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by On Writing Romance (mobi)

  • Which publishers has the agent has sold to in the last year, and how many sales has he made?

  • Is the agent knowledgeable about the kind of book you're writing, and does he have relationships with the publishers you want to sell to?

  • Is the agent a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR)? (No licensing is necessary to be an agent, but membership in the national organization is a strong indication of professionalism.)

  • What other agencies or publishers has the agent worked for?

  • How long has he been an agent?

  • How many clients does he handle?

  • Who would be handling your work—the agent himself or an assistant?

  • How does the agent view his job—does he provide editorial input and career guidance, or concentrate on selling? Does his philosophy fit with your needs?

  Finally, be sure to get your agreement in writing, and make sure there's an out clause that provides a reasonable way to conclude the partnership in case the two of you don't work as well together as you'd hoped.

  An Agent's Fees

  An agent is paid when the author is paid. Usually, the publisher sends a check to the agent, who takes out his percentage (usually 15 percent) and forwards the rest to the author. Some publishers split checks and send each party's percentage directly.

  Though some agents absorb the costs of phone calls, courier service, photocopying, etc., it is more common for an agent to charge the author for the out-of-pocket expenses he has incurred in selling a book. An ethical agent itemizes those charges and deducts them from the author's check—the agent should not charge the author before the author has been paid.

  Some agents ask authors to pay a fee in advance to cover the costs of submitting a manuscript. This practice is not approved by the AAR and agents who do this are not allowed to join the AAR. An agent who asks for expenses to be paid up front may be perfectly legitimate, but some have been exposed as scam artists

  who collect submission fees but do not seriously market the work—it's prudent to avoid agents who ask for fees up front.

  A few agents charge a monthly fee for representation. This provides an incentive for the agent to keep your work dangling as long as possible, rather than try to sell it. This practice is also not approved by the AAR, and agents who charge such fees are not allowed to belong to the AAR. Authors should avoid such agents.

  If the agent is paid and reimbursed for expenses only when he sells the work, he has an incentive to try harder.

  In no circumstances should you pay an agent a fee to read and consider your work. That's the agent's job—to read submissions and select the ones he feels he can sell.

  TARGETING A PUBLISHER DIRECTLY

  It can be a challenge to decide where your book fits among the many categories and types of romances, and among the many publishers. Reading publishers' editorial guidelines can help but won't necessarily provide a clear answer. For instance, there's a distinct difference between a Harlequin Superromance and a Silhouette Special Edition, but their word counts are similar, and some of the descriptions in their editorial guidelines (or tip sheets) make them sound quite a lot alike.

  In fact, many tip sheets are purposely written in very general terms. Here are some snippets from the many Harlequin/Silhouette tip sheets:

  • "We're looking for energetic writing and well-constructed plots based on

  contemporary, credible, appealing characters."

  • "Writers can push the boundaries in terms of characterization, plot, and ex-

  plicitness."

  • "Set in small towns and big cities, on ranches and in the wilderness, from

  Texas to Alaska—everywhere people live and love."

  • "As wide as the world itself."

  • "Submissions should have a very contemporary feel."

  • "We are looking for fresh new voices, so the ability to take popular emotional

  themes and develop them through innovative, dramatic, and compelling storytelling is an important factor in getting published."

  The editors who write these guidelines are trying to differentiate one category from another without defining a formula that would unnecessarily restrict submissions. Unfortunately, the resulting tip sheets are full of general statements of limited use to the writer.

  When reading a tip sheet, look for specifics, which in many cases are negative. The line that says its romances take place "from Texas to Alaska" isn't going to be interested in a story set in Polynesia; a line that asks for "highly emotional" work isn't going to buy romantic comedy. If the editors say they're looking for "girl-next-door," your princess need not apply, but if they're looking for "glitzy," a second-grade teacher isn't going to get past the first reader.

  Not all publishers offer tip sheets. If a publisher does offer guidelines, you can download them from the publisher's Web site, or send a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to the address given in published books.

  Joining a professional organization, such as the Romance Writers of America, will give you access to up-to-date marketing news: notification of new category launches, shifts in what a particular category is looking to buy, and changes in editorial staff.

  Researching Potential Publishers

  The best way to learn who is publishing specific kinds of romance novels is to read the books that are being published today. Check out the bookshelves, note the publishers, then look at the publishers' Web sites for guidelines and tip sheets, word counts, what to submit, and any recent changes in what the editors are seeking.

  As you read a publisher's current titles, look at length, tone, setting, level of sensuality, number of subplots, types of issues faced by the characters, etc. Look, too, for the newer authors. Established authors who have developed a core readership are sometimes allowed more latitude, but the first book by a new author is a good clue to what the publisher is most likely to buy from another new author—you.

