Query Support Group and Resolution Check in

 

Welcome to February! 

It's no surprise but 2022 is already flying by which means that my check in regarding New Year Resolutions has snuck up on me...

Ahhh... and I was feeling so confident too.

This year my writing related resolutions are:

1) To revamp my query and resume querying

So as I mentioned, I sought professional help. I'm still waiting on feed back but I have my query list drafted and ready to go. I  love this project and really want the opportunity to share it with people. The waiting is the worst, until you know the queries go out and then that waiting is the worst, until the rejections come in and then that's the worst, until you get a request and then its back to the waiting. Come to think of it I'm not sure the worst ever ends... 

2) To write 500 words a day on a new project/everyday

 

I'm having trouble moving on from my last project- especially since its not currently out there in the world. But I have made progress...just not 500 words a day/everyday progress.

3) To read more

Just finished:

 

Currently reading: 

 

4) To make more friends in the writing community...

There is still hope for me here. I'd love to connect here (drop me a comment), on twitter @midlifecreative, our using the #QuerySupportGroup tag. Look forward to hearing from you!

    

-   -B

 

 

 

Dear O'Abby: Do my previous sales matter?

 Dear O'Abby,

I'm querying again...  Long story so I won't bore you.  What I need to know is, do I need to let the agents I'm querying know that I have been published before?  Both self-published and traditionally.  None of my books have had what you would call significant sales and my new book is in a different genre and I have written them under a pseudonym.

Do I need to tell agents about the lackluster sales performance of previous books?

Best,

No-sale

Dear No-sale,

This is not an enviable position to be in.  Agents and publishers are always interested in previous sales figures and will research this.  Using a pseudonym for your new books is a good idea, but at some stage you will need to reveal your real name to the people who are representing you and that is not the time for your poor sales record to be revealed.

I don't think you need to include your previously published work in your query letter, but it is something you need to reveal to any prospective agent when you are having "the call".   It is something that will influence their decision-making and you need to be upfront about it before you get to the stage of signing an agent contract.  Dishonesty is never the best policy.

I'm going to be perfectly honest here.  Any agent considering representing you will look at your previous sales figures regardless of whether they are for the same genre or not.  And poor sales figures do influence agent decisions.  Remember that agents only get paid when you do, so they need to know that whatever you send them is something they can sell.  And if you have a history of books that don't sell, it's not great for you.

My advice is to be upfront about your previous sales once you have agent interest.  If an agent loves your new work enough, and sees its potential, they will find ways to get around your previous record.  Using a pseudonym is a good idea as it will keep your older work at a distance for a while.

I hope this helps!

Good luck with the querying.

X O'Abby

World Read Aloud Day 2022

Librarian reading aloud

LitWorld, a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy, created World Read Aloud Day in 2010.  World Read Aloud Day is held on the first Wednesday of February, which this year is February 2, 2022.  On this day, grab a book and read it aloud!

It's also Ground Hog Day and each year my family tradition is to watch the Bill Murray movie.

Do you celebrate either of these days at your house?

Scholastic

LitWorld

Query Friday/ Query Tools

 Writing a book is a huge accomplishment. If you've written "The End" you know how bittersweet it is to move onto the next stage, you may even resist, but if you are hoping to traditionally publish at some point you will have to query.

The query takes a whole separate set of skills. It is, in essence, a sales pitch and many of us are not salespeople.

Nevertheless, many of the same elements that lead to an effective sales pitch will lead to a good query letter.

First is connection, and I'm not talking about the author bio. While it may be nice that you both went to the same college, or share a love of knitting, that is rarely enough to make an agent take an interest in your project. But you can make them take an interest in your characters. Presenting a compelling main character from the beginning, that they can become invested enough in to journey through your first 5-10-30 pages is a great start.

Next, is the product your selling. How is this magic sauce different from all the others? Your conflict and stakes are going to make your story stand out from the others. Show them off, so vividly they can almost taste them. Spicy!

Just like sales, you have to market your product. Who will your story appeal to? What's the word count? Where will it fit on the shelves. This is your genre, age group, word count section. Some agents like to see this upfront so do your research and make their lives easier. 

Finally, I'd include the author bio. Why are you the best person to write this story/sell this sauce? Maybe here you can drop in, your story is about an elderly spinster who saves the world from alien invasion with a pair of knitting needles, and you just happen to be the resident expert on knitting needle throwing. It works!

