tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post5562484452387649136..comments2023-09-25T02:24:22.087-07:00Comments on Anne R. Allen's Blog: How to Guarantee Rejection: Top 10 Ways Writers Self-Reject when Querying Bloggers, Editors, and AgentsAnne R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-9260516555885441882015-08-01T13:57:58.094-07:002015-08-01T13:57:58.094-07:00John--I made some howler mistakes like that when I...John--I made some howler mistakes like that when I was querying too. If an agent has a sense of humor about it, you know that's an agent you might be comfortable working with!Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-36999181339104089612015-08-01T07:39:14.742-07:002015-08-01T07:39:14.742-07:00When I first was querying I wrote "Dear Ms. (...When I first was querying I wrote "Dear Ms. (agent's last name)" and sent it to a male agent. Thankfully, he had a great sense of humor, wrote back<a href="http://itsgr9.com/top-10-best-wireless-doorbells/" rel="nofollow">Douglass Amerio</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01747675198937990854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-8936943941380986992015-05-02T13:37:41.141-07:002015-05-02T13:37:41.141-07:00Sue--LOL! I've heard that happening a lot, esp...Sue--LOL! I've heard that happening a lot, especially when the first name is something unisex like "Parker" or "Blair". How fantastic it worked in your favor!! Great story. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-23321933216204250582015-05-02T13:28:07.775-07:002015-05-02T13:28:07.775-07:00When I first was querying I wrote "Dear Ms. (...When I first was querying I wrote "Dear Ms. (agent's last name)" and sent it to a male agent. Thankfully, he had a great sense of humor, wrote back, "By the way, I'm a man, not a Ms." In my case, and I do NOT recommend this, it worked in my favor because we got chatting, which led to him requesting the full manuscript. But, as you know, this is not the norm.Sue Colettahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13506701894460706840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-50084167261130365512015-04-28T22:55:31.686-07:002015-04-28T22:55:31.686-07:00Yeah, that's probably what happens. Or they ju...Yeah, that's probably what happens. Or they just pick blogs out of some pageview ranking lists...Veronica Sicoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03741318844378921184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-11184061278520083992015-04-27T09:48:42.025-07:002015-04-27T09:48:42.025-07:00Veronica--It's a mystery to me too! How do the...Veronica--It's a mystery to me too! How do these people know about our blogs when they've so obviously never read them? Somebody must make lists of blogs and sell them to clueless people who don't understand how Google works. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-34349754089228922882015-04-27T06:54:13.893-07:002015-04-27T06:54:13.893-07:00Great points, Anne!
I can't imagine just sen...Great points, Anne! <br /><br />I can't imagine just sending out queries blindly (and ignorantly). I'm usually tripple-checking my information, mortified that I'll look like a douche if I send anything out by mistake. :D<br /><br />My blog is comparatively obscure, but even I received emails from people asking to guest post. People who had no idea what my blog is about. Granted, at first neither did I, but I certainly never blogged about gay erotica or quilting. How these people found my blog (and took the time to phish out my email adress yet magically not notice that I blog about writing science-fiction) remains a complete mystery.Veronica Sicoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03741318844378921184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-56704456091085155412015-04-26T14:20:07.462-07:002015-04-26T14:20:07.462-07:00John--I suppose given the law of averages, somebod...John--I suppose given the law of averages, somebody might get a request that way, but they'd also be alienating every other agent on the list. It's the same technique as cold-calling everybody in the phone book. Eventually you get somebody who's lonely or has Alzheimer's or whatever so you can con them, but you've spread a lot of ill will. And yes, I think if anybody landed an agent that way, they'd want to keep it a secret...at least from the agent. :-) Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-6466358012838200532015-04-26T12:03:10.622-07:002015-04-26T12:03:10.622-07:00Has anyone ever had publishing success by shotgunn...Has anyone ever had publishing success by shotgunning their manuscript to every agent, regardless of what agents represent? I can see why an ignorant author wouldn't research (a shame that it happens), but I wonder if it's ever actually hit. I guess you wouldn't admit that after landing the agent...?John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-37210127009182279382015-04-21T12:04:40.061-07:002015-04-21T12:04:40.061-07:00Sorry, I should have inserted a *just kidding* in ...Sorry, I should have inserted a *just kidding* in my comment to Christine. I was having fun with her for saying she followed the rules in her query, then split an infinitive in her comment. However, I do believe (and have read this from others--authors and agents..)