This substack came at a very good time. Two months ago, I started writing queries for my first manuscript. Out of 22 I've sent, I got 8 rejections. I nudged the 14 and recieved one rejection. Oddly, the quick responses didn't bother me as much as the non-answers. I felt like the ones that quickly rejected me did so because my manuscript doesn't fit for them at this moment. (I did research who represents my genre.) The ones that don't bother to answer at all is truly disheartening.
One aspect not addressed here is the age of the author. I'm now 68. I didn't allow myself the freedom to fulfill the lifelong wish to write until I was retired. Having had a career in an ancillary medical field, I am a novice to the world of publishing. I have purchased and read dozens of books on grammar, storywriting, and publishing. I rewrote my draft several times after comments from my alpha readers. I paid a four figure sum to have my book edited by a professional editor who edited my favorite fiction novelist. (And every penny was worth it! He pointed out areas to enlarge which made my work a much richer story.) I have participated in online workshops, one in person, and have spent hours and hours researching publishing online.
I have learned that the completing of a manuscript it not just the tip of the iceberg, I think it is a snowflake on that tip!
I've spend three years doing the above. I have considered my query letter must not be engaging enough, so back to the drawing board to try to find better comps to refine my letter. This is the aspect I've found to be the most difficult, to find a recent comp to my story. Well, mine is a Christmas story with a theme heavy on the disappointments in life and the drive to keep going--my alpha readers compare it to A Christmas Carol meets It's A Wonderful Life meets The Wizard of Oz! WHERE are the "recent" comps for my story? What agent wants to accept a senior debut author?
I feel that in these troubling times, our society could use an escape, and my story fills that need. Of course, I expected (and hoped!) that friends reading my book would say they liked my book. When they tell me I made them cry, and they found the ending satisfying, I KNEW I hit my intended mark.
Perhaps the adage that God works in strange ways is true. When I reach a low point in my publishing journey, something comes along to keep me from giving up, so, thank you for your subject matter today.
I will query more agents, but the temptation to just give up and self publish is very alluring, after all, I'm not a fresh young face--how many agents want to take me on as a senior?
Miselle, first, you're doing all the right things, good on you! And two months really isn't long to wait to hear on your first round. Especially with political anxiety so high these days – people are overwhelmed on lots of levels. I'd suggest waiting another month or two before you nudge again.
In the meantime, you have lots of good work to keep you busy!
1. You're absolutely right to put some time into finding RECENT comps. In case you missed it, I wrote about finding good comps for your book in this post: https://alexandrasokoloff.substack.com/p/identify-your-brand-with-a-master?utm_source=publication-search - and I’d be happy to get further into it in another post. But Christmas books are big business. Start spending some time on Amazon searching books and Kindle books for "Christmas stories" "Christmas inspirational" "Christmas romance" "Christmas fantasy" (whatever genre/subgenre you're working with) and work your way through the plot summaries of the bestselling titles that come up in your search to find relevant titles for you.
2. Do you have a list of another 25 or so agents to query once you find those cops and revise your query letter? If not, that’s another goal for you.
3. You’re not wrong about an age bias, but it’s nowhere near as bad as Hollywood, for example! You don’t have to refer to your age in your query letters – let your book stand on its own, as it will for your readers. And the really good news for you is that older people are the biggest demographic of readers – people have much more time to read in retirement, and it’s what they’ve been working toward. You can use that fact as a strength and a motivator. You know your readers – because you ARE your readers.
4. At the same time, you need to factor your stage of life and how many writing years you have left into your overall writing career game plan. Hopefully as a retiree you have a comfortable financial situation and that pressure is off – a luxury! Being able to write full time puts you ahead of a lot of writers.
But what is your vision of what comes next? What’s your next book? Are you planning and writing another? Having a book 2 to pitch to your potential agents is really important, and we authors need to always be writing the next book rather than sitting around waiting for something to happen.
5. AND - here’s another important question. You sound very solid about this book, and have had great response from early readers. Is this THE book you wanted to write, and you’re not itching to write more? Because that’s another scenario! In that case, I would definitely start exploring indie publishing while you continue to do the work to set up this book. And if you decide to go down that indie route, I’m happy to do some posts on that. And as I said, the marketing tactics of indie publishing are invaluable for traditionally published authors as well – we all need to know something about it.
