megwrites | Query Score Card update

Got a super nice rejection in the inbox last night on one of the two fulls that's still circulating around. The agent said she loved a lot of things about it, but just couldn't put her full passion behind it.

This brings the score card to:

Requests - 2 (1 full, 1 partial)

Rejections - 8

Timed Out - 6

Still Pending - 0

Which means that round two is hanging by a thread. I don't intend to do another round of querying for this novel if it bats zero again, because I feel that I've revised and edited and reworked the story as much as I can. I look back on it and I still am not sure what I could change that significantly that would make the novel different enough to deserve re-querying it.

I've gotten a lot of "I loved so much about it, but..." which tells me that there's something good in the novel, and maybe some of that "I just can't give it enough passion" is more of a "I have no idea how I'd sell this sucker."

Of course, I could be telling myself that to feel better, but hey. Until someone tells me different, I may as well preserve what's left of my self esteem, right?

Plus, the pool of agents who even want to deal with fantasy is quite limited and I do think in this market there may not be anyone willing to take the chance on an unpublished author with no record.

So should it bat zero, I will start really researching and considering plans to podcast/post the novel. Because I want the story out there and I pretty much knew I wouldn't make any money on it to begin with. Thoughts anyone?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Just one thing to consider:

The year after you sell one novel tends to be consumed with "OMG OMG How am I going to do this again?" -- this happened for me even though I had written four novels in the past, and even though I'm a pretty quick writer when I really put my mind to it. A trunk novel can be a useful thing to have.

But then, publishers aren't nearly so reluctant to publish previously-published-online material as they were, so it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to post or podcast it.

Good points all around, and maybe it would be good to keep the Tower!Guy novel under my hat should it not make it with an agent.

Personally, I would just write the next book (not next in the series). But if you're determined to get it out there, podcasting seems to get you more of an audience. Though I think the days of making a splash as a podcaster are behind us--I've no proof, exactly, other than: what novel podcaster have you heard of that wasn't on the bleeding edge of novel podcasting? Hutchins, Sigler, Lafferty, Selznick... that's pretty much it.

You don't know if the book would be sellable once you had a name. And if this book isn't going to make the name, get cracking on the next one, which might.

You don't know if the book would be sellable once you had a name. And if this book isn't going to make the name, get cracking on the next one, which might.

That's completely true, and I'm trying to keep that as a counterbalance. Some of this urge probably is impatience, because I feel like, "Well, how am I supposed to create a name for myself if I have no material out there?"

The next novel is coming along, but I'm just afraid it is going to meet the same fate. Especially since it's a *gulp* vampire novel. By now I'm sure the vampire market has been exhausted.

I've also kept in mind that most successes the self-pub/podcast front have been modest at front. Mur Lafferty, for example. While she did get a deal with a small press from podcasting her novel Playing for Keeps (which my husband bought), I have to say that the book itself was not as high quality as it had been hyped to be.

Thanks for the tough love, though, I deeply appreciate it. :)

First, I think that's a pretty good response so far. You know there's something there, you just need the right person to see it--the one who feels as passionate about it as you do.

I always figured if I struck out on getting an agent, I would just start submitting to the publishers that take unsolicited, unagented slush while working on some other book. It's a lottery ticket, but why not? If it gets some interest, that could be your in with an agent. There are also some small, independent presses with good names that are open to submissions.

If it gets some interest, that could be your in with an agent. There are also some small, independent presses with good names that are open to submissions.

You know, that might be a good in between step and I hadn't considered it as much. You're right, there are some great small presses out there that take unagented submissions. Might be worth my while to take some time and look at what's out there.

I hope I don't sound like I'm absolutely set on a course yet, because I'm not. Frankly, I'm just weighing options, seeing how it goes, and researching what's out there.

Query Score Card update

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Tough love.

Re: Tough love.

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