  Sending your manuscript to a publisher whose books are very different from yours is a waste of time and postage. More importantly, it clearly indicates that you haven't bothered to do your homework and are uninformed about the romance genre.

  Broadcasting your submissions—sending query letters to all the lines—is just as useless. Each line is unique; while any particular idea or manuscript might be tweaked in such a way that it would fit more than just one line, it cannot possibly fit ten or fifteen different lines.

  Getting a Publisher's Attention: Pitching a Story in Person

  There are two main ways to bring your work to the attention of a publisher: sending in a submission package, which we'll discuss in greater detail later in the chapter, and meeting face-to-face with an editor and pitching your book in

  person. Even if you meet with an editor in person, you will almost always submit your manuscript by mail. However, a personal meeting with an editor can speed the acceptance process.

  One of the main draws of good writers' conferences is the editors who attend. You can get first-hand information about what an editor is seeking and in which direction a publisher is moving by attending an editor's workshops or panels.

  Even when attending conferences, getting face time with an editor is not easy. Sometimes an editor will offer group appointments, in which several writers can ask more specific and in-depth questions than can be answered during a panel. You can get valuable information and guidance from a group session, even though you won't be able to discuss your individual work.

  Pitching Your Idea in Person

  At many conferences, editors also offer individual appointments, ten- or fifteen-minute segments where you can make a pitch, presenting your story in brief. If the editor is intrigued, she might ask you to send a synopsis or sample chapters to her after the conference.

  Even if she's not interested in seeing more, she can often tell you exactly how you've missed the mark—valuable information that is difficult to get any other way.

  Many authors ar
e intimidated by meeting an editor during one of these fifteen-minute appointments. Partly because these appointments are so brief, and partly because they're so valuable, writers tend to treat them as once-in-a-life-time, do-or-die moments—like walking in to the arena with a man-eating tiger.

  Contrary to popular opinion, however, editors are not man-eating tigers wearing power suits. They do not take pleasure in squashing wannabes. Their job is to find good, salable books, and they're pleased when they succeed. When you make a pitch to an editor, she's just as hopeful as you are that your book will be the one she can't wait to read.

  Fifteen minutes can feel like a lifetime. It can also go by in a flash. The better prepared you are, the more useful your time will be. If you think of your pitch appointment in the same way you would think of a job interview, you won't go far wrong, but there are some specific ways to make the most of your appointment:

  • Give the editor your business card.

  • Don't waste time telling the editor how nervous you are.

  • Have your materials ready so you don't have to fumble for your notes.

  • Write down on a 3 x 5 card the main points you want to make. Even if you know your story by heart, the moment you walk into that room you'll he lucky if you can recall your heroine's name.

  • Start with the heart of your pitch, one sentence that tells the editor what the story's hook is. What elements are going to make readers want to buy it? What's going to be on the back cover to attract the readers' attention? (An example of a great one-sentence pitch: Their perfect divorce was falling apart!)

  • Follow up with specifics. What makes your book different from every other romance? What makes it right for this line and this editor?

  • Listen carefully and take quick notes if you wish, but don't try to write down every word. A good way to make the comments stick in your mind is to paraphrase them back to the editor: "So you'd be more interested in my story if I ..." This technique also helps to ensure that you heard the editor's real message, not just your interpretation of it.

  • Be prepared with a fallback proposal. If, after your first sentence, the editor says, "We aren't looking for that kind of story just now," what are you going to do with your remaining fourteen minutes?

  • Have a finished manuscript ready to mail as soon as you get home. If the editor wants to see it (or a synopsis or samples), you don't want her to forget you or the story, or move on to another line or publisher, before you get the thing finished.

  • Don't present a manuscript at a conference, even if the editor is wildly enthusiastic and you're carrying the whole thing in your briefcase. She has luggage, and she isn't going to want to add loads of paper to it.

  Remember that, no matter how it feels at the moment, the pitch is not a life-or-death moment. Don't be so nervous that you shoot yourself in the foot.

  A SUCCESSFUL SUBMISSION PACKAGE

  Even if you've made a successful personal pitch and the editor wants to see more about your story, she probably won't ask you to send your entire manuscript. Instead, she'll ask for a submission package, which is likely to be either a query letter or a proposal (a combination of cover letter, synopsis, and often a portion of the book). Listen closely to what the editor asks you to send, and follow instructions.

  If you're submitting cold, without an invitation from an editor, you'll need to check the publisher's Web site, tip sheets, and/or market listings to see what its editors want to look at. Most often, editors expect just a query letter at first; if the editor is interested in the story, she'll request more material.

  Here are the basic sales tools you should have at hand, and the things you'll most likely be requested to send.

