How Writers Made It BIG: Gillian Flynn

“Every author kind of secretly wants their book to be made into a movie,” said New York Times bestselling author, Gillian Flynn.

https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/gone-girl-author-gillian-flynn-i-killed-my-darlings-20141003

Gillian and I have two things in common: writing (but of course), and Kansas City. So it's no surprise that I wanted to do a post on the kick-ass, story guru from my hometown.

Like most aspiring writers, Gillian found herself writing between working. At the time she was employed as a film and book writer for Entertainment Weekly Magazine.

“I would write for a while and get busy with work and not write for awhile,” she said. “I was covering movies at the time so I was flying all over the place to film sets everywhere."

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/read-gillian-flynn

By 2006, she published her first book, Sharp Objects. In 2009, she published her second book, Dark Places. And by July 4th, 2012, her third book hit No 1 on NYT bestseller list after only a month of its release. If you ask me: she was gone, girl. (ha, get it?)

Okay, okay, dad puns aside, Gillian sky-rocketed with her novel, Gone Girl. With the unexpected twists and turns, and the enticing tale of her main characters' toxic marriage, the book was picked up as a movie and projected to hit over $300 million before its release.

And that, my friends, is what I call real-life goals.

Now at 47, all of Gillian's books are optioned for film, and she has officially clocked in at one of the world's top-earning writers. Can someone say, cha ching?

Why Gone Girl worked for Flynn:

Well, Gillian says, "Oh, I finally figured out how to write a book." That, and she was able to tackle the push-pull dynamics between a long-term relationship from a woman and a man's perspective. This story wasn't exactly a happy story, and I think the realness of it contributed to its success. 

Who is Gillian's Agent?

I couldn't find a ton of information on Gillian's publishing/querying story. I imagine, since she already had some great credentials under her belt with her prior job, she was seen as a pretty legit writer. She was picked up by the Leving | Greenberg | Rostan Literary Agency--try saying that three times fast--and was agented by Stephanie Rostan. Her books went on to be officially published by Penguin Random House. 

How can we learn from Gillian?

We can learn from Gillian by knowing that even if our debut novel doesn't do as good as we hoped, we can still make it to the top by continuing what we love: writing. 

We can also note that killing our darlings isn't a bad thing--it's a superb move. 

References:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2012/10/08/gillian-flynn-

interview/1610623/http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/skokie/news/chi-skr-gone-girl-author-screenwriter-visits-skokie-amid-wild-run-20150119-story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/03/gone-girl-phenomenon-gillian-flynn

That's it for this blog post, friends!

Drop a comment below on your reaction, or an author you'd like me to cover next time.  

Till next time, blog world. 

And remember: don't stop writing. 

What Happens After The Agent?

What happens after an agent has offered you representation?
Complete bliss, of course.

I'm kidding.
Sort of . . .

You see, one thing I haven't read a whole lot about is the process one goes through after an agent has offered them representation.

For forever, it feels like, I've been so caught up in just getting an agent. So when I was offered representation, I didn't know what to do.

I smiled, sure, but what were the protocols?

Here's what I learned:

Step One (this is actually version two of step one because the first obvious step is to celebrate):

After an agent has offered you representation, it is courtesy to give other agents you have queried time to consider you. I received awesome advice from a friend who had recently been picked up from an agent as well. She found this link, and it was helpful for me as I dug through my sent emails to let other agents know what was going on. Giving agents one/two weeks to respond is average.

I also used this format from the website above:

"Subject: OFFER OF REPRESENTATION (Title) (Category) (Genre)

Dear (Agent’s name),

I am writing to let you know that I have received an offer of representation for my (Category), (Title), which I submitted to you in (month). I am reattaching the full manuscript for your convenience below. Do this, it’s easier on everyone

I am looking to close out all pending submissions by the end of business on (date). If you are interested in the manuscript, please let me know before then. I’d be thrilled to discuss it with you. If you need more time, please do let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you again for your consideration."

Step Two:

In this step, for me, I asked a lot of questions. It's so important to know who you're working with and what you should expect in this journey.

Definitely take time to write down questions that are important to you. Even if you forget, hopefully your agent is the kind of person that takes questions year round.

Step Three: 

At this point, I did more contemplating. I did more research on agents, and I gave other agents time to respond. I asked more experienced writers what I should expect, moving forward. I took time to get my head together.

I felt good about my choice of agent.
I also felt confident in the mission Rossano had planned out for me.

Step Four:

After receiving the contract, I read it over a few times. It became one of my best friends. I also had my grandmother look over it for her wisdom, and I handed it over to my boyfriend to look at since he's a paralegal and deals with many more contracts than I do.

And when I felt confident, I signed it.
Then, along with other members of the TZLA family, I was added to the author's list.

And the list continues . . .

Step Five (the step that constantly repeats itself): 

Edits!

This is probably my favorite part of the agent process. It's great and all to receive feedback on your book from your friends and beta readers, but receiving feedback from an agent is all the more insightful! You get the good and the gritty. You get to know why the agent was compelled to choose your MS, and you get to learn what you need to work on to make your MS all the more appealing to publishers.

To wrap it up, I hope my experience has helped all of you as you journey to find agents, choose agents, and begin the editing process.

This is my personal experience, and of course, everyone has a different story. Heck, my story isn't even finished yet. :)

However, I do love hearing from all of you.
Feel free to share your agent stories below!

