tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post4436087840849717668..comments2024-03-29T07:43:01.003+00:00Comments on Help! I Need a Publisher!: OUTLINE and SYNOPSISNicola Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-47525871626874761812010-03-18T21:21:02.336+00:002010-03-18T21:21:02.336+00:00Nicola,
I totally agree with you on the first quer...Nicola,<br />I totally agree with you on the first query business. The first one I sent out was promptly rejected. I've since cut word count considerably, and my letters are better AND I have four synopses - a one-, two-, five- and eight-pager. So I'm ready to go!<br /><br />I just sent out a query letter that I thought was pretty good. It's way better than the first one. So evenElizabeth Westhttp://aelizabethwest.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-52160385362125992232010-03-13T12:24:33.219+00:002010-03-13T12:24:33.219+00:00verity - I strongly suggest you should read the po...verity - I strongly suggest you should read the posts with the label "covering letters" - to make sure you're not making a glaring mistake. If you find that you have, DON'T worry - everyone does it! <br /><br />I've sent you a few names to follow on Twitter - but now I have to go and do some work so I won't be able to do more till later. be patient with twitter - it Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-8231198335668877962010-03-13T12:09:17.861+00:002010-03-13T12:09:17.861+00:00Hi Nicola
Yep that's me, and I'll go do it...Hi Nicola<br />Yep that's me, and I'll go do it now.<br /><br />I'm currently debating whether or not to send my other queries now or wait for results/feedback for the first one, since the agency I've written to says on their website that it could take up to 2 months for them to reply.<br /><br />:-) xxVeritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-14594122805920219672010-03-13T11:55:43.096+00:002010-03-13T11:55:43.096+00:00Verity - are you @VerityAnnLewis on twitter? Let m...Verity - are you @VerityAnnLewis on twitter? Let me know - it's not clear if that's you but if it is then I'll follow you and ask people to follow you. But first you need to write a tiny biog for your twitter account, otherwise people will be reluctant to follow you. Say something about being a new or aspiring writer but don't say your actual age (for security reasons). twitter isNicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-30227697663994251822010-03-13T11:50:02.297+00:002010-03-13T11:50:02.297+00:00Liz - thank you for your kind comments. As far as ...Liz - thank you for your kind comments. As far as blurbs are concerned: do you mean the bit on the back cover of a book? Happy to blog about this if so - or if you mean something else, just say and I'll blog about that too!<br /><br />Verity - welcome to the beginning of a long journey! For any individual submission / query, the odds are stacked against a writer, but as we go along we learn Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-31824891706388838362010-03-13T10:21:58.719+00:002010-03-13T10:21:58.719+00:00Spider Griffin
Kinda worse because they said they...Spider Griffin<br /><br />Kinda worse because they said they'll only reply to queries they're interested in, so I could actually be waiting for nothing :-SVeritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-5937627618375324592010-03-13T09:26:57.259+00:002010-03-13T09:26:57.259+00:00Fantastic advice. Thank you very much for such a s...Fantastic advice. Thank you very much for such a superb blog. I should put that in the plural - I've just scrolled back to read all the articles that preceded the latest. <br /><br />May I ask if you'd tackle writing blurbs? That's always a thorny problem, and if you could clarify what a 'blurb' means in the way that you have done with everything else...Liz Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322513174593505885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-85274466958023273572010-03-12T22:40:30.418+00:002010-03-12T22:40:30.418+00:00Hi Verity
I'm sure Nicola won't mind me a...Hi Verity<br /><br />I'm sure Nicola won't mind me answering for her here.<br /><br />> "I'll now chew my nails and wait for a month."<br /><br />Or three, or four, or more...sorry to tell you!<br /><br />:-)David John Griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01524610087056533062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-90224678017472951232010-03-12T19:43:58.463+00:002010-03-12T19:43:58.463+00:00Nnggaarrgh, just sent my first ever query. I'l...Nnggaarrgh, just sent my first ever query. I'll now chew my nails and wait for a month.Veritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-83199779821825991322010-03-12T17:19:06.141+00:002010-03-12T17:19:06.141+00:00Thanks so much for taking the time to write that.
...Thanks so much for taking the time to write that.<br /><br />(I'm not 16 yet btw)<br /><br />I'll make a Twitter so I can follow you. Now I'll lurk until I have something else to say<br /><br />xxxVeritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-68611853294631852002010-03-12T17:03:58.792+00:002010-03-12T17:03:58.792+00:00Verity - re your friends' / family's lack ...Verity - re your friends' / family's lack of interest: I'm sorry that's making you sad / annoyed. There are several different things that could be going on. They may simply not understand or respect how hard writing is and how important it is to us all. To be perfectly honest, if that's their view it will be very hard to change it and you risk beating yourself up in trying to Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-67397364083502687792010-03-12T16:47:49.437+00:002010-03-12T16:47:49.437+00:00Nicola
Thanks very much for your kindness and no ...Nicola<br /><br />Thanks very much for your kindness and no worries btw - sorry if I made you think I was offended.<br /><br />I am in the UK.<br /><br />I've found this post-writing stage is the most intimidating part of being a writer, it's like I'm doing business now and am out of my depth.<br /><br />um..another thing which is holding me back significantly is my family's/Veritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-70788260938939985962010-03-12T16:10:19.707+00:002010-03-12T16:10:19.707+00:00Verity - ah, I did wonder when you said "teen...Verity - ah, I did wonder when you said "teenage" but I didn't want to leap to conclusions! It's weird (isn't it?) that we sometimes talk about "teenage authors" meaning people who write for teenagers, and sometimes (but less often) teenagers who write, and "teenage writers" meaning usually teenagers who write, and yet an author for children is not calledNicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-12624540678382714112010-03-12T15:24:54.496+00:002010-03-12T15:24:54.496+00:00Nicola,
Thanks for the reply and your help!!
