3 Things You Don’t Know About #metoo

“Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it. They have decided that it is entirely right and proper for men to fight for their liberties and their rights, but that it is not right and proper for women to fight for theirs.”

Emmeline Pankhurst

I often wonder what compels my compulsion. The compulsion to watch shows and scenes placing my mind back at the scene of the crime. It’s a compulsion to be certain and in some ways, a very sick and twisted one. Many times, I force myself to relive my own sexual assaults — yes that’s plural as it has happened to me more than once during my lifetime — watching and discussing things I know will take me back to those moments.

Some of these discussions are frustrating. Others are debilitating. While still more are enlightening, not only for me many times but for those with which I have those discussions. Apparently, I’ve had those discussions a lot lately and I have come to some interesting conclusions in regard to assault as well as the #metoo movement as a whole.

All too often, especially in discussions with the male persuasion, I find myself asking them these same questions because, somehow I am still morbidly curious and need to understand why someone would think assaulting someone else is okay. The most recent discussion happened the other night with my husband. He had some questions and statements for me as well.

The most important thing he asked me when I was done with my latest diatribe was this: Where is the line between harassment and assault? Because I had spent time explaining any unwanted contact constituted an attack which was the definition of assault.

So — here are the three things I concluded after many a long discussion.

#1 — ANY UNWANTED CONTACT CONSTITUTES AN ATTACK.

Whether it’s accidentally brushing up against someone in a store to dropping a weight on someone’s toe at the gym to forcing yourself on top of someone else, it is an attack. It is unwanted and unwarranted attention. This also includes verbal attacks as well because it is also unwanted and unwarranted attention.

I find in an effort to “smooth things over,” the people in charge will find softer, more benign ways to to say things to keep from disrupting the status quo. The terms harassment or unwanted contact or bullying have been used to keep us from realizing one simple thing — all these terms are softer, kinder ways to say ‘attack.’

Let’s see if you feel a difference in the way this is relayed to you.

EXAMPLE:

“My kid is being bullied in school.” It sounds like the normal socializing behaviors we expect from school.

“My kid is being teased in school.” Everyone, including ourselves, look at this statement and we feel bad but it’s been so normalized. we feel like there is nothing we can do about it.

Now — hear this:

“My kid is being attacked at school by other students.” Did the hair on the back of your neck just stand up? Do you feel that anger rise in you a little? You envision something like the scene out of Karate Kid where the kid is being attacked and beaten by a group of kids.

“My kid is being verbally attacked during school.” Oh my! Why isn’t the teacher doing something to stop that? There’s a no tolerance policy. I can’t believe any parent would allow their kid to attack another kid.

WORDS HAVE POWER!

When you encounter this behavior, call it what it is — an attack. This one puts people on edge but it also brings attention to the severity of the issue. These issues are severe and rampant in all corners of our society as a whole. We need to be honest about what is happening.

INTENT, WHILE NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION, DETERMINES THE LEVEL OF THE ATTACK

“Nothing strengthens the judgment and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

What the does this mean? Good question. It is best explained through a list of examples of situations.

Situation #1: You’re looking through the eggs in the grocery store and after finding your perfect dozen, you turn around and run right into someone’s chest. Your eggs are now splattered all over their shirt and the floor and their shoes. You get the picture. Was there intent to do harm? No. But is this technically an attack? Yes. This is like a grade one. There’s no harmful intent and no one really got hurt, except for maybe a top and some shoes and well, someone had to mop up the floor and you probably paid for the eggs. Easy — simple.

Situation #2 — Say you’re standing in line with your nephew. Now, he is a young cheeky sucker between four and six years old. He slaps the behind of the woman standing in front of you in line. Before she can turn around and sock you in the face, he blurts out an introduction, saving you from a bloody nose. Now, this is between a grade one and a grade two. The contact was intentional but the person who executed the contact was not malicious and they were uneducated about the idea of consent and proper conduct.

