Are You Using Your Network?

Being successful in the world today comes down to who you know. Getting a job requires having someone on the inside helping to "grease the wheels" so to speak to get the future employers attention. Despite what all of those ads say for sites such as LinkedIn and Indeed, just tossing your application into the mess will not likely yield the results you were hoping for. The same is true in publishing. If you want to have success, you have to utilize your network. I have two questions for you now...

Do you have a network?

Are you using that network if you do?

Let's talk about that first question. If you are just writing your stories at home and maybe just going to a local writing group at your library, then you have no network. Sure, those friends in your critique group may help with line editing, but that is not going to get you anywhere. If all you do is get on the Internet to learn how to do something with your writing, then you are not going anywhere either. To be successful requires getting out of your shell and getting out there among people who know what is going on. 

So how do you do this? You have to join those larger organizations. I know I talked about this earlier when I said to invest in your career. This is one of those times. Those larger groups provide you access to industry professionals, others who have been successful, conferences with "real" people and so forth.

Along the same lines, being around these people get you chatting with others who write the same genres you write. You share ideas and concepts. You talk shop. And who knows, the person sitting next to you at that evening hotel dinner of chicken or salmon may be an agent or an editor who wants to know about your project! What a concept, huh?

Now, let's talk about that second question. Let's assume you are part of that organization. Are you using that network? For so many authors, they simply will not use their network. "I don't want to impose," they say. Or "I don't want to take advantage of them." I hate to break it to you, but you are not imposing.  If they don't want to help, or can't help, they will tell you. But until you ask, you will never know. Here is an example. When I attend conferences, I will almost always be out and about in the lobby of the hotel. I make myself available. I have even gone so far as to challenge people on social media with live feeds to come and talk to me. Most never do. I have even gone to the lunches and just sat down at an empty table early to see if anyone comes over. Most don't. Their comment, "We don't want to interrupt you." Even though I offered. 

Networks are there for a reason. To advance your career. If you are ignoring that network, I hope you enjoy your life where you are at. It might not change a whole lot!

Why Are You Hiring Someone To Do Your Work

I decided to post this today after getting multiple submissions from authors who are seriously wasting their money on someone who doesn't know what they are doing. This is not the first time I have gotten submissions like this. Let me explain.

Clearly an author has gone out to "hire" someone (much like an agent) to send out submissions on the behalf of the author to agents looking for representation. Sound confusing? It should. In any case, these submissions are just form letters by the "agent???" trying to hype up these authors books. But here is the problem. I have never once gotten one of these submissions for a project that is romance or women's fiction. These are projects that are clearly things I would never represent.

Of course the query letter states they are reaching out to me because of my expertise in these areas.

So, I went to one of their website and they are trying to advertise themselves as more of a hybrid publisher. Oh, they have raving testimonials from "authors." What I found interesting is that one of the testimonials was from this author who has found great success with the company and the book is supposedly published...

AND YET...

The email I received was claiming otherwise.

When I went to their LEGAL TERMS page, they never once tell us how much they charge but WOW, there was a lot in there about having to pay and even setting up payment and installment plans. 

Look, legitimate hybrid publishing is fine, if you want to pay for it. But, "riddle me this" why would you pay to have someone sending out your queries? More importantly, why would you have someone who clearly has no idea who they are sending the projects to.

Hey, if you want to waste your money, go for it. Personally, I would never advocate for this.

Talking a bit about using A.I. in your writing

 

Writing the PERFECT Query Letter

Let's talk today about that darn letter you all hate to write - The Query Letter! I know you all hate it because of the huge uptick I have seen (as well as other editors and agents) of the number of you turning to A.I. written letters. For those of you doing this, let me say that your taking that approach is probably the reason so many of  you are seeing an equal uptick of rejection letters, or more likely, no response from those editor and agents. So, with that in mind, let's talk about that perfect query letter.

FOLLOW THE RULES  I cannot stress this one enough. Do exactly what the editors and agents ask for. If they say to NOT include attachments, then don't. If they say send the first three chapters, do just that. You might feel you are helping them out by doing more, or you want to show them the "really good part of the story" but that approach will get an automatic rejection. If you can't follow the guidelines, you are demonstrating that the odds are, you will not follow the revision letters we send to you.

THE THREE PARTS There are three parts of that query letter and you need to include all of these parts. THE BASICS, THE BOOK, THE BIO

• The Basics include: title, genre, word count, the high concept and why you are contacting that editor or agent. You may include comps to other books, but make sure you explain why (see below under Show Don't Tell. Make sure you know exactly what your genre is. You will also note I am saying word count not pages you have written. 
• The Book is where you are going to tell us a brief summary of the entire novel. We need to know who the characters are, the conflict and the general plot (including the ending). Don't give us something such as "and along the way our character meets quirky characters and faces different obstacles and challenges) Come on. NO DUH!
• The Bio is where you tell us about you THE WRITER. If this is your first book, tell us what else you have planned or in the works. If you have been published in the past, tell us what you wrote, who published it, etc. If this book has won awards, tell us. If this book has been published before give us sales numbers (not reviews).

