Posts filed under ‘WALT’S OPINIONS’
LITERAY AGENCY QUERY REQUIREMENTS
As mentioned in a previous post, when searching for a literary agent you will discover that many agencies use an online form you must use to make your query. This makes the search much easier than it was in the past for most of the information required is, more or less, the same for all forms.
Here is a list of the information required on many of the forms,
Information on previously published books
Title
Publisher
Release date
If you have self-published a book
Query letter
Synopsis
Sample pages or sample chapters
The number of pages or chapters varies by agency.
Pitch
Target audience
Books similar to your book
Bio
Most agencies using an online form also require that you are a member of Query Tracker, a free website.
In a future post I will supply a form used by an agency so that you may see what they look like.
October 2, 2024 at 12:36 pm
MY QUEST FOR A LITERARY AGENT
I have a novel, The Beast Awaits, for which I am seeking a publisher. I have used Duotrope to compile a list of publishers but so far I have found none that I deem satisfactory. Therefore, I am now looking for a literary agent for which Duotrope also provides a listing.
For many publishers having an agent is the only way your work can be reviewed. The fact that you have an agent encourages publishers to look at your work for they know that the only way a REPUTIBLE agent makes a penny is if they sell your work.
I filled out a Duotrope questionnaire for agents and received a list of 124 agents. Daunting. But through my use of another website, I was able to reduce this to a list of seventeen agents I feel secure in pursuing.
In a future post will describe how I accomplished this.
September 11, 2024 at 12:56 pm
UNWANTED INTERUPTIONS OF SEARCHES CONTINUED
As mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been bombarded with unwanted ads resulting from my search for publishers and agents.
I get ads from companies saying that they want to read my book. I have little doubt that after reading my book they would want to publish my book. Okay, they don’t know whether my book is fiction or nonfiction. For fiction they don’t know the genre. For nonfiction they don’t know the subject. They have no idea of the quality of my craft, but they want to read my book.
This company wants to spend time reading my book and may decide not to publish my book. Right! I have little doubt that after reading my book, if they read it at all, they will like to publish it.
I feel one of the major reasons these companies exit is to stroke the fragile egos of those who would like to say they have published a book and have money to burn.
Now it is possible to find success in self-publishing a book. Ever hear of the novel The Martian which became a bestseller and subsequently made into a movie? Self-published. So success can occur but you must have an exceptional manuscript and be willing to work you ass off, and the asses of close friends.
I’m posting this as a warning. Stay away from companies whose ads state that they want to publish your book.
And as far as agents are concerned, I can’t imagine a reputable agency of agents seeking clients with an ad.
September 4, 2024 at 1:17 pm
UNWANTED INTERUPTIONS OF SEARCHES
I am in the process of looking for a publisher for my novel, The Beast Awaits.
As I’m sure you know I am fan of the website Duotrope for locating publishers. The site also provides information for literary agents. I have used Duotrope to explore publishers with little luck for my novel, so I am now using it to seek an agent. My search for an agent on Duotrope resulted in a list of 124. I then used another website and reduced the number to 16. The method I used will be described in a later post.
Since beginning my search, I have been inundated with ads for publishers wanting to read my novel and agents wanting me to contact them for representation.
I’m fairly certain that Duotrope or the other site I used would not sell my name and email address, so this intrusion must be the result of my searches. In this day and age someone is constantly looking over your shoulder.
Companies now involved with self-publishing were once called vanity presses. Also, I have never seen ad for agents before.
More to follow.
September 3, 2024 at 12:56 pm
Recently, RFK Jr. joined the Trump team and brought up the subject of chronic diseases. I felt this subject required a reality check. Also, it is an issue I had never heard before addressed in politics.
With both political parties issues are mentioned but, until pressure is applied, seldom addressed. The mention of chronic diseases really caught my attention, and for better or worse, set my mind in motion.
There are a host of chronic diseases, many with a genetic origin such as diabetes and obesity. There are many auto-immune diseases that are genetic in origin. Lupus, eczema, and some forms of arthritis can be added to the chronic list. Serious attempts at genetic engineering could alleviate some of this chronic suffering.
Along this train of thought, there have also been advances in agriculture using genetic engineering. The crops to which genetic techniques have been applied are referred to as Geneticaly Modified Organisms, or GMOs. Now there is a population against the consumption of GMOs. How would these people feel if their disease could be lessened, or perhaps cured, by using genetic engineering. They would be walking GMOs.
There already exist medications which elevate, to some extent, the scourge of chronic diseases. But this is on an individual basis, by a means already in existence. I assume what RFK Jr. is referring to is the total elimination of the disease. I feel the only way this can be accomplished is through genetic engineering. Of course, I’m not a politician, only a former scientist who tries to keep up with what is going on in the scientific community. What comes to mind is a relatively new procedure which has been awarded the Novel Pize and that method is CRISPR. I don’t understand exactly how it works but it seems to me that not only does it lessen or eliminate the disease for an individual but also for all the offspring of that individual. RFK Jr. has most likely investigated this method already or why boast about eliminating chronic disease and not just curing the disease for an individual.