Situation #3 — Your approached and someone you don’t know pulls you in and gives you a hug. The current Richard Paul Evans controversy comes to mind. A hug in this context of no consent is an attack Is is wrong? Yes. So what stage is this — You would think on a scale of one to five, it would be a three or higher — but it’s not. The intent was to give someone a hug out of kindness, not to make them feel less then or exert power over them. So, this is clearly a grade two. Because the person forcing the contact is uneducated and the person being attacked is not comfortable with the contact.

In the real life example occurring now, the attacker has learned and educated themselves and modified their behavior accordingly. This shows the intent was not to make anyone feel uncomfortable. They just hadn’t caught up with the idea of consent which is unfortunate but we know many of those people in our lives.

Situation #4 — After expressing something sexual that makes you uncomfortable, you ask your co-worker to stop saying those things around you. After lunch, some co-workers are hanging around your desk and talking about the topic you asked them not to. This is a grade three attack. It’s intentional. You have made your feelings clear.

This situation could also have some physical contact involved but it doesn’t have to in order for it to be a grade three attack. It could also be just physical contact that makes you uncomfortable. Does this make sense? The intention has changed and thus the level of attack.

Grade four entails anything considered legal assault or harassment. The intention is to enact control or to take away someone’s power and control. This is the simplest to understand because it is the grade most commonly recognized by the general public.

Depending on the grade and the actions taken afterward by the perpetrator, the level of valid punishment should be evident. Now, this should not be confused with vengeance and here’s the most important part of this entire argument.

#2 — WE CANNOT ASK FOR VENGEANCE. SHAMING IS NEVER OKAY.

“Human beings lose their logic in their vindictiveness.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

If we want the shaming to stop, we must stop calling for shaming to happen. If we sink to the level of the people we are fighting, if we become worse than our adversaries, our change is no longer for the good of everyone. It shifts to a corrupted enterprise built on vengeance. When we focus on vengeance, then we become no better than those violating our rights.

Yes, I have been slut shamed. I was asked if I was “asking for it.” In a “boy’s club” where it was common for people to be intertwined in relationships, it seemed the most plausible answer that I “asked for it.” This was twenty years ago and I was naive. The institutionalized response was no surprise as this was the norm.

From a community having been shamed for centuries for everything, from being a cute girl to a perfect mother and wife, being shamed sucks and the tactic should only be used in regards to a grade three or four if the person is not being held responsible or is not taking responsibility for their actions.

“Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”

Bruce Lee

We cannot afford to become the shamers when they didn’t see they were doing anything wrong. A mistake made in innocence must be seen as such because change can be slow and progress takes a long time. Change cannot and will not be instant, especially societal change. To expect it to be is to set a movement up for failure. We should not call for blood when we’ve shed enough already.

If a perpetrator of actions up to a grade two shows genuine concern and change, a public shaming is unnecessary. They have been through enough. They acknowledge they were wrong. They acknowledge what they did was bad. They start changing how they behave to include consent, especially because they understand it better now. This should be the goal as many perpetrators don’t realize what they are doing.

A DIFFICULT POSITION TO BE IN

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi

This comes with a very difficult caveat. It is a fine line to walk. Often, we want people publicly reprimanded when it isn’t necessary. We haven’t examined their new behavior and we scream justice includes public shaming. NO — we must strive to educate and incite change through that education for everyone.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Nelson Mandela

The thing we must be the most careful is not to lose ourselves and become as low or worse than the perpetrators. We can’t claim they’re awful if we are no better. Asking for public shaming without knowing all the facts of the situation is out of line. Forcing someone to be damaged by something like this when they have taken full responsibility for their actions is out of line. Being cavalier about a movement that is striving to find ways to protect an underrepresented group is just as egregious.

Now, this doesn’t mean we cannot present facts in evidence to the media if it becomes necessary to hold people responsible for their actions. Some people have so much money or are so powerful, this is the only option available to those of us who have become their prey. Scandal is a definitive way to ensure people with power cannot escape justice.

Instead of shaming, we must strive to educate the public with the facts. This is not in an attempt to shame them, but to make sure others know what they are doing and how they are wrong. Strive to educate if they won’t listen in private. Only through acceptance and education can we even begin to foster change.

