Querying a NaNo?

kaitie · Dec 1, 2009

I just was reading through some of the comments on Nathan Bransford's blog, and someone had commented that they finished their NaNo and sent him the query for it on December 1st. At first I thought someone was joking around, but someone else asked if it was true that he was receiving more, and apparently he really is receiving an unusually high number of queries today.

So now I'm wondering...anyone out there actually querying their NaNos already? I didn't do it, and heck I've been working on my current story for something like 19 months so needless to say I can't even begin to imagine, but I know quite a lot of you out there are fast writers. Is it really possible to write and polish in a month? If you're not TT42, I mean.

BenPanced · Dec 1, 2009

NO. I've only just gotten my 2004 NaNo in querying shape this year and I have serious doubts about this year's ever being finished. A lot of agents have mentioned they get tons of post-NaNo queries during December; unfortunately, many, many people who participate don't understand the entire writing/publishing process.

firedrake · Dec 1, 2009

I saw those comments too and couldn't believe it!

My NaNo is going on the back burner for a while. It won't be ready to query for ages.

suki · Dec 1, 2009

From my understanding, from agents and editors commenting online, every December and January they get a flood of NaNo queries, increasing the slushiness of their slush piles since so few NaNo-written manuscripts are anywhere near ready to be queried so soon after finishing NaNo.

So, yes, people do it. People also query rough drafts of books all year long, not understanding the level of revision needed to make most books queryable. There's just a huge uptick of these kinds of queries in the few months post-NaNo, or so I've read...

~suki

kaitie · Dec 1, 2009

I'm guessing that's also the kind of thing you wouldn't want to put in your query letter then lol.

Or maybe the opposite instead: "This is not a NaNo novel!"

BenPanced · Dec 1, 2009

Maybe after the book is accepted for publication, you can use it as a talking point in the myriad interviews you'll be giving on your three-continent book tour...

Shadow_Ferret · Dec 1, 2009

Oh, great. So this isn't the best time to be querying a real novel?

Sage · Dec 1, 2009

Yeah, I was really worried about sending queries out this month for the novel I'm querying, which is being queried as a 50K novel. I got a bunch of queries out two days ago, but I'm thinking it will be harder now.

BrooklynLee · Dec 1, 2009

I suspect most agents and editors can quickly tell the difference between a legitimate query and a "hey! I wrote 50,000 words in a month, wanna read it?" query.

DeadlyAccurate · Dec 1, 2009

Shadow_Ferret said:
Oh, great. So this isn't the best time to be querying a real novel?

Look at it this way: you'll stand out as better than the rest.

katiemac · Dec 1, 2009

Sage said:
Yeah, I was really worried about sending queries out this month for the novel I'm querying, which is being queried as a 50K novel. I got a bunch of queries out two days ago, but I'm thinking it will be harder now.

Either that or agents will be really excited to see something that looks like it is better written than the average NaNo.

There are pluses and minuses to querying any time of the year, so unless you think your manuscript could use a few more weeks of edits, or you'll go crazy if your query sits in their inbox a little longer than the norm, then just send it.

kaitie · Dec 1, 2009

My goal is to start sending out within a week or two, and I was wondering the same thing, though I do imagine it would stand out more if most of what's being presented is lower quality than usual.

I also agree that the query probably isn't as good if it's been written in a day or two. I rewrote mine five times before I was happy with it over the course of about a month. I know a lot of people work much faster than I do, but I tend to think if you spend more time revising something it's usually obvious. Granted, I've had friends who can put out a better first draft than what I have after five edits, so obviously not always true.

Snowstorm · Dec 1, 2009

I figure my Nanovel won't be ready until fall next year, and I think I'm being hopeful. I'm really tickled with what I wrote, but I haven't beat it with a rock for the upteenth time yet. But that's me.

Albannach · Dec 1, 2009

I don't like to query in December, but it's true that there is NO time of the year when someone won't have some bad thing to say and suggest waiting. It's Christmas, January catchup, tax time, summer vacation, August convention season, septermber catchup, winter doldrums, Thanksgiving...

