Publishing/Query/Writing/Agent Questions

October 9, 2009 in Site Stuff | 14 comments

It’s really easy for me to get on a soapbox unprompted. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things to do. (Just kidding, well, sort of, hehe…) But I’d much rather provide information that’s actually interesting, relevant and useful to my readers. I figured this would be a good time to ask if anyone has any questions about publishing, queries, querying, writing, craft, revision, agenting, the agent search… I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, that way I can get a read on what you care about knowing right now.

Related posts:

  1. Writing A Simple, Compelling Query
  2. Finding a Literary Agent
  3. Awesome Link: Teens’ Big Life Questions
  4. The Reassurance Query
  5. A Note About Agent And Editor Topics

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  1. ChristaCarol’s avatar

    ChristaCarol on October 9, 2009 at 8:35 am

    I’m curious to know what revisions are usually like between agent and writer and if there are common mistakes you see with each client, or does it vary? What is most revised, usually, or is it all over the board? And what kind of turn around time do most agents appreciate (I’m sure it all depends on the amount of revision–but maybe an approximation or something) for the revisions to be completed? Not sure why I never thought to ask this question. Thanks for providing the opportunity!

  2. Mary’s avatar

    Mary on October 9, 2009 at 9:18 am

    Thanks, Christa. Great question. Look for a post on this next week!

  3. Gisele LeBlanc’s avatar

    Gisele LeBlanc on October 9, 2009 at 12:29 pm

    Dear Mary,

    I had a random thought this morning–do agents typically prefer to represent writers who write in a lot of different genres (like YA, MG, picture books, etc.) or authors that focus on one or two? Are there advantages or disadvantages to either? Or, does the issue depend on the agent?

    Thank you!

  4. Mary’s avatar

    Mary on October 9, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Gisele — GREAT question! I’m going to tackle this the week of the 19th. Check back then.

  5. Gisele LeBlanc’s avatar

    Gisele LeBlanc on October 9, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    I look forward to it! Thanks again!

  6. Elan Cross’s avatar

    Elan Cross on October 10, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    How do you feel about authors querying about a series? Is it important to mention that in the initial query letter, or is that something that can be discussed once an author/agent relationship is established? Let’s say the first book is complete but the others in the series are not.
    Thanks Mary:)

  7. Mary’s avatar

    Mary on October 11, 2009 at 8:20 am

    Elan — Oooh, good one. I will add it to the list and get to this one the week of the 19th.

  8. Elizabeth’s avatar

    Elizabeth on October 14, 2009 at 10:22 am

    I am unpublished and unagented, but I have a picture book manuscript under serious consideration at a great publishing house. If I am offered a contract, can I (without annoying the publisher) try to find an agent before accepting the contract? Would this take too much time from the publisher’s point of view? Would agents be likely to take me on at this stage? I have heard that many agents are not interested in picture book authors. Is it better to try to find a literary contract lawyer and pursue an agent after I have a published book under my belt? Such a raft of questions! I am obviously in a stew.
    Thanks for any thoughts you have!

  9. Mary’s avatar

    Mary on October 14, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    Elizabeth — Great question. You all are coming up with some wonderful stuff. I’ll post on this tomorrow.

  10. Brandi’s avatar

    Brandi on October 17, 2009 at 1:50 pm

    Hi Mary-

    I’ve been working on a query letter now for about three months. I’ve had MANY versions I felt great about, but after posting them to various crit groups, people either love them — or dissect them to the point they’re unrecognizable and no longer in my voice. I’ve never been able to get any sort of consistent feedback from them, so I’m still left completely unsure as to whether or not I have a “quality” query, or if it’s my story.

    How do you know when enough is enough? When agents don’t give feedback to their rejections, how do you know what you should/shouldn’t be doing? If it’s between the query letter, the writing, or the actual story, it’s impossible to assume which one is causing the rejection. So my real question is: if we don’t know what’s broken, how do we know what to fix?

    Thank you in advance for any insight.

  11. beth’s avatar

    beth on October 17, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    Can you suggest some good author websites for people who are not yet published? What should I have on my website if I’m seeking representation? (My website is bethrevis.com …I think I’ve got a good one, but I’d hate to know that it comes off as unprofessional or amateurish…or if, as an agent, you don’t recommend a writer creating a website before publication.)

  12. Mary’s avatar

    Mary on October 17, 2009 at 3:58 pm

    Brandi — A really good question, not just in terms of the query letter, but that can also apply to the manuscript. I will put this on my list to tackle. October is pretty full of posts already, so look for an answer in a couple of weeks.

    Beth — Before I answer, I want to clarify your question. You said “Can you suggest some good author websites for people who are not yet published?” Do you mean… some good websites full of resources for people who are not published yet or some good examples of websites run by yet-unpublished authors? I think you mean the latter but I just want to make sure… I’ll do a post about web presence for aspiring authors in a couple weeks for sure, as well.

  13. Brandi’s avatar

    Brandi on October 17, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    Thanks Mary — I’ll be sure to keep checking back.

    Great site by the way. I just learned about it today from one of my RWA chapters, YA-RWA. They had the query contest posted, so I jumped at it immediately. Your site is a great resource — and I can’t wait to learn everything I can from it.

    Thanks again Mary.

    :o )

  14. beth’s avatar

    beth on October 31, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to your question on my question! I was without internet for a bit and just now thought to check back here on the status of my question.

    I meant good examples of websites run by people who are not yet published. I want to be as professional as possible in my approach to writing, and I would like my online presence to reflect that as well…but am just not sure what content would show that best.

    Thank you!