Query Letter Question

Xathax · Aug 28, 2006

I had a question regarding query letters for my novel. I've read just about everything I can find on the Internet about writing query letters, but none of what they suggest seems quite applicable to mine for the following reasons:

1)My novel is book one in a trilogy.
2)My novel has 6 main characters that act independently, in a manner similar to George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (or Dickens, as my girlfriend who doesn't usually read fantasy says).
3)The three books are not independent of one another. Book 2 picks up exactly where book 1 left off.

Most advice on query letters suggests you describe in one or two paragraphs the main story in your novel, especially your main character. Since my story is only 1/3 complete in the first novel I have problems describing the meta-plot in a summary, because the first novel only tells the first part of it.

Alternatively, I've tried to just write what happens to the 6 main characters in the first book, resulting in a glut of characters without enough space to tell about them.

So, my latest theory was that I would write my synopsis as if my trilogy were the first book - tell the broad/spanning story rather than the limited segment that is the first book. Will this fly?

I've also been told not to tell the agent that "This is book one in the x trilogy" as it is hard enough to get agents to read 1 manuscript, much less committing to represent a whole trilogy of them. Will agents think you've lied to them if you tell the trilogy's story in the query without telling them it's a trilogy, then just slip "oh, this is book 1 of 3" in your synopsis somewhere?

These quandries are delaying any further submissions of my query letter, so any advice on this matter would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Cath · Aug 28, 2006

From what I can gather, the famous triogies are rarely a writer's first work - Tolkein wrote the Hobbit first, Mervyn Peake wrote Mr Pye before the Gormenghast books, Philip Pullman had a whole string of books before His Dark Materials.

I think you have two options, Xathax - re-write the books so that they stand alone (which sounds like it might be difficult, but I suspect might not be impossible) - OR - finish writing your triology, then write something standalone, and try to sell that one first. You could try to sell the trilogy, but I think you'll struggle.

MidnightMuse · Aug 28, 2006

Unfortunately (for those of us who love writing sequels) selling a trilogy as your first piece is darn-near impossible. No agent wants to risk a first novel by an untried and unproven writer - since there's a chance the first one will tank and the other two would never see the light of day.

This is not a reflection on your writing, as clearly I have no knowledge of that - it's just a hard fact (and my opinion)

If you do write a trilogy, first and foremost is the importance of the books each being standalone - an agent might take a bite of a first novel if it's amazing, and IF it does well, option a sequel or two.

Six main characters in a query is gonna be extremely tough, though. Others will be here shortly (if not here already) and explain things better than I. But Cath's advice on this trilogy being saved as a later publication, after you develop a track record, is solid.

Toothpaste · Aug 28, 2006

The thing I am always curious about triolgies, is what is the point? Is it because the book is just so long that you wouldn't be able to hold it in your hand as one, that you break it down into three? Or was there a reason that you had three seperate books, something stylistic? I think it is usually the latter (aside from the granddaddy of trilogies LOTR which actually WAS one book). I think usually each book has a beginning middle and end, like a chapter in a way, and that's usually why people write these stories as three seperate books. If it is the latter, then you probably can advertise your book not as book one, but simply as a novel. Yes you have two other parts, but if you can sell it to agents on the strength of that first book, and they think they can sell that book, well that's all that matters. Hopefully you can get the other two published. But you'd have one, and that's pretty cool. You are probably very attached to the entire story you are telling over three books, but look at it pragmatically. Can your first book, be one book in and of itself (okay so we don't know all the stuff to come, but based on the info in that book can it)?

As for the character question, I assume that the characters all have a reason for being in the story, that if they don't have similar plot threads, they have similar thematic ones. Possibly you should look at it like:

"This story follows five individuals on their personal quests to make the perfect spagetti sauce: Tim, a retired chef, now hit man; Jessica, the sexy car model and tomato addict etc etc etc . . ."

Hope some of this helps. I really think if you look at your book from a different angle, you'll find you can sell it as a stand alone book. Just like some chapters could make really nice short stories.

Cath · Aug 28, 2006

I think it's worth highlighting the difference between a trilogy and a series.

A series is a number of standalone books using the same world and characters - and should not be impossible to sell as a first pitch as long as each book stands alone.

A trilogy (as I see it) is three books which tell different parts of the same story and without which the story would not be complete. LOTR is a trilogy in the truest sense, as is His Dark Materials (Gormenghast, which I quoted earlier, is not - it was intended to be a series).

The difference for the agent/publisher is what to do with the remaining books when the first doesn't sell - which is a problem with a trilogy, but not with a series.

