Quick Query Responses

Hey! Hey!! How come only one person (well, two including moi) is signed up to show off that little used wedding china in my completely, totally, incredibly un-frivolous and fascinating wedding china blogfest? Get in there! Don't make us look sad and lonely! I shall be very upset if I have to feel sad and lonely.


Last Thursday on Twitter, two agents (Sara Megibow and Ann Collette) looked at queries, and then tweeted their first reactions. It offered a fascinating view into what and why agents reject or ask to see more--on a speed round basis. I've copied them for you here so you can see.

Sara Megibow
Sara Megibow of Nelson Lit did 10 queries in 10 Tweets, with the hashtag #10queriesIn10tweets.

Her first tweet started with:
I have high hopes - we've seen some great queries so far this January! *dives in* #10queriesIn10tweets

#1 = pass. Poor writing. The opening pitch paragraph was one long run-on sentence.

#2 = pass. Some interesting elements, but strung together awkwardly. Awkward query means awkward writing in book.

#3 = pass. Again, weak writing. Long awkward paragraphs that aren't succinct and don't clearly explain the story.

#4 = pass. We dont represent nonfiction. Kristin repped one memoir (won the CO Book Award) Memoir maybe/other nonfic no

#5 = pass. Too generic. The pitch reads like this (NOT quoting here): the hero has many adventures.

#6 = pass. Writer claims this book defies genre. If bookstores can't shelve/market it, then publishers can't sell it.

#7 = ACCEPT! Not the most unique concept, but very solid writing (writing wins every time). Young adult paranormal.

#8 = pass. One of those rare cases where I pass entirely based on concept. Brutal (disgusting) and violent. Not for me.

#9 = pass. Cancer story. I've seen a lot of these. TONS of heart, but not well enough written to stand out. #sad

#10 = pass. Self pubbed trilogy wants agent to shop to NY. I don't do this (someday maybe). Other agents might.


Ann Collette
Ann Collette of the Rees Agency did 12 queries. Her request rate was the same.

#1 Vague statements, cliches, a saccharine tone, and no writing sample all added up to something I knew wouldn't suit my edgy taste. Pass.

#2: Mystery. Author's trying too hard to pull off a tough guy voice, but it backfires. Instead, it reads artificial and overworked. Pass.

#3:Mystery.The first few sentences reveal this is a new author who has yet to learn how to show vs tell. Leaden prose sinks this query.Pass.

#4: Mystery. Author made mistake by starting query w/ generic statements; hook came too late. Writing sample confirmed lack of focus. Pass.

#5. Cozy Mystery. A careless quality to the prose (same words used repeatedly in the first paragraph) signals sloppy editing. Pass

#6: Horror. Author tries hard to be mysterious, but is vague & confusing. He doesn't understand what to hold back & what to reveal. Pass.

Not sure what happened to #7. Sorry.

#8:Thriller. Arrogant protagonist is alienating. Arrogance can be compelling, but when it starts a book, it's not engaging for readers.Pass.

#9: Horror. Query contains misused words -- author clearly doesn't understand what they really mean. There's no need to read further. Pass.

#10: Family saga riddled w/ random capitalization, misused apostrophes, awkward description, and characters that you can't tell apart. Pass.

#11: Impact of an arresting first line diluted by sloppy, repetitive language in rest of query; no sample inc & I won't ask for one. Pass.

#12:Women's fiction.Told right away character must undergo major surgery, but I need to care about her before this can have any impact.Pass.

And her final tweet on the matter: Even though Today's Twelve is done, we just opened a query where the text of each paragraph was a different color. NEVER, EVER DO THIS!

Wedding China Blogfest!

Last week I mentioned how much I'm enjoying Downton Abbey-- sneaking away to watch the first season on my Kindle Fire. Probably one of the reasons I love the show is because of how rich the filming is. It's a feast for the eyes of richness. Every time they show that amazing inner courtyard thing in the house, I stare. I check out the details of all the rooms, especially the servants' kitchen. Ever noticed all the wonderful copper molds on the walls? The well-scrubbed prep counter? The old skirt sink?

I also mentioned that in one episode, I caught sight of a gravy boat in my wedding china pattern. This prompted some interesting comments from you guys, on the post and emailed, regarding wedding china. Most of us register for it, but do we ever use it? I'm guessing not. Mine spends its life stored away in my buffet, wishing to be used but rarely being hauled out. (Although I do use my crystal wineglasses. t's Waterford and I freaking love it.)

So I propose a wedding china blogfest, so we can finally give that gorgeous stuff its chance to shine. On Wednesday, February 1, post a picture of your china on your blog and tell us about it. Tell us:

• The pattern and the brand
• How often you use it
• Any special stories about it

So sign up for the fest below and let's do a wedding china circuit! 

All About Web Space for Authors

Today I'm over at Roni Loren's Fiction Groupie blog for my monthly column on women's fiction or marketing. Come join me there! I'm talking about Web Space for Authors.

Google Reader Roundup

My gravy boat, the very same used in the show.

Just a quick and dirty GRR this week. But here's an interesting tidbit: last night I was watching episode 6 of season 1 of Downton Abbey--on my Kindle Fire (I am in love with this show, it is scrumptious in every way) and there's a scene where the kitchen staff is preparing the dinner and they're taking up plates and things and one of the things they take up is a gravy boat--in my wedding china pattern! Yes! Same one! Bit of a problem there in that my wedding pattern probably wasn't available in 1914, but hey. Still. (It's Wedgewood.) Perhaps a more troubling question is why I have a wedding pattern at all since such things seem a tad outdated. Well, look. They aren't. And to prove how lovely fine china can be, I'm having my tea this morning using my china. So pppbbbbbtttt. (I realize I'm razzing myself, actually.)

