Karen Woodward: The Starburst Method of Writing

I rewrote my query letter last week, and it was not easy. No matter what I did, I ended up with a rambling monstrosity that jumped from topic to topic. There was just too much that was important and too many characters I needed to introduce. I knew that I needed to cut out a …

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Writer Unboxed » What to Write in the “Bio” Section Of Your Query Letter

Oh, this is timely! Writer Unboxed » What to Write in the “Bio” Section Of Your Query Letter. I have no formally published works, no awards, and nothing remarkable to boast about. So it's good that the answer here is to not write a bio paragraph at all. Unfortunately, one of the agents I'm looking …

The Swivet [Colleen Lindsay]: Reader Question: “How do I format emailed pages in a query?”

I am putting together my first agent query for Sigils of the Forgotten! Hurray! Now it's time to obsess over email formatting! Thank goodness for this blog: The Swivet [Colleen Lindsay]: Reader Question: "How do I format emailed pages in a query?" And this one! Literary Rambles: How Do I Format My E-Query? When I …

Writer Unboxed » What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents

Oops. I need to pay more attention to my Tumblr feed. I edited last Tuesday's post a few times and ended up posting it 3 times to Tumblr. Whoopsie-doodles. Anyway! Cliches! Behold! Writer Unboxed » What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents. I remember reading this kind of advice when …

Making a List of Agents to Pitch

I missed my weekly Tuesday post. But it's OK! Because I was ridiculously productive yesterday. I finally finished editing the rest of Sigils of the Forgotten. It is done. Done-done. It's 77,000 words of young adult faux-Victorian fantasy, proofread and copyedited and more-or-less ready to go. I might want to come back and edit it …

Elevator Pitch Exercise

A friend of mine sent me this link months ago: Think Fast! 10 Minutes to the Perfect Elevator Pitch — Self Publishing Team. I've seen dozens of these elevator pitch exercises. I also haven't done one in ages. This one starts from the premise of someone who self published and wants to get someone to …

Writer Unboxed » Query Letter FAQs (Part II): 10 More Questions Answered

Oh, I love these things! Writer Unboxed » Query Letter FAQs (Part II): 10 More Questions Answered. I particularly like this one: 4. How many query rejections would necessitate a major overhaul of the query? Submit no more than 10 queries to start. If only 0-1 respond with requests for more, then you’ve got a …