Xathax - is there a way of rearranging your story so you can tell it as a series of books instead of one really long story?

CaroGirl · Aug 28, 2006

Hmmm. According to this link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-42,GGLG:en&defl=en&q=define:Trilogy&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title, a trilogy is closer to a series than a single long story (like LOTR). I was always under the impression that LOTR was not even a trilogy, but one long book, broken into three sections for printing purposes.

I also wonder how a modern story gets so long it needs three books to tell it. It sounds like OP has one long story on his hands, as opposed to a trilogy or series (which, I think, each need to stand alone). That will be incredibly difficult (dare I say impossible) to sell, from what I've read. Not from experience, considering my economical little stories have never made it over the 100K mark at completion.

Xathax · Aug 28, 2006

Thanks everyone for all the quick replies.

To answer Cath and Toothpaste's first questions: no, I can't break them into stand alone. Making it a trilogy is part stylistic and part pragmatic. As the story formed in my head (sitting bored-to-death in college class), I realized there was no way it would fit into one book the way I wanted to tell it.

So I examined the possibility of two books (making a loose outline). Still would make for some long books. So I made a loose outline of three and it worked.

Thematically, all the characters are trying to survive the upheavals that come from not only being at the point between children and adults - reconciling reality and their dreams - but trying to do so as the Empire they live in breaks apart in a successionary civil war. All are caught up in power struggles in which they are either pawns or completely insignificant and must somehow not be "used up" by those in power.

It can't be re-arranged into a series, unless I did something bizarre like put each character/a couple characters into seperate books... I suppose that is possible, but would require that I write the whole trilogy, then tear it apart - which would destroy what I was trying to do weaving their stories together...

Hm...

Well, I suppose I'll revise it the best I can and keep submitting until I run out of agents. Maybe there's one out there willing to take a chance.

Which brings me back to some earlier questions:

Should I would write my synopsis as if my trilogy were the first book - tell the broad/spanning story rather than the limited segment that is the first book. Will this fly?

Will agents think you've lied to them if you tell the trilogy's story in the query without telling them it's a trilogy, then just slip "oh, this is book 1 of 3" in your synopsis somewhere?

ChaosTitan · Aug 28, 2006

Since you seem bound and determined to do this, then I'd suggest be honest with the agent. Tell them exactly what you're selling them. A trilogy of novels that cannot stand alone, written by an unpublished author (and if you are not unpublished, I apologize). If an agent is going to take the time to consider your work, don't tell them after they've requested a full read: "Oh by the way, this book just ends and has to pick up in Book Two. Sorry."

Meanwhile, starting writing that standalone novel.

maestrowork · Aug 29, 2006

I agree with Chaostitan -- don't deceive the agent. If your book is 1/3 complete and not stand-alone, you will have a hard time finding any agent, unless your book is THAT brilliant and the agent will want to sign you without reading the other two. Otherwise, finish the trilogy or start something stand-alone. Our own Liam Jackson just sold a trilogy, but each book is a stand-alone, and he sold the first book first.

allenparker · Aug 29, 2006

Just my opinion...

I wouldn't queryuntil the trilogy was finished. If the stories are so closely related to each other, then finish the whole story.

whatever revisions or changes you need to make would then be easy. Afterwards, you can query the first book and have the others ready if they request them.

JMO...awp

triceretops · Aug 29, 2006

Oh, gawd. My reaction is such because I've failed the very route you're on. Any non-stand alone is quilty by association with the others. What's going to be difficult is trying to sell the first book, with an incomplete plot line, that hooks directly into the next. Are you incapable of writing a satisfactory resolution to the first book, which would tie things up? It's really not that difficult. I implore you to at least try this.

Tri

Jamesaritchie · Aug 29, 2006

CaroGirl said:
Hmmm. According to this link: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-42,GGLG:en&defl=en&q=define:Trilogy&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title, a trilogy is closer to a series than a single long story (like LOTR). I was always under the impression that LOTR was not even a trilogy, but one long book, broken into three sections for printing purposes.

I also wonder how a modern story gets so long it needs three books to tell it. It sounds like OP has one long story on his hands, as opposed to a trilogy or series (which, I think, each need to stand alone). That will be incredibly difficult (dare I say impossible) to sell, from what I've read. Not from experience, considering my economical little stories have never made it over the 100K mark at completion.

I can't say I've ever read a trilogy that fits that definition.

