Stupid mistakes you've made when querying and submitting

xXFireSpiritXx · Apr 4, 2010

These are my top most embarrassing submission moments:

1.) Queried 25 agents stating it was the year 2008 instead of 2009
2.) After submitting six partials realized my Open Office spell check wasn't working and I missed ten typos. (shelled out the money for Microsoft Office after that fiasco.
3.) Sent queries and submission packages with handwritten addresses instead of printed labels (might as well have sent them a query written in red crayon)
4.) When mailing queries switched three letters into the wrong envelopes so Agent A letter went into Agent B's addressed envelope, and so on. Doh!

Shady Lane · Apr 4, 2010

For the record, I've never once printed a label. Screw that. My handwriting is legible.

I have--

queried publishers instead of agents because "I don't need an agent"
addressed queries to the wrong agent
attached the manuscript of a book other than the one requested
had a different title in the subject line than the one I used in the query
sent two consecutive status queries to an agent who'd already sent me a rejection

D.A.G. · Apr 4, 2010

The worst for me was when I realized that the Liberty Bell stamps I had purchased, which said "Forever" on them instead of a monetary value, were not enough to send my manuscripts to agents/literary magazines. I still cringe thinking of those poor recipients who had to pay to receive my stuff; no wonder I got form rejections in response.

xXFireSpiritXx · Apr 4, 2010

Oh those damn Liberty Bells...

inkspatters · Apr 4, 2010

Oooh, I've done a lot of stupid stuff. I bet I'm only remembering half of it.

-Addressed queries to the wrong agent entirely (a few times *headdesk*)
-Sent a partial via snail mail and forgot to include an email address in lieu of irritating International Reply Coupons
- Re-queried the same agent a couple times by accident.
- And I guess I've never printed a label, either. But my handwriting's neat, so I'm not too fussed about that one.

stefanie_gaither · Apr 4, 2010

I queried waaay too early with my first novel--I'd barely finished the first draft before I shot off a query to a very reputable agency...one that I didn't think I had a chance in the world of getting any sort of request from. I was really just testing the waters, and being my horribly impatient self...

But I DID get a response from this agency--a request for a full, no less. Well, I didn't want to keep them waiting, so I sent them my unedited manuscript. Needless to say, it eventually turned into a rejection. I can't help but think it would have turned out differently if I'd just been a little more patient...I don't think I even ran spellcheck on that thing, I was so excited, lol. Ah...there's nothing quite like shooting yourself in the foot. Oh well. :Shrug:

blacbird · Apr 4, 2010

1. Querying.

2. Submitting.

caw

Toothpaste · Apr 4, 2010

xXFireSpiritXx said:
These are my top most embarrassing submission moments:

3.) Sent queries and submission packages with handwritten addresses instead of printed labels (might as well have sent them a query written in red crayon)

Just wanted to comment here for any lurkers. There is nothing wrong with hand written addresses, and no agent will dock marks for a query that has one.

Though I suppose these days with the prevalence of email it isn't as common a concern. Still.

Ehem, sorry. Carry on!

xXFireSpiritXx · Apr 4, 2010

Oh, I had read in a book that handwriting was a no-no. My mistake.

Toothpaste · Apr 4, 2010

Handwriting a query is a no-no, but in addressing an envelope? Yeah, that's really a non-issue (so long, obviously, that the address is clear so it makes it to the correct place).

And maybe what I'm saying is a bit self serving as I've never printed a label in my life but . . . it doesn't seem to have negatively affected me . . .

Snowstorm · Apr 4, 2010

Last year when I had a dial-up of 12K (yes, that's twelve thousand), I emailed a query to an agent. To email anything on a 12K dialup typing or copy-and-pasting anything took forever. Finally, the email sent.

In the "sent" box, the Subject look funky. I clicked on the message to figure out what was wrong. Somehow, when I copy-and-pasted the body of the query into the email, it was copied into the Subject line! The entire freaking query. The text never displayed before I hit "send." Oh, brother.

HistorySleuth · Apr 4, 2010

xXFireSpiritXx said:
These are my top most embarrassing submission moments:

3.) Sent queries and submission packages with handwritten addresses instead of printed labels (might as well have sent them a query written in red crayon)
Doh!

I sent a letter to the IRS once in crayon, the entire thing. Course that was on purpose.