  The Query Letter

  The query is a one- or two-page letter that summarizes your manuscript and indicates any particular strengths that make the author especially qualified to write this book. A query letter is roughly equivalent to a mini-synopsis and cover letter, but it is constructed in one piece rather than two. A good query letter will:

  • State your story's hook.

  • Summarize in one or two sentences the manuscript's strong points.

  • State the number of words in the full manuscript.

  • Be based on a completed manuscript.

  • State the line it is intended to fit into, and why you feel the book belongs there.

  • Give the flavor of the book (funny? dark? tender?).

  • Tell the editor important things about the characters.

  • List your qualifications for writing this particular story (for example, it's a historical set in Tudor times and you have a degree in English history).

  • Briefly list your publication credits, if appropriate (any publication for which you were paid, even if it wasn't romance or fiction, is an indication of professionalism).

  • Reflect your personality.

  On the other hand, a good query letter will not:

  • List self-published or subsidy-published works as publication credits.

  • List the titles of your other, unpublished manuscripts.

  • Say, "My mother thinks this is the best book ever!"

  • Include a pen name.

  • Go into detail about your education or experience unless this is pertinent to the book's subject.

  Basic formatting guidelines apply here, so your letter should be single-spaced in a plain twelve-point font on plain, letter-size paper, or on a simple letterhead. Do not handwrite your query letter or use odd-colored ink, graphics, gaudy stationery, or unusual type styles. Be sure to include your full name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.

  To see a sample query letter based on my contemporary romance Ties That Blind, turn to Appendix A.

  The Cover Letter

  A cover letter is a one-page letter that accompanies a synopsis, sample chapters, or manuscript. (It is not necessary to include a cover letter with a query letter.) The cover letter is especially important if you're submitting to an editor who has requested to see your work, but a good cover letter can help ensure that any submission gets to the right person. It should include information similar to the basic information included in a query letter. It will:

  • Remind the editor if and when she met you, or if she requested the submission based on a query letter.

  • State the number of words in the full manuscript.

  • Be based on a completed manuscript.

  • State the line it is intended to fit into and why you feel the book belongs there.

  • Give the flavor of the book (funny? dark? tender?).

  • Give a short (no more than two-line) description of the work.

  • Give a brief summary of your qualifications and publishing credentials, if any. A good cover letter will not:

  • Include details of the story line, plot, or characters (the synopsis will do that).

  • Go into detail about how you came to write the book.

  • Be written (or appear to be written) by anyone except you, the manuscript's author.

  To see a sample cover letter for Ties That Blind, turn to Appendix B. The Synopsis

  A synopsis is a summary of the entire story, including the major plot events, character motivations, conflict, development of the romantic relationship, and ending. The length of a synopsis depends on the publisher and type of book, but a synopsis can range from two double-spaced pages for a short category to twenty-five pages for historical, paranormal, or single-title books.

  Synopsis writing, says a Harlequin editor, "is the toughest kind of writing there is. Nobody likes it—and nobody's particularly good at it—but it is the way hooks are sold." Few editors can buy manuscripts entirely on their own; most take the synopses of their proposed purchases to a weekly sales or acquisition

  meeting, where the summaries are passed around and discussed before the decision to acquire is made. Salable synopses are:

  • Clear. The information is straightforward and presented in a logical m
anner that does not force the reader to pause to figure out what you meant.

  • Concise. It doesn't fill space with details, information unnecessary to the understanding of the main plot, dialogue, or introspection.

  • Complete. It includes all the information necessary to understand the characters and the conflict, and it shows how the conflict is resolved and how the ending comes about.

  An effective synopsis will address these six specific points:

  • Hook. What's going to appear on the back cover of the book? What element in your story is going to grab the readers and make them say, "This is so different, so unusual, so intriguing that I have to read this book"?

  • Heroine. What makes her interesting? Physical description is usually a waste of space, as is most of the character's history. The editor is more interested in what kind of person the character is now and—only if it's crucial to the story—how she got that way.

  • Hero. Why is he in opposition to the heroine? What does he want, or why does he not want the heroine to succeed?

  • Conflict. What is the main character's difficulty at or near the start of the story? What is the problem that will keep the characters apart, force them to work together, and change their entire future?

  • Story. How is the conflict shown to the readers? How does it intensify? How does each event affect the main characters? What twists and turns in the plot will keep the readers fascinated and unable to put the book down? Sketch the beginning, middle, and end of the story in skeletal form, while still being as specific as possible.

  • Resolution. How is the conflict resolved? How does the ending come about? What makes the ending satisfying for the readers?

  Though these six parts of the story should be addressed in order to create an effective synopsis, there is no other formula or required structure for a synopsis. So long as you include the important points, you may use your creativity to best summarize the story.

  A good synopsis will:

  • Be double-spaced, to allow editing in the margins and between lines.