Dear O'Abby: Am I being ghosted?

 Dear O'Abby,

My agent has had my book out on submission and it's been a while now.  We got a couple of pretty swift rejections, which kind of sucked, but at least I knew where I stood with those editors.  A couple of others have told my agent that they're behind on their reading and they will be getting to it soon.  So at least I know that I haven't been forgotten.

The last couple of editors have been eerily silent.  My agent has followed up with them a couple of times, but has received no response.  Do editors sometimes just not respond?  Ever?  Am I freaking out for no good reason here?

Sincerely,

Ghosted

Dear Ghosted,

Unfortunately, this does occasionally happen.  It may not be malicious or intentional, but sometimes editors get so behind on their reading, it becomes embarrassing for them to admit.  Or some major life event may have derailed things and they're struggling to get back on track.

Whatever the reason, if this lack of response becomes a regular thing, agents will notice and stop sending stuff to that editor.  This is the kind of inside knowledge an agent has that you don't have if you're subbing to publishers on your own.  Obviously, if your agent subbed to these editors, she thinks your book is a good fit with them and she has a good relationship with them.  Have you raised your concerns about the length of time it is taking with her?

Maybe she knows these editors are often slow to respond, but she's willing to wait because she believes they are the best fit for your book.  Or maybe they have always been responsive in the past, and this behaviour is out of character.  Whatever the situation, be certain your agent is taking note and, while I know it doesn't help you, if they are serial non-responders, agents will stop subbing to them.

I hope this helps.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: How should I reference a past submission when querying a new book?

Dear O'Abby,

I'm about to query a new book I've written and a couple of the agents I want to query are agents who rejected my last MS.  Should I reference this in my new query?  Not that they rejected it, but that I have queried them before.  Is there an industry standard way to do this?

Reverentially,

Rejectoid

Dear Rejectoid,

That's a good question and like so much of publishing, it depends.

If you got a form rejection or worse, a no-response-means-no, then don't mention it.  It won't add any value to your new query.

If you got a personalized response or the agent requested pages, then yes, you should mention it.  If they were interested enough in your previous work to talk to you about it or request pages, then they're likely to remember (or to look back to remind themselves) you and that could be beneficial.

There is no real standard way to do this, but something along the lines of, "you requested the full manuscript of my previous novel,  The Long Car Journey."  If they suggested you query them with your next project, reference that too as it means they liked what they saw enough to think you have potential.

Hopefully that helps!

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: An Agent Wants A Call. Help!

Dear O'Abby,

I just got an email from an agent I submitted my MS to saying she wants to set up a call to chat with me.  I'm going to have 'The Call'!

Sorry....  I still can't quite believe I'm at this stage.  I've been dancing around the house like a lunatic for a couple of hours now, but the reality is beginning to sink in and it occurs to me that I have no clue what to say on this call.

Do you have any advice on how to handle this?

Cheers,

Caller # 4

Dear Caller #4,

First up, congratulations!  Getting to 'The Call' is a huge step, and a very exciting one.  But it's also a very important one, so you need to be prepared for it.

This is your opportunity to figure out if you want to work with this agent, if you feel she is the right person to represent your book and any future books you might write.  So pay attention to how you feel while you're talking to her.  When I did my 'The Call', we did it via Skype so I had the added advantage of being able to see the people I was talking to to read body language as well as tone of voice, but you may not have this option.

You should have some questions ready ahead of time.  In the excitement of actually speaking to someone who loves your book and wants to represent it, you are likely to forget a lot of what you wanted to ask, so it helps to have it written down.

Important topics to cover are the agent's experience, what their agency agreement looks like and the terms and conditions, what her preferred method of communication might be and how responsive she is to communications, editorial style and how much editorial work she feels might be needed pre-submission, how much detail you will be given about the submission process and contingencies for things like the agency closing or the agent moving on.

If at any stage the agent talks to you about money for services, that's a red flag.  An agent should only take 15% of any sales she makes.  No money should change hands between agent and client until a book is sold.