#3 — WAR IS HELL

The #metoo movement is a form of war. When we sent Japanese to internment camps during World War II, we sank to the levels of Hitler and the Nazis. When we eradicated entire populations in China to prove a point to Russia, we sank to the level of the Japanese, Russians and Germans with the release of one bomb. We let our hatred and fear get the best of us.

I know we’re scared and we’ve been scared for a long time. We want our power back, the power not to feel afraid and intimidated at every turn in our lives. The power to not have to educate our daughters about how to protect themselves. The power to have a community who recognizes everyone in it is a human that deserves respect, dignity and decency.

That’s why this movement exists and why it is so positive, but we must not give into our fear and become fear mongers ourselves. That ranks us in with white supremacists and the like if we’re not careful. Women supremacists — proclaiming our right to walk above all. This is the line we must not cross in order to instigate systemic, consistent change.

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”

Robert Kennedy

Originally published at marblesilost.wordpress.com on June 12, 2018.

There are a lot of things authors are — creative, strange, full of life and energy, always open to a story. All these qualities are good ones to have. It’s what makes you good at what you do. However, as I have traveled this world in the last twenty years, I have found one character trait that can be a bit of a killer in the process. Now, to be fair and fairly specific, this trait appears most often in newer writers and authors and not as much as those who have been in the business for a long time. So, what is this buzz word? What is the descriptor that can potentially kill a career before it starts?

Stubborn — also known as Hard to Work With.

This is something no writer or author wants on their professional resume. Right? You don’t tout you’re stubborn as part of your skill set. Some people don’t even realize they are stubborn and that alone can be a deal breaker. Don’t worry, there may be reasons you’re being stubborn and to help you out, let me share my own story.

When I was publishing the first book with my name on it (I have been a ghostwriter for almost 20 years), I had a very specific idea for my book cover. There were certain elements I needed on the cover for me to be happy with it. I wanted it in a certain color and I thought my preliminary design was pretty awesome. Cue cover designer –

The cover designer, let’s call him Jon, came in with quite the vast array of ideas, none of which matched my vision. After weeks of going back and forth, I relented to putting the covers out for beta testing (i.e. voting via social media). And guess what, I was wrong. One cover he designed won hands down while my preliminary idea came up short. His response to my frustration, “People actually judge a book by its cover and you need a cover people will pick up off the shelf.”

How could he be so nonchalant in his victory? Because he knows his stuff and I would do well to listen to him. (Thank you Dracon Studios).

Why are we so stubborn?

There are plenty of reasons why we cling to our ideas and creative ventures the way we do but here are some ways to detect and overcome our stubborn nature.

1 — Because it’s my heart and soul!

Look, we all get it. You’ve poured everything you’ve got into this piece of artwork, no matter the medium. It’s hard to let it go and allow someone else to help you carry your vision. When you’ve worked this hard on something, planning every detail is just part of the gig. The vision is in your head and your head alone. And that’s okay. Share the vision and allow someone to help you see it through. Do this by allowing things to be voted on by your tribe. Do this by allowing someone else to make suggestions and you have to actually consider them before you summarily dismiss them.

2 — If you’ve nailed my vision better than I could, my vision must be wrong.

This is Imposter Syndrome at its best, and yes that is really a thing. Digging into you, telling you-you have no place in this business. Hey, all those doubts and fears manifest themselves well when someone outside yourself is telling you the vision should look a little different. This is a wide-spread issue with editors, designers, artists, publishers, and writers. So you are not alone.

You are the expert on your story. Only you know why it was written the way it was written and only you could tell it from this unique point of view. However, tell yourself this very fact, “I am not the expert on all things, only of my story.” Hopefully, if you’re self-publishing, you have brought together a team of people you can trust, and they are the experts in their parts of your industry, whatever that may be. Is an editor always right? No but they are 98.9% of the time. Is every initial cover design a winner? No, especially if a professional had no hand in it.

