How Does This Idea Sound To You?
A Quick Note About Quick Notes
Hi friends,
There have been several emails in my inbox recently that amounted to something like this:
“Hi Kate,
I found you through [legitimate connection] and I wanted to reach out with a question. I’m working on [book idea described in less than two sentences]. Is this something you think you’d want to see?
Best,
Author”
This is kinda like a query that is not a query. It’s not a formal query, so it feels like the author is just casually saying you know IF you saw something like this would you MAYBE be interested in it? A soft lob. A trial ballon. A no worries if not hypothetical unless you like it then I mean it for real. These are so quick and painless to send off that you barely register it. It hardly counts lol, unless the other party responds in the affirmative and then look who was so smart just sending out that feeler????
And listen. I HAVE DONE THIS SO MANY TIMES MYSELF. So many times! I’ve been so excited about a new idea and I’m so anxious about someone scooping me that I email an editor and say hey wouldn’t an idea about [this thing] be so great!!!!!!???? And sometimes they respond YES!!! and things get moving and sometimes it turns into a book! But honestly, most times it does not. And you know why? Because all I have told this editor about the book is [this thing]. And that is never enough!
Most people who reach out to me in this way are not 100% wrong to do so. They should usually put together a proposal or manuscript and write a query letter and query me through Query Tracker, but I understand why they instead think hey, I’m just going to check in with someone before I do all that work. I do the same thing when I do this to editors!!! I get it!!!
But most of the time, nine times out of ten, I’m going to say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ instead of anything constructive in response to these emails. Nine times out of ten this is what editors say to me! Because we’re not really asking what do you think of the market feasibility and/or artistic merit of this idea? We’re asking can you please tell me I’ll be successful with this idea based on as little work on my end as possible? Of course we all want to know that! Of course we want an idea it’s all going to work out before we dive in to the hard and long process of creating a book. It’s totally understandable!
It’s understandable, too, why no one has the real answer we’re waiting for. No one even knows if a book is going to be successful until it practically hits the shelves. Writers who ask me these questions are not bad, wrong, or breaking any “rules.” Neither am I when I ask editors things like this. They are (I am) just more likely to be disappointed by the answer than if we put in the work and fleshed out the idea more. Nine times out of ten (the official number of this post), if we fleshed the idea out more we will find it didn’t really have legs after all. That’s how ideas go. That’s normal. Few flashes of brilliance are winners.
So, what do you do with this information? If you have a brilliant idea (like my recent idea to write a modern rom com version of Desk Set1), go write it down and spend some time with it before you sent a quick note. Write an outline, a chapter, the intro, a possible table of contents. See if the idea has legs on your own, investing as much time as you can/the idea warrants. If you find the note taking really takes off and you’re getting more and more excited, it might have legs! If you find the note taking tapers off and you forget about it and you aren’t drawn to working on it, it probably doesn’t have legs, or isn’t right for you now, or needs more mulling. Instead of asking an editor or agent for this information, you’ll find it out for yourself. This time isn’t wasted. It’s how you learn what ideas to follow and which ones to let pass you by.
No one is going to offer you (or me) a book deal based on a sentence. No one is going to give you any guarantees (basically ever). Most of the time it matters more how excited YOU are about an idea, not the answer to any quick question.
OXOXOXOX,
Kate
Editors, call me.
😂 👏🏽 🎉
I teach a "How not to be an asshat" course and guess what one of the lessons is? Don't make "quick" asks.
One of the fastest ways to get me bristling and annoyed ➡️ "I have a quick question." A trigger, one might say.
Perhaps quick for you to ask but almost never quick for me to answer. And you usually say "quick" cause you know you're being a bad person in some way (trying to get something for free, last minute, etc).
My default for deciding how to ask people questions related to their field without feeling like I'm freebie'ing it or devaluing them is asking myself can they yes/no/three word answer me (regardless of if just I benefit or multiple people). E.g. "What app do you use for personal budgeting?" "Do you have a book recommend for career changers?" If it's not a quick answer, I'll usually either throw it out to a group (and not tag anyone) so no one feels put upon + to get lots of weigh ins, or reach out to the person and say, "Let me know how to hire you RE [insert topic]." (I prefer people go to my FAQ or Resources pages before asking me most of those types of Qs, so I try to do the legwork on my own first before pinging someone or asking generally).
Thanks for spotlighting this, Kate!
Very very helpful! This takes a lot of the fear out of pitching. Thanks