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CassandraW

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I've been lurking for the better part of a year, but now that I'm starting the querying process, I decided I needed some company. I've found a lot of useful information here. Thank you so much!

I'm an unpublished author, and have spent the last two years writing, rewriting, editing, and re-editing my middle-grade novel. Alas, from looking at these forums, it looks like the writing part is much more fun than the querying part!

If any veterans have time and patience to answer a rookie query letter formatting question, I've posted one in this thread. http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7024048#post7024048 I've spent a fair number of hours trying to find an answer, but the little I could glean on the topic pointed in opposite directions. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks again!
 
Mark G

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:welcome: Welcome to Absolute Write!

First, I'm not sure how to advise you on the formatting of other book titles in your query letter except using my intuition. However, I know an agent; and I might be able to ask her what she thinks.

Second, I can totally sympathize with the intimidation factor for querying! It's the antithesis of writing, the yin to the yang, the bad to the good. While we soar on endorphines as we craft our masterpiece; we skate a zig-zag between fear, trepidation, and depression over the rejection we face in the query process. If your query letter is AWESOME, expect 10% positive result. 90% rejection rate for a great query can be intimidating. And there's the whole rigid structure of the query; like forcing a lion to sit in a chair and drink tea from a china cup taped to its paw.

But there's more out there than just landing an agent or a publishing deal. These days, you need to be able to market and sell your book too! Even if you get a publishing deal from a small publisher where you're their big fish, you won't have a huge marketing department pushing ads out like crazy... at least this is what I'm hearing...

I love writing. The other stuff is definitely intimidating.
 
CACTUSWENDY

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Welcome to AW. Hope you enjoy your stay with us.
How do you like your popcorn?

If you go to the bottom of the page to the 'forum jump' you can scroll down and find all the areas of this place. After you post 50 posts you can use the SYW areas to get help there. The password for some of the areas is…..vista. A word to the wise, it would be a good idea to participate first in helping others before you think about posting your own work. After you have been around here for awhile, then post something of your own for help. Good luck.
 
Mary K. Norris

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Welcome! Good luck with the querying. I know how much of a pain it can be. :)
 
regdog

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Take some time and read the Newbie Guide and the Stickies found
at the top of Forum pages. They are your best guide to learning about
Absolute Write.

Don’t forget to read the FAQ regarding posting pictures at AW.


Members who want to start a thread in Share Your Work to have work critiqued need
50 posts. Don’t make a mad dash to reach your 50 posts. Take some time to greet fellow newbies,
critique other members’ works, or join a discussion.
 

Lisa Welch

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Hello and welcome! Good luck with querying. I know everyone here probably already knows this, but don't forget to check out QueryShark. I've learned so much from her blog, and when I start the process I'll do so with more confidence (relatively speaking, ha). See ya 'round the boards!
 

CassandraW

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Oh boy! Oh boy! I got responses! It's like the first day of school when you meet tons of new friends. Let's hope you're not all throwing peas at me by lunchtime! Seriously, thank you all for the welcome and the tips.

And thank you, Mark G, for weighing in on my format question. If your agent friend does have a view, I'd love to hear it. I can't be the only one who gets bogged down in nitpicking format issues, can I? I keep reading stuff implying that agents will simply toss your query/manuscript into the trash if it isn't perfectly formatted in every way. At this point, I find myself worrying more about whether to italicize something than about, ya know, my actual writing.
 
Gatsby

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CassandraW said:
I've been lurking for the better part of a year, but now that I'm starting the querying process, I decided I needed some company.
Click to expand...

I've only been lurking for a couple of months, but the querying process is what prompted me to become active, too!
 
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