If you are traditionally published, while you may not get the top of the budget or a lot of marketing, traditional publishers know what sells and how to do it well. That I can say with certainty. They have so many tools at their disposal to get this done, they are generally the experts everyone looks to. If you’re unsure, check out their other authors to see if the vision matches from start to finish.

Bottom line: Stick to what you know best — your story — and leave the professionals to the other parts.

3 — I want complete control over my work.

This is why you picked mentor publishing, vanity publishing or self-publishing and I can admire that as I feel the same way. An attitude like this can also be your downfall even in these worlds where you essentially have complete control over it all. While control is great and definitely you’re right as the author, sometimes you need to understand you may not know everything meant to be done before or after you publish.

Find a mentor or take a class. When I went to a mentoring weekend, I had an epiphany that changed my entire self-published world and only because I looked for information beyond what I knew. I stepped out of my box. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have learned something critical to my Indie publishing world.

In other words, you’ve written something awesome and it really is genuinely yours. It is important and relevant but in order to see your entire vision, be flexible and open-minded. Don’t give up all creative rights, by all means, be critical. Be thoughtful. Just don’t make yourself someone difficult to work with. This world of publishing seems really big but in actuality, it’s small. People who know what they’re doing have been doing it long enough everybody knows who they are which makes it all tricky.

The world of publishing has its own gossip and talk. And in this world of talk, you don’t want your name synonymous with the world stubborn or difficult.

Get the Writer’s Success Work Sheet.

It will assist you in gearing up for any book, but especially your first, no matter what publishing route you take. Click here to get it now.

Originally published at writerkennysmith.com on April 26, 2018.

Do you know your publishing options? Most articles online won’t contrast and compare them. People are generally set in one camp or another. Today, I will attempt to give you an overview of the publishing options as they stand in 2018.

This is a concise version of the set of articles that will be published over the coming weeks, where I will highlight each option in detail. For the sake of giving you a quick overview, we will highlight what each is and give you good information in a completely objective way. Use this information to begin your evaluation process on the Writer’s Success Worksheet.

Traditional Publishing House

Of course, this is on the top of the list because this is the first thing people learn about when they look for publishing options. Everyone knows about traditional publishing houses but they are generally separated into two categories — Traditional Big 5 and Boutique Traditional or Small Press. There are some similarities and differences between the two and knowing the differences is key.

Who are the Big 5? Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and MacMillan.

These five big houses own at least 75+% of the market share. When the market began to shift with the introduction of the e-book as well as streaming audio options, their response to stay alive was to acquire smaller presses and consolidate. Many of these smaller presses operate under their own imprint with their own genre choices thus they can be hard to detect.

The industry now offers many other alternatives to traditional publishing which means they are beginning more fiscally aware of their budgets and they are tightening their belts. To get into a Big 5, you need to meet certain criteria (generally, any rule can be broken if done the right way):

• Previous publication credentials.

Why is this necessary? Because Big 5 are risk averse, meaning they offer advances. They are not the only ones who offer advances but in general, you won’t get an advance from a smaller press as they just don’t have the budget. If your book doesn’t perform the way they project it to, they are out that advance and that scares them. They do lose money this way month to month and year to year.

• Literary Agent

The Literary Agent is like the wholesale middleman in retail. They have examined the product and done the due diligence most Big 5 publishers don’t have the time or budget to do. Agents invest the time in the author and the manuscript to ensure it’s as ready as possible for publication. This shift is relatively recent. It used to be the editor at the publishing house prepared the author and the manuscript but their role had shifted more to the priority of marketing their authors and making them stars.

• 10,000 people in your base network/tribe/fandom/funnel — whatever you choose to call it.

Your network/funnel/tribe need to be established because it’s much easier to market to an established audience. They want a proven track record of fans, hence why they generally prefer those with a larger network or those who have already been published. Can you possibly have a large enough network to get a contract without being previously published? Sure — asked Ben Hardy, number one writer on medium but his network is relatively large and constantly growing.

A Big 5 will take care of addressing all the different formats and distribution for your book but be wary about the contract. Know what rights you have concerning your work that goes beyond the printing and distribution of the story.

