So I’ve completed a novel and I cannot decide between looking for an agent, trying to find a publisher myself, or to continue to expose it to more of my friends (the only ones who have tried to read it so far have quit, fortunately due to their strong emotional reactions to it, which tells me that my novel is not for everyone but that I am doing something right because at least it did not generate apathy! [I have since ameliorated that problem somewhat by introducing a chapter which puts the protagonist in a somewhat better light before starting with the creepy stuff.])
So I cruised the web and I found an advice column about a query letter to an agent from an unpublished novelist. Much of it was good advice but two bits stood out.
You should write "I am looking for an agent for XXXXX, a 70,000 word completed novel.* I understand that publishers and agents prefer completed work, but how often is it that people try to get publishers for unfinished material without explicitly saying so in a query letter? It would seem like it should be a burden on those who have not completed their work to say so, not for me to proudly proclaim its completion. It’s not as if there will be absolutely no changes to it either, either from my perfectionism if I continue to work on it or from editors who want changes.
It suggested mentioning to the agent why you created this work. I can understand how this might work in some cases but I hardly think most agents or publishers will care about your motivations for writing. (I’m reminded of the method actor trying to summon up motivation and being asked “Have you tried acting, my dear boy?”)
You could check for publishing seminars in your city or a nearby town. In some instances, you get to sit down with a bunch of different publishers and quickly pitch your book with a one-page summary and maybe a sample chapter. I think meeting face to face with publishers who are actually looking for material is better than cold calling or sending out letters.
I did a similar seminar in LA for screewriters. It was a good place to network and hear what other writers were doing to secure agents or deals.
#1 isn’t wrong, but you really don’t need to explicitly say you completed it. Just say, “I’m looking for an agent for my 70,000-word novel XXXXX.” The agent will assume you’ve completed it. In some cases they don’t want the entire novel anyway.
I agree that the agent doesn’t care why you wrote the work. He wants to know what it’s about to see if it matches both what he likes to represent and what might be marketable. But don’t recount the plot; do a quick summary: “It’s a fantasy novel set in a world where people never age.”
As for smaje1’s advice, face to face meetings with publishers are no better than sending out queries. Any publisher is going to tell you, at best, to go through an agent (assuming you don’t have a track record). Not that you can’t try that way, but sending out query letters will work just as well.
People are idiots. You can’t believe the junk that winds up in every agent and editor’s mailbox. Anything that makes you look like you’re a professional and have read about proper submission procedure will stand out. Find a bunch of query letter suggestion sites and choose the best model for you. You’ve identified two items that are very odd - nobody cares about your motif, only about your capability - so find another model.
If you want to go with a large mainstream publisher you have to go through an agent. Look for agents who say they handle your particular type of novel and see if they have requirements listed for how they want submissions or queries. Some smaller presses will read queries from unagented writers, but again check a website or book and see what their guidelines are.
70,000 words is short for most novels. That doesn’t mean it’s short for what you want to write (why does nobody ever give this information? every genre is totally different). But you should know what is expected from you.
If your friends can’t finish your novel, why do you think anyone else will? The odds are thousands to one against novels that friends rave over. It’s a tough business. Get the novel finished and wonderful first.
Took me a minute to find it. Miss Snark Blog. It’s closed but the information is still good.
From one unpublished author to another: query an agent. No amount of showing the work to friends can substitute for querying an agent. Even if you have what it takes to get published, you’ll likely spend months or years getting rejections. Arthur C. Clarke did; J.K. Rowling did. You and I are not as good as Clarke or Rowling. We have all the time in the world to show our work to friends while waiting on fresh rejections.
As Excapno said, most publishers don’t look at submissions from authors who have no track records. Also, they take way longer to look at what you sent and reject you. I sent a manuscript to Tor in 2002 and never got an answer. Agents are the best way to go.
I once queried a few literary agents and neglected to mention that I hadn’t begun the novel, much less finished it. I figured if anyone was interested, it would motivate me to write one. I know, I know; it was dishonest and stupid and I’ll never do it again. But if I did it, I’d be willing to bet others have too. So why not assure the agent the novel is actually completed? It’s only one additional word, so it doesn’t cost much.
If the agent is on the fence about your novel based on the summary of its content, knowing your motivation for writing (or other “behind the scenes” information) could tip the balance in your favor if it’s something unusual that would help market the book. Agents and publishers don’t just sell books, they sell authors, and it’s easier to sell authors with interesting things to say.
Exapno Mapcase is correct - there are a ton of junk submissions out there, so if you can make yours look seriously professional, you will already stand out.
Think of this as your college application packet. Use nice paper. PROOFREAD. Tailor your letter to the specific agency you are writing. Dot your i’s and cross your t’s.
If an agency does not accept unreferred submissions, DO NOT CONTACT THEM. You will be wasting your time and money by doing so.
Most importantly, if you have any kind of connection to the business, USE it. That’s your best bet to get your material read. Good luck.
I’m curious why you said this about Clarke. I’m not an expert on him, but I thought that he wrote for fanzines early in his life but didn’t start tying to write professionally until after WWII. Since his first stories were published in April ad May 1946 I don’t think he had much trouble with rejection. He could have been trying and failing earlier, I suppose, but I wonder what cite you could give on that.
I don’t think Rowling is a good example either. It’s true that the first Harry Potter book was turned down by a dozen publishers, but that’s hardly unusual for a first novel. It was sold within a year of her finishing it. That’s not even mild rejection: that’s rousing success.
The much-rejected famous author I was trying to think of was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Don’t ask me how I managed to mix up a sci-fi author with a classic mainstream novelist. I have no idea, except it’s been many years since I heard the story.
My point exactly. Even a rousing success in the writing business involves a year and a dozen rejections. So there’s no benefit in delaying while you show your work around to friends: you send out your queries, and either improve your work or start on a new project while you wait on the rejections to roll in. At least, that’s what my colleagues who are published do.
Incidentally, thanks for the link to Miss Snark; I didn’t know about her, and her site is very enlightening.