tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post3435549679973771978..comments2023-09-05T12:51:25.656-05:00Comments on edittorrent: The Editor's Motto: We'll Get To It Eventually. Really, We Will.Edittorrenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-49290740236123958472008-07-14T20:31:00.000-05:002008-07-14T20:31:00.000-05:00Thanks, Theresa. My patience was rewarded, and I d...Thanks, Theresa. My patience was rewarded, and I didn't even have to pony up a bribe. ;-)<BR/><BR/>And thanks to you, too, Alicia. Very helpful.<BR/><BR/>The funny thing is that it all made sense in my head... LOLDave Shawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00773380114295267509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-35262241837340579562008-07-14T13:36:00.000-05:002008-07-14T13:36:00.000-05:00Yeah, I have to say, if the writing in the query l...Yeah, I have to say, if the writing in the query letter is adequate, I'll read the sample pages. (This is, btw, you should consider sending a sample of 5-15 pages -- the first chapter-- with a query letter even if that's not asked for. Why? Because that way the editor doesn't have to be enthusiastic about the query to read more. If I just get a query, then I have to email and ask for a sample proposal, and I'm not likely to do that unless I -really- like what's in the query.)<BR/><BR/>I think logic, coherence, hooks, all that, matter a lot more in a pitch, to tell you the truth. But even with pitches, if the story sounds like it might work for us, I'll ask to see a partial, even if you've stammered all the way through and can't remember your hero's name. I really will make the decision based on the actual writing, the actual story, not your presentation skills, thank goodness! Many great writers are not good pitchers. Sometimes I imagine the shy JK Rowling at some London writer's conference, pitching the first Harry Potter to some bored editor who has drunk too much coffee. "Uh, see, there's this boy wizard. And his name is Henry. No, Harry. And he has a pet owl! And there's like a scar, a lightning bolt on his forehead. On Harry's forehead, not the owl's. And he goes to a wizard school. Harry, not the owl. And--"<BR/>"Thanks, doesn't seem like anything we'd want to see. Best of luck in your future career!"<BR/>I wonder what happened to the fourteen editors who rejected that book. :) <BR/>AliciaEdittorrenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-53120541290547784342008-07-13T22:54:00.000-05:002008-07-13T22:54:00.000-05:00Cash bribes.No! I don't mean that! It's a joke, I ...Cash bribes.<BR/><BR/>No! I don't mean that! It's a joke, I promise!<BR/><BR/>To be honest, I put more weight on the sample pages than on the query letter. So I want my query letters short, clear, and punchy. I always say, you sell your writing in your sample pages, but you sell yourself in the letter.<BR/><BR/>TheresaEdittorrenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-9243982227103302612008-07-13T20:48:00.000-05:002008-07-13T20:48:00.000-05:00The ordinary life thing threw me at first as well....The ordinary life thing threw me at first as well. Thanks for pulling this one apart for us. Just a quick question though, what is the best way to grab your attention in a query letter?Natalie Hatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09377665702278806398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824896765631412903.post-78371278735982727122008-07-13T17:22:00.000-05:002008-07-13T17:22:00.000-05:00Feeling guilty and longing for an ordinary life, s...<I>Feeling guilty and longing for an ordinary life, she's on the verge of resigning her commission.</I><BR/><BR/>Great thoughts, Theresa! I don't have much to add, just that the above sounds odd. Just the "longing for an ordinary life". Where'd that come from? Her goal is to command a starship, so if she wants an ordinary life, she's going in the wrong direction. If what you're meaning is that because of these setbacks, she wishes she had a less eventful life but hasn't really before longed for an ordinary life, see if you can give more sense of her complicated emotions here. Her guilt makes her, for the first time, understand the appeal of the ordinary life?<BR/><BR/>That just seemed to introduce something that isn't hinted at before-- she doesn't seem like hte sort of person who has ever wanted to be ordinary.<BR/><BR/>I like the way, in the last paragraph, you identify the sort of readers (those who read those authors) who would be interested in your book. I like that because plot and character are not the only elements that matter. Tone, mood, style matter too. Sometimes a book with a very different plot will have a tone that reminds me of another book... and that's important for the editor to know-- what your book "sounds" like.<BR/>AliciaEdittorrenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14295505709568570553noreply@blogger.com