Biggest Myth about a Big 5 contract: You are signed with a big house so you won’t have to worry about any marketing at all and your book will be a success and on lists and winning awards everywhere. NOT TRUE! I cannot stress enough, just like the wealth in the country, the book marketing efforts of Big 5 go toward their top 10% of authors. These are usually established and well-known authors. They want to maintain their presence and won’t waste time on yours until your sales hit high enough to hit a list (which usually only has 100 spots). You must do your own marketing even if you get a Big 5 contract.

Boutique Publishers/Small Presses

How do the Big 5 differ from boutique publishing houses or small presses? Simple, it comes down to advances and reach. Many of the smaller houses can’t offer the reach, network or advance like the well-funded and established Big 5. That is not to say they aren’t a great option but you have to decide how important an advance is for you.

Boutique publishing houses have smaller budgets thus they are pickier but you will get a more family-like experience. More one on one time and they will be more open to allowing you to guide the vision of your book in general. Their marketing budgets can be small too and if they already have a big author carrying them, that author will be receiving a fair amount of the marketing budget.

Small publishers can be sharks. Make sure you read the contract from the first to last word. Anything you don’t understand, learn to understand it or find a lawyer. If you’re ever in doubt, negotiate. Sharks swim in any water.

Biggest Myth about Boutique Publishing Houses: They’re easier to get into because you don’t need an agent. While this may be true for some smaller presses trying to establish themselves, it’s not true about all of them. Do your research. Know who you’re sending your work to and how they operate. This is crucial in the long run.

Vanity Press/Partner Publisher

And we have reached the sewer rats if the industry — vanity presses or partner publishers. Now, I don’t call them rats but others do. Why? Because they charge you for publishing your book and it ain’t cheap. People can spend thousands and still have to wait a year or more for their book to get published.

This option may be right for you if you are someone who uses their book as a tool in their business, like a public speaker or comedian but if you’re just the average Joe, you won’t have the money for it in most cases and honestly, there are better options.

Biggest Myth a salesman from a vanity publisher will tell you: you have to spend money to get your book published if you want it done your way. Their packages are the best and safest route to guarantee hassle-free publication. While the former may be correct as it can cost to self-publish, there is no publishing process that is hassle-free.

This is all the time I deem necessary for these publishers because they aren’t looked on very favorably by almost everybody. Hopefully, they are a fading point in the publishing history. I know, it doesn’t sound very objective but I tried.

Mentor Publishing

An emerging market called the Mentor Publisher has surfaced over the last few years. These ones can be hard to find because people often mistake them vanity publishers but they aren’t. How are they different? They strive to marry the best of both worlds. So this is a different type of publishing house. Most of them run off the model of acquiring work like a regular publisher, but they are more flexible on the terms and your royalty rate will depend on how much you are relying on the publisher.

Mentor publishing is a good choice for first-time self-publishers as well as established authors who want more control over their books and branding. This can be a good hybrid option that is not hassle-free but gives more direction and assistance than attempting to go through the process yourself. It can make it less daunting for the first-timer.

This option can also lend credibility to the author as they will be represented by an actual publishing house. Think of it as having most of the right of a self-published author but the standing in the market as a traditionally published author.

Biggest Myth about mentor publishers: they are just a different form of vanity publishing. NOT TRUE. They operate using completely different objective and options. If you want the power and the assistance, this is truly the way to go.

Self-Publishing

This is a big market and while many traditionally published authors will scoff at the idea, it is a very valid road and it is gaining acceptance every day. While the disdain can be warranted because there are many bad writers that self-publish, there are plenty of good and great self-published authors out there as well.

As the market is evolving, so are your options. Cost varies by option. So does distribution. Here are the major players in the market today.

Createspace/Amazon: This option can be completely free unless you want worldwide distribution. If you’re happy selling your books only on Amazon, this is a great option for you. Again, read terms and conditions and make sure you understand the terms for things like a free ISBN and the like. Amazon also offers services to create your e-book for audible, which is the biggest emerging market in books right now. Audio books are becoming wildly popular and this option will ensure you have every format to sell. While Amazon is probably one of the simplest routes, they do not offer the opportunity for pre-sales, which have become pivotal in the marketplace.