So there are some things for you to think about then put into action. You are doing GREAT.
Wow! Thank you for your lengthy response! You cover a lot, so I'll use your numbers to answer.
1. Yes, I did read your post about comps, and I did find it helpful. The struggle is finding one that is current. All I could find at my local Barnes and Noble was sort of Hallmark type romance books. That's not exactly a good fit. To be honest, when I had it edited, I wasn't sure what genre to classify it, and my editor said "Literary Fiction" so that's where I've been looking.
2. PLENTY of other agents! I subscribed to QueryTracker.com and sorted by Literary Fiction. I then went through my about 300 matches to look into those agencies and their agents, which "narrowed" it to about 130 agents at 90 agencies. Next, I did a deeper dive into the agents to find a connection and ranked the agents from 1 to 10, depending upon what introductory paragraph I could write in the queries. (I question the value of that suggestion, as I imagine all letters go through an aide to start.) It seems that my pitch isn't engaging enough, so I'm trying to refine it.
3 & 4. That thought it encouraging, thank you. I would mention, however, many friends who are big readers are now very involved in attempting to save democracy, which is time consuming! While I haven't marched recently, I do spend time reading worthy substacks (I've noticed you on LFAA which is how I ended up seeking out your substack.) I try to get at least 5 calls a day into Congress, and recently spent hours emailing all of the 50 senators. (A few don't take out of state emails.) I am fortunate to have good health and had good finances, although the cognitively disabled moron's actions have caused a major hit. (I try to temper my political comments, but as mentioned, seeing you on LFAA and/or That's Another Fine Mess, I feel safe in venting.)
5. I am solid on this book. Not only is a great story, I think it would make an excellent movie! The story could become a timeless holiday classic. Of course, that is in my wildest dreams. Speaking of wild dreams, I've pondered that should I self publish, how could I send it to various actors/actresses whose careers helped me form my characters. (My main character is easily Tom Hanks, both his early work and his later work.)
That being said, your point about is this "THE" book is a good one. It is not. While it is the only one professionally edited, I've written two other manuscripts. I have concepts of plots (ugh. "concepts" Makes me think of the orange menace!) for three others. The other completed manuscripts are not holiday themed, nor are the plots for the other ones.
I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a one-day, three on one workshop with the author Roland Merullo. I lucked out--one of the other two writers was a no-show. The other writer had written only the first chapter of her book, and so Roland was impressed I had finished mine. (That was the third draftapparently lots of people never get past the first couple pages.)
He hosted us at his home in Massachusetts (I'm in Illinois) and he and his wife were incredibly gracious and kind. Since then, I've maintained contact with him--he introduced me to his own editor who I engaged to edit my manuscript--and he has been encouraging. He suggested a site "SheWrites" though admitted he knows little about it. He had a student who published through it. I've started looking into it and there appears to be a lot of charlatans out there. It's a scary thought to lose time and
thousands of dollars to a skam! I guess I could purchase yet another book, this time one on self-publishing.
I've already written too much and taken too much of your time, so I am ending it here. Thank you for your suggestions. Every bit of advice various published authors have given me brings me one step closer.
Thank you
Ellen Hudson (Miselle is a nickname given to me from a very dear friend who passed from two cancers: breast AND lymphoma, diagnosed at the same time. Cancer is evil.)
Hey Ellen. You are 100% correct that we have the same definition of saving democracy. Thanks so much for your activism, and I'd be happy to add you to the private message board if you'd like me to work with you a little on finding recent comps for your book. I just need to know your email address to add you and I'll send you the link.
I jokingly asked Roland (who I mentioned above) to write a Christmas novel in his "Breakfast with Buddha" series, as then I'd have the perfect comp. Since there seems to be a void of Christmas/holiday recent novels (with the exception of romance ones) he made the suggestion of pitching it as such. The ol' "find a need and fill it"--if you have any thoughts on that, I'd appreciate hearing them.
