A Note on Submissions

Hey all,

Traffic on the site has been pretty high recently, and I'm busy in the day job and family life, so I want to let you know how I'm currently managing submissions.

I try to run through the submissions in the morning.  They go great with coffee.  I set up the posts for the day based on what's in queue by 7:00 am EST.  [NOTE: That time may change or disappear altogether on any given day.]

I stagger the posts so each one gets 2-3 hours at the top of the list.  I try to space them out as evenly as possible, but I don't schedule any to post in the wee hours of the morning (EST).  I know there are followers in the UK and down under, maybe if the submission volume goes up I'll post round-the-clock so you can get updates in the daytime.  Heck with your day jobs.  You need the distraction.

I delete submissions from the submission comment thread when I prepare the posts.  Except sometimes I forget to delete them.  Or I forget to post them.  Or  blogger gives me an error.  But to date, I am not aware of a situation where I deleted an entry and didn't post it.  However, I probably just set the stage for the very thing to happen.  Sorry to whomever it might affect.  [NOTE TO GRAMMAR NERDS: I'm pretty sure that's the proper use of affect vs. effect.  Also who vs. whom.  If not, let me know in the comments.  I don't have time to look it up right now.]

That's all for now.  I have to line some queries up for the day.

Rick

Read This Before Submitting

I am copying this from a post on Janet Reid's blog. Click here to read the original post. I recommend all submitters to read this and revise your query based upon these suggestions before posting here for additional critiques. This is very sound advice:

Here is the outline [Ms. Reid uses] to teach the class [on Effective Query Letters]:

1. A query letter is a business letter

2. A query letter requires "show don't tell" just exactly like your novel does

3. A query letter MUST tell an agent what the book is about.
3a. Who is the main character?
3b. What happens to her?
3c. What choice does s/he face?
3d. What terrible thing will happen because of that choice?

4. A query letter should include the word count, the title and any publishing credits you have? Don't have pub credits? Don't worry. Don't reach either.

(the novel has to be finished. You don't have to say it is, but just know it)

5. A query letter must avoid several instant-rejection phrases:
fiction novel
sure best seller

Oprah
film potential
"dear agent"/"dear sir or madam"

6. Things to avoid in query letters:
Don't beg.
Don't flatter.
Don't demean yourself.

Don't quote rejection letters
Don't quote critique groups, friends, paid editors or conference contacts.
Don't ask rhetorical questions.

Critiquing Critiques (Revision 1)

If there are any of you that didn't see my guest post over at Nathan Bransford's blog, here is a re-posting. Don't by shy about clicking over to the original, there are many comments with additional advice, including some good points by regular commentors here (Bane of Anubis, for example had a great follow up comment, so did Tricia O'Brien). For those who did see it, you may notice a few additions in this version...

Critiquing Critiques
Writing a novel is a lonely task. Sure, our characters keep us company, but after numerous readings and revisions they transform into red-headed step-children and we want them to leave us alone. That’s when it’s time to ship them off to boarding school, where they are tested under the critiques of our friends and family. Not all of them graduate.

As writers, we yearn for feedback. Aside from the chosen few who produce flawless prose on the first draft (and can’t ever fathom why the query for their masterpiece was rejected by those ungrateful agents), we understand that hearing the honest opinions of readers is crucial to perfecting our work. However, opening our souls to criticism can be daunting…

Giving a Critique
I recommend the sandwich approach, where you start with a positive point, give an honest opinion of what doesn’t work for you (may be multiple points), and then end with another positive point or words of encouragement. I’ve found that the sandwich approach helps put recipients at ease (especially if they are hungry). It makes people more receptive to constructive criticism and keeps them from getting overly defensive. If you are taking the time to provide the feedback, you should want the person to actually do something with it.

Be careful if you re-write something as an example, especially in a query critique. A short clause or sentence is one thing, but if you start re-writing paragraphs you are providing more than advice – you are providing voice.

Know your audience and respect the forum. If it is public, and you are criticizing the work of someone you don't know, and extra level of professionalism is warranted. Some sites that post work for feedback are dedicated to snark and humor, some blunt force trauma, and some polite but pointed feedback. This particular site fits in the latter-most category.

