McNeill Ink.com

Hello Readers,

Due to my schoolwork, my work, the military, and my publisher, I have been a neglecting my blog, and I am sorry. But I do have some useful information and a few new things coming very soon...

First off... an update on my novel... It will be coming out very soon. I am just waiting on the final proofs from my publisher before printing begins... The book trailer is currently in production and will hopefully be available for viewing in the next two weeks... I have also completed the rough draft of a script for an audience participation murder mystery... I hope to have a final complete and ready to present to some local guilds very soon...

I have read several books since I blogged last and I will try to post reviews of that... The books were Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien and I am currently reading The Demon King by Cinda Chima and On Writing by Stephen King... The latter I highly recommend for writers...

Now I have some helpful information for any fiction writer wanting to be published and if I can I will post it here. It is a collection of E-mails, forum messages, notes from conferences I have been to, letters from an editor... most of the Info concerns getting an agent...

I just wrote a novel or am thinking of writing a novel. What should I do?

If you are looking to write your first novel, great! But there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you begin. The main one is: Am I going to try to publish? If that is your goal then you need to ensure that you write a novel that can be published. What I mean by that is the novel has to have a market…

If you write another vampire falls in love with a mortal novel…you may have less of a chance because the market is flooded with the topic… following agents and publishers on Twitter helps to provide you with the insight of what agents are looking for at that time. This does not mean you have to follow trends!

“IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO READ, YOU DON’T HAVE THE TIME OR THE TOOLS TO WRITE.”

Steven King, On Writing.

Key points!

The first Rule of Fight Club is… there are no rules to writing… There are only guidelines, but publishing on the other hand is a business. They won’t print unless the profit margin seems right. Agents are the same. Agents do not make money unless the book is published, so you can guess, they are kind of selective on what they represent.

Make sure the novel is within a reasonable length for its genre. 75k is average. History and Fantasy sometimes run a little longer, but agents generally avoid novels by a new author over 100k.

Do your research, don’t query agents who don’t represent your genre.

Try and avoid clichés. “It was a stormy night…” or “Once upon a time,” just don’t cut it anymore.

NETWORK!!! Meet other authors, read their work, comment! You never know if they might one day be the one who helps you get your foot in the door.

Read! As Mr. King said. It is important to read. Read the genre you write… Trust me it helps…

Edit the shit out of your manuscript, then edit it again, then have a few friends edit it, then edit it again.

When you think you have an acceptable Query letter, post it on a writing website forum. Let other writers and authors have a crack at it. Agents only read until their interest is lost and then they trash the letter… (Sucks, Trust Me I Know!)

E-mail from an Editor

Dear J.P.,

First, congratulations on completing Elemental. Having written half a dozen novels myself, I know what an extraordinary accomplishment that is, requiring patience, diligence, and intense focus. Now comes the hard part: getting it published.

You clearly have the storyteller’s gift and your passion comes through loud and clear. You’re well on your way to mastering the art of scene setting, character creation, and plot development—but you’re not there yet. The competition for fiction slots on a publisher’s list is extremely intense and only the very best writers—or persuaders—score those slots. I hope I can help you be one of them.

You’re still making some beginner’s mistakes that make it easy for editors to discount you. For example, you begin your novel with the weakest possible phrase:

“It was a stormy night....”

J.P., that’s a cliché that screams “I am an amateur writer!” In fact, it’s such a notorious cliché that the phrase is used to mock poor writing. You’re not a poor writer, but you need to scour your manuscript for clichés and rewrite them as fresh, original sentences.

Also be mindful of grammar. For example, you tend to misuse apostrophes. You’re not alone in being confused about the proper use of the apostrophe. Here’s the rule: IF IT’S PLURAL, IT DOES NOT NEED AN APOSTROPHE! There’s even a Facebook page about this, as it’s an editor’s pet peeve. An apostrophe is used in contractions—for example, combining “it” and “is” to form “it’s.” It’s also used in possessive nouns—for example, “J.P.’s manuscript.” The exception to this rule is the possessive form of “its”—as in, “English is a weird language. It’s (it is) hard to understand its (possessive) logic when it comes to rules like this.” A professional copyeditor can help you clean up the grammatical mistakes. Even professional writers use them.

Here are my suggestions:

1) Join a writers group. Once you get a short story published, you’ll be eligible to join Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (http://www.sfwa.org/) but until then, check out local writers groups in your area. These are great places to get your manuscript read and critiqued by others and learn about publishing opportunities. Ask your local bookstore for suggestions about local writers groups.

2) Pick up a copy of The Sell Your Novel Toolkit by Elizabeth Lyon. It’s full of insider tips and submission guidelines that will set you apart from the masses.

3) Never address your queries to Mrs. anybody. You risk offending those who are not married. In 2010, it’s always Ms.

4) Read Stephen King’s On Writing and Robert McKee’s Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. It’s not just for screenwriters—it’s great advice for anyone who writes stories.

5) Attend a writers conference. I don’t know what area of the country you’re in, but there are good ones all over the place. It’s a great place to get face-to-face with editors and agents and get your work into the hands of someone who can do something with it.

You’ve perhaps heard the phrase “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” To an extent, that’s true in the publishing world.

Again, I hope my comments are helpful. Your passion will serve you well on the sometimes arduous road to getting published. Stay strong and keep writing! You absolutely have the gift.