IngramSpark: A lesser known option because it can cost you money. They ask for a nominal fee to upload your book but you can get a paperback or hardback and the digital copy to distribute for $49. That’s all it costs. They offer tools for cover layout and calculators and industry information to properly price your books. Createspace actually uses IngramSpark’s extended distribution network and you can get your book on Amazon through the Ingram Spark distribution network. I.S. also allows for pre-sales and a reduced rate on larger book orders made by the publisher. But they don’t offer a free ISBN and those aren’t cheap. They also don’t offer audiobook creation or distribution. So you would have to do that through another company.

Wattpad: Fanfiction has created many writers and now they are a niche and while Wattpad services this niche, it also services those who want to be published in other genres as well. It started as a fanfiction site and has now grown to include all genres and authors of all ages. To publish, all you need is an account which readers are required to have as well. There are contests which assist in marketing your work and they do recommend covers for your stories, however long they are. This is an open-source tool however and is free for both the author and the reader. There is an ad-free version you can pay for as a reader but you don’t get royalties for your work. Some authors use this in conjunction with another service as a marketing tool to get readership.

If you’re fine having your book online and only in digital format, you can check out these options too:

Lulu.com

Blurb.co.uk

Smashwords.com

Bookbaby.com

iuniverse.com

xlibris.com

Some of them cost money while some don’t. These sites offer comprehensive publishing tools and assistance and while the print book isn’t completely dead and probably never will be, these can be cost-effective options for getting your work out there.

Get my Writer’s Success Worksheet

And this was the short version. If you’re looking into publishing options because you’re on the verge or have already finished the almighty book, then check out my Writer’s Success Worksheet to see what next steps you can take to be ready for the publishing process.

Originally published at writerkennysmith.com on April 20, 2018.

So you’ve written a book or an article. You’ve taken the time to painstakingly edit and revise and now you think it’s ready to publish. You look around for the next step, seeking the advice of all those who have come before you. You want an advance but need an agent to get one. How do you get an agent? You query them.

Sounds pretty simple but nothing that sounds simple turns out to be. There are so many factors to think about here. What should you include in your letter? How do you send it? Is there a format you need to know? On to Google you go to figure it all out and chances are, that’s how you arrived here.

There is an art and a science to query letters. With that being said, there is no foolproof method to getting an agent to accept your work but most of the battle is getting out of the query slush pile and having the agent actually read your query…the entire thing. When I say “Writing a Query Letter that Works,” I’m not guaranteeing you’ll sell your work. What I can say is this proven query format and method keeps more queries out of the slush pile and in front of those that can sell your work.

This may seem to have nothing to do with query letters in general, but everything I am about to impart is important and will get your query letter read.

#1 — QUERYING ISN’T JUST A LETTER, IT’S A PROCESS.

A paradigm shift needs to happen with authors just as much as the industry has adjusted to digital media. Most writers still insist the query is just a letter and that’s it. It’s not. This is a process that starts with you reading this article and others to figure out how to write the letter properly and ends when you get past all the rejections and land that elusive contract. Everything you do from start to finish affects your saleability i.e. your brand. Your query letter is your first impression in the publishing world at large and if you think it’s just a form letter you send off, you’ll never get out of the slush pile

#2 — PROFESSIONALISM SHOWS THROUGH THOROUGH RESEARCH

Bottom line, don’t just send your query out to everyone. Know who you are querying. There are some things you need to know about every person you query and each thing is essential.

• Their full name or whatever you can find to complete their name.
• Who they work for.
• What genres they represent and sell.
• Where they are located
• MOST IMPORTANT — How they want to receive your query.

You wouldn’t query someone who represents children’s literature with your 85k plus erotic novel, would you? You would be amazed at how many people actually make this mistake. They find an agent representing one of their favorite authors or they connect with the bio on a website and send them a query with no regard for what they actually represent. An agent has to have an interest in your work to have the passion to sell it.