Till next time!

The Year of Beauty and Chaos

 Somewhere between beauty and chaos there is existence. 

The seasons change rapidly, the sun runs to meet the moon, and the stars chase the hills as the earth rotates.

In the midst of that, there's me
Little ol' me.
The rambunctious me, the sad me, the overly-excited me, the constantly changing me.

There's the me that wants to write until the flowers crumble and the snow comes, and then there's that side of me that can't do anything but watch a Netflix series I've seen three times.

There's the me that wants to write this blog, and then there's the me that wants to be the best dancer in the world.

There's the me that sings in the bathroom with an acoustic to my chest, and there's the me that wants to crawl into my bed and sleep all day.

There are so many sides to me, so many different talents, so many dreams--and somehow all of that has lead me back here, to the start of my writing phenomenon, to the beginning of my beginning, to my writing daze.

Here, I welcome you all back into my life as I try, again, to enter the writing world.
I will warn you, writing friends, it is tough.
I've sent more queries out, I've tackled a synopsis, and I've even checked out more writing venues.
I have failed and failed and failed in hopes to help writers--like us--who won't give up.

I hope that you all follow me on this new journey.

If any of you are interested in my recent novel (I'll post a query soon), I've posted a few chapters on Wattpad.
If any of you are interested in being a beta/critique reader contact me through email or in a comment below.

To all of you going through seasons of writing, I'm pouring my luck out to you.

Until next time, writing friends.

Querying Rossano Trentin

Also known as the Literary Agent who believed in my dream . . .

http://trentinagency.com/en/about-us/

Here's what you should know about Rossano:

He's a top-dog literary agent from Italy. He's the founder's of Trentin Agency. According to Manuscript Wish List, Rossano represents YA and Adult Fiction, with a special affinity for literary Fiction, crime, dark thrillers, high-concept women's fiction, and contemporary YA (including thrillers).

Fun fact: Rossano was also one of the superb agents that helped Ransom Riggs (you know, the guy that wrote Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) get Italian rights. *high-fives* As well, one of his clients was recently optioned for film!

From the man himself: "I am looking for well-crafted and compelling stories that features a strong narrative voice. Beautifully written and suspenseful works that captivate the reader with its prose and its plot. I am also looking to acquire science-fiction that explore what it means to be human in the age of technology. I’m very interested in everything about A.I. in general, and I love reading and seeing things about it.When it comes to nonfiction, I’m open to fresh and smart narrative nonfiction in the areas of journalism, politics, true crime, TV/Movie and sport."

Have you queried Rossano Trentin? How did it work out?

Yes and no. I sent my query letter to Rossano Trentin after he requested it via #PitMad. (For the full story, click here.) To my surprise, he liked what he saw and requested the full MS the next day.

What was the response time?

In full: Trentin requested my query, synopsis, and the first two chapters on September 7th. On September 8th, he requested my full MS. On October 6th, he offered representation (*insert squeals*), and on October 24th, I officially became part of the TZLA family. It all happened so fast, I still have jet lag because of it. There are moments when I'm like, "Britney, girl, you have a freaking Literary Agent. That's Crazy."

Would you ever query him again?

Ha, if I had to, I suppose I would. I honestly wish I'd heard about him sooner. (Hints to why I'm doing this post. *wink wink*)

How can I query Rossano Trentin?

You can query Rossano by emailing him at rossano@tzla.it

His submission guidelines:

"Please email a cover letter and provide a two-three pages synopsis, with ending, along with the first two chapters of your novel. Copy and paste letter, synopsis and chapters in the email body, as we won’t open unsolicited attachments. To avoid falling into spam, please begin the subject line with the word “Query”.Please don’t query if you haven’t finished your novel yet, be sure to include genre and word count in your letter, and let us know if you are sending your proposal to other agencies or publishers. Unfortunately, we can’t respond personally to all submissions, but if we are interested in your work we will certainly follow up by email within 8 weeks."


Bonus:

Follow Rossano on twitter, and send him a shout out!
Also, check out the featured post about me and another one of his new client's here. 

P.S. I thought I'd mention that Trentin represents foreign writers, too! Don't fret if you're not from Italy--send your queries his way!



That's all for this blog post--I've got to get back to editing. As always, let me know what your experiences are with these agents! Good luck with the queries!

Till next time blog world!

Music and Writing

After receiving some encouraging words, and a little heartache, I'm back at it again--I'm writing!

There is hope for this book to see the end.

The advice my writing friends gave me summed up to this: Just write something, even if you don't like it. 

So I did, for awhile, and they were right--the juices came back. 

But anyway, today's blog post is about music and writing. 

I noticed that I am substantially inspired by music when it comes to my writing. Anything with an acoustic guitar, minors, and a voice with soul, seems to pull all the great words and scenes out of me. 

I don't know what it does to me, but it makes me feel . . . . it makes me feel a lot. So much so that I have to listen to that song over and over again so that I can create those feelings. 

This new book I'm writing, I think I'll call it Rubatosis, retains most of it's scenes from songs that have inspired me. I had a friend ask me the other day, "How do you translate a song into a scene?"

Here's my response: You have to take the essence of it--the throbbing, the tempo, the chords--force it into your heart, and translate those words into scenes.

