I'm working through draft #3 right now (the "I'm not too embarrassed to show this to people who know me" draft) and as soon as I finish I'm going to start applying for "Sorry, but that's not what we're looking for right now" letters. Will this get me a few?
Criticism tolerance: High. Addicted, in fact.
Dear [wise and all-powerful literary agent]
I am seeking representation for ONE NIGHT IN MAGADAN, an 80,000 word “low fantasy” novel in a High Fantasy setting. Magadan is the largest city in the world, a bustling international metropolis whose greatest hero, Aidan Trevanik, wages war against the power-hungry Lich Lords of the Madlands.
This is not his story. This is the story of the innocent bystanders whose lives are destroyed when the forces of Light and Darkness bring their war home.
The narrator is Aust, a common minstrel with a sordid past who is entertaining revelers on the night that Aidan’s army returns victorious to the city – except that Aidan is dead, and the returning soldiers are in fact an invasion force from the Madlands disguised by a sinister magical illusion. As the victory celebration turns into a massacre and the army of the Lich Lords tears the city apart from within, Aust finds himself on the run with five strangers whose only goal is to survive and escape while Magadan burns to the ground.
ONE NIGHT IN MAGADAN is the story of the worst night of Aust’s life, a story of friendships formed and loves lost in a whirlwind of nightmare and disaster. It is a story of loss and sacrifice, of faith in the face of overwhelming darkness, and the choices people make when all hope is gone.
I would be happy to send the current complete draft of the novel for you to review. Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[chump-ass unpublished first-time novelist]
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2007: One Night in Magadan
~~~~~~~
“Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a piece of blank paper until your forehead bleeds” - Douglas Adams
7,740 / 50,000
mai 4, 2008 - 07 52
I would include what age you have geared the story towards, adult, 12 and up, etc. I would also indicate why it is different from the thousands of fantasy books availaible or why you think the agent or publisher should consider your work. Also, if you plan to sumbit to other publishers/agents simultaneously, you need to indicate that. If you have written any newspaper articles (including comments that were published-they are still considered "pieces") or company publications, they count as experience. Include it.
I know I submitted a response before about agents, but I don't know what happened to it. I just wanted to share an experience in warning. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, and I repeat NEVER us an agent that charges you. I made that mistake and I am now about $165 poorer but wiser. I had an agent picked out and somehow clicked the wrong one online. The first clue should have been when they said they needed a critique that would cost me $45. An agent NEVER charges for a critique, that's their job-to read, critique and determine whether or not they want to represent your manuscript. My next clue should have been when they wanted an additional $120 to set up a website for me, which again, I paid. The site that they set up was very unprofessional-I could have done better. Then they wanted more money for processing, so that they could mail my information out to publishers. I figured that I could do this, and I did. I also got a publisher interested enough in my manuscript to agree to look at it again after a rewrite. At this point, I don't even know if I will use an agent. I have worked with contracts for years, so I know enough to look for loopholes and how to negotiate. I will probably just use an attorney, being strongly disillusioned by agents. Anyway, a word to the wise, be very careful and make sure any agency you go with is legitimate. Use the Writers Guide to find good agents and/or publishers. And good luck!
1,652 / 50,000
mai 3, 2008 - 13 19
Do you know about Evil Editor? If not, go there. It's wonderful. Send your query to him and you'll see it show up on the Queries Waiting list. Eventually it'll be the one critiqued by Evil Editor himself, and then in turn by many many people who browse the comments. I got it critiqued by like 15 + people. It's awesome
52,832 / 50,000
mai 5, 2008 - 08 09
Evil Editor looks great! I think I'll do that, as soon as my next draft is done.
Supermuppet: You're right, I should mention the target audience, especially since half the fantasy being published today is YA, and if you applied the movie rating system to my book it would be a very hard "R". And believe me, if I had any published writing credits to my name I would fly that flag high. Unfortunately I don't, and I know that's going to make it nigh impossible to get anyone's attention in the publishing biz. Oh well. Before next Nano I can hopefully find the time to crank out a short story or two that I can shop around.
Thanks, y'all!
----------2007: One Night in Magadan
~~~~~~~
“Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a piece of blank paper until your forehead bleeds” - Douglas Adams
55,232 / 50,000
mai 6, 2008 - 18 08
One thing that I've learned from the various agent's blogs that I read: A query is more powerful if you don't start it off with "I am seeking representation" because why else would you be querying them? A lot of agents like it if you include a reason why you're querying them, like "I've been reading your blog and..." or "I just recently read this book that you represented, and it's very simalar to my novel and that's why I thought you might be interested in representing my novel." Except you could probably come up with better.
Submit it to the Query Shark.
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
----------2006: Dance of the Mamed (about 18000 words)
2007: Project I-12 (WINNER AND FINISHED!)
Cups of caffinated drinks consumed: Too many to count.
If it's in the forum, and it doesn't make sence, then I probably posted it.