tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post4668794230840156519..comments2024-03-16T01:00:59.945-04:00Comments on Query Shark: #163Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-80466098704744095962015-11-25T21:37:56.532-05:002015-11-25T21:37:56.532-05:00I don't know if there's an opposite equiva...I don't know if there's an opposite equivalent for Murphy's Law, but this query is it. Wonderful premise and if it sold, I'd like to pick up a copy.<br /><br />Also, like others have echoed before, the word count is fine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-57167830842953149542010-08-24T11:44:57.449-04:002010-08-24T11:44:57.449-04:00Brilliant!Brilliant!Becke Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05347467350985614111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-12835152847101384992010-07-12T23:20:09.609-04:002010-07-12T23:20:09.609-04:00Well done... fabulous description and you've o...Well done... fabulous description and you've obviously done your research on Query Shark archives!JDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10728827467806388541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-82150138443057796312010-07-01T10:17:29.359-04:002010-07-01T10:17:29.359-04:00I just want to make one comment at people complain...I just want to make one comment at people complaining about 38K being too short.<br /><br />Recently, I was part of a small crowd talking with Paul McAuley (a best-selling, multiple award winning sci-fi writer), and someone asked, "How many words do you aim for in a story?"<br /><br />Paul said, "I don't."<br /><br />"But how long do you generally make them?"<br /><br />Paul said, "I keep writing until they're finished."<br /><br />He was making an important point. Anyone who can write publishable material knows to focus on the story, not the word count. Or in other words, as Alfred Bester said, "The book is the boss."<br /><br />It might alter the book's market, but at least the book will HAVE a market. 100k words of boring rubbish will not. Writers should focus on craft, not market trends.Wm. Luke Everesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10914205225703262471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-3278837781084769452010-06-23T16:27:34.566-04:002010-06-23T16:27:34.566-04:00Ooooh! This is almost painful, because I REALLY wa...Ooooh! This is almost painful, because I REALLY want to read the book, but I can't. It's such a tease!!!Laura Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15310560510892234696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-23789693572075324822010-06-21T12:34:46.177-04:002010-06-21T12:34:46.177-04:00Thanks for posting this. Seeing what you consider ...Thanks for posting this. Seeing what you consider good is a much better teaching tool than seeing what you consider crap. I hope this lady becomes a female Stephen King and that you both get rich.Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10051363877066768708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-89858394589595129222010-06-19T06:40:46.601-04:002010-06-19T06:40:46.601-04:00@ harmony
"You make it look so easy, but I&#...@ harmony <br />"You make it look so easy, but I'm sure you're like the rest of us...awake way too late, pile of notes by your side, banging your head against the keyboard."<br />I don't know about the winning query, but I could totally relate and felt better about myself.Umahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904319846900391682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-60422156324779443392010-06-19T02:10:30.377-04:002010-06-19T02:10:30.377-04:00First off let me put in my kudos to the writer con...First off let me put in my kudos to the writer congratulations, well done!<br /><br />I just want to say one thing regarding some of the reader's comments (here and elsewhere on this blog). M.E.G wrote "... a 38k word book isn't even technically complete." What is complete? I get so tired of people who assume that a book must be a certain number of words to be a whole work. I would much rather read (and pay for) a tight short book than a meandering and repetitive long one. Of course i haven't read the book, maybe it is missing something, but i don't think word count is the deciding factor. There are many amazing, breathtaking short novels or "novellas": The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry, In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan, Motorman by David Ohle, The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, The lover by Marguerite Duras, not to mention Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, or Hemingway's The Old Man and The Sea- the list goes on and on. <br /><br />I know that length affects marketability in ways that i do not understand, therefore i cannot comment. But as for artistic integrity, well, that's another story.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12547521750257947777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-51863025111071488912010-06-18T18:17:33.686-04:002010-06-18T18:17:33.686-04:00You make it look so easy, but I'm sure you'...You make it look so easy, but I'm sure you're like the rest of us...awake way too late, pile of notes by your side, banging your head against the keyboard. Congratulations and thank you for the great example.Harmony H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09617645908257052566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-45201169409817195722010-06-15T22:44:22.743-04:002010-06-15T22:44:22.743-04:00Excellent query. A writer friend emailed me tonigh...Excellent query. A writer friend emailed me tonight asking for query advice. I'm going to email her back this link. <br /><br />Keep us posted on how this goes!Debra Lynn Sheltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08238268767406623274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-16167738425000642302010-06-15T16:14:49.867-04:002010-06-15T16:14:49.867-04:00#163, FTW!!! :D Well done!