Some truth to all of them but... you have to query sometime, right. I just think December has too much going against it. Mid to late January things calm down a bit. But then probably 10,000 people think the same thing and query the same day.

BigWords · Dec 1, 2009

My NaNo won't be ready for anything until I've gone through it a few dozen times, and given the fact I have so many other projects nearer completion it will probably be mid-2011 before I'm happy with it. There needs to be a period of time that you live with a book before it is ready to go out into the world.

blacbird · Dec 1, 2009

Who needs to know it's a NANO? It's a novel. Query as normal.

caw

kaitie · Dec 1, 2009

blacbird said:
Who needs to know it's a NANO? It's a novel. Query as normal.

caw

I imagine most people do. I think the issue is more of whether or not it's a good idea to submit a story that was written and revised in a month. Unless you're a super-genius.

blacbird · Dec 2, 2009

kaitie said:
I imagine most people do. I think the issue is more of whether or not it's a good idea to submit a story that was written and revised in a month. Unless you're a super-genius.

Agreed, but why tell anybody you're submitting to that the thing is a NANO, in any case? What's the point of that?

caw

kaitie · Dec 2, 2009

It wouldn't necessarily be possible to tell aside from quality. I was shocked that people do this, and wondered if it was a case of people jumping the gun, or if people really do believe their work is that good. The original commenter who I took for a joke said that it didn't require any editing. Now, I've known people who put out amazing first drafts so it's entirely possible, but I still find that shocking.

As for not being able to tell, they were surmising that was the case because there was a big deluge of queries sent on the first.

I wonder if people get caught up in the excitement of winning and just go for it, but then look back on it later on and say, "What was I thinking?"

thethinker42 · Dec 2, 2009

kaitie said:
Is it really possible to write and polish in a month? If you're not TT42, I mean.

Hahaha

Okay, okay, I'll stay out of this...

had a partial request on last year's NaNo novel by Dec 4...

thethinker42 · Dec 2, 2009

Just kidding, I'm not staying out of this.

For the record, last year's NaNo novel wasn't ready to be queried. Turned out to be a good thing that I sent it, because I ended up developing a really good rapport with the editor. She ultimately rejected it, but gave me the pointers I needed to rewrite it into what it is now.

Several books later, yes, I can write something that fast. I started The Devil You Know on October 7, finished it 11 days later, revised it, submitted it (to an editor with whom I was already working on something else), and got the contract on November 7. A year ago, something I wrote quickly wasn't ready for querying. After a year of writing shitloads of words - and doing so quickly - I'm better at it, my stories are better, and yes, something written/edited fast can be ready for submission.

It's a muscle...the more you use it, the more you can use it, and the more effectively you can use it.

K. Taylor · Dec 2, 2009

Wow, querying the NaNo book this quick......yeah, no. Mine isn't even finished, for one. Poor saps thinking they're done when all they looked for were typos......

thethinker42 · Dec 2, 2009

K. Taylor said:
Wow, querying the NaNo book this quick......yeah, no. Mine isn't even finished, for one. Poor saps thinking they're done when all they looked for were typos......

Not everyone who edits quickly is only looking for typos. Some people write/edit fast, some don't. I'm not saying the NaNo books being queried ARE ready, but don't assume they aren't just because they're done quickly. I just finished doing a thorough line edit, including rearranging some chapters and revamping a few plot issues, in 3 days...on my 93,000 word NaNo novel.

scarletpeaches · Dec 2, 2009

K. Taylor said:
Wow, querying the NaNo book this quick......yeah, no. Mine isn't even finished, for one. Poor saps thinking they're done when all they looked for were typos......

God, yeah. Lori's such a loser with her four publishing contracts in less than six months with the longest time spent on one book being 37 days.

Misa Buckley · Dec 2, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Lori's such a loser with her four publishing contracts in less than six months with the longest time spent on one book being 37 days.

Lori's the exception though. And, I suspect, not entirely human :tongue

Helen, who is still convinced Lori has infinite monkeys chained to typewriters in her cellar

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