However, there is one chronic disease plaguing this country that I wish RFK Jr. and other concerned politicians would address.
The chronic disease of gun violence.
August 30, 2024 at 4:14 pm
I live in Pennsylvania, a ‘battleground state’ and am inundated with political ads although I keep my use of the media to a minimum.
This post is not an indictment on any political party. But I think some of their ads could us some qualifier in their presentation. I constantly hear ads tying the increase in gas prices to inflation. I’m sure that there is an increase in gas prices somewhere, but not where I live.
I live southeast of Philadelphia and listen to a Philadelphia all-news station broadcasting on both AM and FM. I have no idea as to the size of the area they cover. Just the other day they had a piece concerning the Labor Day weekend and the current gas price. They reported that gas prices are forty-four cents cheaper than this same time last year. How large the area of this decrease, I have no idea. But I doubt the decrease is isolated to their broadcasting area.
So, it seems that some political ads could use some qualification.
August 28, 2024 at 1:45 pm
Recently I heard an ad for Trump’s campaign covering illegal alien fraudulent claims for Covid-19 benefits. Stated was the fact, I hesitate to use the word fact and rather be able to use the word facts, for in any political ad only the fact which benefits the politician is used and often does not resent the entire picture. The fact in Trump’s ad is guilty of this. Here are further facts which offer a clearer picture of the relevance of the presented statement.
In the ad it is claimed that illegal aliens are guilty of submitting 500 million dollars in fraudulent Covid-19 claims. I’m not going to fact-check this and assume it is accurate. You might think how terrible this is. And you are correct. But wait. An additional fact offers the reality of the true level of this fraud.
I have now heard more than once the values I am about to present to you.
There was a total of over 280 Billion dollars worth of fraudulent Covid-19 obtained by the American public. I’m sure there were some organized efforts made to defraud the government, but many of the guilty actors could be your neighbors, or perhaps YOU. It is estimated if all the guilty parties were prosecuted it would take over 200years. Do I hear a sigh of relief.
So, if you want to know where the true guilt lies in America, look in the mirror.
August 17, 2024 at 11:12 am
In my previous post I shared a newsletter published by my good friend, Emmet Robinson, where he introduced my novel, The Beast Awaits, which is now looking for a home. In this post I want to reciprocate to that generous act.
In the course of a very interesting and productive life Emmet was manager of The Point. The Point was a coffee house which began business in 1964 outside of Philadelphia. This was a venue where today’s celebrities, in the music world, were on the road to success while they were still people. People you could easily approach. Think celebrities like Joni Mitchell and John Denver.
Emmet relates a story when on evening Jackson Brown was performing and in from the backdoor walks Bruce Springsteen and begins playing the piano. At that time no big deal.
Emmet has published a book describing this incident and many more just as interesting. The book’s title is Little Boy Found: One Man’s Search for Lost Self-Esteem. If you need something to read this summer, and who doesn’t, I suggest this book as a purchase. Here is a link for that purpose.
Little Boy Found: Robinson, Emmet: 9781984580368: Amazon.com: Books
August 13, 2024 at 10:58 am
When I obtain the post for a publisher using a Duotrope search, here is the information I look for.
First on my list is when the publisher was created. I tend to put more trust in a publisher which has been around for a while.
Next is the type of work they are interested in. Along with this, the word count is important. For short stories they may be interested in your genre, but your story may be too long to meet their requirements.
Next I look for whether they accept simultaneous submissions. It seems that lately more and more publishers are accepting them. This is beneficial, for in the past you would send a piece to a publisher and have to wait, sometimes close to a year to receive a reply. Or never get a reply at all. Now you can send your work to multiple publishers at the same time. A definite benefit. Also, you can see if a publisher accepts reprints. This gives you the opportunity to get out some previously published work and give it a new life.
In some, but not all information provided by publishers is the percentage of pieces accepted and how long it took the publisher to reply to a submission. This information could be extremely important in making your decision when sending out your work.
Finally, at the end of a publisher’s post you will find a list of other places where work submitted to this publisher has also been submitted and a direct link to the publishers on this list. Sometimes you may stumble upon a publisher not listed in your search but could be a place which might be interested in your work.
This is the benefit of a Duotrope search.
Give it a try!
August 2, 2024 at 11:06 am
INITIATING A SEARCH ON DUOTROPE
To begin your search for a publisher on Duotrope you first fill out a questionnaire. The information you are asked to provide is things such as genre, wordcount, payment type and submission and publication type to name a few.
You then conduct a search which generates a list of publishers fitting the information you have provided and are presented with a list of publishers appropriate for the piece you want to publish.
When you select a publisher on the list a Duotrope listing will appear for that publisher. Also provided is a link to the publisher’s website. The result of your search provides you with the ability to easily and rapidly survey many publishers.
Next, I will cover the information I look in a publisher listed.
July 27, 2024 at 11:38 am
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