This substack came at a very good time. Two months ago, I started writing queries for my first manuscript. Out of 22 I've sent, I got 8 rejections. I nudged the 14 and recieved one rejection. Oddly, the quick responses didn't bother me as much as the non-answers. I felt like the ones that quickly rejected me did so because my manuscript doesn't fit for them at this moment. (I did research who represents my genre.) The ones that don't bother to answer at all is truly disheartening.
One aspect not addressed here is the age of the author. I'm now 68. I didn't allow myself the freedom to fulfill the lifelong wish to write until I was retired. Having had a career in an ancillary medical field, I am a novice to the world of publishing. I have purchased and read dozens of books on grammar, storywriting, and publishing. I rewrote my draft several times after comments from my alpha readers. I paid a four figure sum to have my book edited by a professional editor who edited my favorite fiction novelist. (And every penny was worth it! He pointed out areas to enlarge which made my work a much richer story.) I have participated in online workshops, one in person, and have spent hours and hours researching publishing online.
I have learned that the completing of a manuscript it not just the tip of the iceberg, I think it is a snowflake on that tip!
I've spend three years doing the above. I have considered my query letter must not be engaging enough, so back to the drawing board to try to find better comps to refine my letter. This is the aspect I've found to be the most difficult, to find a recent comp to my story. Well, mine is a Christmas story with a theme heavy on the disappointments in life and the drive to keep going--my alpha readers compare it to A Christmas Carol meets It's A Wonderful Life meets The Wizard of Oz! WHERE are the "recent" comps for my story? What agent wants to accept a senior debut author?
I feel that in these troubling times, our society could use an escape, and my story fills that need. Of course, I expected (and hoped!) that friends reading my book would say they liked my book. When they tell me I made them cry, and they found the ending satisfying, I KNEW I hit my intended mark.
Perhaps the adage that God works in strange ways is true. When I reach a low point in my publishing journey, something comes along to keep me from giving up, so, thank you for your subject matter today.
I will query more agents, but the temptation to just give up and self publish is very alluring, after all, I'm not a fresh young face--how many agents want to take me on as a senior?
Miselle, first, you're doing all the right things, good on you! And two months really isn't long to wait to hear on your first round. Especially with political anxiety so high these days – people are overwhelmed on lots of levels. I'd suggest waiting another month or two before you nudge again.
In the meantime, you have lots of good work to keep you busy!
1. You're absolutely right to put some time into finding RECENT comps. In case you missed it, I wrote about finding good comps for your book in this post: https://alexandrasokoloff.substack.com/p/identify-your-brand-with-a-master?utm_source=publication-search - and I’d be happy to get further into it in another post. But Christmas books are big business. Start spending some time on Amazon searching books and Kindle books for "Christmas stories" "Christmas inspirational" "Christmas romance" "Christmas fantasy" (whatever genre/subgenre you're working with) and work your way through the plot summaries of the bestselling titles that come up in your search to find relevant titles for you.
2. Do you have a list of another 25 or so agents to query once you find those cops and revise your query letter? If not, that’s another goal for you.
3. You’re not wrong about an age bias, but it’s nowhere near as bad as Hollywood, for example! You don’t have to refer to your age in your query letters – let your book stand on its own, as it will for your readers. And the really good news for you is that older people are the biggest demographic of readers – people have much more time to read in retirement, and it’s what they’ve been working toward. You can use that fact as a strength and a motivator. You know your readers – because you ARE your readers.
4. At the same time, you need to factor your stage of life and how many writing years you have left into your overall writing career game plan. Hopefully as a retiree you have a comfortable financial situation and that pressure is off – a luxury! Being able to write full time puts you ahead of a lot of writers.
But what is your vision of what comes next? What’s your next book? Are you planning and writing another? Having a book 2 to pitch to your potential agents is really important, and we authors need to always be writing the next book rather than sitting around waiting for something to happen.
5. AND - here’s another important question. You sound very solid about this book, and have had great response from early readers. Is this THE book you wanted to write, and you’re not itching to write more? Because that’s another scenario! In that case, I would definitely start exploring indie publishing while you continue to do the work to set up this book. And if you decide to go down that indie route, I’m happy to do some posts on that. And as I said, the marketing tactics of indie publishing are invaluable for traditionally published authors as well – we all need to know something about it.
