Free Expressions Takeaway Part IV: Quintessential Queries

As every serious writer knows, the road to publication begins with crafting a memorable query. This fundamental tool of the writing trade must have muscle: its job is to capture an agent's or editor's interest, give a quick overview of your work, plus reflect your book's tone and your personality. 

And of course, all of this is accomplished in 300 well-crafted words or less. 

Tracey and Josh Adams of Adams Literary taught our class on creating quintessential queries. Their agency receives over 10,000 queries a year.  Agent Quinlan Lee reads them super fast and red flags the ones their agency might have interest in. Your objective, as a writer is to get that red flag!

The Quintessential Couple
Tracey and Josh Adams

"The goal of a query is to get your work noticed," Josh said. "It's just like a bookstore; you want a reader to pick your book off the shelf."

How can a writer accomplish this? According to Josh, you must:

1. Find your “hook.” 
2. Keep it short. Get to the heart of your book quickly.
3. Make it relevant. Only give important information that the agent will care about. 
4. Reflect your personality. Be yourself.  Put yourself out there (but not in embarrassing way!) 
5. Send your best work, but keep in mind that it is "ready to submit" rather than "done."

As a gift to my readers, Tracey and Josh have generously shared their Do's and Don'ts of Queries. 

During the week each participant in this Free Expressions seminar received critique time with Lorin Oberweger, Brenda Windberg as well as consultation time with Emma Dryden and Nancy Conescu.

I used my time with Emma to review my query. I was happy to hear that my beginning, in which I reminded the editor of her interest in my manuscript; and my ending, where I listed my relevant writing experiences, were both solid.

But the middle--in which I gave a synopsis of my book--needed work. Within 15 minutes Emma and I had brainstormed a paragraph that not only concisely describes my book, but in the process, I also learned more about my characters and plot. 

What's the moral of this story? Not only is writing a quintessential query your foot into an agent's door (or in-box), but writing it before you finish your manuscript may help you define your book and push forward.

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Next week will be my final blog post in this series. Advice and tricks on revision will be brought to you by the YA Muses. 

If you missed the other blogs in this series, here they are:
Free Expressions Takeaway Part I- Voice and Deep Point of View
Free Expressions Takeaway Part II- Deep Scene
Free Expressions Takeaway Part III- World Building

If You Give a Writer a Cookie....

...add sweet tea, the company of fellow writers and illustrators, and incorporate great advice from Adams Literary, then you have the recipe for a great schmooze. Which was exactly what happened last Saturday at the Fort Mill Library in Fort Mill, South Carolina.



Josh Adams, Quinlan Lee, Tracey Adams



Hosted by the Charlotte and Rock Hill SCBWI critique groups, forty-five participants first peppered Quinlan Lee, Josh Adams, and Tracey Adams with questions about the agent/author relationship.

 

In response to the #1 question on everyone's mind, "How do you get an agent?"  Tracey Adams responded in the same manner in which she answered it a month ago at the YA Novel Literature panel in Charlotte: "We look for good writing." Specifically, Quinlan Lee said that she looks for writing that is "interesting, grabbing, and doesn't let my mind wander." Tracey added that indicating that a writer or illustrator is a member of SCBWI demonstrates that he or she takes the craft seriously.

Josh Adams said that he is looking for potential, not perfection. His first criteria is not, "Can we sell it?" but rather, "Do we love it?" Tracey added that their agency wants to represent an author, not just necessarily one manuscript. All three agents emphasized the need to work hard at the craft, not to submit a piece too soon, and to be prepared to spend years at honing a manuscript. "Put your manuscript in a drawer for a week. Let it marinade before you press send."

Here is some other advice:

• Adams Literary is looking for timeless works that are not tied into a specific trend. (Vampires might actually not be hot in 2-3 years--the length of time it takes for a book to be published!)
• Be ready to answer the question, "What other books are you working on?"
• Don't submit more than one manuscript at a time.
• Be focused! Find out who you are as an author.
• Send in your best work. Editors want top-notch material.Wait until your critique group says that your book or illustration is ready for submission.
• Research an agency that fits your book. Look at the types of books they represent.
• You can look for an agent by looking at books in your genre. Often the agent is mentioned in the acknowledgments.
• In the current industry, literary agents are the gatekeepers for editors and publishers. You probably need one--unless you connect with an editor at a conference.
• Don't ever pay up front for agenting services and make sure the agent is a member of the Association of Author's Representatives.
• The picture book market is hard to break into. Make sure you have a fantastic hook into your book.
• Picture books are getting shorter and shorter. Parents are spending less time reading to their children. Think about how much text you would include on each of the 28 pages in a 32-page picturebook.
• Picture books should be beautifully written and target the the 3-5 year-old market. Older children don't want to be seem carrying picture books around and kids graduate to easy readers which they can read themselves.
• Well-written prose must be visual. The reader must "see" the story.

Fellow writers and illustrators, cookies, tea, and literary advice. What more could a writer want? Oh yes, time to write!

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