If there is anything else really important to you, note it down so you can ask about it now.  There's nothing worse than discovering six months into an agent-client relationship that something you consider non-negotiable is not possible with this agent or agency.

And good luck!  I hope the call goes well and you and your agent have a long and lucrative partnership ahead of you.

X O'Abby

Dear O'Abby: How do I Format My Manuscript?

Dear O’Abby,

I’m about to start sending my manuscript out to agents, but I’m not sure how it should be formatted. And Google-fu has not been of much help... Some articles say 3 inch margins on the left, others say 1 inch on both sides, some say to start each chapter halfway down the page.  Is there a standard manuscript format I ought to be following to give my book the best chance at being picked up?

Yours,

Stumped

Dear Stumped,

Agents are looking for great stories and great voices and if you have those things, how you present your manuscript is secondary. That said, presenting your MS well shows the agent receiving it that you’re careful, professional and thorough. And first impressions really do count.

Some agents ask for manuscripts to be formatted a specific way and failing to do this shows you are not great at following directions. So before sending anything, check that the requesting agent doesn’t have a preference in how she receives the pages.

If not, here are a few very simple guidelines for making your MS look professional.

• Keep your margins standard – usually around 1-inch
• Use a standard font like Times New Roman and keep it no smaller than 12pt
• Start each chapter on a new page
• Indicate breaks within chapters using either **** or ####
• Number your pages starting from the first page of actual text (your title page should not be numbered)
• Put the name of the novel and your name in the footer

Title Page
Your title page should be a separate page, unnumbered, with the title in a large font. Your name or pen-name goes under this, and in either the upper or lower right corner, the wordcount for the MS (rounded to the nearest 1,000 words) and your contact details (address, phone number, email).

Good luck with your submissions!

XX O'Abby

Before You Send Your Query Letter

I'm waving at you from beneath the huge pile of virtual papers we refer to as the slush pile. It's massive. It's overwhelming. And yet, I know that it's also a pile of the hopes and dreams of writers like me and you.

When I approach the slush pile, it's with the hope of finding a gem that my company can bring to publication. I strive to give everyone a fair chance. However, time is not only valuable, but it's scarce. I can't devote a half hour to every submission. The pile would grow faster than I could pare it down. Writers only get a couple of minutes to grab my attention. While this can be disconcerting, I believe knowledge is power.

Put yourself the acquisition editor's or literary agent's shoes. What would you want to know about the story? What's most important about your manuscript and you as the author? Get them that important information as quickly as possible.

Here are a few things I want to know right away:

• Genre
• Target audience
• Word count
• Title

Surprisingly, these items are missing from many submissions I receive. To make matters worse, many writers don't read our submission guidelines to know we don't publish adult fiction, picture books, or non-Canadian writers. These folks are wasting my time and theirs by submitting. The Golden Rule applies. If you were the person feverishly going through hundreds of submissions, what types of submissions would you want to receive?

****************

When Melinda Marshall Friesen isn't writing, she works as marketing director and acquisitions editor at Rebelight Publishing.

Four Reasons Why Your MS May Have Been Rejected That Have Nothing to do with Your Writing.

Who hasn’t been discouraged by rejection letters at some point?

Today, I’ve removed my author hat and donned my publisher hat to give you four reasons why your MS may have been rejected that have nothing to do with how well you write. First the disclaimer. My views may be different than other publishers. I can only speak to the processes of Rebelight Publishing.

Upon receiving a rejection from a publisher or agent, authors often blame themselves, rationalizing that the problem must be their writing skills. While that could be, often it isn’t the case.

When I dive the slush pile, I first go after manuscripts that fit our publishing needs. As a company, we look at our book list and identify the holes. A few months ago, we determined a need for middle grade manuscripts under 30,000 words. I went to the pile, read those submissions, and dealt with those queries first. We requested fulls, read, and signed a couple authors. If you submitted a YA manuscript to us at that point, you’d be hearing crickets in your inbox. We had a need, and it was my job to fill it. That means those MG manuscripts had to take priority.

