Guest Post by Marian L Thomas

Finding a Publisher is Like Finding a New Pair of Jeans
By Marian L. Thomas

So there I was, walking into the clothing store with high hopes as I headed toward the jeans department of a major retail store. As I reached the department, it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn't exactly sure which type of jeans I was looking for. There were so many different types to choose from. Did I want a pair that sat below the waist, bootcut jeans, flare jeans or low-riders that are also bootcut? I almost wanted to turn around and go back home.

So it goes for many aspiring authors. There are so many publishers out there in the big world of all things literary, they simply aren't sure where or how to start the process. How did I resolve my jeans dilemma? I did some research. True story. Right there, in the department store. I read the various tags found on different pairs of jeans, until I found a description for a pair that sounded like me. Then I tried each of them on, until I was able to walk out of the store with a pair of jeans that felt as if they were meant for me — after I've lost a few  pounds, of course.

Going back to the journey for aspiring authors and their quest to find the perfect publisher; I would tell you to do one very important thing — RESEARCH. It's a waste of your time to blindly send out query letters to every single publisher out there. Understand what genre your book falls into, and then research publishing companies who publish that genre. Once you've found your list, look to see who the editor is that handles that genre. This is important. You want to be sure that you address your query letter to the right editor.

Now, before you send out that query letter, I need you to do something else quite important. More research — on writing a "winning" query letter. I want you to try out a few that you find, the same way you would try on jeans. How? Find samples of two or three that fit your writing style and your book. Many well-known authors have published their winning query letters. I have always believed that you don't always have to re-invent the wheel. It's okay to use what is out there if it has proven to work.

Here is a website I used:
 http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html

Now I know it's tempting to want to send your entire manuscript with your query letter. Fight the urge. Please. Keep in mind that most publishing companies only request the first three chapters of your work. Here is the last thing you want to do before you submit your query letter and the first three chapters of your manuscript to that publishing company that is going to fit your book like a pair of perfectly-fitting jeans: Have everything edited. Not by your cousin, friend or Mother (unless they're professional editors in their current secular lives).

Remember, just like you want your jeans to "make a flattering and modest impression," so goes your query letter.

About the Author:  Marian L. Thomas is the author of three award-winning and bestselling Clean Fiction books titled: Strings of Color, My Father's Colors and Color Me Jazzmyne. There are three things that she enjoys...her husband, her dog and eating popcorn.

Author's website:

www.marianlthomas.com

The Seven Deadly Sins of Querying

Bad querying is a sin and can guarantee you a one-way ticket to Hades. Okay, not really, but it certainly won't help you get an agent. To help you avoid damnation on your querying quest, let's go over the seven deadly sins you must not be tempted by.

GLUTTONY: Do you stuff your query full of more junk than found in a Vegas buffet? Does your email query address EVERY agent who ever lived? Is your pitch ten fat pages long (and still doesn't get the point of the story across)? We know you want to quadruple your chances by telling as many agents as possible every single detail about your BEST NOVEL EVER, but avoid doing this. Keep your pitch simple and concise with a killer hook, address one agent at a time, and you shall be healed!

ENVY: Do you use sentences like "My book is ten times better than the crap found in bookstores nowadays." or "All the bestsellers I've read suck. I'm a REAL writer!"? Could it be what you really feel is jealousy that you're not published? Could it be that you just insulted every single client your dream agent has? Avoid putting down other writers, big or small, and you shall be healed!

LUST: Do you slut yourself out in an attempt to land an agent? Do you send provocative pictures along with your query letter? Do you offer time-share condos in the Bahamas or send coffee cups stuffed with your lacey underwear in hopes to sway an agent's judgement? Do not try to seduce your way into the hearts of agents, and you shall be healed!

PRIDE: Do you brag that your mommy says your novel is the best piece of literature she's ever read? Do you claim that all your friends think you are the smartest person alive? Avoid proclaiming how great a writer you think you are and let your writing speak for itself, and you shall be healed!

SLOTH: "My fiction novel is attached." Is that your best attempt at a query letter? Do you address the agent with To Whom it May Concern? Do you even know if the agency you're querying represents the genre you write? Don't be lazy. Do your research, follow submission guidelines, and take the time to perfect your pitch, and you shall be healed!

GREED: "My novel is so good I'm certain I'll get six-figure offers from multiple publishers." "I know the publishing industry usually takes time, but my novel is so kick-ass that I'll land an agent, get a publishing deal, and my book will be in stores IN A MONTH!" We know this is your dream, and you have every right to chase it. But don't let your greed make you delusional. Be sensible, and you shall be healed!

WRATH: "How dare you reject my masterpiece! I'm going to write a scornful blog post wherein I tell everyone I know how much you suck! Agents are just jealous because they can't write!" Have you seen the statistics of how many query letters an agent gets a week, and the percentage of those writers who actually get requests for submission, and the percentage of those writers who actually land an agent? Do not let rejection make you a monster. Be professional, and you shall be healed!

In Between Days

Most aspiring writers I've come into contact with have many coals on the fire. I'm talking about manuscripts and WIP's, of course. Either they have multiple works-in-progress, or a finished manuscript and one or more WIP's, or more than one finished manuscript and a WIP or two to boot. This is, as far as I'm concerned, normal writer behavior.

But how do you get into the right mind-set when you've got multiple projects?

What do I mean by mind-set? When I work on a story, I try to really get to know the characters. I get involved with what's happening to them. I invest myself in their lives. And when I'm finished with that story, although it's still with me, I have to let it go a little in order to move on to the next story. Not completely, of course, but enough that I can concentrate on my next batch of characters and situations.

So let's say, for example, you're querying your finished manuscript and working on one of your WIP's. Now what happens when you get agent feedback for that finished manuscript and you decide to make appropriate changes. How do you switch mind-sets from one story to the other?

You tell me. Do you find it easy to keep all your characters in check? Do you stop working on a new project for a while when you're faced with feedback on a project you're currently pitching? Or are you an expert at juggling these things in your mind? And most importantly, how do you keep from going crazy in the process?

Progression

My next step is to make a questionnaire for my victims ... er, I mean, interviewees.

This could be rather fun, though I can't believe I'm trying to fit it into my busy schedule. That's me, though. Glutton for punishment when it comes to anything creative.

Okay, so a questionnaire goes on my to-do list. But not to-do today or tomorrow, because tomorrow I'm sending out query letters to literary agents.

See, I'm an aspiring writer too!