Query Stories

Birol · Jan 22, 2008

Shady Lane's post in the 'What, besides story, disqualifies a query' thread made me think of something that happened to me when I was very, very young. We're talking elevenish. I'd decided I wanted to be a writer, but I had no idea how to go about it. So, I pulled all the books off my shelf and looked inside the covers for addresses and then I wrote a letter to all the companies asking them how to go about it.

I wanted to be professional, but my typing skills were not quite up to par yet and, at eleven or so, I knew that. So, I handwrote the letters. I printed them, double-spaced them on notebook paper, setting them up like a business letter should be, with return addresses and dates and all of that and then I mailed them.

One editor, out of all the letters I sent, responded. The editor was from Avon. I don't remember his name. I kept the letter until I lost it during one of my many moves in my twenties. If I still had it, I think I would frame it.

What about you? What are your query stories? Good, bad, inspiring, horrible warnings, let's share them all.

Stijn Hommes · Jan 22, 2008

I don't have any noteworthy query stories, but I do wonder: was the agent helpful in their response? Do you remember anything they said?

Shady Lane · Jan 22, 2008

That query that I wrote about in the other thread? The one that I addressed "to whom it may concern?"

The editor, after reading the partial, told me he needed to pass because the story felt "too adult."

Probably just an excuse, but, still, quite a thrill for me when, at fourteen, I'd never read, nevertheless tried to write, an adult book.

Birol · Jan 22, 2008

They made me think that I really could do this and gave me the basic information for how to submit. I really do wish I hadn't lost the letter.

Birol · Jan 22, 2008

Shady Lane said:
That query that I wrote about in the other thread? The one that I addressed "to whom it may concern?"

The editor, after reading the partial, told me he needed to pass because the story felt "too adult."

Probably just an excuse, but, still, quite a thrill for me when, at fourteen, I'd never read, nevertheless tried to write, an adult book.

That would've been quite the thrill.

blacbird · Jan 22, 2008

Several years ago, I send a query+sample chapters to a well-known New York agent (he's still around, and very highly regarded in the industry, near as I can discern). No response, and, yes, an SASE was included. It was a pure shot in the dark, so after some months I just wrote it off and forgot about it.

Eighteen months later, I get a letter from him. Great apologies, he just found, on his "ex-assistant's" desk, under a pile of material, his positive reply to my query, asking for the full manuscript, if I didn't already have an agent. Well, no, I didn't already have an agent, I would need a week or so to get the full manuscript into submission form, but, yeah, I'd be happy to send it to him. I did (with, of course, another SASE).

Never heard from him again.

That's the last time anybody ever asked for the full manuscript.

caw

mscelina · Jan 22, 2008

ouch. that's gotta hurt. did you follow up?

I just have my Wall of Fame/Wall of Shame query response story but you guys are getting tired of that.

JoNightshade · Jan 22, 2008

mscelina, I haven't heard it! I don't think anyways. Linkie?

mscelina · Jan 22, 2008

Sure. http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1507083&postcount=39

JoNightshade · Jan 22, 2008

This is not PRECISELY a query story, but it's funny and semi relavent so I'm telling it.

When I was about 12, Christopher Reeve was paralyzed. As a big fan of Superman, this was a big deal for me. I sat down and wrote him a letter, by hand, on binder paper, and stuck it in the mail.

Roughly two years later. I get a letter in the mail. I open it. It's from the lawyer of Dana Reeve, Christopher Reeve's wife. It says that they want to include my letter in a book of letters Dana is putting together. A copy of the letter (which I had almost forgotten) was included in the envelope.

I open up the copy and read it - and just about DIE of embarrassment. Apparently I did a lot of maturing from 12 to 14, because here I am looking at this horrific, gushy, overly-respectful (think, "I honor you, SIR!") piece of garbage. At 14, I'm already trying to get my short stories published, and this is NOT the sort of thing I want to be remembered for!

So I tear the whole thing up and throw it away.

Month later, another letter comes. Mom asks, "What's this?" I say, "Oh, nothing." Toss it again.

Another month. Phone rings. Mom answers. Hangs up. Says, "Uh, that was Dana Reeve's lawyer. He said Dana REALLY really wants to include your letter in your book? What the heck is going on?"