I hope to provide you with a bunch of resources to add to your query toolbox. YouTube has a wealth, and two of my favorite are:

Alexa Donne's channel - wealth of videos and I particularly love this one on queries

How to Write a Bada$$ Query Letter

And the BookEnds Literary Agency Channel. Again, an amazing collection of great informative videos and I found this one on queries especially helpful:

The Anatomy of a Perfect Query Letter

Happy querying!

-B

Dear O'Abby: Can I adapt my favorite book as a screenplay?

 Dear O'Abby,

I've been obsessed with a particular book for years, and I have been waiting and waiting for someone to make a movie of it.  So far, no one has and I don't get it because this book has everything a great movie needs - cracking dialogue, interesting characters, exotic locations, the whole nine yards.  So I'm thinking about adapting it myself.  I've done some screenwriting classes, and made some short films that have been screened at film festivals, so I'm not a rookie.

What I was wondering is if I need permission before I write the screenplay?  At this point I'm just a writer without a director or producer or any financiers attached and I am not expecting to get any of these things in place before I finish writing the script, so do I need permission to write it?

Yours,

Adapting

Dear Adapting,

It really depends on the book. Generally, you need permission to adapt a book into a screenplay.  There is often money involved and often you will only get to "option" the book for a certain period of time.  If the book is a really popular one, the amount of money involved is likely to be considerably more than for a book that is less popular.  There is little point in investing the time and effort into writing a screenplay that you will not be able to pitch to a producer or distributor.  Best to get all the rights ironed out before you start writing.

The best thing to do is to contact the publisher of the book you'd like to adapt.  Most big publishing companies have a whole rights department to deal with requests like this.  Don't be surprised if the rights are already with someone else.  Find out when their option expires if you can, and make sure you enquire again before that date.  Whoever holds those rights may wish to renew their option, but if you're in there with a fresh offer, you may be able to get them.

Alternatively, if you can find out who holds the rights, you may be able to buy the option from them.  If it's a property they've had hanging around for a while without the project progressing much, it may not be that difficult.

If the book is out of copyright and in the public domain (see Operation Awesome: Public Domain 2022), you will not need to obtain the rights before writing your screenplay.  

I hope this is helpful and good luck with your adaptation (if you manage to get the rights).

X O'Abby

OA's Debut Author Spotlight seeks #2022 #DebutAuthor

13 Questions shine
Operation Awesome's Spotlight
on
2022 Debut Authors

Hi! I'm J, from Operation Awesome. @OpAwesome6
I run the Debut Author Spotlight.
If you have a 2022 debut book, and you'd be interested in doing an interview, please get in touch with me.
Twitter is my preferred method of communication.
🙂📚🧑🏾‍💻

— J Lenni Dorner (@JLenniDorner) January 26, 2022

Hi! J here, of Operation Awesome. I run the Debut Author Spotlight.
I'm always looking to interview authors of debut books.
If you're releasing your first publication, please get in touch with me.
@JLenniDorner on Twitter is my preferred method of communication.

~ Or operationawesome6@gmail.com

---

Operation Awesome had about 137K views last year. Normally we have about 2k views per month. The below images show how many comments and views 24 of our recent Debut Author Spotlights posts recieved and from where.

Please share this post or the above tweet to spread the word!

Public Domain 2022

 

Original Winnie-the-Pooh artwork from 1926

In the US, January 1 each year is PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY.  On January 1, 2022, US copyrighted works from 1926 entered the public domain.  This includes books, films/movies, songs, and other works which are copyrighted.  What this means is they are free for all to copy, share, and build upon.

What entered the public domain this year?  Examples are Winnie the Pooh and Bambi.  [Because of prior acts of Congress, Mickey Mouse enters the public domain in 2024.]  Be careful though!  Just because the original character is in the public domain, the Disney rendition may NOT be.  And if the character is protected by trademark law, it may still be protected that way.

Learn about what entered the public domain here:

https://www.authorsalliance.org/2022/01/04/public-domain-day-2022-welcoming-works-from-1926-to-the-public-domain/ 

https://bookriot.com/public-domain-books-2022/ 

https://publicdomainreview.org/blog/2022/01/public-domain-day-2022 

 https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2022/