We are a small publishing house, and we don’t want to compete with ourselves, which is why we’ve

chosen to publish multiple genres. During each cycle, we try to publish a variety of books—some MG, some YA, some historical, some speculative, some contemporary. If you send us a YA high fantasy, and we’ve just signed a YA high fantasy, you’ll likely receive a rejection for the sole reason that we’ve already filled that spot. This has nothing to do with the quality of writing, the story, or your value as the author.

Another reason you might receive a rejection is that writing style isn’t what we’re looking for. We have a certain type of book we publish at Rebelight. That does not mean other styles are wrong or lesser. This is simply our preferences, and what we’ve found does well in the marketplace. While your style may not suit us, it may suit another publisher just fine. This is why you should query widely. You never know when what you’ve written is just what a certain publisher or agent is looking for.

Ooh, I said that word—marketplace. While writing is an art, publishing is a business. We want to sell book—lots of books. We have to make a judgement call about each book we publish. We make a huge investment of time, money and resources into each book. We have to determine if this is a book we can fully get behind and market. If we feel we can’t, no matter how great the writing, the manuscript is going to get a rejection.

However, sometimes it is the writing. If you are receiving a lot of rejections, enlist additional beta readers to see if there’s something you’ve missed. It never hurts to have an extra set of eyes on a manuscript. I’m just hoping that as you read this you realized there are a lot of different scenarios in play. The best thing to do is not take it personally.

It’s human to get discouraged, but don’t give up!

GUEST POST: Learning from Rejection by Holly M. Campbell

About three years ago, I began the submissions process for my novel Foreshadowed. I had a feeling about this one. Sure, I’d had that feeling before, but this time it was real. This time, I was going to get published. It was “the one.”

I used a spreadsheet to keep track of my submissions. If an agent sent a rejection, I would highlight his or her name in red. If an agent requested pages, I would highlight in green. And if I was still waiting for a response, yellow.

Most of the names ended up highlighted in red, but there were a few in green…at least for a little while. Eventually, I had an entire spreadsheet dedicated to my failure.

Except I didn’t fail. Foreshadowed was released by 48fourteen Publishing on December 31st.

Despite all the rejection I faced, it was still “the one.” In fact, as I look back on my personal road to publication, I’ve decided that it wasn’t “the one” despite all the rejection, but because of it. I learned a lot from all those rejection letters. And I’m not just talking about lessons of perseverance and believing in myself. I learned to view rejection letters as invaluable feedback from experts. If an agent said she just “couldn’t connect with the characters,” I believed her…and I tried to fix it. If agents said the pacing was too slow, the novel too long, or the ending too flat, I believed them…and I tried to fix it. And if all I got back was a form letter or no response at all, I asked myself “Why?” and—you guessed it—tried to fix it.

I added layer after layer to each character, trying to flesh them out, trying to make them relatable. I cut scenes, added new ones, and rewrote others. I changed the ending. I rewrote, and rewrote, and rewrote until I finally got the answer I had been waiting for: an offer of publication.

Now, granted, writing is a subjective business. You can’t please everyone and you shouldn’t try.

But if you just keep getting, “Thanks, but no thanks,” over and over again, it may be time to take a hard look at, first, your query letter, and then your novel. Try to see rejection as a tool. Don’t look at it as failure, but as a free critique from a seasoned professional.

Keep writing. Keep rewriting. And eventually you’ll write “the one” too.

She can’t avoid the dark forever…

Hope Murdoch was born dead. She took a breath two minutes later , and now is an almost-normal sixteen-year-old. Normal: a hopeless crush on the boy next door, a negative body image, and a (mis)diagnosis of ADHD. Not-so-normal: an exhausting and distracting ability to read minds. And high school is hard enough without hearing what everyone really thinks of you.

Lance Hampton used to be normal until a car accident killed him and his parents. Paramedics brought him back to a life he doesn’t want: orphaned, uprooted, living with his uncle, and suddenly able to see how people die. At his new school, he tries to keep to himself. Seeing how complete strangers die is torture enough, let alone friends.