MAKE IT PERSONAL Make sure that you are talking directly to that individual editor or agent. Know what the like and showcase that. If you met them before, tell them when and where. Show us you have done the research. BTW, here is how we know you are using A.I. "I am pleased to share this story with you because of your extensive background in...[and then you tell us something we don't do].

SHOW DON'T TELL You have been told to do this in your writing so you need to do this here as well. When you talk about comparable book, then don't just give us names, explain why and how your book is similar. When you tell us why your book is a perfect fit for us, then explain why. 

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL Every letter you write will be different. Do not just write, Dear Agent and then mass send it out to everyone. This connects back to MAKE IT PERSONAL.

Look, the query letter is just the same as a cover letter for your resume. This is where you showcase why you are the best candidate and why your story is the things we have to have. 

#MSWL PART TWO

 Yesterday, I posted about Manuscript Wish Lists. I figured, this is the time for me to post my #MSWL and the #Not my MWSL

#MSWL - YES!

• Category/Series writers - Specifically Harlequin: I am looking to find authors in ALL of the Harlequin lines. This includes:
• New authors who want to write for Harlequin
• Established authors at Harlequin who want to continue there AND explore other areas
• Historical romances set in 1920-1945: These stories need to be romance focused but have the feel of the time. Make sure you know your time.
• Romantic Suspense: Specifically cybercrime and white collar crime
• New Adult romance: I am really looking for stories that the 18-22 generation can relate to. 
• Contemporary Single Title: Stories should be 75K-100K and focus on characters that we would likely have as neighbors or colleagues. No excessive drama and not hyper trope focused.
• Women's Fiction: I want stories of again, characters that we would likely have as neighbors or colleagues. No excessive drama and not hyper trope focused. I want you to think UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (the book not the movie) if it was fiction. These are stories of learning and understanding the world.
• Multicultural romances where the culture plays an integral part (see below for a twist on this). Think Sandra Cisneros

#MSWL - NO!

• Quit the "Rom Con in the style of Emily Henry" The market is saturated
• No sports romances
• No time travel
• Not a fan of "road trip stories"
• No band romance and followers "In the style of Daisy Jones and the Six.."
• Multicultural stories of drama. I am getting deluged with stories from India
• No Regency, Georgian of Victorian (thank you Bridgerton and Downton Abbey for swamping the market)

And finally, if it is not traditional romance and women's fiction, or items specifically on my NOT list found on my website, then DO NOT SEND IT!

Cruising in the Summer of 2027

 

Hey everyone! I am looking to put together a relax, refresh and writing trip for authors. Working with All About The Memories Travel, we are looking to potentially take a short trip to either Alaska or the West Coast on Princess Cruise Lines in the summer of 2027. 

No details yet. Just looking to see if people would be interested in going. The group will be no more than 20 people. Nothing majorly formal. Just a chance to hang out with other authors.

Send Scott an email at the agency if this sounds like fun and you might be interested. 

What Does #MSWL REALLY mean?

I love these lists. Authors love it when editors and agents start posting on social media their #MSWL. For those of you not in the know, MSWL means Manuscript Wish List. It is a moment when we all decide of what type of projects we are looking for. It is an insight for authors into our heads (which can be pretty chaotic at times). Unfortunately, too many authors are missing the mark when we post. Let's break this down.

First of all, when WE post this, here is what WE mean. This can be broken down into two potential areas. The first would be that dream world we live in. Maybe we just finished reading a stack of submissions that was truly depressing. In the middle of all this reading, we are screaming, "Don't these authors get it?!?!" So we get on the Internet and start screaming about the things we really want (and not the stuff we just read!). For me, I do find that I post in these moments.

The second reason we might post is simply we are finding a hole in our lineup of authors, this is especially true with the editors. Maybe they are finding that they need a few more romantic suspense authors writing about a specific twist. The market seems to be trending that way so let's make an all call and see what is out there. 

Now, here is where the authors are messing up. First they seem to think this is the ONLY thing we are looking for. Nope, it is just a quick highlight of a few things, but it is not limited to this list.

Secondly, a lot of authors seem to think when we post this, it is time to start writing that story. Again, this is a BIG no. When we post, it means we are looking for this NOW not LATER. The market is shifting so fast these days that we simply cannot wait. For you authors, this means, if your story is not done and what we are looking for right now, this is not your opportunity.

Finally, when we say we are looking for a specific type of writing, we are not saying that we want you to somehow "manipulate" your synopsis to make it look like what we want. Your story is what it is. End of story. You cannot simply argue your story is something different. This is the easiest way to get to a rejection.

In the end, pay attention to when we post and if it is right for you, this is your time. If not, don't worry, we will likely post later.