Query Letters and reality

So, you've drafted the perfect query letter for your novel. You've followed the guidelines exactly, and you've narrowed your agent search down to your specific genre. Assuming you write fiction. (The process for non-fiction book proposals is much different.) Anyway, you've prepared each package carefully, tailoring each one to the requirements of the agent and agency. You mail out a few a week, (Mass mailings do not allow for corrections and procedural adjustments) keep a list of what you have out there, and wait for the responses to start flowing in. You've done everything right. Right?

The reality is most agents working at reputable literary agencies are inundated by author queries, especially first time authors of novels. I have written and published Flash for a few years, but I am marketing my first novel as well. These agents receive on the average over 100 queries per week. Most of these companies neither have the time nor the need to take the time to read each query. A generic rejection post card or letter is stuffed into the SASE you included in your package and mailed back. You file it with the others, then move on. Send out the next batch, and wait. Repeat process over and over.

This is not to say you won't get a valid response, some agents may even ask for a synopsis, chapters or even the manuscript. But more often than not (which is just the nature of this business) the first description is more apt.

In Jeff Herman's Guide to Literary Agents, Editors and Book Publishers (2009) Jeff nicely interviews agents within agencies and gives authors the pertinent information needed to contact the right agent or company. The underlying issue though remains: If you know someone in the business, a published author, editor etc. a referral is the best shot at opening doors. Some agents state this up front, most don't.

So the bottom line is, at least for me. Send out as many queries as possible. Stick with it. Go to conferences and writer's events. Build on the network of people you know in the literary business. Don't rely on one staid method to open the doors.

The novel is finished...but

The year you spent writing and rewriting, editing and proofing your novel gave you a sense of satisfaction and a major accomplishment. That's how I fell too. The work was daunting, but all the effort was worth it, right?

In my case, I hired an editor to catch all the grammar errors that slipped through the thousandth time I read it. Agents and editors want a polished piece. You don't want to be rejected because of typos and grammatical problems.

So your finally ready to start shopping your novel around. You need to write a query letter tailored to each person you intend on contacting. Also a hook or logline, a brief synopsis, an expanded synopsis, and a chapter outline.

Your manuscript should be formatted for submission too. Agents may ask for ten pages, three chapters, fifty pages or the whole thing. Point is: Be ready.

All of these things become the materials you'll need as you move the process along, including stuffing those rejection notices in a filing cabinet. The web has a ton of material for each one of these "essentials" in the quest for agent representation. I spent many weeks writing the basic query letter and the basic synopsis.

These are the first impressions, and maybe the only impression you'll get to make. If your novel is good, put the hours into the marketing. It takes more than luck. It takes a professional approach and the understanding that it's all about business.

The Writer's Eye Magazine

The March/April 2008 issue of The Writer's Eye Magazine, has published my flash fiction story titled, Art for Art's Sake. The piece is a scathing indictment of the art world smothered in all its pretense and snobbery.

"Those who eager to grab onto dark humor as contemporary critique will find here what ails them. Rera’s prose drips sardonic with not-too-subtle jabs at popular currents..."

ArtVoice: Forrest Roth

Published bi-monthly, the Writer's Eye Magazine promotes artistic integration. It provides a venue for writers who are also visual artists - photographers, painters, sculptors, etc. Each issue highlights work that combines the verbal and visual arts, encouraging and inspiring readers, writers, and artists.

Recommended Books for March 2008

Bang Crunch by Neil Smith (Vintage 2007) offers an array of short stories where the average smash their way into the unusual. Smith writes in a compressed style giving the reader everything they need to peek into his world and try to squeeze back out again. In these nine stories we witness the idiosyncratic nature of all kinds of people, but quickly realize by looking in the mirror, it could be any of us. The we too have our own self-rationalized journeys into the oddities of life. That we are not always observers but active participants in the absurd.

New Sudden Fiction Short-Short Stories form America and Beyond edited by Robert Shapard and James Thomas. (Norton 2007) These selections have been culled from previously published works, from journals, magazines and books. Over 60 flash fiction pieces ranging from Joyce Carol Oates, Chuck Palahniuk and an all-cast eclectic array of other writers. The stories are varied and offer a great cross section of this genre.

Buffalo Small Press Book Fair

The 2008 Buffalo Small Press Book Fair is a regional one day event that brings booksellers, authors, bookmakers, zinesters, small presses, artists, poets, and other cultural workers (and enthusiasts) together in a venue where they can share ideas, showcase their art, and peddle their wares.

The 2008 event will be held Saturday, March 22, from 12-6pm at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, Porter Hall, 453 Porter Avenue in Buffalo, NY. Get directions.

In addition, readings, performances, discussions, and related lectures are scheduled to go on throughout the day.

Visit the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair for more information.

Flash Fiction: It's still the story

"Say it quick."

Of course it really means "write it quick." But not in the sense of writing fast. There isn't a clock to watch. Flash is usually under 1500 words, more likely a 1000 words and better yet around 500 words. Some may insist Flash can be a sentence. OK. I'll give in to interpretation.

My bottom line is there still needs to be a story. The one that has a beginning, middle and an end. Most readers prefer not to slog through disjointed word play. Readers want to walk away from the story satisfied or scratching their heads. They may like the story, be indifferent to it or hate it. But story should leave the reader with an opinion.

In the days and weeks ahead, I will host discussions on Flash, short story fiction and other topics important to writers and readers alike.

If you are an established writer or a beginner, an avid reader or just interested in joining our discussions, I encourage you to contribute your thoughts on writing and reading.

Thanks,
Lou Rera