At first glance, Hope doesn’t think much of Lance (though a lot of the other girls do). He looks like the typical bad boy. No thank-you … but then she meets his eyes and everything goes dark. 

She hears labored breathing. Rapid footsteps. And then a thud as someone falls to the ground. 

Inside Lance’s head, Hope just witnessed a vision of murder … her own.

Together Hope and Lance try to catch a killer before he’s red-handed. A killer who could be anywhere. Anyone. Sure Hope can read minds and Lance can see death, but they still can’t see in the dark.

Foreshadowed can be purchased here:

Amazon (print & eBook): http://goo.gl/9dW6ok

B&N (print & ebook): http://goo.gl/PbX4ib

Kobo: http://goo.gl/lEQCFU

iTunes/iBooks: http://goo.gl/MVo7RC

48fourteen (print & ebook): http://goo.gl/Ta5fNy

----------------------

Holly M. Campbell started writing stories at an early age. In junior high, she completed her first“novel” and enjoyed sharing it with friends and family.

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing, and a Minor in Modern Dance from Brigham Young University-Idaho. As a member of Contemporary Dance Theatre, she performed and toured with the school’s Dance Alliance. She graduated in 2006.

In 2007, Holly met her husband-to-be, but didn’t pay much attention to him until he asked her to help him teach swing dancing at their church. After he flipped her around and hoisted her above his head with relative ease, she fell (not literally) head-over-heels. They married a few months later.

Holly lives in Washington State with her husband and two daughters. She blogs at http://hollymcampbell.com.

Guest Post: Submission Tips From An Editorial Intern

I won't rattle on today because, as you may have guessed from the the title, we have a guest post with the fabulous Jennifer Blackwood. 

Thank you for having me on Operation Awesome today! My name is Jennifer Blackwood, and I am lucky enough to be an editorial intern. I’ll point out a few things I look for when a submission crosses my desk.  

Voice-

This is the first thing I look for in a submission. It is what keeps me going throughout the story—or makes me stop after 50 pages. It’s what sets your story apart from others. I will faithfully read a story with an overdone trope with a stellar voice as opposed to a unique story with a weak voice.

Source: https://33.media.tumblr.com/38c831c67a7734c059395a9df5bf3b9c/tumblr_n3hl7tP5AR1s98th6o2_250.gif

Some things to look for before you submit:

*Passive voice (using “to be” verbs). There are definitely times where using a “to be” verb is warranted, but make sure it isn’t every sentence!

*Telling- especially emotions. It’s very easy to fall back on, but super easy to fix! Helpful hint: Utilize the “find” button in your document to look for any emotion words (Angry, frustrated, happy, etc.) Instead of using these, show the reader with dialogue, facial expressions, reactions, etc. By doing this, you will draw the reader into the story (and hopefully make it farther in the submissions process!)

*If you have dual point of view, make sure your characters have two distinguishable voices. I often see submissions where the two main characters sound like the same person. Make sure they have their own distinct mannerisms, opinions, dialogue, and thought-processes. 

Dialogue- Dialogue should move your story forward. Oftentimes, in submissions, I see really stiff dialogue that does nothing for the characters. Make sure that each character has their own unique way of speaking. If you took away the dialogue tags, you should be able to tell who is talking just by their style.

A good example of this is Derek from the movie Zoolander. Everything that comes out of his mouth is unmistakably Derek. J

Source:https://31.media.tumblr.com/998db7eef1a10cfca67bca556ce175af/tumblr_mnccwhKNCQ1rkuidwo1_500.gif

Mechanics- Your submission does not have to be perfect. Commas are the bane of a writer’s existence, I totally get that. I can forgive that. What I can’t forgive is twenty typos per page. Before you send in a submission, make sure to spellcheck. Have a critique partner read over it. It’s a safe bet that your submission won’t make it past the interns if you submit a rough draft riddled with typos and grammatical errors.

