Another Quality Check

So far I've had 23 official rejections out of the 63 agency queries I've sent out for my novel COME THE HARPIES. Of course the number of "unofficial" rejections is considerably higher, since many agencies do not send out rejections at all; they just don't respond. Since I will never assume that my submission package is perfect until I start getting more requests for material, I periodically engage professionals through workshops and other means to critique my materials.

I think my current query letter is very strong and that perhaps it is my opening chapter sample that is not gaining traction with agents. As alluded to in previous posts, it's critical that the first five to ten pages of a novel be amazing in order to capture an agent's interest. Thus, I'm constantly going back and tinkering with my first chapter to make sure it's as clean as I can make it. I've participated in a couple of agent-led workshops, one of which did critique my sample and suggested a few minor edits. One nice bonus was the agent requested additional material based on the quality of the sample. (I have yet to hear back from her!)

My plan is to reach out every few months for additional critiques of my work from legitimate agents and other outfits with proven expertise in the current publishing industry--there is no shortage of agencies and other entities willing to provide such services for a fee (usually ranging from $100 to $300). It ain't cheap, but I'm committed to investing in my publishing effort since I have a lot of faith in my manuscript.

Another potential benefit of taking this approach is to raise the visibility of my work. Agents receive hundreds of queries and proposals a month, and in their rush to cull the slush pile, they probably end up rejecting a lot of seriously great books. But when you are paying an agent to analyze your query and sample, they're forced to slow down and really evaluate your work. In my case, the two times I've had my work evaluated, the agent found value and requested additional samples, so I consider the money well spent.

It seems in the submission business, there are many ways to skin a cat.

The Deafening Silence of an Agent's Non-Response

I belong to a writing group whose members have set receiving 100 rejections as a goal for the year 2020. The rejections can be for poetry, short stories, fiction or non-fiction books, essays or articles. The obvious thought behind this goal is to acknowledge that writing is a rejection-intense labor of love and the importance to keep plugging away even when the market responds unkindly.

The problem with this goal is that you don't always know when your work is being rejected. For example, of the more than 60 queries that I've sent out for my novel, COME THE HARPIES, I've received less than 20 rejections. Does that mean that more than 40 agents are still considering taking me on as a client?

The answer is no.

The reason is that many agents say that they are so inundated with queries that they don't have the time to respond unless they're interested in reading more of an author's manuscript. Keep in mind that most submissions are done by email and that it takes all of about 10 seconds to hit "Reply" to an email and add a brief message like "Sorry, not for me." One can construe this non-response policy from agents as a lack of empathy or just plain arrogance.

I don't like it much because, like all authors, I track my submissions and hate to be left dangling with non-responses. But I tend to cut agents some of slack in this regard because I absolutely believe that in the age of electronic submissions, agents do get overwhelmed with queries simply because it is so cheap and easy to submit.

Years ago, before email, everything was done via the postal system and writers had to make a real commitment to submit. Between queries and manuscripts, I spent a small fortune in paper and postage when I tried getting one of my books published back in the 1990's. While book agents have always had a heavy load of submissions to wade through, the advent of electronic submissions (and MFA programs!) has made that workload many times larger.

Still, my sympathy for the agent community goes only so far. If an agent doesn't have 10 seconds to respond to a query, perhaps they're over-extended and should stop accepting queries for a period until they can catch up with their backlog. I don't know about other writers, but I spend hours researching appropriate agents and customizing queries for my particular book. At the very least I would appreciate the recipient of my query to spend a few seconds on a response.

Until then, I don't know if I've had 19 or 40 rejections for my novel. So how will I know when I've reached 100 rejections for the year?

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.