http://www.agentquery.com/format_tips.aspx i'm so impressed with this site i can't stand it... don't know why it took me so long to find it... anyone here use it?
Maia, don't respond to that, it'll just make things worse. Just let him believe things if it makes him happier. Also, I'm obviously a little young to be into agents and publishers, but I have a question: Are there such things as "specialized" agents? Like, those who do specific genres, like a comedy or romance agent, or a sci-fi and fantasy agent. Is this a non-existence, a rarity, or the norm?
...thanks, ivan!... you're right, of course, but it's sure hard to ignore such stuff... ...it's definitely the norm... all legit agents will include in their listings the genres they do and do not handle... same goes for publishers... it saves them getting piles of stuff they just have to toss... of course, beginners will often ignore them, thinking their work is sooooo special, it won't matter that they're sending a sci-fi/fantasy ms to an agent who handles only romance and true crime! love and extra hugs, maia
I think that the site is a legitimate post, I've checked it out and I find it useful. You're not selling anything or trying to get referrals so it doesn't come across as spam to me, plus its not as though you've joined, posted a link to the site, and left. This board is supposed to help people with aspects of publishing, finding a good publisher and/or agent is part of that.
All right, see ya. =) So MM, this is a somewhat personal question, but: Were you one of those "special beginners?"
huh?... can't recall where in his many posts he mentioned that or what he meant by it... but any kind of 'beginner' i sure ain't, having been writing for well over half a century and seeing as i was paid to do so, beginning way back in the earliest 80s... i find it curious to say the least, that my last reply to this gentleman [yesterday, in the 'tutoring' thread], in which i mentioned i was curious only because i might have sent some paying clients his way, was ignored and not replied to... hmmm-mmm!? kit... thanks for your words of support... glad you saw this thread in the way it was intended, as a helpful bit of info... love and hugs, m
That's the bit Ivan meant when he said beginners lol... he meant did you think you were so special I think.... EDIT: and you're welcome
well, if he did--NO!-- i never thought i was that special... makes no sense to not maximize one's chances, imo... so, to me, it woud be the height of stupidity to send 'a sci-fi/fantasy ms to an agent who handles only romance and true crime!'...
I just took a look at the site (finally) and it does indeed have a several useful tips. Thanks for sharing.
you're welcome, rml... now, if we can just get the mods to sticky this, it'll stay where all can make use of it... hugs, m
Miss Snark: Literary Agent Speaks OK, so she doesn't write anymore, but this site is really good...and an entertaining read from an agent in the business about what she likes and doesn't like about submissions from wanna be authors: http://www.misssnark.blogspot.com/ One of my favorite reads is her "No No No" answers to questions newbies ask: http://misssnark.blogspot.com/search/label/No%20no%20no
go here, for more of 'miss snark': http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2007/10/friday-night-at-question-emporium.html she seems to have been successfully 'outed'... [http://poopersscoops.typepad.com/poopers_scoops/2006/06/has_miss_snark_.html as witness the fact that the end of snark's blogging coincided with said outing becoming common knowledge among the cognoscenti...
I think that was the wrong search link, Maia - it seems to be left over from a previous post on another thread.
yikes!... you're right... sorry about that... will find the right one again and go back and fix it... thanks for the catch...
This site is amazing!! Thank you! I've bookmarked it and everything. I can't wait to finish my manuscript now. Thanks a bunch!
Looking at this website (while being EXTREMLY new to this whole thing) will be very helpful when I get to this point but I have a few questions that some of you can probably answer: This may be a silly one but what is a Query? When you are ready to send something out to an agent what do you send? The website has a couple of different instructions for different things. Do you send a Query or a Manuscript?? Like I said I am new :redface: Also, does it make a difference what kid of book you are writing. Do I send a query when I am writing a childrens book??? Thanks
it's a letter you send to agents or publishers asking them if they would be interested in repping/publishing your book [or article/essay/short story/poem, if sending to magazines... email me and i'll send you tips and samples] you send whatever each venue says to send... usually, that's a query only, but some may ask for a few sample pages... next to never do they ever say to send the ms... if they do, chances are they're not a legit publisher/agent... not a crime! ;-) it does make a difference only if you're writing a non-fiction book, for which you'll also need to do up a full proposal... some may want the proposal with the query, others just the query for starters... children's books are the same as any fiction... with one difference, in that it's often better to query publishers directly, since few agents will bother with a single children's book by an unknown new writer... i mentor new writers full time, so you can email me for help with either the writing or what comes after... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
Please note that I sent an e-mail query to the Maass Agency that is listed as reputable on the agent website, and I somehow got a virus that read all my hotmail contacts, and sent e-mails out to everyone in my contact list, possibly with an attached virus.
the agency is a very reputable one... but anyone can get hacked these days... anyway, how can you be sure your address book got hacked as a result of that query? i've had the same thing happen to me and couldn't tell where it came from...