Source: http://media2.giphy.com/media/6yOwveVoOlC2Q/200.gif

Overall story- I have read dozens of submissions and it strikes me as odd that 90% of what I read in the submission pile is THE SAME STORY. Sometimes I do a double take because I think haven’t I just read this? I love me some good, solid tropes (older brother’s best friend, anyone?!?!) but make sure you bring something to the table that makes your story stand out. Tropes I am seeing a lot of: Virgins, rape, bad boys turning good, teens discovering they are werewolves/lycan/fae/anything supernatural on their birthday. I’m all for these tropes if done in a stellar voice with a unique twist!  

Introspection- There is a time and a place for your characters to get deep and philosophical. 

Source: http://media.giphy.com/media/WjFM0ReBd4cYU/giphy.gif

The beginning is not a place to bog down the reader with a ton of introspection. Like wasabi on sushi, a little bit of introspection goes a long way. With that said, you shouldn’t leave readers in the dark about what’s going on with the main character, but ten paragraphs of introspection probably isn’t a good idea for the first few pages.

Professionalism- It is really important to be professional in your query. There are a handful of queries/submissions that stick out in my mind—and usually if they stick out, it means they did something really good or REALLY BAD. Usually the latter of the two. I’ve seen submissions with title pages saying it was a rough draft, others saying I was lucky to be reading it. Some said that if it didn’t get picked up, they planned to self-publish in the next month or so…

Source: http://media.giphy.com/media/hk4LNUOgb0fiU/giphy.gif

These probably aren’t things you want to say when you are submitting to a publisher. Or anyone you are querying, for that matter.

Anyhoo, that’s just a little peek inside the mind of an editorial intern. Thank you for having me on the blog, Operation Awesome!  

Jennifer Blackwood is an English teacher and New Adult author. She lives in Oregon with her husband, son, and poorly behaved black lab puppy. When she isn’t writing or teaching, she’s binging on Veronica Mars episodes and white cheddar popcorn. Blackwood writes about gray area issues with steamy tension and sizzling romance. But don't worry—her tortured heroes always get their happily ever after they deserve. She is represented by the fabulous Courtney Miller-Callihan from Greenburger Associates. Her debut novel, UNETHICAL, comes out later this year with Entangled Embrace.

Website: www.jenniferblackwood.com

Twitter: @jen_blackwood

Facebook: AuthorJenniferBlackwood

Count Submissions, Not Rejections

Many writers have a number they track. For most of us, it's the number of rejections we've received. Somewhere around rejection 100, I began to take a perverse pride in the growing tally. Rejection is the author's badge of honor, right?

Then picture book writer Carol Gordon Ekster posted this on Twitter the other day:

My 1000th submission just entered the folder on desktop. Writing 12 yrs now. Not bad.If u don't submit, u don't get published!
— Carol Gordon Ekster (@cekster) May 23, 2014

It occurred to me that I've been counting all wrong. The number I should be tracking is not my rejections, but my submissions. As Carol wrote, you can't get published if you don't submit. And you can't control your rejections -- only your submissions.

Order Deadwood, coming from Spencer Hill, June 24, 2014

I'm not advocating for leafleting the publishing world with books that aren't ready, to editors who aren't right. But if you're counting submissions, there's no number that's too high. You don't reach a wall -- you keep building.

So what's my number? Somewhere over 300. That's 300 times I reached out, 300 times I had faith in my work, 300 times when I was willing to risk my ego, 300 times I allowed myself to hope.

And yes, I'm proud of that. I admit that my number of rejections and my number of submissions are very, very closely correlated. So I don't need to tell you my rejection number.

I have one book coming out in three weeks. If that percentage doesn't sound impressive, that's OK. That one wouldn't have happened without the 300.

What's your number?  

About Kell Andrews:  Kell Andrews writes picture books and middle grade novels. Deadwood, her middle-grade contemporary fantasy about a cursed tree, comes out from Spencer Hill Middle Grade June 24, 2014.

