A Very Special Q&A for Everyone
My gift to you
Hi friends,
I have a special surprise today. It’s a BONUS Q&A FOR EVERYONE! Usually, Q&As are only for paid subscribers (and usually on Thursdays…..and sometimes Fridays, thanks for bearing with me lately) but TODAY, I thought I’d share what paid subscribers are getting, so if you haven’t made the jump yet, you could see for yourself. Here we go!
A asked: I have not queried much but the feedback I have gotten from agents is that I need a platform. I stopped querying and began my quest for publication. I know you've mentioned this a lot in your posts but I always wonder how many publications I should have. I know there is no magic number, but I now have a handful of publications and a finished memoir. Do I wait on querying and aim for more publications? Or do I query and see what happens?
Yep, there is no magic number. It also depends on the area of your expertise. If you’re writing about, let’s say, parenting, you probably need a good number (more than 10 less than 100????) publications because that’s what’s important to the parenting sector. That’s where the reader’s are. You could also have a very popular blog, newsletter, or YouTube channel about parenting, and then you’d likely need fewer publications, because your platform would be driven by those other things. (Here’s my previous post about platforms for a refresher for everyone.) You want the reader to be able to say “oh wait, I’ve heard of them” when they see your memoir hit the shelves. That doesn’t mean you have to be a household name, but you want readers to be familiar with your work on some level.
You could query and see what happens. The upside would be an agent taking you on, seeing your potential. The downside would be once those agents pass on your project, you can’t send it to them again once your platform is bigger. There’s no right answer here, either, I’m sorry to say. Don’t let impatience guide your moves, though. I know it’s hard.
S asked: I accidentally queried two different agents from the same agency... I know this is a huge mistake. I've been researching agents and staying organized for the last 6 months. I don't know how this happened! My instincts tell me I need to withdraw one query. Perhaps I should keep it brief and just say I have to withdraw my submission?
This is a very minor sin, not a “huge mistake.” Mistakes happen and we know it. Personally, I think you can let it ride. Let both read and if something comes up with it, plead forgiveness. (THIS IS NOT AN INVITATION TO FLOUT ALL RULES, YOU RULE BREAKERS OUT THERE.) If that doesn’t sit well with you, you can email both agents, separately, and say I accidentally queried your colleague, name, at the same time as you. I apologize for inadvertently going against your submission guidelines. But I wanted to let you know. If there’s something I can do, please let me know. Or something like that. Tbh, if I got that email, I’d probably ignore it and get to your query in due course, but if that would make you sleep better at night, you can do it. You’re not going to get blacklisted for something minor like this.
And: Sort of a two part to this question... but an agent from another agency had told me, when in conversation about a different project, that she'd like to see my novel when I was ready to query. I went to send it to her a few months later, rechecked her website, and see she's closed to queries now. I'm not sure if our prior communication means I'm an exception to that rule? I am not trying to come across as entitled, I'm just not sure how to handle it.
SEND! This is a specific invitation to send! You can send even if she’s closed. In this case you are absolutely an exception to this rule and not entitled in the least! Good luck!
C asked: A writing friend of mine is ready to use a developmental editor. Alarm bells are going off in my head. They charge a lot of money, in increments of $1K. It just sounds wrong. If a developmental editor is so good at getting things ready to submit, why aren't they subbing their own books? Or working at a publishing house? Pre-query, wouldn't a writer benefit more from a writing class? How is a developmental editor going to get a writer representation?
If it's a co-writer or a ghost writer, for someone who already has a platform, I get it.
Would appreciate your thoughts.
Honestly, there’s nothing fishy about this to me, as long as your friend is not mortgaging their house to pay this editor, and the editor is not saying things like I GUARANTEE TO GET YOU AN AGENT AND MAKE YOU A BESTSELLER. There is absolutely no connection between how good an editor is and whether or not they can, should, or even want to write and/or submit their own books. Not all editors are failed writers. Many editors I know have zero interest in writing their own books! Many editors, also, do not want to work at a publishing house, for many reasons including better pay, better hours, better work life balance, not having to live in NYC, childcare concerns, and many, many other things. Being a freelance editor doesn’t mean you washed out at a traditional publisher. And many writers would benefit from a writing class, before they’re ready to query. But others wouldn’t, can’t attend one, haven’t found a good one, or already tried it and are trying something new. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Lastly, there are many freelance editors who help their clients with querying and/or connect them with agents they know. I get a few emails a month from freelance editors recommending things to me. (I have yet to take one on, but if I saw one I liked, I would!) Your concern for your friend is admirable. I don’t see any glaring red flags here. Talk to your friend and see how they feel about it and give them a chance to air any misgivings, anxieties, excitement, or triumphs about their experience. If you really think they’re getting played, tell them. But be open to the idea that everything is fine, even if it’s not the way you’d do it.
Did you like what you see? Great! Paid subscribers ALSO get to submit for AND read the results of the Fifty Queries Club, a query critique opportunity for those who’ve been in the trenches for a while. Read more about it here!
And the holidays are upon us! You know what’s not stuck on a container ship? A gift subscription to AGENTS & BOOKS! Perfect for your writing pals of all ages!
Take care my friends. Get all your shots and stay safe.
XOXOXOXOX,
Kate
Just adding two more cents to Kate's response about developmental editors: A developmental editor's job is NOT to get you an agent. Their job is to help you make your manuscript the best it can be.
In the"olden days" of the mid-20th century, the story goes, editors in publishing houses had more time to be hands-on with their writers and work with them to reshape manuscripts or even turn a vague idea into a manuscript. That may or may not be myth, but it is clear that most editors today don't have a lot of time or leeway to spend helping writers develop ideas. As writers, we are unlikely to find a 2021 version of Hemingway and Fitzgerald's famously hands-on editor Maxwell Perkins... and agents/editors today want to see manuscripts that are "ready to go"... so one option is to hire a freelance developmental editor for that kind of editorial guidance before starting the query and submission process.
If you have the money, it can be a really worthwhile investment! BUT I suggest only spending the money to hire an editor after you've taken full advantage of free or less expensive sources of critiques, such as a writing group, writing class focused on works-in-progress, beta readers etc.
It's also really important to be clear on what your expectations are from the editor and what they are going to provide, as well as your and their preferred communication styles. I had two awful experiences hiring editors in my younger days, when I spent a lot of money on a "big name" editor who had formerly worked at a major publishing house. In each case, he dumped a critique on me that I could barely absorb at the time of our conversation, and then we were done. No follow-up. I felt like someone had dropped a bag of rocks on me and left. What I really wanted was more of a coaching process--not just the critique, but someone I could continue checking in with about how to implement the changes they'd suggested. I ended up abandoning both those manuscripts.
For my current book, I was older and a little wiser and looked for an editor who felt more approachable, less intimidating, and was willing to engage in follow-up. I chose someone whose contract explicitly included a certain number of hours of conversation or follow-up review after her initial critique of the manuscript. I found the experience terrifically helpful and recommend her. (By the way, she is Diane Glazman.)
So, to be clear: I don't need a platform for fiction as a general rule?