What Not to Do When Giving a Critique
- Don’t be overly apologetic or you will undermine your own opinions.
- Don’t hunt for things just because you feel you have to suggest something. Sometimes the work we review is really good. However…
- Don’t limit your feedback to praise just because you are afraid to hurt someone’s feelings. Paula Abdul has cornered that market. (NOTE: This position is open again, she's leaving Idol. But remember - there can be only one!)
- Don’t be a ruthless jerk. Simon Cowell has cornered that market.
- Don't get upset if someone doesn't run with your advice. If you say, "Why did you ask me if you weren't going to do what I said?" I will answer: Because I didn't know what your response would be.

Receiving a Critique
Rule # 1: Don’t pout if you hear something negative. Remember that you asked for the feedback in the first place. Don't get defensive and don't argue.

Rule # 2: Wait until all the feedback is in before you seriously contemplate your changes. Depending on the length of the work in question (e.g. a query vs a full manuscript) this may be 24 hours, or it may be several weeks.

Rule # 3: Seriously contemplate your changes. Take time. Work through it. You never microwave a roast. Slow cooking always turns out better. (NOTE: what’s with all the food references?)

Rule # 4: Look for common threads in the feedback and start there. The advice of the many outweighs the advice of the few.

Rule # 5: Re-write. If someone provides a re-write as an example, don’t just copy it. Try to understand why they suggested those changes. Otherwise you may dilute your own voice and you miss the opportunity to learn something.

Rule # 6: Ask for clarification if you don’t understand something. (NOTE: Please remember that this is in regard to critiques, not form rejections. Agents are not critique partners. No matter how much we want them to be.)

Rule #7: Be ready to disregard any feedback that doesn't make sense. Sometimes people will tell you to say something different, but that does not always equate to better. Some people may give ill-advised feedback. If it doesn't make sense and if clarification seems unnecessary, just disregard it.

Rule # 8: Thank the people who took the time to offer their feedback, and pay it forward by offering a critique to someone else.

Calling All Synopses

The vote results are in. Actually, they've been in for several days now but I've been really busy, so I'm just now getting to them.

53% of the voters have a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell. I mean critiques. More critiques.

23% are voting-class lurkers, and they read everything on this site regardless. These are the people that also read every word on each cereal box. Every morning.

13% will decide when they see the title pop up in Google Reader. If is says "Query" in it, it's a sure thing, otherwise, (shakes Magic 8-Ball): Future Uncertain.

10% would sooner leave the blogosphere forever than read one synopsis, let alone a flood of them. Luckily they also can screen the titles in Google Reader and Mark As Read any posts categorized under the S-word.

So the writing on the wall is clear, which I absolutely expect from this crowd. Send your Synopses, I will post them, and they will be critiqued.

#

Whadyacallit?

Some dude named "The Bart" once said that names are like roses, everyone has one and they all smell real sweet. Might have been that Simpson kid. No, wait. I think I got my wires crossed.

What I mean to say is: please submit your queries with a title. If you are considering querying, you should at least have a working title. If you don't even have an idea of what you want to call your book, there's a good chance your manuscript/story still needs attention, and time spent working on the query is time better spent perfecting your manuscript.

I've posted a couple of untitled queries, and if there are more it will get confusing for me to read back through them and determine what's a revision and what's a new query; I would imagine that most of the Slushpile followers would have the same issues and QUERY-UNTITLED may have a lower chance of garnering immediate feedback; some people may think, "Oh, I've already commented on that one twice. I'll wait for fresh meat."

NOTE TO VEGETARIANS/VEGANS: It is perfectly acceptable for you to wait for fresh tofu or another form of protein in lieu of meat. No animals were harmed in the writing of this post.

NOTE TO THOSE WHO ALREADY SUBMITTED UNTITLED QUERIES: I'm not mad at you, please do not feel obligated to post apologies. I just made this rule up. You had no way of knowing when you submitted and bear no fault.

