Okay, so I've spent months (!!!!) revising and workshopping the heck out of my pb. I've gotten amazing feedback on it from 3 pretty significant, published authors...I've agonized over the query letters and emailed 5 of them out today (you know, to my dream group of agents...) They're all perfect...except for one! I left the den for 20 minutes to run one of my 5 kids somewhere and one of the other 4 left at home must have been playing with computer keys because AFTER I sent the next query I noticed a sentence, a whole sentence was, missing from the letter! Now when you read it the letter I sound like some illiterate hick. The WORST part of this whole story is this: I had already screwed up this query and forgotten to paste the ms into the body of the email the first time...so I thought, "what the heck, I'll resend and do it right and if it get's dumped, so be it!" Well, I'm sure it's in the toilet by now...what a waste of a perfectly wonderful potential agent who actually let's you send in your ms with your query!!!! I'm an idiot! I'm just so sad...I feel like I've let down my story by being a moron with all of this!! Can anyone relate????
I could just throw up!!!
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It's hard when you have a thousand other things going on. Take a deep breath. No don't hold it. Let it out slowly. Now, when there is peace and calm in the house (like the absolute dead of night), pick five other dream agents. Send the ms. out. Most agents who rep PB authors will want the entire ms. since it's usually under 1k words.
One other thought: Again, in the dead of night, email the agents who got the weird queries. Tell them that you realized that it somehow (don't say how) got messed up in the sending and you are resending the correct copy. I wouldn't recommend this being a habit
Just try to find those times of day or night that are calm.
One other thought: Again, in the dead of night, email the agents who got the weird queries. Tell them that you realized that it somehow (don't say how) got messed up in the sending and you are resending the correct copy. I wouldn't recommend this being a habit
Just try to find those times of day or night that are calm.
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Oh that sounds like something that would happen to me. It's ok. There are lots of agents. If the ones you've send the wonky queries to don't understand, find others. It'll be ok.
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I wouldn't resend. If you want, post your situation in the "Ask an Agent" thread. But if your story is good, and the rest of your query is fine, you might be ok. Most of them will probably just skim the query and look at your first pages anyways.
I can relate. I've made mistakes in queries that caused much fretting.
Move on.
Go to the next 5 on your list. (And you may be joyfully surprised to hear from one of the first five.)
GOOD LUCK!
Move on.
Go to the next 5 on your list. (And you may be joyfully surprised to hear from one of the first five.)
GOOD LUCK!
You might want to send a quick email explaining the situation. Agents are human too and have actual lives and can be quite understanding. I once had help from my cat walking across my keyboard that I didn't catch until it was too late, wrote a three or four sentence email explaining what happened and apologizing for the part near the end that made no sense, both agents responded saying it was no big deal, and one asked for a partial. Just don't torture yourself over this.
I've had so many query screwups it's not even funny.
I put Dear Ellen Ethanburg instead of Ethan Ellenburg. Don't ask me how I managed that!
I've swapped two agent's names before. I've had a Dear ----------- and then the letter, forgetting to insert the agents name. I once attached the wrong first chapter. I was subbing for a MG and attatched a thriller first chapter. Yeah, that went well.
I've done all kinds of crazy and stupid things when I query. It seems like no matter how many times I read them before clicking send, I never realize my mistakes until my finger just hits the button and it's too late.
Shake it off and keep going, it's all you can do.
I put Dear Ellen Ethanburg instead of Ethan Ellenburg. Don't ask me how I managed that!
I've swapped two agent's names before. I've had a Dear ----------- and then the letter, forgetting to insert the agents name. I once attached the wrong first chapter. I was subbing for a MG and attatched a thriller first chapter. Yeah, that went well.
I've done all kinds of crazy and stupid things when I query. It seems like no matter how many times I read them before clicking send, I never realize my mistakes until my finger just hits the button and it's too late.
Shake it off and keep going, it's all you can do.
JamieB
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I put Dear Ms. Adams (made up names in this post...) and never changed it when I sent it to Ms. Smith! Ms. Smith sent it back saying she wasn't Jenny Adams, but was intrigued and wanted a partial.
So, like someone else said, they're human and understand we mess up sometimes! It'll work out!
So, like someone else said, they're human and understand we mess up sometimes! It'll work out!
I've had them returned by the postal service for no mailing address on the envelope? Talking about idiots!
Thanks everyone!! Much better day today! I'm hoping someone will be forgiving of the screwed up query and if not, that they totally kick themselves later when my book goes to the best seller's list!! (You do have to have an active imagination when writing for kids!!) You all cheered me up and made me feel like I'm not a complete idiot...things do happen!!
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Oh that is too funny! You know, I bet it made him laugh and that's usually a good thing. 
We've all done it. I messed one query letter up so badly that the agent sent it back to me, edited.
(Not really. Just trying to make you smile.)
(Not really. Just trying to make you smile.)