Now.

Chuck Wendig gives us 25 things Writers Should Start Doing. As always with Chuck, it's no-nonsense and right on. I have one to add: make shorter lists. Short attention spans, you know.

Meghan Ward has a fun post on not being too digitally connected: how not to be an iphoney.

Suzanne Johnson writes on Roni Loren's Fictiongroupie blog about her writing process-- from draft to done.

Jody Hedlund tells a way to get discovered by ereaders. Quite frankly, I've been waiting for a post like this, because for all the world changing into ebooks--even I read pretty much exclusively that way anymore--I haven't a clue how authors would find readers.

A post after my own heart: Janice Hardy tells us how plotting can be helped by playing video games.

The Other You

It isn't often I come across other Sierra Godfreys (fellow blogger Sierra Gardener comes close). Well, thank goodness for Google alerts! If for not that wondrous service, I might never have found this You Tube video of myself singing some song called Lotus Flower Bomb.

Alas, there were no explosions, as promised in the song title. I felt a bit cheated.

This isn't actually me, of course. For one thing, this singing and teenage (I think) Sierra Godfrey is cute, whereas I more closely resemble a gargoyle. For another, I would never in million years post such a thing on You Tube. (That's only because back when I was a teenager, there was no You Tube. I shudder to think how I would have misused the tinterweb when I was a teenager. As it was, when I was a teen we had to dial up--dial up!--and sometimes wait in a queue for entry onto an archaic bulletin board service that was decorated with ASCII text drawings. It's the equivalent of hiking twenty miles through the snow to get to school.)

Mr. Sierra pointed out that perhaps young flower bomb chanteuse Sierra Godfrey has Googled herself and my blog and site has come up. In which case, we sort of know each other now. Sort of. (She was going, "Holy zombie kittens. THAT came before ME?" to which my reply must be a rather devious-looking arched eyebrow and a "Quite. Quite.")

Have you ever run across other versions of yourself in this manner? Tell me about it. Also, be careful--because I just read an article yesterday about how employers are searching applicants' social media pages (mainly, Facebook and Twitter) and in some cases where you've cleverly put up deflector shields of privacy, demanding your username and password. (In that case, you must run from the employer. Do not stop at Go or collect $200.) Moral of the story: you could be denied a job because some teenager with your name posted a You Tube video and it did not involve exploding lotus flowers despite the name, thereby making you look like a liar.

Fantasy and sci-fi: what are your favorites?

I've been a reader forever, and it remains my most favorite thing to do. I love stories, I love characters, I love being delighted by them all. A well-told story delights me like nothing else.

As a writer, I write women's fiction, mostly because I like reading the genre and I like the room it affords for expressing stories and feelings about women and their journeys. I would say that in general, my reading habits run mostly toward women's fic. That isn't to say I don't enjoy a wide variety of other genres, though.

Probably the genre I've read the least is fantasy and sci fi. There are many reasons for this--but they might all boil down to that I'm worried they'll be silly or overdone. And if the characters have unpronounceable names like Ghuufaxychixyxylp then I'm not reading it. I'm slightly afraid I'll become a Dungeons and Dragons player and howl at the moon (not as a werewolf, you understand, just as one of those people who gets carried away with fantasy). But I have read (and enjoyed!) mainstream things, like:

• The Lord of the Rings books
• Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series (really liked the concept of those books)
• The Game of Thrones series (amazingly, all of them)

There might be others but I am having a massive brain and writing block this weekend and seriously, this post nearly didn't even happen because I couldn't pull anything out of my ass--like, I stared at the blank post for a long time tonight. 

What I'm hoping is that you'll tell me what your least read genre has been. And also, if you've read a lot of fantasy or sci-fi, you'll tell me what's good and why I shouldn't be afraid of it. 

Google Reader Roundup

It's back! The Google Reader Roundup!

• Roni Loren, whose debut book Crash Into You was released last week (congrats!) talked about when it's appropriate--and not--for an author to interact with reviewers/readers.

• Grammar ABCs: G is for gerund

• After my own design heart, here's the 10 best book covers of 2011.

• How to make a book trailer, from Emily Danforth. Bookmark this. When I make my book trailer some day, I'm going to hire ASkars to star in it and smooch me in bed. Without a lot of clothes on. He will want to do the shoot for free, of course, because it's me.

• Jody Hedlund tells us how to make friends without them feeling used when it comes to helping us toward publication.

• Fabulous article in HuffPo about the limitations of genre. Is Literary Fiction A Sham?: Alternative Ways To Classify Books.

• Via my uncle Vince, this delightful short about what books do at night when we're not around: in the night bookstore.

• A fascinating post by Jody Hedlund on how authors can get their books into bookstores.

• Janice Hardy discusses where to start stories.

• Guest Blogging Etiquette 101 from Roni Loren...a must read.

• A really great post from Carrie Heim Binas on the hard work it takes to write--or, as she more eloquently put it, blood on the page. 

• The other blogging Sierra, Sierra Gardener, presents a simple, three-step guide to writing good book reviews.