So this is what I've been doing. 

Most of the music I've been listening to has been written or covered. I've also been listening to a lot of Ray LaMontagne and Ed Sheran a whole heck of a lot. 

There are two songs, in particular, that got me through writing as well. 

Never Think

Let Me Sign

Well, that's it for this post! I hope some of this music makes you inspired as well! 

What do you listen to to promote inspiration? 

In my next blog post, I'll be talking more about Rubatosis, and hopefully, I can finish up some series: How Writers Made It Big, and Writing in the Twenty-First Century. 

Till Next Time!

Friday Blues and A Mix of Tea

Not exactly sure why I titled this "Friday Blues".

Today is anything but sad. ( . . . For the most part. We won't get into my irrational highs and lows. I'll save that for the other blog.)

It's been one hell of a month, though, and I can't express how enthused I am to be sitting on my couch, computer on my lap, watching black and white television, and WRITING!

Gee, it's been so long, and no one had the nerve to say, "Hey, if you don't write for a month, you'll lose your soul!" So imagine the tugging on my heart from the lack of words, and the separation of all-things-light inside of me.

Don't say I didn't tell you so!

Okay, but beside all that, the distance from my laptop has actually been a great thing--believe it or not.

I've actually come up with a new series for ya'll! (No worries, I'll still be continuing the series on How Writers Made it Big.)

I think you all will take liking to this one: It's a series on how to get published in the twenty-first century--something I wish I could find on the web.

How are you going to write this, considering you're not published, you might ask?

Simple: I read!

Okay, so there's this awesome book, written by a literary agent, who gives all these tips on how to get published. Along with that, I'll give you my personal experience on each tip and what I think about it. (Trust me, I've read this book twice.) It's quite interesting, and it held my attention, so I trust it will hold yours also.

That's it for today's post. I will now enjoy my Green/Orange tea and work on my manuscript for this new book.

Till next time Blog World,

Here's An Idea: Write The Synopsis First!

Say What?

So it's spring break for me, and I've already written three chapters of a new book--that's a lot considering the week isn't even over yet . . .

How? You might ask.

I wrote the synopsis first.

Obviously, this isn't a new thing. Writers have been doing this for centuries (possibly). And though I've known of this advice, I never considered it because, seriously, who wants to write a synopsis at all?

But in this case, it's done me good. My schedule this semester is quite hectic (Er, you've might've notice from the lack of posts) and I haven't been able to write as much as I hoped. But creating a synopsis helped a lot.

Here's why: 


-It's Fast:

Once I got the hang of it, it was easy for me to plan out what I wanted every chapter to look like. So I started with one sentence per chapter and eventually expanded to a paragraph. When I finished, it looked kind of like a Sparknotes layout.

-It helps with the essential theme of the story:

It's always solid to have a good theme that circles throughout the process of the story. It's easy to do that when you can see the main concepts of each chapter on one to two pages.

-Character progression comes easier:

In this book, my main character grows quite a bit. It's nice to plan out his breaking points and the areas that are most essential to him. That way, its easier for me to have the MC reflect on those events later in the story.



Those are the pros I've acquired thus far. The con would be actually writing the synopsis . . . that's the hardest part.

Has anyone else had any luck with writing their synopsis first? I'd love to hear about it. Post your comments below!


Till Next Time,

How Writers Made It BIG: Veronica Roth

I get really excited and anxious when I write these. My hope is that it inspires you to finish your manuscript just as much as it inspires me.

On that note, here's how Veronica Roth made it BIG!!!

For Roth, once choice transformed her.

It started at a writer's conference in Muncie, Indiana--the middle of freaking no where. 

Here, was the beginning of the beginning for Roth. She signed up for a pitch session with agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of New Leaf Literary Agency. 

Volpe requested a partial. Roth made revisions. And eventually the manuscript was turned down--BUT the manuscript that Roth submitted wasn't Divergent. Nope.

In response to the rejection, Roth wrote a new book, polished it, and submitted it to Volpe yet again. 

Then she waited, and waited, until at last: she received a phone call. 

"Okay, so you know how, while you're querying, you spend a lot of time refreshing your inbox and irrationally convincing yourself that every unknown number that calls you is an agent who will tell you that all your dreams have come true? Well, sometimes that unknown number IS actually an agent, calling to tell you that she lost power, which is why she couldn't send you an email, and PS, she's offering you representation," said Roth on her blog.

That was Divergent. Yup! Roth had submitted 56,000 words, a little less than 200 pages, and Volpe loved it. Together they worked on reversions where Roth added 49,000 more words, clocking in at a total of 105,000 words. 

During four days of submission, Roth received another phone call. This time Harper Collins wanted her book, along with the series.

Roth's response: "Okay. I'm going to cry a little now." Roth has loved Harper Collins since she was a toddler, and she never imagined being published by a company as big as this one. 

And that is how twenty-one year old (at the time) Veronica Roth made it big. 

Now she has a deal with Summit Entertainment and has a movie series, along with the complete Trilogy making New York Times best seller list. 

"It's been amazing. It's obviously not what I was expecting when I was in my rubber ducky pajamas writing this first book on Winter break. It's been definitely kind of transformative. It's definitely changed me as a writer, and it's been really exciting," said Roth in an interview.

