I’ve been spending a lot of time reading queries these last few weeks and even though I try to be objective and reasonable and give every query a fair chance there are little things that irk me. I don’t want them to but they do. I’m afraid they probably bias me from the outset. Here are some of my pet peeves:
1. When the query letter is addressed to Dear Agent or, even worse, to Whom It May Concern. Forgive my fragile ego, but I would just so much prefer to be addressed by name rather than instantly know that I am one of hundreds this query was sent to in an email blast. Even though we all know that you are querying multiple agents, I guess we all want to be made to feel a little special.
2. When there are fifty other email addresses in the address field. See above for why this irks me.
3. When the first paragraph begins with “so and so thought you’d be interested in my book” and I’ve never met so and so or even worse, I have no idea who so and so is.
4. Similarly, when the query writer claims to have met a client who urged him/her to send a query to me. Of course I immediately verify this with said client only to find out that the supposed encounter never happened.
5. Similarly, when the query writer tells me that someone I have had a falling out with (and yes this has happened to even a peace-loving soul like me) has referred them to me. This is probably not a guaranteed way to get your query read.
6. Grammar mistakes, spelling errors, typos. These induce anger, I don’t know why and I can’t help it. I know that many very wonderful writers do not spell well and so I still read the entire query but I do so while gritting my teeth.
7. Listing multiple projects in the same query. While I’m always eager to know what other projects authors are working on, I would like to be sent just one for consideration. If I like it, I will ask about the others.
8. Five query letters in a row for five different projects – from the same author. See above. While it is impressive to know an author has written multiple works, it’s not entirely confidence-inducing to know that none has as yet been published, so it’s better to keep this information to yourself until a dialog has been established.
9. No biographical data. I’d like to know a little bit about previous writing experience and what led the author to write this novel.
10. Queries sent to the wrong email address; queries sent without the five sample pages; queries for projects that are entirely outside my sphere of interest. I feel grateful and honored to receive so many queries but it puzzles me why someone would not do a simple check of my submission guidelines before sending. It’s a simple but effective way of ensuring that your query will be read.
11. Nasty vicious retorts to my standard rejection. I get hundreds of queries a week and while each one is read with great care it is truly impossible to respond to each one individually. While I am fully aware of the amount of work and commitment that has gone into writing an entire manuscript and into crafting the query letter, I believe it’s essential that that commitment extend to professional and courteous conduct throughout the querying process, painful though it may be.
Next week: What makes a query stand out.
My wonderful intern Vina Castillo attended the Agency Interns Networking Toolbox, sponsored by AAR and came back with this report:
Brimming with eager interns alert to any advice and words of encouragement, The Agency Interns Networking Toolbox consisted of a panel of top notch publishers including Amy Einhorn, Jonathan Karp, Sarah Crichton, Julie Strauss-Gabel, and was moderated by agent Gail Hochman. After the esteemed panel members provided an insight into their successful careers, agent Hochman was curious as to what is the best possible relationship publishers look for with agents. All four publishers agreed that the bond between agent and publisher can only truly come to fruition when both sides are passionate about the manuscript and when both are aware of the constant work that is required to get it published. After all, its a long journey from acquisition to publication and beyond.
As for authors looking for agents, they had this advice: familiarize yourself with who you would like to work with. Do not look for an easy yes. Does the agent represent work that is in some aspects similar to your manuscript? Either in style, overall message, audience? Alas, as Amy Eihorn (Penguin) pointed out, it isn’t necessarily attractive if a manuscript resembles a known hit. Agents and publishers are looking for innovate, unique material that will surprise and them and can surpass past bestsellers.
The conversation then turned to the hot issue of the moment: YA. Young Adult books are currently at their peak, from Vampires to Dystopia. Curiously enough Julie Strauss-Gabel, VP and Publisher of Dutton Children’s Books who is responsible for award winners John Green (who quite possibly changed my life) and Scott Westerfeld, has been resoundingly declining Vamps and dystopias for strictly literary YA. There is no guarantee that vamps will live on, at least not with The Big Six publishers.
