I recommend the following websites to fiction writers, whether you're in the first stages writing or all set to query or publish. Please note, some of these resources may require a log-in or membership. QUERY LETTERS How to write a query letter Examples of Successful Queries QueryShark LITERARY AGENT LISTINGS Writer's Digest Guide to Literary … Continue reading Writer Resources
query letter
Matching voice in your query and sample
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
Those Lowdown, Lonesome Query Blues
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 …
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
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
Bad News, Good News
Sometimes bad news is a very good thing. A little background: my manuscript, WHISPERS IN THE CANYON, was (in what I thought was a cut and polished state, like a rare diamond if you will), 120,000+ words long. But feedback from many quarters said "That's too long", "It's not the optimal size for publication", "Agents … Continue reading Bad News, Good News
A BADGE OF HONOR
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
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
Gifford MacShane, Author 