Long story short, parents got me to sign the permissions for it and it's now one of the letters in "Care Packages."

And yeah, I'm still embarrassed.

mscelina · Jan 22, 2008

that's actually kind of cute.

Spiny Norman · Jan 22, 2008

Man, if only agents pursued us like the Reeve family attorneys seem to.

EDIT: To contribute, I once broke one of the cardinal rules and addressed it to the wrong gender.

They asked for a full. Right away.

They've had it for about four months now. Gave an update in mid-January. Still waiting.

I'd give into my creeping suspicions that this is an act of cruelty, but aren't agents rather busy? That's the skinny, last I heard...

Calla Lily · Jan 22, 2008

About 3 years ago, I started querying my first ms. I'd been working in marketing for 10 years; knew how to write a sales-type letter. All eager and wide-eyed, I proceeded to research agents and query them with something like this:

Just in time for Halloween--a horror novel that can make both of us money.

Oh, yeah. To fewer than 10 agents, but I CRINGE every time I think of that letter. fortunately, I gutted the novel and sgredded the query, and learned the right way to do it.

Judg · Jan 22, 2008

I hang out at AW and read other people's stories so I won't have any.

In theory.

katiemac · Jan 22, 2008

JoNightshade said:
This is not PRECISELY a query story, but it's funny and semi relavent so I'm telling it.

When I was about 12, Christopher Reeve was paralyzed. As a big fan of Superman, this was a big deal for me. I sat down and wrote him a letter, by hand, on binder paper, and stuck it in the mail.

Roughly two years later. I get a letter in the mail. I open it. It's from the lawyer of Dana Reeve, Christopher Reeve's wife. It says that they want to include my letter in a book of letters Dana is putting together. A copy of the letter (which I had almost forgotten) was included in the envelope.

I open up the copy and read it - and just about DIE of embarrassment. Apparently I did a lot of maturing from 12 to 14, because here I am looking at this horrific, gushy, overly-respectful (think, "I honor you, SIR!") piece of garbage. At 14, I'm already trying to get my short stories published, and this is NOT the sort of thing I want to be remembered for!

So I tear the whole thing up and throw it away.

Month later, another letter comes. Mom asks, "What's this?" I say, "Oh, nothing." Toss it again.

Another month. Phone rings. Mom answers. Hangs up. Says, "Uh, that was Dana Reeve's lawyer. He said Dana REALLY really wants to include your letter in your book? What the heck is going on?"

Long story short, parents got me to sign the permissions for it and it's now one of the letters in "Care Packages."

And yeah, I'm still embarrassed.

Why be embarassed? Sure, you were 12, but think about how much that letter meant to them, so much so that two years later they tracked you down.

/end derail

Birol · Jan 22, 2008

katiemac said:
/end derail

THAT's not a derail.

{And, no, that's not a challenge. I am not challenging anyone to derail this thread. (Haggis and Rllgthunder, this includes the two of you.)}

Shady Lane · Jan 22, 2008

I used to send thank yous for all my form rejections. It's sort of a struggle not to, now.

JoNightshade · Jan 22, 2008

Shady Lane said:
I used to send thank yous for all my form rejections. It's sort of a struggle not to, now.

::Jo struggles not to laugh::
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:roll:

JoNightshade · Jan 22, 2008

katiemac said:
Why be embarassed? Sure, you were 12, but think about how much that letter meant to them, so much so that two years later they tracked you down.

Oh, sure, well that part was fine. I'm glad that it touched them, and apparently it was one of Dana's favorites. That's fine, maybe she put it on her fridge for a while or something.

The part I was NOT fine was having one of my most embarrassing pieces of writing exposed to the world at large.

Just think about how you would feel if, say, one of your sixth grade diary entries was published in the New Yorker.

blacbird · Jan 22, 2008

mscelina said:
ouch. that's gotta hurt. did you follow up?

The point of which would have been exactly what?

caw

Query Stories

Birol

Around and About

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

Birol

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Birol

Around and About

blacbird

mscelina

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JoNightshade

has finally arrived

mscelina

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

mscelina

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

Spiny Norman

Calla Lily

On hiatus

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

katiemac

Five by Five

Birol

Around and About

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

blacbird