#163, FTW!!! :D Well done!Kathryn Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05270893925385208665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-21484367638036675142010-06-15T15:27:17.153-04:002010-06-15T15:27:17.153-04:00Just got a rejection from Janet ... and as form re...Just got a rejection from Janet ... and as form rejections go, it's the nicest one I've seen.<br /><br />I'll work on my query and try you again. Someone that cares enough about writing and writers is definitely someone I want to keep in mind as an agent.Bobby Mathewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12499653080805124832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-91245422989286334682010-06-15T13:17:20.279-04:002010-06-15T13:17:20.279-04:00What a great query. I got so caught up in the sto...What a great query. I got so caught up in the story line I forgot it was a query.Bee Magic Chronicles for Kidshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06818365668819339658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-2860596025645778242010-06-14T23:07:25.694-04:002010-06-14T23:07:25.694-04:00Congrats, and good job! It's not a genre I usu...Congrats, and good job! It's not a genre I usually read, but I'd pick this one up.Taymalinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13894922480703350634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-65346965943747957322010-06-14T22:19:29.357-04:002010-06-14T22:19:29.357-04:00#163: sounds like some great characters. The fami...#163: sounds like some great characters. The family dynamics you promise to explore sound interesting.Jenn McKayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08096584277185808602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-11075438688968544212010-06-14T20:36:46.361-04:002010-06-14T20:36:46.361-04:00I haven't read YA fiction since I was, you kno...I haven't read YA fiction since I was, you know, a YA. Usually my eyes glaze over even at good YA queries, but I too want to know what happens. Well done #163, well done!Wendy C. Frieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12061594185397497332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-880304323442426052010-06-14T18:11:41.690-04:002010-06-14T18:11:41.690-04:00Congratulations to the writer! & 38k is fine f...Congratulations to the writer! & 38k is fine for a YA novel, provided it's complete, of course.Rebecca Christiansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03635706076314669496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-60268301363361475482010-06-14T15:10:51.659-04:002010-06-14T15:10:51.659-04:00I love this letter. In fact, I'd say it's ...I love this letter. In fact, I'd say it's really helped me think about how I should be approaching my own.<br /><br />But I'm having difficulty understanding how long a draft manuscript should be. 38,000 words? I just cut 38,000 words from my book and it's still too long. Of course, I'm writing for an adult audience, but I can't believe 38,000 words is even considered a book.Keith Popelyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18414205709400912353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-85863025443132094582010-06-14T14:43:49.639-04:002010-06-14T14:43:49.639-04:00I want to read this book. There's nothing wro...I want to read this book. There's nothing wrong with the length - I love a book just long enough to finish on a plane flight!Renee Reznicsekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01904201517017835499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-91109417974769838482010-06-14T14:42:08.119-04:002010-06-14T14:42:08.119-04:00Excellent query! The voice came through loud and c...Excellent query! The voice came through loud and clear. <br /><br />And I especially liked the snarling comment.Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-60662115422633553582010-06-14T12:57:21.503-04:002010-06-14T12:57:21.503-04:00Loved: "I pared on the side of caution"
...Loved: "I pared on the side of caution"<br /><br />I'd assume there's puns and clever wordplay sprinkled throughout the book.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00118363231070027767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-63636061274336670602010-06-14T10:37:04.286-04:002010-06-14T10:37:04.286-04:00I love this query! It's not my genre but I'...I love this query! It's not my genre but I'm so hooked by the query I wish I could read the book right now regardless. :-) Congrats!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-81512477635598674532010-06-14T10:06:22.252-04:002010-06-14T10:06:22.252-04:00oh this is fabulous! Great job :). I agree with th...oh this is fabulous! Great job :). I agree with the shark about the word count though. The novel does seem a bit too short for YA. But the query is absolutely perfect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-74038615882709484662010-06-14T07:13:18.351-04:002010-06-14T07:13:18.351-04:00I know people who underwent profound personality c...I know people who underwent profound personality changes after their deployment in Iraq/ Afghanistan. I have a feeling this is going to be beautiful, complex...something I'd love to read.Umahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904319846900391682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812909700950069050.post-12864143916018056922010-06-14T02:36:36.138-04:002010-06-14T02:36:36.138-04:00That was nice. I tend to write multiple characters...That was nice. I tend to write multiple characters who's stories intertwine to influence the MC, and it's always been a pain for query writing. But I think this does it well.Claire Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.com