--that it is advisable for authors to question prospective agents, politely of course, in a way that will tell them you are not a pushover. The relationship should be a partnership, and, as Anne pointed out, a good one can last a lifetime.Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-30638489928551352992015-04-21T10:13:10.224-07:002015-04-21T10:13:10.224-07:00Christine--It's very wise to pay attention to ...Christine--It's very wise to pay attention to your intuition when querying. The author-agent relationship can last a lifetime. You don't want to "settle" for somebody who won't treat you with respect. Some agents, like any other group of humans, can be a**hats. You do not want to go there! <br /><br />I wouldn't follow Mathew's LOL advice, though. "Testing" an agent with deliberate mistakes would only let the agent know that you are the one who is an a**hat. The intuition thing goes both ways. :-) <br /><br />So much of what's involved in good business manners and professionalism is simple respect. Respect goes a long way. For agents and for authors. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-67052798473085368282015-04-21T03:11:33.836-07:002015-04-21T03:11:33.836-07:00Christine, sometimes a cleverly split infinitive c...Christine, sometimes a cleverly split infinitive can work wonders, I've been told.If everything else follows the rules to a T, a single, simple, calculated infinitive-splitting can tease the prospective professional into wondering if it was done deliberately to test him/her, and he/she will not be able to stop him/herself from wanting more. That is if the professional is an inherently curious person. Should you sense he/she is not an inherently curious person--no matter how professional he/she purports to be, turn on your heel and run. Run as fast as you can!Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-85995961667142831932015-04-20T19:23:57.604-07:002015-04-20T19:23:57.604-07:00Great post. Great advice. I chose to not submit qu...Great post. Great advice. I chose to not submit queries twice because I thought the agent wanted too much from me. Right or wrong, it felt like the beginning of a demanding relationship. At least I didn't submit a query that didn't follow the rules. I can't imagine doing that and thinking it would fly.Christine Ahernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18332152375980196208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-84867633572399073202015-04-20T15:49:06.387-07:002015-04-20T15:49:06.387-07:00Tara--I know it seems counterintuitive, but agents...Tara--I know it seems counterintuitive, but agents are always vehement about how they don't want to get a query that pitches more than one book. (I made that mistake and I know why you have the urge to do it, but don't. You're pitching a book, not your career at this point.)<br /><br />The truth is that almost everybody they hear from will have a couple of novels in the archives. <br /><br />BUT if you're pitching the first book in a series or trilogy, you can mention--in your final paragraph--that you have the other books in the pipeline. If 2 and 3 are in rough draft and will be soon ready to go, do say that.. <br /><br />But avoid mentioning any other books until you are invited to have more dialogue with the agent. If you get "that call" one of the first questions the agent will ask is what else you have. Save your pitches for that phone call. (You might even want to rehearse them.)Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-69358160385919131322015-04-20T15:37:57.122-07:002015-04-20T15:37:57.122-07:00Here's an emailed question from Irish writer T...Here's an emailed question from Irish writer Tara Sparling:<br /><br />"Hi, Anne - Your post as always got me thinking (ouch) and I was wondering about your point # 8. Could mentioning previous novels we've written could be a positive thing instead? For instance, having other work in the pipeline can mean we're more ready to capitalise on any readers who decide they might like our stuff. Today's readers tend to go looking for more, immediately -and if it's not there, they forget all about you. <br /><br />Is there a way of talking about previous unpublished work which makes a selling point of it? It can be an indication of a writer honing and improving their craft, and they may not even have gone through a submission process yet, let alone had them all rejected. Perhaps it's all down to how we phrase it?"Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-38687362640455005892015-04-20T13:57:17.864-07:002015-04-20T13:57:17.864-07:00You will be the first to know, Anne. ;-)You will be the first to know, Anne. ;-)Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-87306916294555439122015-04-20T13:29:58.123-07:002015-04-20T13:29:58.123-07:00thesandwich--I'm glad it helps. Do click throu...thesandwich--I'm glad it helps. Do click through to Nathan Bransford's post on query writing. He has links to several others. I took his course in query writing a few years ago at the Central Coast Writer's Conference. It really helped! Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-89381647037300769422015-04-20T13:28:16.938-07:002015-04-20T13:28:16.938-07:00If you find a better way, let us know. You might h...If you find a better way, let us know. You might have a fantastic business idea there! Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-39137599240519847082015-04-20T13:18:29.543-07:002015-04-20T13:18:29.543-07:00Thanks Anne - Just starting my query lettering lif...Thanks Anne - Just starting my query lettering life so this is really helpful... and amusing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-67484695481991201462015-04-20T13:01:17.957-07:002015-04-20T13:01:17.957-07:00I should have clicked "preview" on that ...I should have clicked "preview" on that last comment, and done some proofing. Mea culpa. Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-253501654185336922015-04-20T12:58:51.445-07:002015-04-20T12:58:51.445-07:00Good points, Anne. Here are two of mine: One: Que...Good points, Anne. Here are two of mine: One: Query services that charge the writer are no better, in my opinion, that agents who charge reading fees. What I'm suggesting is for readers who work either independently, which would require a start-up investment of time and effort, or work with agents, doing the initial screening for the agents. Two: Agents who think blurbs, pitches and queries represent the "real me" are looking for pitch-writers, not authors. I'm not talking "raw talent." What I'm saying is the narrative craft involved in creating a novel is so far from the tricks involved in blurbing and pitching as to be virtually indescribable. Put another way, it's the difference between calmly explaining a project and shouting it out <i>a la</i> Billy Mays on midnight TV. Most assuredly I can learn to write the queries that might work for a particular professional personality interested only in expediency, which evidently most of them are. And I will learn these tricks if I must. What I'm saying is, in the interest of both authors and legacy publishing, there must be a better way. Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-60681054912035864442015-04-20T12:28:18.605-07:002015-04-20T12:28:18.605-07:00Mathew--Actually, there are query services, for bo...Mathew--Actually, there are query services, for both books and screenplays. But mostly they're a waste of time and money because agents can spot one of their queries and will automatically reject. It's like sending somebody to your job interview. Agents want to meet the "real you." <br /><br />Learning to write queries is hard, and most of us hate it, but it's a writing muscle that we can train and tone. Blogging is actually good practice for short, snappy nonfic writing. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-33304224064372533602015-04-20T12:10:25.453-07:002015-04-20T12:10:25.453-07:00Exactly. I learned a good hard lesson from that on...Exactly. I learned a good hard lesson from that one. The reviewer gave me a three out of a five star review and I appreciated it. Could have been much worse. Thanks, Anne. mindprinterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01874142522106185186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-56887976784554803992015-04-20T11:58:24.382-07:002015-04-20T11:58:24.382-07:00Thanks for the compliment, Anne. Perhaps there'...Thanks for the compliment, Anne. Perhaps there's a niche opening for literary entrepreneurs to--on a commission basis--screen submissions for marketability and then write the queries and blurbs to agents and/or publishers. Burned out ad copywriters might find such a field more spiritually rewarding than hawking cigarettes and colas. Might fit as an adjunct to lit agencies on a contractual basis, with guaranteed salary plus a piece of the commissions for sales. <br /><br />There has to be a better way.Mathew Pausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06157135006791553019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-44919823138875964162015-04-20T10:58:39.287-07:002015-04-20T10:58:39.287-07:00Mathew--That's not a comment, it's a blogp...Mathew--That's not a comment, it's a blogpost--and a good one! <br /><br />Literary writers--especially those nurtured in MFA and Creative writing programs--often get fed a lot of misinformation about the value of raw talent in the marketplace. <br /><br />They often aren't told that publishing is a business and most literary writers make their livings teaching in academia rather than writing full time. <br /><br />Even the full-time literary novelists usually make much of their money writing nonfiction and reviews for prestigious magazines, not from their novels. <br /><br />Yes, the industry might miss out on the next Herman Melville or Marcel Proust, now that we use the query system, but these days, a Melville or Proust who prefers not to "jump through hoops" can publish himself. No Times New Roman required. :-) <br /><br />But I think any writer who wants to enter the marketplace needs to think of the reader's needs as much as those of his muse..Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.com