Build a Perfect Elevator Pitch

Susan Spann posted an awesome article on June 19 that I just discovered today. It’s about creating the perfect elevator pitch. (For those who don’t know, an elevator pitch is the speech you have prepared regarding your novel so that, if you find yourself on an elevator with an editor or agent, you can spit out … Continue reading →

Query Letter Examples

I have to share this link I found on Steve Laube’s blog today. It’s a collection of 23 links to actual query letters that sold a book. Have fun!-Sonja Continue reading →

Why Your Story Got Rejected

Please note the title says “your story,” not “you.” When agents send you a rejection letter (or worse, a form rejection letter that’s been photocopied so many times the paper looks gray), they are not rejecting you as a person. It’s incredibly har… Continue reading →

The All-Important Query Letter

You’ve got a manuscript that’s ready for publication. You’ve compiled a list of literary agents you’d be interested in working with. Now it’s time to send your work to these agents and hope one of them likes your work enough to represent you in yo… Continue reading →

Three Ways to Know Your Query is in the Right Hands by guest blogger Melody Steiner

So you’ve received a form rejection letter. Maybe even a dozen of them. You’re feeling disillusioned, ready to put away the quill, and yet there’s a part of you that wants to know what you did wrong. Why the rejection? And why didn’t anyone take t… Continue reading →

Query Letter Basics Part Two by guest blogger Melody Steiner

Last week I discussed three components of crafting relevant queries: 1) keep it brief, 2) keep it blockbuster, and 3) keep it befitting the particular organization. Today, I’ll share a bit about what to include in your query letter to an editor or… Continue reading →

Query Letter Basics by guest blogger Melody Steiner

The first queries I mailed were pitiful. I tried to pack in every detail I could about my novel, detailed my plethora of writing experience including self-published poetry and college essays, and expounded on how I knew my novel would become a bes… Continue reading →