(Returning to regular thread... :gone:

)

Stunted · Apr 4, 2010

The whole "I don't need an agent" thing.

Querying too soon. (BIG TIME.)

kaitie · Apr 4, 2010

I've twice accidentally sent queries without the requested bits (synopsis, first ten pages) by hitting ctrl+enter when I was trying to copy and paste. Apparently that means "send" in my email program.

I sent a SASE with the wrong postage. I felt really awful about that. I'd even gone and weighed the envelopes with a sheet of paper in them to make sure I had enough on there (international even), and she had put two sheets in the envelope, so it no longer was enough. She actually was kind enough to pay the extra postage herself, but I did feel like a bit of a heel for not thinking of that one.

larocca · Apr 4, 2010

When I wrote to Ashbel Green at University of Arkansas Press, I began my letter with "Dear Ms. Green." Ashbel is a guy. Do your research, people! (This was pre-Internet days...)

scarletpeaches · Apr 4, 2010

Ever, ever querying ANYTHING pre-2009.

Naughty scarletpeaches, BAD scarletpeaches.

I had no business thinking anything written before then was worth paying for and reading.

Linda Adams · Apr 5, 2010

1. Sending to an agent who was "not recommended"--who then requested chapters. At the time, I assumed that the Agent's Market would filter out scam agents. One always seems to make it into the book every year.

2. My then cowriter turned on track changes for a query--to correct one spacing error. The query went out with a line in the margin ...

donroc · Apr 5, 2010

Not changing name and address of agent on query letter submitted to others.

Caitlin Black · Apr 5, 2010

Querying one agent without editing, and not including a SASE, then getting on the phone with them to ask about my MS when they had emailed me that day with a rejection (I hadn't checked my email) AND not asking if they had any notes on why they rejected it...

All from the one and only submission I've ever made. Not too shabby in the screw-up department, I must say.

Chris P · Apr 5, 2010

My list is short only because I've not done it very much.

My early mistake was assuming that I could use the same query style for fiction that I use for scholarly journal articles. "Here it is; you want it or not?" gets only one response from an agent.

Oh, and only querying one agent at a time.

cwfgal · Apr 5, 2010

I've been pretty lucky. I only screwed up (that I know of) once while querying and that was sending a package out without the SASE in it. Came home from the post office and there was the envelope, sitting on my desk chair. I simply mailed the SASE with an explanatory note the next day, which apparently worked since my rejection arrived shortly thereafter in the SASE.

Beth

Jamesaritchie · Apr 5, 2010

Toothpaste said:
Just wanted to comment here for any lurkers. There is nothing wrong with hand written addresses, and no agent will dock marks for a query that has one.

Though I suppose these days with the prevalence of email it isn't as common a concern. Still.

Ehem, sorry. Carry on!

Weeelllll, yes and no. Consciously, handwritten addresses on queries doesn't matter. Subconsciously, I believe it does. I know it does for me.

Sitting on the editor's side of the desk, and having a hundred queries in front of you, means some get more attention, or at least faster attention, than others, and first impressions do matter.

I know it wasn't long before I realized I would always check the queries on a first impression basis. A quality envelope with a nicely printed address always got preference.

And when I opened a query, nice paper also got preference over cheap, flimsy, Wal-Mart special paper.

I know it should be only the words that matter, but despite what many think, agents and editors are human, and are influenced on some level by the appearance of professionalism.

How many business letters do you receive in the mail that have handwritten addresses? Not many, right? There's a reason for this.

Phyllo · Apr 5, 2010

A few weeks ago I sent out a short story to four separate journals, each with SASE, careful to ensure no mix-up in journal names, editor names, correct postage required to mail from USA to Canada, etc. -- realizing hours later that each label on the "SASE" bore the addressee's name, not mine.

lucidzfl · Apr 5, 2010

Stunted said:
The whole "I don't need an agent" thing.

Querying too soon. (BIG TIME.)

So how do you know if you needed an agent or not if you admit you queried way too early?

seun · Apr 5, 2010

scarletpeaches said:
Ever, ever querying ANYTHING pre-2009.
I had no business thinking anything written before then was worth paying for and reading.

Pretty much the same here although I'll change it to 2008, or 2007 if I'm feeling kind to myself.

And addressing a query to the wrong gender is always a good 'un.

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