Also, the second biggest mistake is people sending a query in all the wrong ways. Most agents and agencies have a specific way they want to be queried. How do they want it sent? As attachment or in the body of an e-mail? Via snail mail? Do they want the first 10 pages of your manuscript or the first 10,000 words? How do they want the manuscript formatted? So many things people overlook and it makes them look unprofessional which is where the slush pile starts. If you don’t have the time or energy to send it to them the way they ask for it, you’re sending out the red flag you don’t know how to research or follow directions, which can make an author look difficult to work with.

If they don’t ask for a submission in a certain way, the rule of thumb is .doc or .pdf in 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font. (I prefer Times because it’s a little easier on the eyes). Margins at 0.75 inch except the bottom should be at 0.5 inch because you will have a standard footer with the page number. I cannot tell you how many times I have dropped a manuscript only to have the pages erupt into every corner of the room before I can get it stapled together. Please do not format it into a 6×9 sheet or add extra formatting. A standard format is fine with 1.5 line spacing. When in doubt, follow the defaults of a typewriter because that’s what it’s all really based on anyway.

Does this mean you have to reinvent the wheel every time? No. It is fine to have a general template for your query but you should never send out a generic, one-size-fits-all letter. Every query you send should be personalized to who you are sending it to.

#3 — BE PREPARED FOR THE YES

What does this mean? Oh so many things.

• Have your work ready and prepared to the point you claimed in your query. Don’t lie. Don’t embellish. Don’t think you can finish before they get back to you because then your work won’t be edited or as presentable as what you already sent the agent. This is often referred to as the Trojan Horse tactic. Your submission should be an example of the work in its entirety. As an example — I have had commercial queries ignored until they need the article to fill a last-minute gap in their content and be given a 24-hour turn around time. It’s rare for it to happen, but it can. Will this happen for a manuscript, not necessarily, but if it’s relevant and now, they may want to fast track it, which is very similar. If the entire work is not as done as your sample, you look unprofessional and aloof.
• Know your work better than anyone else, especially if you don’t read the genre in which you are writing (which should never be the case). You should always be apprised of the latest hits and newcomers as well as the classics of the genre your work fits into. Comparisons are good if your concept is a little into left field or relatively unexplored in the genre of your work. You need to have your elevator pitch, your extended pitch, your synopsis, your summary and ideas for back cover copy ready. If you don’t know the difference in all those things, there is a glossary article on this page or look it up and understand the differences and similarities.
• Know how contracts work or have a lawyer handy or at the very least, have one in mind that you want to use that knows about the publishing industry. Never sign a boilerplate contract and READ THE ENTIRE CONTRACT. It is a big mistake to assume the agent has your best interests at heart. They do and they don’t. They want you to be successful because they are profiting from your success. Read that sentence again before moving on. Never allow them to rush you and when in doubt, negotiate.
• Know about the industry itself which includes all this and more. The vocabulary. How royalties work. How advances work. What marketing do you need to do yourself (be prepared because you will do a lot of your own marketing). What imprints represent your work in the industry. Who does what in your specific industry and how does that affect how you will interact with these professionals.
• Accept you will still get edited. And while editors are worth their weight in gold, they are also a pain to work with on occasion, especially when they are certain they know best at all costs and/or you don’t necessarily mesh well. It happens. You walk the fine line of standing your ground and looking smart and standing your ground and looking difficult to work with. AND it is a very fine line. No work is perfect…even after it’s published.

#4 — AGENTS AND EDITORS ARE BUSY PEOPLE

We’re all busy but agents and editors don’t give chase as a fundamental part of their sanity. If you make it difficult to reach you, you’re hard to work with and unprofessional. Don’t return phone calls, you’re an arrogant author who fancies themselves too important for contact. The slush pile is there for a reason. Once your letter gets read by an industry professional and they show interest, do yourself a favor and don’t force them to add you to the slush pile later.

With that being said, there is a second caveat to this particular rule. An agent who has been in the business for any amount of time over two years has seen every gimmick you could possibly come up with. If you are given a choice between being clever or being direct, never choose to be clever. It wins you no awards and garners you no favor. A gimmicky letter is the swiftest way to arrive at the bottom of the slush pile.