Rejections:

Honestly, I'm not sure what how many rejections Veronica received. I don't think she received any from Divergent. From all that I've read, it seems that the only rejection she received was from her first book.

Why Divergent worked for Roth:

Besides the obvious relationship she had with Volpe, Roth had a great idea for a book and she put it into action. Many critiques say it's a mix between The Maze Runner and The Hungers Games, which is probably why it has so much hype. I'd say: great writing and great timing. 

Where are they now:

It seems that after writing Divergent, Roth also focused on Four. Not the number, but the actual book. I haven't read Four, but according to wiki,

 "Four is a collection of five e-Book short stories from the Divergent trilogy, told from Tobias Eaton's (Four) perspective, and written by Veronica Roth."

But, Roth has also been up to a multitude of things since the books and movies. To find out more, fill free to creep on her blog: veronicarothbooks.com 

Advice from Roth:

"Stop going back and reading it out loud! Don't reread at all, if it's keeping you from writing. Just push forward through the idea until you reach the end, and then work to revise it—but you'll never know how to fix the idea if you are never able to execute it."

That's it for today's post!

Till next time, blog world. 

And remember: Once choice can transform you. 

Throwing The Manuscript Away

Not literally. I didn't have it printed yet.
But virtually, yes . . . yes I did.

Below, I've inserted a clear visual of what sort of happened . . . .

Now, allow me to let you in on a few things that led to the fall...

1.) That one book I told ya'll I was working on (you know the one that was going to be a series?) I probably haven't worked on that since April.

2.)  I managed to get two new jobs.

3.) I fell in love . . . ha, just kidding.

4.) I've been watching a lot of TV shows on Netflix. (Supernatural, Scandal...)

5.) And also, I have two nephews. That's enough to make me quit just about anything.

I'd like to believe that it was a mixture of these things that made me realize that what I was writing wasn't appealing to me.

In fact, I kept asking myself, "What if no one likes this? Who am I trying to portray...and really, Britney, do you think that's a good idea?"

I know I can be hard on myself--I am truly my own worst enemy--but if I'm psyched about a book idea, I take it and run until it's finished.

So this summer when I began a new manuscript for a different story, I was pumped . . . at first. It happened slowly, and then all at once, like a rush of water. Then I wasn't excited about it anymore.

I couldn't write.

Naturally, I thought it was writer's block. But after a few months of letting it sit, I quickly realized that it wasn't that. This manuscript was more like a diary, so it was easier to write. I wrote about 30,000 words total--20,000 shy from a novella.

I had a game plan--I wanted to get it finished--but, I wasn't in love with it.

There was no spark.

The characters made me smile, but the story-line was saddening.

So I deleted it. Crazy, right?

Okay, okay. I didn't actually "delete" the story, I still have the rough outline. But, from that outline, I found a story within a story, still allowing me to use the characters I love.

Basically, what I'm getting at here is that there are benefits from starting over. Obviously, starting over from scratch is a bit drastic, but if it works, it works--and it worked for me.

Maybe you could benefit from deleting your manuscript, too? As Hemingway once said, "The first draft of anything is...." fill in the blank.

(Hint: a four letter word that rhymes with kick...)

I hope all is well.

Ha, till next time blog world!

Over and out.

Querying Jenny Bent

AKA, the mystery woman behind my personalized rejection letter....

                                       (Photo from: http://www.thebentagency.com/agent_jenny_bent.php)

So here's the need-to-know about Jenny Bent!

She is a literary agent and the founder of the Bent Agency. She represents commercial adult fiction, YA, middle grade, memoirs, and selective narrative non fiction. Jenny specifically wants a novel that will speak to the heart--we're talking raw emotion, ya'll. Ideally, she wants a book that will make her laugh and cry, or do both at the same time.


Have you queried Jenny Bent? How did it work out?

I have queried The Bent Agency. I actually sent Jenny a query on September 14th of this year! Unfortunately, it did not work out for me, but that is okay. I still believe in this agency, and the agent profiles seem to be quite legit! I suggest everyone checking them out! (Here's the link!)




What was the response time?

The response time was incredibly fast! I sent my query on September 14th, and she responded five days later, on September 19th. I was actually in the middle of my Marketing class when I got the notification on my phone. Honestly, I thought the response was a good one until I got to the end of it, but I was so in shock I didn't have any room left to be upset. Haha, thank you, Jenny!



Would you ever query her again?

If I write a novel that is to her liking, I would be more than willing to query her again. She's on the top of my list, and I'm kind of curious to know if this was a personalized rejection or not.

How can I query Jenny Bent?

You can contact Jenny by emailing her at queries@thebentagency.com
However, I highly suggest that you check out the submission guidelines first.

Bonus:

Follow Jenny on twitter and check out her blog. There's some neat stuff on there.

Also, if you're curious to know what that rejection letter looked like, follow this link to an old blog post! Click Here!

Well, that's all for this blog post. As always, let me know what your experiences are with these agents! Good luck with the queries!

Till next time blog world!

Three Reasons Why You Shouldn't Stop Reading

While in the writing process, I find it hard to finish--or even pick up--a book. (I have this fear of accidentally imitating someone else's work.)

That's the last thing I want to do. No one deserves to be plagiarized.

But at the same time, one of the best ways to improve your writing skill is to read.

Note the difference: Reading is observing, and you gain so much knowledge in the process.