So there are some things for you to think about then put into action. You are doing GREAT.
Wow! Thank you for your lengthy response! You cover a lot, so I'll use your numbers to answer.
1. Yes, I did read your post about comps, and I did find it helpful. The struggle is finding one that is current. All I could find at my local Barnes and Noble was sort of Hallmark type romance books. That's not exactly a good fit. To be honest, when I had it edited, I wasn't sure what genre to classify it, and my editor said "Literary Fiction" so that's where I've been looking.
2. PLENTY of other agents! I subscribed to QueryTracker.com and sorted by Literary Fiction. I then went through my about 300 matches to look into those agencies and their agents, which "narrowed" it to about 130 agents at 90 agencies. Next, I did a deeper dive into the agents to find a connection and ranked the agents from 1 to 10, depending upon what introductory paragraph I could write in the queries. (I question the value of that suggestion, as I imagine all letters go through an aide to start.) It seems that my pitch isn't engaging enough, so I'm trying to refine it.
3 & 4. That thought it encouraging, thank you. I would mention, however, many friends who are big readers are now very involved in attempting to save democracy, which is time consuming! While I haven't marched recently, I do spend time reading worthy substacks (I've noticed you on LFAA which is how I ended up seeking out your substack.) I try to get at least 5 calls a day into Congress, and recently spent hours emailing all of the 50 senators. (A few don't take out of state emails.) I am fortunate to have good health and had good finances, although the cognitively disabled moron's actions have caused a major hit. (I try to temper my political comments, but as mentioned, seeing you on LFAA and/or That's Another Fine Mess, I feel safe in venting.)
5. I am solid on this book. Not only is a great story, I think it would make an excellent movie! The story could become a timeless holiday classic. Of course, that is in my wildest dreams. Speaking of wild dreams, I've pondered that should I self publish, how could I send it to various actors/actresses whose careers helped me form my characters. (My main character is easily Tom Hanks, both his early work and his later work.)
That being said, your point about is this "THE" book is a good one. It is not. While it is the only one professionally edited, I've written two other manuscripts. I have concepts of plots (ugh. "concepts" Makes me think of the orange menace!) for three others. The other completed manuscripts are not holiday themed, nor are the plots for the other ones.
I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a one-day, three on one workshop with the author Roland Merullo. I lucked out--one of the other two writers was a no-show. The other writer had written only the first chapter of her book, and so Roland was impressed I had finished mine. (That was the third draftapparently lots of people never get past the first couple pages.)
He hosted us at his home in Massachusetts (I'm in Illinois) and he and his wife were incredibly gracious and kind. Since then, I've maintained contact with him--he introduced me to his own editor who I engaged to edit my manuscript--and he has been encouraging. He suggested a site "SheWrites" though admitted he knows little about it. He had a student who published through it. I've started looking into it and there appears to be a lot of charlatans out there. It's a scary thought to lose time and
thousands of dollars to a skam! I guess I could purchase yet another book, this time one on self-publishing.
I've already written too much and taken too much of your time, so I am ending it here. Thank you for your suggestions. Every bit of advice various published authors have given me brings me one step closer.
Thank you
Ellen Hudson (Miselle is a nickname given to me from a very dear friend who passed from two cancers: breast AND lymphoma, diagnosed at the same time. Cancer is evil.)
Hey Ellen. You are 100% correct that we have the same definition of saving democracy. Thanks so much for your activism, and I'd be happy to add you to the private message board if you'd like me to work with you a little on finding recent comps for your book. I just need to know your email address to add you and I'll send you the link.
That is a very generous offer. My email address is
EllenDoyleHudson@gmail.com
I jokingly asked Roland (who I mentioned above) to write a Christmas novel in his "Breakfast with Buddha" series, as then I'd have the perfect comp. Since there seems to be a void of Christmas/holiday recent novels (with the exception of romance ones) he made the suggestion of pitching it as such. The ol' "find a need and fill it"--if you have any thoughts on that, I'd appreciate hearing them.