Fun Stuff on the Interwebs

Since I have a book due tomorrow (EEEEPPP!!!) I thought I'd share a few quick links of some fun/good to know stuff going on that you might want to know. :-)

• Entangled currently has an open call for submissions for a new line of stories. Check out the deets HERE.
• Month9 is open for submissions again! Their guidelines are HERE.
• The Scene 13 blog is currently running a fun giveaway with a TON of books, swag, crits, and gift card prizes. All you have to do to enter is like their Facebook page HERE.
• Spencer Hill Press is celebrating the upcoming release of their author Kimberly Ann Miller's book Triangles by giving away a CRUISE. Yes, you read that right. Check out the deets HERE.
• Enslow Publishers (a NF and fiction for education publisher) now has a fiction YA imprint, Scarlet Voyage, that is taking submissions. They are interested in any subgenre of YA, but most specifically in fantasy/sci-fi, thriller/mystery, contemporary/teen issues, dystopia, and paranormal romance. In an interesting twist, they ONLY accept non-agented submissions. Check them out HERE.
• This cool site will suggest authors/books to you based on authors you like. You type in a name and out come the suggestions. It's fun. And cool. And sort of addicting. And possibly bad for your pocket book. But awesome to find new authors to read!! Check it out HERE.

And just for your viewing pleasure (and because it amused me because now that I always seem to be on deadline (which really cuts into the tv time :D ) I tend to watch a lot of shows this way.....)

Do you marathon shows? I've done it with Downton Abbey, 30 Rock, Firefly, and a few others. And I've got Game of Thrones and Being Human on the marathon list for when this book is done :D

Short Thoughts on Short Stories

Lately I've been writing in short formats -- short stories, picture books, magazine stories.

I started out in college writing short stories, like most creative writing majors, but the genre didn't appeal to me that much as much as novels -- they are often too open-ended for me as a writer and reader. But now I'm writing for children, from preschool to YA, and stories are more tightly structured and compressed, with a real beginning, middle and end. As a reader and writer, that contained story has its appeals and challenges -- character, voice, plot, and (in the case of spec fiction) world-building in a few pages or even a few dozen pages? Hard!

Why short formats?
It may be that my attention span or commitment isn't there for another novel, but the ideas that have been calling to me are short. I hope it helps me in my novel writing and revision -- it's easier to pay attention to every word when their are fewer of them. I tend to write long, I'm hoping I can retrain myself to be more succinct and precise even in longer works.

But mostly, I think there are more opportunities for shorter formats now because they are so effective  on e-readers. There are more markets -- anthologies aplenty in addition to magazines, and stand-alone e-publishing, whether self-published or small press. Five years ago, a novelette or novella had few options. Now novellas are hitting the New York Times Best Sellers lists (Cari Quinn's NO DRESS REQUIRED, Entangled Flirt) and being optioned for film (Hugh Howley's WOOL, self-published sci-fi series). Established writers are self-publishing story collections, previously published, or those that otherwise might not have found a home. Traditional publishers and self-publishers alike are releasing free or inexpensive digital prequels or shorts to build interest in new titles.

Do you write or read more short fiction lately? What are your thoughts on the new markets and trends?

If you write shorter fiction, here are a few interesting calls for submissions I've come across

Luna Station Quarterly - speculative fiction written by women, including science fiction, space opera, new fairy tales, deadline August 15.

Real Girls Don't Rust, Pugalicious Press - YA steampunk anthology for short stories 5500 to 7500 words, deadline September 1.

Science Fiction/Fantasy, Chamberton Press -  Short fiction with SF/fantasy themes (YA and crossover) new worlds, alternate universes, fairies, vampires, werewolves, deadline August 1.

StoneThread Fantasy & Science Fiction Short Story Contest, StoneThread Publishing - anthology honoring Ray Bradbury, deadline July 31. 

Young Adult Anthology, Chamberton Press - YA shorts that "inspire hope, feature main characters that have overcome great odds/obstacles, or leave the reader inspired," deadline September 1.