I st...Nicola,<br />Thanks for the reply and your help!!<br /><br />I stand ashamed at my "story" gaffe.<br /><br />I meant to say that I am a teen, not that I am writing teen novels for teens (although I am).<br /><br />xxVeritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-22897983466335141012010-03-12T15:04:16.595+00:002010-03-12T15:04:16.595+00:00Lynn from behlerblog - DO be quiet and stop confus...Lynn from behlerblog - DO be quiet and stop confusing everyone!! For the benefit of those who are not old hands at this game, you do NOT send chocolate or margharitas with a submission of any sort! Obviously, I would love to receive them, but agents and editors are not me and they are much more professional. They get very annoyed by silly ways of attracting their attention. On the other hand, if Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-33518975714309210112010-03-12T15:00:57.845+00:002010-03-12T15:00:57.845+00:00Verity - that's a huge question! If you look t...Verity - that's a huge question! If you look through the labels, you'll find quite a lot of advice on queries / covering letetrs etc and adapting it to fit an email would be pretty much a matter of common sense and what is right for your book and THAT agent / publisher. You need to look at the submission guidelines for that particular agent / editor.<br /><br />btw, when you say "Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-86566787456595269172010-03-12T14:50:08.057+00:002010-03-12T14:50:08.057+00:00Book Maven makes a huge mistake:
I should like to ...Book Maven makes a huge mistake:<br /><b>I should like to clarify that Lynn (Behler Blog) does NOT mean you should send chocolate or margaritas WITH the synopsis!<br /></b><br /><br />Yes! Yes, that's EXACTLY what she means!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-75350280110075168682010-03-12T12:46:03.692+00:002010-03-12T12:46:03.692+00:00I'm a teenage writer, finished a story and cou...I'm a teenage writer, finished a story and could do with some advice on query letters.<br /><br />First, should there be differences in format if they are emailed instead of snail-mailed? I Googled and the standard advice is just "make it shorter than a snail-mail letter".<br /><br />Any advice appreciated.Veritynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-11753372189468258672010-03-12T12:21:44.403+00:002010-03-12T12:21:44.403+00:00SF - yes, the post you refer to was called Pitch y...SF - yes, the post you refer to was called Pitch your Hook - on Feb 1st this year - http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2010/02/pitch-your-hook.html - but that was more about the "hook" or "pitch", ie something shorter than a synopsis. All these overlapping terms are used slightly differently by different people / countries, which makes it all unnecessarily confusing!Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-50980858000980762552010-03-12T12:16:34.209+00:002010-03-12T12:16:34.209+00:00Oh, no worries, and my apologies for pressuring yo...Oh, no worries, and my apologies for pressuring you into posting early! I just love discussing punctuation.<br /><br />Re Outlines and Synopsis, to stick to the current topic. I think you have posted before on another reason writing a synopsis is such a great idea - so that when someone asks you at a party 'So, what's your book about?', you can reply in a few pithy lines that make SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15847565982538951065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-15298698145130796632010-03-12T08:36:43.051+00:002010-03-12T08:36:43.051+00:00SF - ah, sorry! Yes, it was scheduled for 17th Apr...SF - ah, sorry! Yes, it was scheduled for 17th April, and something went wrong while I was typing in the time. BUT, especially for you, I have brought it forward to Sunday morning, and postponed Sunday's one till next week!Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-15604327338027237782010-03-12T08:35:35.188+00:002010-03-12T08:35:35.188+00:00mindmap - that's interesting. You highlight an...mindmap - that's interesting. You highlight an important point that i want to blog about later: about standing out from the crowd. I think it's worth remembering that that instance was a competition, so the editor was looking to distinguish between quality of synopsis, NOT consider which book she would ACTUALLY commission. Standing out from the crowd should only be done by being extra Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-49008903389022966782010-03-12T02:32:31.850+00:002010-03-12T02:32:31.850+00:00Dear Nicola.
Timely post and thank you to all the...Dear Nicola.<br /><br />Timely post and thank you to all the others who have shared their experiences.<br /><br />In a recent competition I read the winning chapter and synopsis with interest. The winner had included two key sentences of dialogue between her main characters. (It was a romantic novel.) And included at least four 'hooks' in bold, almost like a blurb. The editor, UK basedCC MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09903422375744085705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-64260758446068805212010-03-12T02:26:13.048+00:002010-03-12T02:26:13.048+00:00Hi Nicola, came over looking for the post on punct...Hi Nicola, came over looking for the post on punctuation tantalisingly displayed in my blogger reader, but now it doesn't exist..<br /><br />Hope you will post it later on?SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15847565982538951065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-14456382962716299432010-03-11T22:30:56.442+00:002010-03-11T22:30:56.442+00:00This is great advice. I've struggled, but hav...This is great advice. I've struggled, but have been pretty happy with my synopses, and always try to limit them to a page, single-spaced. I'd be happy to make it two-pages, double-spaced.<br /><br />I was surprised that we should put genre and little details like that because I always figured the synopsis was sent with a query, so it's right there.<br /><br />One piece of advice I Theresa Milsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03477761307315565259noreply@blogger.com