Bracing for Impact

[the25thstar]

Sent out my first batch of queries, and already had my first rejection. Standard 'this is not for me but thank you for the showing'. Now just twiddling my thumbs waiting on the rest of them. The process itself was pretty eye-opening, some things were far trickier than I'd expected, like the synopsis. Getting 119,000 words into 500 had me wanting to put my head through the keyboard. On the other hand, I had a lot of fun trying to get the 'pitch' down. For those of you who've sent queries of your own or are currently doing so, what did you find the hardest part?

 

[pmmg]

Be aware, that some of those you submitted to may not respond at all. You should set a time window for yourself, if I don't hear back by date, so you know when to ask what happened or more on. I've had only place that took more than a year to get back to me. Its a little crazy in submission world.

Hopefully everyone will respond, and say a little more than a form letter if they reject.

 

[skip.knox]

Writing all those other forms of summary is its own circle of Hell. Submission summaries is one, but there's the ad copy and back of the paperback and elevator pitch and and and *shudder* I have no advice whatsoever, as it's a slog for me every single time and I have learned nothing.

>Now just twiddling my thumbs waiting on the rest of them.
But I can give advice here. No twiddling! Get writing!

Seriously. For a writer there is no more thoroughly wasted time than the time spent waiting for responses from agents and publishers. You've sent your little darling out into the world. Time to make more darlings.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I loathe every bit of writing queries. The variable lengths of synopses are a special form of hell, however. Maybe the thirteenth hell.

 

[Rexenm]

Just ask yourself, what can I do today, and don’t feel forsaken. The age old dilemma of what came first, the chicken or the egg, does not need to end with you bashing your keyboard, but it does require you to punch the screen.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I have mad max, I know, but my mom raised me on the submit, wait, write, submit again cycle, so it actually feels natural. lol And that was back when a six-month response time with a SAS postcard was considered normal. I remember the day I got my first personalized rejection letter. That was a good day. I still have it around here, somewhere.

My mom used to tell me, loosely stealing from Bradbury, that until you had enough rejection slips to paper a room, you weren't trying hard enough. It's now emails and finding out within hours or even minutes if you're a go or not, but the premise is still solid. Submit. Write. Submit again. Worse thing that happens is now you have more, maybe better, definitely more experienced writing to send out the next round.

 

[The Dark One]

I must be weird because I enjoy writing synopses etc of my work. The shorter, the more challenging.

The only advice I can give is that every time you write about your work... is an opportunity to sell it. Never let that opportunity go by and always appreciate it for the opportunity it is.

 

[Rexenm]

It's now emails and finding out within hours or even minutes if you're a go or not, but the premise is still solid.

I love it when my mum comes in, and borrows my books.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I love it when my mum comes in, and borrows my books.

Like the books on your shelves, or the books you've written?

 

[Rexenm]

Like the books on your shelves, or the books you've written?

Well, there was one with a guy called Quill, and another with a Grand Tree, but there are other children’s books we used to get from the library, that I have achieved.