NEW SUBMISSION OPTION!

Hello Slushpile followers, commenters, lurkers, and anyone else not covered by the aforementioned terms!

There is a new way to post queries and sample pages for submission.
You can email them to this address:

adaley4.postmyquery@blogger.com

The subject line of the email should be the title for the post (e.g. QUERY- AWESOME BOOK TITLE)

The body of your email should be the query and/or sample pages. Please format them accordingly, I will post them as I receive them. The posts will not go up automatically, I will review them first. If you are submitting a revision, I will add links to prior versions. I will still post items submitted as comments (a.k.a. the old way).

Thanks to everyone who submits their work for critique and the awesome group of commenters who show up immediately to offer advice. You are the ones who create the value for this site. I am just an enabler...

Do you limit the number of queries you post?

I've had several people ask me if I plan to limit posts to once per day, or put some other volume control policy in place. The concern is that many of you want to read and comment on every query, and fear that you won't be able to keep up.

For now, I don't plan to limit the posting. When I get a submission, I post it as soon as I see it and can get it up there. I read most of them, but I admit there are a few that I just posted and didn't read because I had several at once and just wanted to get them up on the site. I want to comment on all of them, too, but I've only been able to comment on about half of them so far.

I do read all of the comments, and in blogger I can see all of the posts and number of comments per post. So far every post has comments. If any queries go a couple days with no comments, I will put up a special post with links to those queries to call special attention to them.

The reason I want to do it this way is to provide everyone with a chance to get their query online, and to minimize the queue. I've submitted to other query review sites where there is a single reviewer, and I have waited days for posting / feedback on some, weeks on some, and I am still waiting on others (read: I have given up hope on others). No fault to the people who tend to those sites...Until the earth's rotation slows and we get 30 hours days, we will have to deal with the constraints of the 24-hour clock as it relates to families, day jobs, other hobbies, etc.

Most of us play the waiting game a lot...waiting for responses to queries, responses to manuscript submissions, etc. My hope is that this site will not be another line to wait in.

One thing that makes this work is the basic format. I post the queries, but there are 50 followers to the site and a couple hundred unique visitors per day (thanks mainly to a mention by Nathan Bransford on his blog). No one person can shoulder the burden of commenting on every post, but as a group we can take care of each other.

If this system starts to fail, trust me, I am resourceful and I will find a way to fix it!

#

Don't Be Afraid to Submit

Don't be afraid to submit your query for review, even if you know it needs work. This is a great way to validate where it needs work the most.

I'm projecting my own experience onto you all when I say the biggest fear is that someone will find something that warrants a re-write in the manuscript, and none of us want to go through that (again!). But truth is, if it's needed, it's needed. And you're better off knowing where it's needed if you want to sell your manuscript.

That's what agents and editors look for. What will sell. Even if it's a sold to a smaller audience, like many argue the true "literary" market to be, if it is a known market and there is predictable revenue from the sale of your manuscript, agents and editors will put it on the market. You may get a smaller advance and less overall income, but you'll get the sale. If, of course, the manuscript is up to par.

I know that when I give advice and criticism, a lot of it is filled with nuggets I gleaned from the agent and editor blogs. Not plagiarism - just learning from them and re-telling their wisdom in my own words. I do it for people who may not have seen that particular post, or follow that agent's blog It's a great way to pass on valuable information. Plus I do have my own ideas to share...

The link to submit is at the top right of this blog.

Submit Queries Here!

Attention Writers!

If you have a query, and you would like it to be available for public viewing / critique, enter it as a comment to this post. Feel free to include 3-4 sample pages with your query.

I will post your query exactly as I receive it, and it will be open for comments and criticism. I've kicked things off with my own query.

I WILL USE THE FIRST LINE OF THE COMMENTS AT THE TITLE FOR THE POST!!

Look at the first comment on this post as a point of reference. I recommend something like
QUERY- TITLE OF YOUR WORK

NOTE: I am not an agent or a publisher. I am an aspiring novelist, and I am doing this because I think it's a cool idea, and a good way to get feedback from other writers on the structure and content of a query.