Dee McKinney's Blog - Posts Tagged "manuscripts"
Inferno et Paradiso
So, I am in serious query mode. I call it the Inferno et Paradiso because it's not quite hell--there's some good stuff here, too. Last night, I sent out query #48. I've received 9 rejections (all of them save 1 quite professional and polite; that one was just, hmmm, quirky). Lots of silence, which more or less means rejection. And...ONE FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST from a bona-fide agent. We all screamed. I know this is not the same as signing a contract, much less selling a book, but it was a good feeling. It meant that polishing that query letter 100 times, the paid professional edit, and my blessed beta readers had paid off.
So, I'm back to refreshing and updating my query list. One interesting thing is that since my book sort of squats between two genres, it gives me some flexibility in looking for representation. Being clear about what agents want is the critical thing.
I also find myself longing to get back to the historical mystery. I have the professional edit notes, and now that I've completed a second novel (a better one, let's be frank), I think I can whip that historical into shape with time and energy.
So, I'm looking forward to a fruitful summer. As Roden says in Silence of the Lambs, "Somebody grew this guy, fed him honey and nightshade, kept him warm. Somebody loved him." That's me and my books. They long to be fed.
So, I'm back to refreshing and updating my query list. One interesting thing is that since my book sort of squats between two genres, it gives me some flexibility in looking for representation. Being clear about what agents want is the critical thing.
I also find myself longing to get back to the historical mystery. I have the professional edit notes, and now that I've completed a second novel (a better one, let's be frank), I think I can whip that historical into shape with time and energy.
So, I'm looking forward to a fruitful summer. As Roden says in Silence of the Lambs, "Somebody grew this guy, fed him honey and nightshade, kept him warm. Somebody loved him." That's me and my books. They long to be fed.
We all screamed for...a full manuscript request
To be honest, I was browsing my email for a LuLaRoe receipt at 10 PM...and lo and behold, another full manuscript request was in my inbox from an agent (this one based on a 50-page submission). I squealed. The whole house, including the dog, looked at me as if I'd found a big, juicy tick embedded in my, uh, thigh.
Again, this isn't a deal, nor is it a sale. I'm trying to see it as, "Something IS right here. Maybe my writing IS entertaining." I still wish I was Daniel Woodrell (“Fading light buttered the ridges until shadows licked them clean and they were lost to nightfall" or "They came in the dark and knocked with three fists." DANG!! That man can write). I'll keep working on it.
I've decided to take a short break from queries and edits to go back to novel #1. I have an idea about redoing the whole thing...and making the former secondary protagonist the main character. She's witty and complicated and funny...and also struggling with identity being half-Chinese and half-English in 1913, a time offering kindness to no one. I'll start that tomorrow, I'm thinking. :)
Again, this isn't a deal, nor is it a sale. I'm trying to see it as, "Something IS right here. Maybe my writing IS entertaining." I still wish I was Daniel Woodrell (“Fading light buttered the ridges until shadows licked them clean and they were lost to nightfall" or "They came in the dark and knocked with three fists." DANG!! That man can write). I'll keep working on it.
I've decided to take a short break from queries and edits to go back to novel #1. I have an idea about redoing the whole thing...and making the former secondary protagonist the main character. She's witty and complicated and funny...and also struggling with identity being half-Chinese and half-English in 1913, a time offering kindness to no one. I'll start that tomorrow, I'm thinking. :)
