book are the central focus of my summary. However, it is up to you to figure out the main thrust of your narrative and which subplots and side-stories to leave out to stay within the word count. So hard!

I toiled for weeks on mine and when it was reviewed by an agent at a workshop that I attended, it came back with a bunch of comments that would require further expansion of the summary. I’m still trying to figure out how to implement those changes within the word count restriction.  But this is the type of challenges that we writers frequently have to overcome. 

To help guide you in writing a plot summary, again go back to the back-cover copy of books in your genre to see how the pros capsulize their plots. But unlike your query letter pitch, whose only role is to entice agents to sample your book and leave them hanging, your plot summary should lay out your primary story, including how it ends. But your writing personality and style should shine through in your summary, because it’s another opportunity to demonstrate your brilliance and professionalism.

As with my query, I’m not going to pass along my plot summary in this blog until it has helped garnered the interest of an agent. Until then, here are some very fine plot summaries from Wiki Summaries of several Harry Potter books.  

Writing My Query Letter

The first point of contact with an agent or publisher is your query letter. A good query letter should be one that causes an agent who fields dozens of such letters every day to stand up and take notice of yours.

As noted by the authors Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry in The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, “Your query letter should be information-packed yet concise, complimentary without being obsequious, powerful without being overpowering. Be professional, but make sure the letter reflects the best of your personality and style.”

A query letter has essentially three parts: 1) the Opening, which explains why you’re contacting the agent, 2) your Book Pitch, 3) a brief Bio.

The Opening. Here’s where you make a connection between your book and the types of books the agent represents. If you’ve done your research, you know the types of writers the agent represents and what he or she is looking for. You can find this information on the agency’s website; Guide to Literary Agents; Writers Digest; Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents; as well as agent blogs, and Twitter feeds. Refer specifically to the books the agent has represented and what they mean to you and how your book fits their specific client criteria. Obviously, each query must be personalized since agents instantly discard mass query mailings. The key is to make a warm, human contact in the opening paragraph.

Your Pitch. Here’s where you describe your book and make it sound as tantalizing as possible. You should be able to describe your story in a couple of paragraphs, using as models the back covers and dust covers of books similar to yours. The idea of the pitch is to make the reader want to see more of your work. Your pitch is not a book report. It’s pure marketing. As Eckstut and Sterry say, “Your pitch is our audition to show us what a brilliant or romantic or authoritative writer you are.” You will use your pitch over and over again, not just in your query letter, but also whenever anyone asks you, “What is your book about?”

Your bio. This is a list of your accomplishments, awards (if any), other books you’ve written, or anything else that might interest a particular agent. If this is your first novel, maybe something about your education or background that’s salient to the themes in your book. Even something that you may share in common with the agent you’re soliciting, such as a love of cooking, playing a musical instrument, or any quirks that present you as an interesting personality.

So that’s it. Your query letter is super critical and super difficult to write. Every word in it is important. I’ve lost count of the number of drafts my query has gone through. But you must totally commit to writing a perfect query letter or you just won’t gain any traction in the publishing world. I would like to share my query letter, but I’ve only just started sending it out and I don’t want to present it here until I’ve snared some agent interest in it. Until then, I’ll share some successful queries collected by NY Book Editors that eventually resulted in a book contracts.