My goal for today's post is to give you THREE reasons why you shouldn't stop reading while you're working on your manuscript.

1.  INSIGHT: If you're into writing YA novels like I am, the first noticeable difference is the voice of the  main character. Unlike other genres, young adults are on two extreme scales: completely mainstream or not mainstream at all (i.e hipsters, trendsetters, ect.) And if you've grown past your young adult years, there's a slight chance that you've already forgotten what that "version" of yourself sounds like. Even I, in my early, early, twenties, forget what I sound like. This is where the reading process comes in. Honestly, reading anything that's been published in the last six years is still quiet relevant to that YA group today. It's important to take note on today's slang and phrases because there are some words that aren't used anymore. Like: "All that and a bag of chips" and "Talk to the hand" are overused phases that were relevant in the 20th century, not so much in the 21st.

2. VISION: Where do you get your story ideas? I get mine from songs, dreams, reality, and books! I noticed that certain scenes in books have the power to spark an entire manuscript. Getting insight from many different books helps with the story-flowing process. Sometimes it's a never-ending stream of words, and sometimes it's just a simple idea. Eiter way, it's something. So pick up an intriguing book that really gets the juices flowing.

3. ACTION: I've noticed that whenever I pick up a good book, I get so motivated to finish my own book that I never get a chance to finish the page I'm on. Truth: reading a bestseller sparks motivation! I'm living proof of that, and so are the many books scattered across my desk with dog ears in them. Even self-help books get me excited to finish my own. I always get that sense of urgency: Who knows, I could be writing that next top-charter?!?! 
I'm telling you, reading books guarentee's a bestseller . . . . . ha, totally kidding.


But don't knock the reading process. Without it, you may gain less insight, lack a clear vision, and become unmotivated.

Books are the trendsetters, so challenge yourself to be just that.



Till Next Time Blog World!

Purple Cow, Say What?

You're probably asking:"What is this purple cow you speak of? Britney, are you alright? Have you lost your marbles...?"
And I'd probably respond like so: "No. At least not completely."


Guys, purple cow is an actual thing!!!

It's a marketing concept by Seth Godin that states, "companies must build things worth noticing right into their products or services. "

He says that a product that isn't somehow remarkable--like a purple cow--is unlikely to sell, regardless of how awesome it is, or how much advertising it has.

Seriously, who wants a regular cow when you can have a PURPLE one?

Think: IKEA, Starbucks, Smart Cars.... these are the purple cows of the industry. When you think IKEA, you think beautifully-crafted, cheap, DIY furniture; when you think Starbucks, you think of a comfortable hangout place with coffee; when you think Smart Cars, you think of how such a product is selling. It's so small...

How is this useful for writers?

For one, as an author, each and every one of us is going to have to market our own product, in this case, books. Even the very best publishing agency doesn't market an author's book as best as an author him/herself.
Secondly, if we're wanting to sell anything or catch the eye's of an agent, we need to be purple cows! We gotta give them a good reason to gawk at our writing like it's gold.

No one wants something that's been over done. The market wants clean, fresh ideas that will last. They want something that set the trends, they want something that people are going to copy--and trust me, if people enjoy it, they're going to want to reproduce it.


So when you sit in front of your manuscript today, I challenge you to color outside the box of norms. Be different. Be creative. Make that first sentence, first paragraph, and entire book count. Be that extrordinary part of yourself.
Make people want to copy you!
Because if they are....you must be doing something right.



Phew...sure glad that marketing class paid off....


Till Next Time Blog World,

Related articles: The Agonizing First Chapter, How Do You Know When You're Done Editing

Querying Suzie Townsend

At this point in the writing stage, I've had my fair share of querying many agents, including Suzie Townsend.


What makes Suzie Awesome?

(Photo Credit: http://newleafliterary.com/agents)

Suzie Townsend is an agent at New Leaf Literary. You may know her as the agent that helped make Cora Carmack's dream of hitting the New York Times bestseller list a reality with the book, Losing It. Or, you may know her through her Coworker, Joanna Volpe, who grabbed Veronica Roth, writer of the Divergent series.

According to Publisher's Market, she represents adult and children's fiction. She is looking to build her client list--which is awesome for all you unagented writers--and she likes women's fiction, romance, fantasy, crime, all things YA, and I believe she's looking for the next bestselling middle grade project. 

Have you queried Suzie Townsend? How did it work out?

I have, indeed. In 2013, I queried her with my first manuscript, The Collectors, and earlier this year I queried her with my latest novel (but the unpolished version :/ ) The Willow Tree. 

And, unfortunately, it did not work out for me. But that's okay! The point of this post is to shed light on this awesome agent, and maybe . . . just maybe the cards will be in your favor? (wink, wink.)

What was the response time?

The response time was incredibly fast. First off, as soon as you submit, you receive an email letting you know that your query has been submitted. And within the next two weeks, I was sent a form rejection letting me know that my project wasn't the one for her. This happened on both occasions. 

Would you ever query her again?

That depends. I don't think I'm writing anything that fits what she's looking for--besides YA. Plus, I don't want to waste her time, nor do I want to waste my time. However, if I were writing something she was interested in, I would definitely re-query her. Especially if I'm looking for a speedy reply. 

How can I query Suzie Townsend?

