Hello,
I've written a memoir and am now very close to sending out queries. When it comes to "What's the book about" we're told we should have a hook. Question is, should we try to come up with what we think an agent will be looking for or should we say what we feel and hope for the best?
For example, I use the tag, "It might have been easier for me had my brother stayed dead the first time. He didn't, and I miss him every single day."
The lesson of my book is coming to terms with the past in order to move on with the present and future, and how I wish my older brother could figure that out, too, because time grows shorter everyday.
The story is rooted in my experiences coming of age far from home, being an American at boarding school, terrorism in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, living in Saudi Arabia, traveling to exotic places around the world, but always in the shadow of my older brother.
I see that now, all these years later. I've been able to go back and face the ghosts of my past, and they've essentially crumbled away as I do. But my brother remains in a world of regret over what he thinks could have been if only he'd had just one more chance. He had so many chances and always screwed them up. I always thought it was just bad luck back then, but now, after really looking at things, I know luck had nothing to do with it.
He could still change. After all, I did so there's hope.
Would any agent even be remotely interested in all that? It's not a query, just an informal question regarding an approach.
Thanks,
Richard P. Nixon
www.richardpnixon.com
I've written a memoir and am now very close to sending out queries. When it comes to "What's the book about" we're told we should have a hook. Question is, should we try to come up with what we think an agent will be looking for or should we say what we feel and hope for the best?
For example, I use the tag, "It might have been easier for me had my brother stayed dead the first time. He didn't, and I miss him every single day."
The lesson of my book is coming to terms with the past in order to move on with the present and future, and how I wish my older brother could figure that out, too, because time grows shorter everyday.
The story is rooted in my experiences coming of age far from home, being an American at boarding school, terrorism in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, living in Saudi Arabia, traveling to exotic places around the world, but always in the shadow of my older brother.
I see that now, all these years later. I've been able to go back and face the ghosts of my past, and they've essentially crumbled away as I do. But my brother remains in a world of regret over what he thinks could have been if only he'd had just one more chance. He had so many chances and always screwed them up. I always thought it was just bad luck back then, but now, after really looking at things, I know luck had nothing to do with it.
He could still change. After all, I did so there's hope.
Would any agent even be remotely interested in all that? It's not a query, just an informal question regarding an approach.
Thanks,
Richard P. Nixon
www.richardpnixon.com