Cowboys & Irishmen

The Blog of Author Gifford MacShane

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Query & Synopsis

Matching voice in your query and sample

February 25, 2016March 18, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 2 Comments

The purpose of the query is to sell your MS. But what should you do if the voice in the query doesn’t match the pages? Source: Matching voice in your query and sample

FAILURE IS NOT FATAL

February 1, 2016September 9, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 5 Comments

Just the other day, I posted this quote from Winston Churchill: Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Normally, I'd just leave it out there and it would hopefully inspire some other folks the way it inspired me. But I've found that over the past few … Continue reading FAILURE IS NOT FATAL

Those Lowdown, Lonesome Query Blues

June 11, 2015March 11, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 3 Comments

How does it happen? How is it that this perfectly written, perfectly polished, perfectly appealing manuscript of mine gets so little positive attention? Of course I’m kidding. First of all, I know that nothing’s perfect. Secondly, I know that nothing will appeal to everyone. How many book are there that I haven’t taken out of … Continue reading Those Lowdown, Lonesome Query Blues

That dreaded query letter …

May 4, 2015March 11, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 4 Comments

Oh, the dreaded query letter! It is, in my opinion, the hardest thing in the world to write. Writing an effective query letter takes the ability to ignore your creative urges and write in a way that‘s totally foreign to your instincts. Remember how you used to write book reports in grade school? You’d take … Continue reading That dreaded query letter …

Query Letter Reaction #2

March 2, 2015March 12, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 2 Comments

I got another personalized rejection in response to a query letter recently. If you remember, the first agent liked the characters and plot of WHISPERS IN THE CANYON, but she felt my writing was too brusque. I've taken steps to correct that. The new agent likes my writing and the plot, but rejected it because … Continue reading Query Letter Reaction #2

A BADGE OF HONOR

November 16, 2014March 19, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago, I started sending query letters out. Yesterday, I got my first form rejection. I fully expected to be upset when this happened, and it took me a little while to understand why I wasn't. When this novel was first completed and I was looking for a literary agent, the internet … Continue reading A BADGE OF HONOR

The Query Letter Revisited

October 14, 2014March 12, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 3 Comments

The manuscript was completed, polished and pared down to the optimal length for a first-time author. And it was time for me to write a query letter and see if I could get an agent interested in my book. There are a ton of resources online with instructions on how to write a query, and … Continue reading The Query Letter Revisited

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Recent Posts

  • MOLLIE DARLIN’, Traditional American Folksong
  • THE WOODSMAN’S ROSE Character Sketch: Annie Griffiths
  • THE WOODSMAN’S ROSE now available; First review is in!
  • THE WOODSMAN’S ROSE is Available for Pre-Order
  • An Answer to That Age-Old Question: What to do with the kitty’s Santa hat when the kitty won’t wear it?

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Top Posts & Pages

  • 7 Great Authors Take on the “RULES OF WRITING”
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  • DIALOGUE TAGS: A Punctuation Primer
  • WHISPERS IN THE CANYON: Donovan Family Saga Book 1
  • Those Lowdown, Lonesome Query Blues
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