You can query Suzie by sending the first five pages of your COMPLETED AND POLISHED manuscript and your finished query to query (at) newleafliterary (dot) com. Make sure to put Query in the subject line, while also adding the agent's name: Query: Suzie Townsend.

Bonus:

Before querying, I would definitely check out Suzie's blog, Confessions. There's so much useful information about her, the agency, and her coworkers. You know, the best way to an agent's heart is through their blogs! 

Ha, Till next time bog world. 

Good luck and Happy Query Days. 

Should you re-query agents?

I find myself thinking of this question often.

There are times when I have the query itch. You know, the feeling to query right after you've finished the manuscript...before anything is polished.

I've actually done this a couple of times, and my advice to you is to steer as far away from the query itch as possible. Take a cold shower. Go for a run. Do anything that gets you far away from your computer. And please, don't think about it.

But for those of you who have already been affected by the query itch, this post is for you.

So you've blown your chances with a few of your favorite agents, eh? And you're curious to know if it would hurt to send them the new query with the better version of your polished manuscript? Or maybe it's been months, or maybe even years, and you want to give that same agent another shot?
Below are answers to a few of the most-asked questions about re-querying agents.



1. The agent that I queried receives so many submissions. He/she probably won't realize if I've sent another query. 
This is totally untrue. Agents are people, too. They are masters at the query process, and if he/she finds a query they like or didn't like, it'll stick with them. One of the agents I follow on Twitter said she has a folder with over 14 queries in it from the same person. Not only that, but the query isn't personalized and it's sent with absolutely no feeling--it's like clockwork. In most cases, if the agent didn't like it the first time, they probably won't like it the second or third time, either.

2. But it's a new manuscript. 
If, in fact, it is a new manuscript, it is definitely okay to send a new query. Just because they dismissed the last book, doesn't mean they'll dismiss the new one. Some stories just can't be sold at the time because the market is over-flowing with it, or it might just be a hard genre to sale to publishers. This happens sometimes.

3. Same story. Different query. 
In this situation, I wouldn't recommend re-querying. Like I said before, If the agent didn't like it the first time, they probably won't like it the second time either.

4. It's been a very long time since I've queried. 
What's your definition of long? If it's been 2-weeks to a couple of months from the previous rejection, I'd say don't query the same project. However, if it's been six months to a year, I--and this is solely my opinion--think it would be okay to resend the query IF you have made a decent amount of changes.

5. I've done a lot of editing....like A LOT of editing. 
If your manuscript and query are completely different from the previous version--like you probably wouldn't recognize it if you put the two together--then I'd say it's okay to re-query. Sometimes all a manuscript needs is a hard polish. And if that first sentence and paragraph hooks the reader in the new query and the new manuscript, then you're golden. However, I would probably state in the opening paragraph that you'd queried before, but that the manuscript is completely different from the previous version.

I hope this helps. Again, every agent differs. Some agents are more lenient than others, and some will throw your email address in the spam section if you query too much. It never hurts to try, but it also never hurts to check out that agent's web page either. They may address how they deal with certain issues like this one.

And remember, stay away from the query itch. In most cases, you have one chance to get it right. Don't sacrifice the manuscript because you want to scratch the problem. Just don't.


Till next time blog world!

The Agonizing First Chapter

Why in the world is it so hard to write the first chapter of a book when it's the initial reason for our motivation?

That's the thing. It's not hard to write the first chapter of a book. It's hard to get it right.

The biggest mistake writers make is starting the book in the wrong place. It's so innate for us to stick with the first thing we put down and call it golden. But it's that first chapter, first five pages, first sentence, that pulls the reader in, and if we're starting in the wrong spot, we're getting absolutely no where.

Fact: agents don't want to read through the first few thousand words to find your 'true' beginning. (That's paraphrased, of course, but I read that in Carly Watter's book, Getting Published in the 21st Century.)

Now, you might be asking, "How the heck do I get it right?" First, I'll admit. I don't know everything (I'm actually glad that I don't,) but here's how I got my first chapter in tip-top shape.

The first thing I did was research. I read a million blogs--especially those of agents. At this point, I'd already had a critique reader go over the entire manuscript. Though she liked my first chapter a lot, I didn't. It felt wrong to me, so I started chopping out bits and pieces that I didn't feel comfortable with. Which leads me to my next point, trust your gut.The reason why I didn't like my first chapter was because it had too much back story. Not only that, but it was starting in the wrong place, and I wasn't sure how to fix it.

It wasn't until I had one of my good friends from AQC look at it, when I changed it to my liking. She pointed out where the high point of the story really was. And once she did that, I began to soar to new heights.

After I changed it, I read a few more blogs posts and did more editing. Then, I had three people look it over--including the one who'd been really pleased with the original version. And after their approval and suggestions, I did more edits. (See, the editing never ends, ya'll.)

Long story short: I added a hook. 
Why didn't I have a hook in the first place? I don't know. But it consists of three simple words, and it carries the theme throughout the chapter.
And Lastly, I made the reader feel for my MC by adding more stakes, and starting the story at a pivotal moment in her life.

And that's it, folks. Seriously. After endless editing, I like my first chapter a lot. Maybe it's not perfect--there's a chance it could change after I get an agent--But I like it, and I don't have anxiety over it anymore.

*Long sigh.....I need a glass of iced tea.

