Here come some biggies...
- Submitting stories that aren't finished to any agent looking at fiction is a sure sign of getting a rejection. Sure, some might say we'll look at it when it is done, but most can just send a quick no and keep moving through their piles.
- Not telling an agent everything about your writing and being overly vague may cause the agent to go looking. When we find that you write in a genre we don't represent, but were trying to get us interested in it by not telling us, the odds are you will be seeing a rejection. Be up-front and honest!
- Query tracker is fine (as well as many of these other sites) however, please review what the agent really wants. I have done all I can to make it really obvious on Query Tracker, for example, to tell you I only take romance and women's fiction. Last time I checked, stories in the Tom Clancy style don't quite fit with romances.
- Using a form letter for submissions is fine, but make sure you don't include incorrect information... Telling me you got my information from a source that I am not listed in is a sure red flag that tells me you don't do your research.
- Finally... MY NAME IS NOT MR. GREYHAUS!!!!!! This is the agency name!
Whew!
Dear Mr. Haus,
ReplyDeleteMay I call you Grey since we're going to be such great buddies?
You see, I've almost completed my 120,000 masterpiece on the mating rituals of chickens (only 100,000 more words to go!) and I just know you'll think its the next best Harry Potter--it's even better than Twilight!
I picture Harrison Ford as the chicken herder in the movie. You'll sign me immediately, right???
P.S. You're ruggedly handsome with your whip in the picture posted on the blog! Do you model on the side?
Hi Scott!
ReplyDeleteI'm also working on a poultry theme single title romance (Toujours Mon Poulet-currently at 50K keyboard pecks) which I hope to submit upon completion. Nora, the Jersey Giant, falls for Rocky, a gentle beta Rhode Island Red. But I'm a bit worried Nora has too much emotional baggage for your liking. She's been on her own since she escaped from the hatchery at six weeks. She's got issues. :p
Love your blog! Have a great weekend!
Oh fuuny funny. I hope & pray you do realize people are still calling you Mr. Greyhaus because the original story was so darned funny. And speaking of chickens, I know you won't be able to resist signing my new trilogy featuring vampire poultry. You can't imagine the uniqueness of it! They seek human blood, cannot be killed, and are active at night. $5.5 million would cover this nicely. It's really much better than the Cronin book, and I am offering it to YOU first because I follow your blog. Lucky guy.
ReplyDelete