tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post2904857643380710208..comments2024-03-16T01:00:59.945-04:00Comments on Query Shark: #324Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-38514216544238897432019-03-22T14:15:19.505-04:002019-03-22T14:15:19.505-04:00I'm sure giving someone the name Lynch in a st...I'm sure giving someone the name Lynch in a story whose hero is a man of color was on purpose, right? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15145774967089263469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-90910122871022564632019-01-15T14:03:57.752-05:002019-01-15T14:03:57.752-05:00I realize I am a little late to the fray, as it we...I realize I am a little late to the fray, as it were, and for that I apologize. But I think your QL starts off heading in the wrong direction. I was going everywhere with your QL and, as the Shark saw it as a “archeological/artifacts driven” story, so did I. When I got to your follow-up comments, the whole story took a hard U-Turn and pretty much left my head spinning. <br /><br />In the fourth sentence of that message you clearly state, “…the story is about Jet plying the mine-infested waters that Lynch has left in his wake in order to force/lure Jet into doing his dirty work and saving his hide.”<br /><br />THERE'S YOUR STORY!<br /><br />This, clearly, is not the story for which you offered up the ‘teaser’ in your QL. Perhaps taking a harder look at clearing out the secondary story, picking and choosing with a bit more discretion what needs to be fed into the query description to bulk up the primary story as necessary might help to clarify what the ‘real’ story is. <br />Not wanting to step on toes, I will push my intrusion a bit further into your writer’s closet.<br /><br />1) Generally, you want to sell your story right out of the gate so, unless an agents requests otherwise, let him/her know what you’re selling. (HINT: it’s not a film director’s movie.) Letting an agent know that the aforementioned director referred you? Good. Going in-depth into that director’s work at the top of YOUR pitch? Not so good. You might want to start by telling Agent X that “Superdirector, recommended that I submit my ms to you.” That tells the agent that someone “in the business” thought enough of your work to encourage you to pursue it through a particular agent. GREAT! But, let it end there. Now’s the time to SELL YOUR BOOK so jump right into that or even postpone the Superdirector comments until later. <br /><br />“Jet’s got a problem and his name is Lynch.” <br /><br />That's what you want to sell. Tell the most provocative one/two-paragraph version of your story in such a way that an agent is left salivating, begging for more. That’s when you add, “Oh! BTW, Superdirector is the one who suggested I contact you. This is my background. And… here’s the rest of the pertinent information you want to know.” <br /><br />2) ABOUT AGENTS: It’s a good idea to research each and every agent you query. Every one is going to have a different background to bring to the table and you want to be sure you know who you are querying. Know your audience. Make sure your approach to Agent 1/2/3 is skewed to appeal to that background. Agents are neither robots nor Stepford Wives; they are individuals. Treat them as such and respect their wishes.<br /><br />3) Finally, keep it short and sweet. Pretty much every agent you are going to query has hundreds of other queries to consider on a daily basis. Don’t ramble or go on about non-essential things. A few kind words are nice but, bottom line, you want to stick a hook in them as quickly as possible and reel them in as succinctly as possible. Make yourself unforgettable on your first page so you don’t get lost in the slush.<br /><br />Again, this was not intended as an intrusive or offensive addendum to comments but, hopefully, something here will help someone.<br />Reesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00330348718504682666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-85336886873490872982018-11-12T22:12:25.698-05:002018-11-12T22:12:25.698-05:00I don't mean to pile on, but why would you eve...I don't mean to pile on, but why would you ever ignore the submission guidelines of the agent you're querying? Janet is pretty clear that she considers it a strike against to ignore Shark Rules when querying her (not enough to delete the query unread, usually, but still a strike), so what benefit is there in ignoring other agents' preferences?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09680658978986589290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-77389647066096424742018-11-12T17:04:06.874-05:002018-11-12T17:04:06.874-05:00I would suggest to follow submission guidelines, a...I would suggest to follow submission guidelines, always.<br /><br />As for the query. The story is interesting (personal note, I can totally see it turned into a movie) but the query has too many story details I felt overwhelmed by all the information.<br /><br />Sometimes just hinting things keeps the curiosity high.Frankiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515451171608119922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-27853608977112089002018-11-12T12:37:25.701-05:002018-11-12T12:37:25.701-05:00First of all, thank you very much! To each his/he...First of all, thank you very much! To each his/her own, but this is really not an artifact-driven plot. The artifact is a crucial but small part of the plot, just a way for Lynch to finance the unsanctioned mission. Most of the story is about Jet plying the mine-infested waters that Lynch has left in his wake in order to force/lure Jet into doing his dirty work and saving his hide. And in the process, Jet comes to the rescue and prevents a war with China. Hopefully I show the dichotomy of Jet's character - the blending of James Bond with Indiana Jones - heavy on the JB but in a tropical setting. (Three of my personal obsessions...uh, favorite things.) A shark might be surprised and even find it tasty if they took a bite. Kind of like trying penguin for the first time.<br /><br />The issue of the first paragraph has bothered me for a long time. I see all kinds of conflicting advice on different agents' websites...of what they describe as the perfect query. It's confusing and frustrating, to say the least, for a novice like me. In my case, this was only going to be for one specific agent and then I was going to follow the Shark-suggested format for my other queries. Your comments have been invaluable!Ron Schalkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17121784000003107979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-14852021499658308312018-11-12T08:25:37.072-05:002018-11-12T08:25:37.072-05:00If the submission guidelines ask for housekeeping ...If the submission guidelines ask for housekeeping first, then housekeeping should go first. <br /><br />It's fairly standard for a lot of agents, and it was a UK-wide standard as part of the 'covering letter' format until a few years ago, when things shifted to accept US-style queries.E.Mareehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17283073495361530535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-81777512856533949962018-11-11T12:18:03.299-05:002018-11-11T12:18:03.299-05:00I participated in a group critique session with a ...I participated in a group critique session with a well-respected agent at a conference. (We sent 15 pages and our query ahead of time.) Of the authors assembled, I was the last to receive my critique. The other authors all wrote YA while I submitted a thriller (the agent represented both). <br /><br />As she started to give me feedback, the agent thought I'd submitted YA. While nothing in my query mentioned YA, she had it on her brain because of the previous queries. Once I corrected her, she had to rethink her critique. She told me to always put the genre at the top so that the agent has the right framing when reading the query. <br /><br />The Shark has her preference but other agents have theirs. If the agent specifically requests something, I would follow their preference. Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15244004664612029086noreply@blogger.com