Below are a few links and blogs that have helped me with my first chapter.

Suzie Townsend--agent at NewLeaf
Carly Watters--agent at P.S Literary
http://writersrelief.com/
And, oddly enough, Twitter--not kidding. I follow a handful of agents and writers who tweet links to helpful websites and blogs all the time.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

Till next time blog world!

How do you know when you're done editing?

That's the age-old question.

Truth is, you are never really done editing. And after you get a literary agent and editors, more edits will be made.

After my manuscript was polished--like agent-ready--I had one friend who didn't believe me. When everyone else was as excited as I was, he questioned me. And I was almost upset by it, but after speaking with him, I knew why he didn't believe me. He'd seen me work countless hours editing my book for the last two months--I even changed my title a few times. There was one point when he asked if I'd ever stop editing it, and I told him the truth. I simply said, "No."
Because if you're really dedicated to your manuscript, editing is always an option, no matter what.
So here are a few checkpoints that I've collected from various sites and books that will help you get your manuscript agent-ready.

Also, I would go ahead and suggest buying Carly Watter's book, Getting Published in the 21st Century. She's an agent who know's what she's talking about, and the price of the book is fairly cheap. So worth it!

The checklist:

-- Step one: Have you had a beta/critique reader? If not, you've got soo much work to do. Refer here.

-- Step two: Have you killed your darlings? If you're unfamiliar with this quote by William Faulkner, like I once was, you're not alone. Basically, a "darling" is an author's personal/favorite element. This may hold special meaning for the writer, but for the reader it's just annoying gibberish.

--Step Three: If you haven't yet, check out Kristen Lamb's blog. Here, she helps writers identify the over-kill of adverbs, physiology, stage direction, and alien-body movements.

--Step Four: Are the voices of your character's easy to point out? Is it too forced, or not there at all?

--Step Five: Are there places in your manuscript that you keep second guessing? Maybe you should cut it out completely, or have a second pair of eyes go over it.

--Step Six: Lastly, does your beginning and ending work? Does the beginning start with a hook and a conflict that rears the reader in? Does that plot line carry to the ending? Does the book actually end? Are the problems SOLVED? These are things you need to consider if you want your book to be round in the right places.

I hope this helps. I know all the links on this page have helped me the most. Here's the last link. This has a huge, more in-depth check list.

Till next time blog world.

How I use beta/critique readers

Every writer pursuing a career with their books MUST have beta and critique readers.

That wink isn't meant to be taken lightly, ha.

I'll be honest, once I finished The Willow Tree (formally known as Unbroken if you've read older posts or have followed me on AgentQueryConnect ,) I thought only a beta reader would suffice. But that was a lie. And after getting rejection after rejection, I figured I was doing something wrong.

So here's how I've taken complete control over beta/critique readers:

Beta Readers:

Beta readers are basically your second pair of eyes. After I finished the complete manuscript of The Willow Tree, I had a distant friend read it over, merely for content. I didn't want to know her opinions or grammar corrections, I just wanted to know how she felt about the manuscript as a whole. After receiving her feedback, I did more editing. Then, mid-way through the next dozen rounds of editing, I had another beta reader read through for content. Again, after feedback, I did more editing. Then, once I finished the complete manuscript--like ready to ship off to agents complete--I had one more beta reader read over it. With this last beta reader, I wanted to know his/her complete opinion on the material. For example: what did you like the most? What stomped you? How did you feel while reading this part, and so on and so forth.

Critique Readers: 

Critique readers are almost essential to writing a manuscript. Scratch that. IF you are going to write a book, you NEED at least two-three critique readers. I know, that almost sounds like a lot, but trust me, it's so worth it.
So after the first beta reader, I found my first critique reader on Agent Query Connect. She was probably the most legit criticizer I'd ever found online, and she was a huge blessing toward my manuscript. We worked together for about two months through a constant flow of emails, and she helped me polish my manuscript to almost perfection. The next critique reader I had helped me with the first three chapters, then, with her advice, I re-edited the remaining chapters by myself (I'd also found this critique reader on agent query connect. Whoo!) The last critique reader I found was actually a close friend of mine, and because she has a strong eye for catching grammar mistakes and content, I saved her for last. I sent her up to three chapters at a time, and since she was on a timed mission, we finished the LAST edits of my manuscript in about 5-6 weeks.

How long did it take you to polish your complete manuscript? We're talking agent readiness. 

Some of you might already know this, but after the first few edits, I thought my manuscript was ready to be shipped off. However, I was dead wrong. Previously, it had taken me a month to get it to what I thought was agent readiness. After that, I worked on it by myself for about four months. Then I worked with three critique readers afterwards. With six total months of editing.


Was it difficult for you to send your novel to someone you didn't know?

Definitely. That was probably the hardest part. I bet you could imagine the list of things I worried about. But getting my book published was higher than any fears I had, so I conquered it. For the most part, all the critique readers I had were from the same writer's community that I was a part of, so it was easier to send chapters to those people. Opposite of that, all of the beta readers I've had have either been someone I've known or someone I didn't know at all from World Literary Cafe.

Did you ever send your novel to your family members?

The very first version of my book, before it was even edited, was sent straight to my aunt and my Nana (aka my grandmother.) They were just content readers, and I knew that the version of the book they read
wouldn't be the same in the long run, but since they asked for it, I gave it to them. However, I'd stray away from sending anything to close family members or friends. Sometimes their opinions can be bias. Unless you trust that emotions/relations won't get in the way of the editing process, I'd send it elsewhere.