In addition, keep it concise. Few queries should ever be more than 15 sentences in length and I can almost guarantee yours is not the exception. Yes, I said 15 sentences. No more than one page in 12 point text, no smaller, spaced no less than 1.5 lines. That’s not a lot of space for a first impression. Professionally formatted is best, even if it’s in the body of an email. It shows you know your stuff and you respect old school as well as new, which can be a good message to send when you’re dealing with someone who has been in the industry longer than 5 to 7 years-ish. The industry has changed very quickly over the last two decades alone. Show you recognize and know how it’s changed while respecting people who may be a little behind the curve.

#5 — THIS IS A BUSINESS

You are in the business of writing. If you strive to make money from your work, you are in the business of writing. That business includes marketing and branding. Agents, editors, and publishers believe in what you do but they also know this is a business, first and foremost. They stake their livelihood on the business, not the writer. You are a tool in their business because they don’t or won’t or can’t do what you do.

This is the second paradigm shift that is absolutely critical to your success. You don’t have to approach the craft of writing as a business but once you have crafted the story and want it to be sold, it becomes a tool in your business. None of this means you have to become ruthless and it shouldn’t affect your voice or craft, but it should have an impact on every detail after your final drafting process.

Commercial success has less to do with what you write and more to do with how you write it, market it and sell it. Agents and editors know this and practice it every day. You need to be on the same page when it comes to your work if you want commercial success which starts with finding an agent. Editors and agents know the business of writing. Agents and publishers know the business of selling your writing.

FORMAT YOUR QUERY TEMPLATE

Use 10 point Times New Roman or Arial font put all your contact information in the top left-hand corner of your query.

Kendra Brooks-Smith

Pen Name: Kenny B Smith

1234 South 5678 West #90

Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

yourprofessionalsoundingemailhere@youremailserver.com

(555) 555–5555

Justify the text to the right and input the agent’s contact information. This is done this way because this is formatted for envelopes with windows. Old school — right?

P.S. Agent

Best Agency Here

1234 North Fork Road

Cleveland, Ohio 12345

theagentmayhaveanemail@theirserver.com

(555) 555–5555

(Below, use 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font)

Dear P.S. Agent

In the first paragraph, you introduce yourself. If you met them at a conference, dinner or by sheer fate, note that here if they asked you to send them a query. Chances are, they meet a lot of people and will need a reminder of how they know you. Don’t make this up. If you haven’t met them, tell them you read what genres they represented in whatever place you actually read it and that you feel they are a good match for your work. Don’t insinuate they are perfect for it and don’t make it sound like you were stalking them. Be blunt and straight-forward. You can use the opportunity to give the title of your work and the word count if you want to. THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN 3 TO 5 SENTENCES IN THIS PARAGRAPH. Read the previous sentence over and over until it sinks in.

This is the paragraph that talks about your work. This paragraph should be no more than 5 sentences. NO MORE THAN 5 SENTENCES. In it, if you haven’t already done so, give the title and word count and your summary which must have your hook. A little-known fact is back cover copy is often crafted from this paragraph. Make it as good as you can because this is also the paragraph most agents read first. If you need help on crafting good cover copy — there’s an article on this page as well.

The last paragraph needs to thank them for their time, ask if they require further submission (if they haven’t already requested it in their query guidelines) and a sincere statement about possibly working with them in the future. If you have included anything additional that was not requested in the query guidelines also goes here. No more than 5 sentences, no less than 3. (Are you seeing a pattern here yet?)

Sincerely,

Your signature.

Seriously, sign it in some font that looks like handwriting. You can always be fancy and throw a different color in there but make sure it won’t blind who you’re querying.

Is this guaranteed to sell your work? No. But it does give you a 90% better chance at actually getting read by an editor or agent which is the best odds you’re going to get in the long run.

Click here to get your free Writer’s Success Work Sheet to help you with your paradigm shift.

Originally published at writerkennysmith.com on April 11, 2018.