As an intern for Ayesha Pande whose literary taste breaks the current mold of bestsellers, this panel reinforced my belief that trends are temporary and for a manuscript to truly succeed it must be timeless.
– Vina Castillo
She’s gone and won another award for Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self. This time it’s a big one: The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. Congratulations, Danielle!
The Landless Theatre Company in Washington DC will present Rock Bottom (A Rock Opus) based on the novel by our very own Michael Shilling. The musical is a collaboration between Michael Shilling, Landless Artistic Director Andrew Lloyd Baughman and award-winning songwriter/musician Talia Segal. The production is directed by Melissa Baughman (Diamond Dead, 2008 Best Musical Pick of the Capital Fringe).
Rock Bottom is the story of the final day in the life of a rock band as it crashes and burns. The Blood Orphans were supposed to be the next big thing in rock, but today they find themselves washed up in Amsterdam, where bands go to die: a coke-fueled female manager, a sex addict drummer with a dark secret, a disgruntled bass player with a skin condition, a mistreated guitarist, and a born-again Buddhist frontman. It’s a darkly comic tour of frustration, danger, excitement, and just possibly, redemption.
Michael Shilling has extensive life experience as a rock musician. Rock Bottom was published in 2009 by Back Bay Books/Little Brown, and has earned rave reviews, including the label “best rock’n’roll novel ever written” by Houston Press.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think Rock Bottom would be musicalized, but now, in retrospect, it makes perfect sense,” said Shilling. “The book’s characters, cranky as they can be, are just born drama queens. So taking the story to this new medium feels very right.”
Landless Artistic Director Andrew Lloyd Baughman discovered the book while perusing a local bookstore for material in 2009. “It’s my Quixotic quest to forge the rock musical that actually works,” said Baughman. “It’s tough to filter through the voice of musical theatre characters, but the characters in Michael’s novel were so honest and compelling. I felt I have known them all in my own band experiences. This material has true rock potential.”
We agree and hope that our DC readers will check out the show. It’s playing at the District of Columbia Arts Center, 2438 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. It runs from July 15 through August 7. Check out rockbottommusical.com for more details.
Dear Readers,
Today it brings me great pleasure to introduce Ayanna Behin, a new literary agent who’s been working with me these last few weeks but is in the process of setting up her own shop. Look out for her, she’s smart and talented! She’s authored a guest blog on the art of query writing:
“I wish that I could say that there was a formula for writing a successful query, but there isn’t. There are, however, a few rules that you should follow if you are writing one.
First, please make sure that there are no typos in your query – read it twice, or three times if you need to before you send it out. If you think about it, I’m sure that you would agree that your query is often your first impression to your potential agent. Why not put your best foot forward? Something about typos smacks of laziness and an agent dreads that editing the manuscript will be a nightmare.
Second, please be professional. You don’t want be too familiar with the agent that you are writing to for the very first time. Maybe one day, you will become friends. But, the best way to get there is to show that you can be professional. Every agent has to think about how they will best present you to a publishing house and we want to know that you are someone that we can present to any editor from the stuffiest to the most laid back.
Third, if the agent that you are writing to has submission guidelines please read them and follow them. We all like to feel like you’ve chosen to ask us to represent you because you think that we will be a great fit and have a long and successful working relationship. Throw a quick line in there that suggests that you know our work and respect it or at least something that shows that you are thinking about what our ideal working relationship will be like.
I like to read a query that tells me the gist of the story right up front. I also want to know that you’ve given some thought to marketing your story. Who is your audience? Why will they want to read your novel, memoir or how-to? And finally, who are you? Have you published before? How long have you been writing? If this is your debut, that’s okay too.
Of course, there are exceptions to even these rules. To be honest, when a manuscript is truly engaging, I have overlooked a poorly edited or written query. But, every agent is not as forgiving as I am. And why place a hurdle in front of yourself if you don’t have to?
The bottom line is that we want to read and represent good books – books that are well written and books that other people will want to read. If you have a good book, send it in.
Good luck!
Ayanna Behin”
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