Any last minute advice?

I've said it before, and I'll probably keep saying it, join an online community. Literally, that was probably the best thing that's ever happened to me.

I hope this helps with  your beta/critique readers.

Till next time blog world!

The Perks of Being Part of An Online Forum

When writing and working on books, I highly suggest that people join an online community/ forum. 

It is seriously the best thing ever. 

The people on there aren't just friends who notice your writing mistakes, but they're family, too.

They support you. 

They understand you.

And they're going through the exact same thing that you are. 

There are so many perks to having an online writing family:

-They truthfully tell you if that query you wrote is legit....or too full of cliches.

-Some of them have been on the community forever (The Grandparents) and they can spot a mistake in two seconds, rather than the normal five minutes to an hour.

-You can literally talk with them about anything, and they won't think you're weird. 

-You can vent about your book! You can vent about your query, and your synopsis! 

-They'll help you think of a title so awesome that you'll dream about it at nights.

-They'll be some of the first people who'll buy your book when it hits shelves. (Plus they'll have bragging rights!)

-They'll read your ENTIRE book and tell you if it's worth publishing or not. 

-They hurt when you hurt. 

-And most importantly, they want the best for you and your writing career! 

I can't even begin to explain how blessed I am to work with a community like this. Agent Query Connect has got the best people from all around the world--not joking! I really just want to make a huge shout out to all you amazing people who've helped me get this far. A little bit goes a loong way. Seriously, thanks for the support.

Till next time blog world!

Happy Writing Days! 

Connecting and Developing Your Book Characters

Oh, how I wish I could say I had some sort of super power that allowed me to create such amazing, page-turning, stories.

But I don't.

I'm just a plain old human.

With my first book, (I'll call it Manuscript 1,) The characters didn't come to me as naturally as I wanted. I'd read other blogs where people said stuff like, "Yeah, sometimes I turn into my main character for a day." Or, "I could probably have full-blown conversations with my book characters forever." And I'm just like:

"What am I doing wrong here?!?"

I couldn't connect with my characters like I wanted to in M1. I could write down my ideas about them, but I never really felt them. With my new book, Unbroken, the writing process was totally different. I had just finished M1, and, already, I could hear the whispers of a different character. 

I heard her voice. It was magical. 

She was telling me her life story, and I was writing it down. We worked together, like a team, and I truly believe that it's an awesome storyline.

You might be asking, "What did you do differently?"

To be honest, I don't know if I can pin-point the exact reason of change, but I'll share a few tips with you anyway.

-1.) I didn't force my second manuscript to happen--it just kind of did. With M1, I was writing for myself, but with M2, I was writing for my characters. It was a gradual thing.

-2.) I tried my absolute best to capture every emotion of my main character. To me, she's real, and she really wanted me to tell her story in the same way that she would. This, in turn, added a strong voice to my novel. 

-3.) This next tip is weird--be warned--but, whenever I had major writer's block, I'd ask my character, "What would you do in this situation?" And if I got no reply, I'd ask again. I'd keep asking until I knew what  that next paragraph would be about. 

These three things, together, is how I finished my second novel. I didn't want to give up on my characters. I believed in them, and I wanted their stories to be heard. 

I'd love to hear your feedback. So, if you're a writer, tell me, how do you connect with your characters? Everyone's story is different! 

The Query Process

This has got to be the scariest part of finding an agent.

Seriously.

With the help of Google, this is the definition of a query letter:

"A query letter is a formal letter sent to magazine editors, literary agents and sometimes publishing houses or companies. Writers write query letters to propose writing ideas."

What's scary about writing a query is summarizing your 100,000 word novel into 400 words or less. That means, every word used in your query better be a good one! Agents don't play. Queries are a serious matter for your novel, and if an agent doesn't like it, you are sent the letter of doom--also known as a rejection letter. And when your inbox begins to pile up with them, you find yourself in an alternate universe filled with anger, hurt, and confusion (refer to the GIF with Jennifer Lawrence.)

Every query has three paragraphs to it: The hook, The mini-synopsis (don't get me started on a full-synopsis,) and the writer's bio.

However, when I write a query, instead of a long writer's bio--because who am I kidding, I don't even have a bio--I add a closing hook.

The first sentence and the last sentence of a query letter is extremely important when it comes to writing a query. Not only is it the first and last thing they see, but it's what draws in their attention.

My advice for those writing queries:

-Steer far from long sentences. If there are more than twenty words in your sentence, rewrite it. Agents want short, enticing sentences that don't ruin the flow of your story. So please, don't drown your query with words.

-Don't give your entire plot away. Whenever I read queries, I notice that the writer over-tells the story, or they give away every plot twist. Please, give the reader some space to imagine.

-Do mention who you are and give thanks in your query. I've forgotten to do that once. I was so worried about everything else that I didn't include my name, or best regards. Just imagine how I felt. (Refer to the Jennifer Lawrence GIF if needed.)

-Do allow other people to help you with your query. Unfortunately, your pair of ogles will only get you so far. By having a few people look over it, they'll catch errors that you can't.

Welp, that's all folks!

Got any questions? Leave a comment below.