Submission Package Services

D.L. Shepherd

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Has anyone used an editor's submission package service, (help with preparing your query, synopsis, and 1st few pages to send to agents), and did you find it helpful?

Can anyone recommend an editor for this, or know how I might go about finding a trustworthy one?
 

WeaselFire

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I see some ads for these services but they're all in shady places or the service seems shady. Not sure I've seen them from a reputable editor.

On the back side of the argument, there's a lot of places to get help with these processes, including those forums dedicated to writers... Ummm... I think it's something like "Absolutely Authoring" or "Writing Absolutes" or... Hang on... "Writing While Drinking Absolut!" No, that's not it either...

:)

Jeff
 

D.L. Shepherd

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I see some ads for these services but they're all in shady places or the service seems shady. Not sure I've seen them from a reputable editor.

Jeff

Thanks. I was trying to figure out if any were legit, and the three that looked on the up and up were Jane Friedman, Andrea Hurst, and Maya Rock, but they were all very pricey. I know, you get what you pay for, but still...

On the back side of the argument, there's a lot of places to get help with these processes, including those forums dedicated to writers... Ummm... I think it's something like "Absolutely Authoring" or "Writing Absolutes" or... Hang on... "Writing While Drinking Absolut!" No, that's not it either...

:)

Jeff

That seems to ring a bell...especially the Writing While Drinking Absolut...but to be honest I am not brave enough to put my query up in Query Letter Hell. At this point, I'd rather it be ripped apart by one person than many. :)
 

waylander

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Andrea Hurst and Maya Rock were agents so their expertise is established. Whether it is worth paying for their services, well that is your call. It is not substantially different from hiring a well-qualified editor
 

novicewriter

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In case it helps, I've occasionally seen published authors and agents offer free mentoring to other writers, particularly unpublished ones, on Twitter (including looking at your work, query, etc.)
 
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D.L. Shepherd

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Thank you both. I think I am going to try to revise it myself one more time and give it another whirl before making a decision if it is worth pursuing an editor. In the meantime, I'll keep my eye out on twitter for any giveaways for critiques.
 

Harlequin

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I don't recommend them. I've won two free query package critiques via Twitter from supposedly reputable services. Both of them told me my query for Anchor was a scrap and redo. Their opinion was based on the fact that my query letter didn't fit the specific formula they use for queries, and that's my assessment of them overall--a rigid and formulaic approach.

I send that query to Query Shark and she said the complete opposite--that it worked and did its job. Lit agent > random query experts imo. Actually, Janet Reid herself and other lit agents probably do make good critters. Really just anyone who actually works in the industry or has worked in the industry, will probably be good. The people I'm dubious of are "writing coaches" and indie editors who don't have much actual experience with the trade side of things.

Final point--I really think the crits you can get on Absolute Write are banging, and totally free of course :) I've had much better help, the best help in fact, from QLH forums. I would credit AW with teaching me how to do query letters. (Also, AW's opinion of my query letter aligned with the Shark's, so they're on the same page in that sense.)
 

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Final point--I really think the crits you can get on Absolute Write are banging, and totally free of course :) I've had much better help, the best help in fact, from QLH forums. I would credit AW with teaching me how to do query letters. (Also, AW's opinion of my query letter aligned with the Shark's, so they're on the same page in that sense.)

You have guts of titanium. I could never work up the nerve to go to QLH, I would have been too traumatized and probably quit writing after they said whatever they were going to say about my query.
 

WeaselFire

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You have guts of titanium. I could never work up the nerve to go to QLH, I would have been too traumatized and probably quit writing after they said whatever they were going to say about my query.

Then you probably should also forget about publishing. The real world is even worse. :)

Jeff
 

D.L. Shepherd

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I don't recommend them. I've won two free query package critiques via Twitter from supposedly reputable services. Both of them told me my query for Anchor was a scrap and redo. Their opinion was based on the fact that my query letter didn't fit the specific formula they use for queries, and that's my assessment of them overall--a rigid and formulaic approach.

I send that query to Query Shark and she said the complete opposite--that it worked and did its job. Lit agent > random query experts imo. Actually, Janet Reid herself and other lit agents probably do make good critters. Really just anyone who actually works in the industry or has worked in the industry, will probably be good. The people I'm dubious of are "writing coaches" and indie editors who don't have much actual experience with the trade side of things.

Final point--I really think the crits you can get on Absolute Write are banging, and totally free of course :) I've had much better help, the best help in fact, from QLH forums. I would credit AW with teaching me how to do query letters. (Also, AW's opinion of my query letter aligned with the Shark's, so they're on the same page in that sense.)

Thanks for the advice Harlequin. I will keep Query Hell in mind for my next revision, and will be careful to check out the person's experience and expertise before entering any contests on twitter.

What's killing me about this is that my last two queries, (for a trunked memoir, and then for a soon to be published suspense novel), *both* got a lot of requests for more material, while this newest novel, which I think is the better of the three, is getting nothing but form rejections. But I have only started querying recently, so I have not given up hope!
 

Harlequin

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Then you probably should also forget about publishing. The real world is even worse. :)

Jeff

Nah, the manner of the feedback matters. Shoeless' debut novel is coming out in a couple years, and he's got about triple the rejections I do--very thick skin.


Thanks for the advice Harlequin. I will keep Query Hell in mind for my next revision, and will be careful to check out the person's experience and expertise before entering any contests on twitter.

What's killing me about this is that my last two queries, (for a trunked memoir, and then for a soon to be published suspense novel), *both* got a lot of requests for more material, while this newest novel, which I think is the better of the three, is getting nothing but form rejections. But I have only started querying recently, so I have not given up hope!

The market is really fickle :/ and stuff seems slow atm. Everyone I know on sub is basically in limbo from publishers being slow to answer, and most people querying right now are not getting a lot of responses.
 

D.L. Shepherd

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The market is really fickle :/ and stuff seems slow atm. Everyone I know on sub is basically in limbo from publishers being slow to answer, and most people querying right now are not getting a lot of responses.

Interesting. I'll keep that in mind too...while refreshing my email every ten minutes or so.