Blog for Bristol Services Intl.

QUESTION (from one of my editing clients):
Do I look for endorsements before I submit the book? What do I tell these folks? Will they want to endorse something that isn’t printed, or accepted? I am sure having their endorsements will help get it accepted, but which comes first…the chicken or the egg?!

ANSWER:
Getting endorsements is a great idea– it adds great impact, when you send in the proposal, if the publisher recognizes either the person or their organization. Find someone whose knowledge and ability in that fiction genre or on a subject withing the book is known and respected. Then write to them.

Whether or not it is published is not important to the prospective endorsee. You just explain why you think they are so great (you love the book they published which is similar in some way–but not competitive; you heard their super speech at a recent seminar; you’ve read all their theories on the subject; whatever fits), your background, what you’ve written and ask if there is any chance they could look over what you have … and if they like it how it would mean so much if they could let you know so you could use their endorsement.

Basically, this is a sales pitch letter to them, but you need to make it sound very personal. Which it is! Because you are asking them a really HUGE personal favor–to take time from their busy life to help you, a complete stranger, out! How will they respond? They agree (of course!), read what you have and simply love it (how could they feel otherwise?) and then send you a note about how great it is (surely!). Which you then use as part of your marketing to publishers. Ahhh … doesn’t that make it all sound so easy!

Okay, so maybe they won’t agree. They may not even answer! But you’d be surprised how often I hear that someone versed on a subject or known in a field of writing IS willing to read and endorse a manuscript from a first-time author. Sometimes, even if they don’t have the time to read it all, they will make helpful suggestions. Even that is a huge bonus for you.  

The worst that can happen is you never hear from them or they say “no.” The best? That you make a special contact and get a useful endorsement. Anything in between is still ever so useful. So plunge on and ASK!

A writer with a book manuscript finished and ready to market asked:

QUESTION:
 What are your personal thoughts about submitting a ms anywhere at the present time (considering the financial situation)? I was going to wait until after the election for sure. Life might be more settled then, for better or worse, but at least some questions would be answered. What would you do if you had a book to submit?

ANSWER:
For any year, I would NOT submit towards the end of the year, meaning from mid-November on. I’d wait until after January 1st. Traditionally the publishing world comes to a screeching halt twice a year: in August (publishers flee for vacations from the too-hot NY publishing world) and year end. They are only half staffed Thanksgiving through Jan 1 for the Holiday season.

For this particular year, with the financial world seemingly coming to a crashing halt, nearly every industry is in the “hold” mode. In the publishing world, they already have committments for months in advance, so will likely hesitate to committ for anything much further out until some stability is felt in the markets overall. So from September to the end of 2008, I’d say it’s a bust just for the reasons you give. Sorry about that.

But … if I ALREADY had the right connections within the industry and an introduction either you made with a publisher previously or through your networking, I would NOT put it off. I’d proceed with any contacts in a business-as-usual fashion. Holidays slow-downs and financial woes aside, they are still in business so they will respect any contacts already started. And at the least, you would be firmly in their minds once the world starts to turn again.

PS: I answered this writer prior to the 2008 elections and prior to financial situations only deepening. If you already submitted something to a publisher during this difficult time and find responses slower than expected, these are likely the reasons. So don’t be discouraged. Just keep in mind that it will take a while before new committments will be made in any sector … and keep on honing your writing skills in the meantime.

Question from a client/writer:
I have been toying around with my query. I feel like it sums things up pretty well, gets the essence of the main character’s challenge but if all a perspective agent is going to see is one paragraph is that really going to be enough to make them want to see more?

Answer:
How to write a query letter is always a tough call. But if you can’t make a snappy enough presentation in a short paragraph (the size of what is called the blurb on the back cover of a book), then agents/publishers figure that author can’t create a “fast-paced” book either. So a short paragraph that grabs the reader is a great idea.

I suggest picking up several paperbacks you have lying around and reading the back covers of the books. There is normally one to three very short paragraphs that sum up the entirety of the book. Count the words on a few of them. See how few words they use? How much tension/action/drama/promises of danger and excitement needs to be packed in those words? That is why I would personally go for the “shorter is better” angle when you write the paragraph in the query that sums up the book.

HOW TO WRITE A SNAPPY QUERY STORY SUMMARY:
Practice by mimicking a couple of what you think are the snappiest, most interesting of those book back blurbs. For instance, I’m looking at the back of James Patterson’s “Beach Road.” It starts, “Welcome to Beach Road–expensive, exclusive … and explosive. Tom Dunleavy has a one-man law firm in the wealthy resort town of …” Etc.

Okay, now write in that format for your fantasy book, weaving in the facts of YOUR story into that concept. “Welcome to Planet Sim-B–where engineered perfection masks a dark underbelly of corruption. Angela Jones has a one-woman personal transport service for the weathly and priveleged in the city of …”

Keep going until you have used the concept of that whole blurb. Then try a couple more other blurbs, again editing in your own story into the basic format. In the end, you’ll have the feel for how to create that snappy query paragraph you need. And by then you can create your OWN format (probably using a few sentences from each of the blurbs you write) that will feel perfect for your own story. Short, snappy, interesting.

Remember, the query paragraph is not an abbreviated outline of the whole book. Just (hopefully!?!) intriguing enough to make them want more.