Jamesaritchie · Aug 29, 2006

Xathax said:
I had a question regarding query letters for my novel. I've read just about everything I can find on the Internet about writing query letters, but none of what they suggest seems quite applicable to mine for the following reasons:

1)My novel is book one in a trilogy.
2)My novel has 6 main characters that act independently, in a manner similar to George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (or Dickens, as my girlfriend who doesn't usually read fantasy says).
3)The three books are not independent of one another. Book 2 picks up exactly where book 1 left off.

Most advice on query letters suggests you describe in one or two paragraphs the main story in your novel, especially your main character. Since my story is only 1/3 complete in the first novel I have problems describing the meta-plot in a summary, because the first novel only tells the first part of it.

Alternatively, I've tried to just write what happens to the 6 main characters in the first book, resulting in a glut of characters without enough space to tell about them.

So, my latest theory was that I would write my synopsis as if my trilogy were the first book - tell the broad/spanning story rather than the limited segment that is the first book. Will this fly?

I've also been told not to tell the agent that "This is book one in the x trilogy" as it is hard enough to get agents to read 1 manuscript, much less committing to represent a whole trilogy of them. Will agents think you've lied to them if you tell the trilogy's story in the query without telling them it's a trilogy, then just slip "oh, this is book 1 of 3" in your synopsis somewhere?

These quandries are delaying any further submissions of my query letter, so any advice on this matter would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Be honest. It's the only chance you have. But I would say length of teh story is always, without exception, a choice. If you want to tell a story in single book form, you can. If you want to tell the story as a trilogy, you can. It's always a choice.

RJLeahy · Aug 29, 2006

Hmmm...this is a tough sell in the extreme. Long sagas (ie., LOTR), will not be picked by a publisher unless the writer is very well known with a ready-made audience, and even then they will balk.

I don't know if this helps, but I had something like your problem-- a story too long for one book, however my tale takes place over more than ten years, and so there were natural breaks where I could end each book without leaving the reader in a lurch. I was able to break it up into three books, each as a standalone. I sold the first (Tigra, coming out in Novenber) and if it sells, well then I suppose we'll see.

Xathax · Aug 29, 2006

Thanks for the multitude of replies. I guess I'm still smacking into the wall of cold, hard reality about Trilogies (Trilogys?).

Splitting it into chunks would be possible, especially with one of my characters who is especially seperate from the others (only coming into contact with them incidentally). I guess distancing yourself from your work is necessary: do you stick with the format that you've fallen in love with that no agent will touch or gut your baby that you can sell its organs seperately...

I'm at a crux point at the moment. I figure I'll make a few submissions of the manuscript, find out if it is that brilliant (I doubt it). In the mean time, I have the difficult decision of finishing book 2 or dropping it to finish a sci-fi novel I have started and really enjoy writing (and whose writing is far superior to my first novel as I started it five months ago versus five years ago for my first book).

Only problem is then: if it does sell, I'll be stuck as a sci-fi writer for a long time... and my completed manuscript and its partially completed brother will be abandoned to rot...

*sigh* It's never easy, is it?

Selcaby · Aug 30, 2006

I'm sure there must be authors who have broken into the market with trilogies. It might be worth investigating how they did it.

JV Jones started with a trilogy, which I haven't read. Her fourth book, which I have, is a standalone.

Carol Berg wrote a standalone first, I believe (Song of the Beast) but it wasn't published until after her Rai-Kirah trilogy.

Robin Hobb's first books were the Farseer trilogy, although she had been published as Megan Lindholm before that.

Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner books are not a trilogy - apparently she's now writing more - but the first two books form one overarching plot the way many trilogies do. Book one has a reasonable conclusion with a few threads hanging, which are tied off in book two.

Christopher Paolini? Cecilia Dart-Thornton? Jacqueline Carey?

If their tactics have anything in common - I have only read some, so I don't know - it would be that book one has a fairly satisfying ending, so it would sort of work by itself if books two and three never saw the light of day. Could you do that? You might not get your whole megaplot in, but most of your readers would never know. I don't believe a proper ending is anywhere near as necessary for the second book, but you need a really good one for the third.

How many of the authors I've named planned their trilogies as trilogies, and how many wrote book one and then tacked on two more, I have no idea.

Query Letter Question

Xathax

Cath

The mean one

MidnightMuse

Midnight Reading

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

Cath

The mean one

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Xathax

ChaosTitan

Around

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

allenparker

Naked Futon Guy

triceretops

Jamesaritchie

Jamesaritchie

RJLeahy

Xathax

Selcaby

Writer of wrongs