Stating Author's Credentials

Any writing credit is good, use it. If you have tons and tons of credits make a list of the most impressive and use them. Editing is a good credit as well, they'll know your manuscript is tight. Genre doesn't matter.

credits

Any writing credit is better than no writing credit, so I'd use the two or three best I had to offer. But if you're writing fiction, it's fiction credits that make an impression. No other writing credit tells an agent you can write fiction except fiction writing credits.

Writing credentials (well, except maybe high school stuff -- but I think college is fine; of course, the more professional the better) and also any real-life credentials that are pertinent to your ms. For example, if your ms. is a military thriller heavy on forensics, and you have been a medical examiner with the Army for 25 years, by all means mention it.

The whole point of listing writing credentials is to reassure a potential agent or editor that you're not a risky investment for their time or money. Of course decent credits in the genre you're pitching would be great, but if you don't have any yet, any credits that will demonstrate that you're both literate and at least moderately talented should suffice. The advice to list them all and pick the best is perfect. Two or three will probably be enough, but if you have a particularly extensive list of credits to your name, you may wish to say something like, "My work has appeared in more than 50 national print publications, including X, Y, and Z." Pick up a copy of Writer's Market or a query letter how-to book and see how folks have handled is successfully in the past. There are also resources online for sample query letters (but be sure to carefully evaluate samples from unverified sources). Good luck! I'd be interested to hear what you decide to do.

Kristen

Jamesaritchie said:

Any writing credit is better than no writing credit, so I'd use the two or three best I had to offer. But if you're writing fiction, it's fiction credits that make an impression. No other writing credit tells an agent you can write fiction except fiction writing credits.

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Exactly. I would have said just what James did.

Ideally, you're listing credits the editor has heard of. For SF/F, I could list Asimov's (I wish!), Analog (yeah, right), and Realms of Fantasy (actually, I can list that one.) Most editors in the genre know these magazines, and sales will count for something.

If I list credits they've never heard of, one of two things will happen. They'll either ignore 'em, or else they'll take a moment to Google 'em (if they're bored that day.)

If a Google result pulls up a respectible publication, that could still help you. If all you're listing is a few unpaid, low-circulation, fanzine type publications, that's probably not going to help at all.

And I've been told that listing lots of unpaid publications (or vanity types) in a cover letter can actually hurt, as it tends to mark you as more of an amateur. I wouldn't list a Publish America novel as a credit, for instance.

But what if your Publish America book was reviewed in a national reviewing magazine and received a high score? Should you still not mention it?

PA

Southern Lady said:

But what if your Publish America book was reviewed in a national reviewing magazine and received a high score? Should you still not mention it?

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It depends on just which national review magazine and reviewer you're talking about. National review does not mean accurate review. Individual reviewers have reputations that many pay attention to, or that almost all ignore.

Personally, I would not mention a PA book until later on. PA has such a horrid reputation that just the mention of it can overpower any good book that happens to come through PA.

Thanks, James. I was thinking of Romatic Times Magazine. They review all romances, I believe, plus mainstream, mystery, etc. I know of two PA books that received excellent reviews. Others did not.