Q & A on Queries from Authors

(These Questions and Answers are from members of Backspace Writers Forum)

If you query an agent at an agency, and receive no response at all, how long should you wait before you query a different agent at the same agency? I'd wait the usual wait time for queries plus a few weeks - 6 weeks maybe? But make sure the agency is cool with this. Some only require one query for the entire agency

If you have a request for a full, do you send a letter with it, restating the plot (as a reminder) and the fact that it was requested? Or do you send it with a copy of the original query letter? Or do you just send the full with no letter? DEFINITELY send a letter with the full. In my case, I would send the original query, a synopsis and the full...with a snazzy, short cover letter on top.

If you send a full, do you need to send a SASE? Or is putting your email address in the letter enough to indicate that a reply via email would be fine? SASE. Always. I just don't ever send anything without one. Do mention in your cover letter that the full MS is recyclable and that you've enclosed a SASE for their reply.

What if your original query was a hard copy instead of an e-query? Can you shift communications to email? This is confusing. You mean...um...what do you mean? If an agent requests via email, then always ask if they prefer snail or email (if they don't tell you.) My agent I e-queried, but he asked for my partial and fulls by snail. And no - I never saw my SASEs again. But I still sent them! Once an agent is interested, it most probably switches to email anyway...I assume.

If you suddenly realize that your last chapter is actually a blueprint for the sequel, do you go ahead and end the story sooner, hoping that it will get a sequel? Or do you leave it as is, hoping the prospective agent or editor will see the opportunity for a sequel when they read it? And then edit it? The book must be READY. You are querying. These people see hundreds of queries every week. They're not going to do your thinking for you.

Are agent/writer contracts for a specific amount of time? If so, what's the usual time span? Or are they for a specific project? Or is it all just a verbal agreement, with no contracts? There are a bunch of ways different agents operate. Some are just verbal, some are paper, some are specifically for one project, some are open to new projects.

“Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanDent Noah Lukeman says:

1. Don?t exceed one paragraph or even three sentences.

2. Don?t name names

3. Don?t mention subplots

My head is spinning with conflicting advice. Any opinions on this?

Thanks,

Sean

Have you ever read the jacket copy on a novel that followed those guidelines?

Here's the thing about a literary agent telling you how to get a literary agent.

They really don't know what the heck they are talking about.

Think about it: The typical agent has never actually had to go out and get one. They can look in the mirror in the morning and find a literary agent. If that fails, they can go next door at work and get one. They have zero experience in writing a query letter, only in reading them, which is entirely different, just like reading a novel versus writing one. The typical literary agent can't even begin to comprehend what it's like to live in Omaha, or Dallas, or Denver, struggling to get information on who is selling what. The typical literary agent can pick up the phone and spend ten or fifteen minutes discussing hot new books, the state of the market, industry gossip, etc. with another literary agent.

Also, though it probably pains some industry professionals to think this, literary agents are just regular people like you and me. They have different opinions about what is marketable and what's not, what a great query letter contains, etc. Proceed with caution any time you are presented with absolutes.

--HH

PS - Noah Luke man (Agent) also claims to have read 700,000 manuscripts in the last two years or some such ridiculous number.”

An example of a Query letter that worked.

Dear Mr. Agentman,

If you thought eighth grade was tough, try it with fangs and a fear of garlic.

Junior high school really sucks for fourteen-year-old Vladimir Tod, and not in the good slurp-up-the-blood kind of way. A gang of bullies harasses him daily, the principal is dogging his every move, and the girl he really likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has to hide the fact that he's a vampire.

When the one teacher he really connects with mysteriously vanishes, Vlad is determined to find him. But then Vlad finds an unsettling note scribbled across his essay: ?I know your secret.?

Vlad must locate his missing teacher, dodge the principal, resist the bullies? tempting invitations to Bite me!, and get a date for the dance? all before he is exposed for the teen vampire he is.

EIGHTH GRADE BITES is complete at around 39,000 words. It is the first book of a series, THE CHRONICLES OF VLADIMIR TOD. My short fiction appears in Darkmoon Rising, Descending Darkness and is scheduled to appear in two separate issues of Morbid Outlook. I'm also a contributing member of Backspace writers' organization.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Heather Brewer

2010 Backspace Writers Conference

How to get through the Slush pile

Query Letters

Don’t be too casual, Query letters should be professional

Do not query more than one work. In case of a series, just let the agent know that there is a possibility for a series.

If rejected, don’t send a different work to the same agent for at least a 6 months

Query one agent at a time. (In the same e-mail) Don’t CC a bunch of agents.

No, To whom it may concern, Or Dear Literary Agent

Agents read the Pitch paragraph first, if it sucks they won’t read on.

Tell them the genre.

Don’t use backgrounds

Don’t forget the Title of the work

Query breakdown

Introductory paragraph (if previously published, you can start with “Books” published

Query pitch paragraph

Bio/Background paragraph (What separates you from the rest of the want to bes

Closing

The Pitch Blurb Secret

(To give you a good understanding: Imagine you are in a bookstore. When you are looking for a book what do you first look at? Most look first at what Genre they want, then a cover catches their attention. What next? You read the back cover! What you are looking to write in a pitch is the back cover!)

The pitch paragraph should be less than 10 sentences. But try to make your pitch in seven sentences.

Find the Catalyst. Put it into a workable, engaging sentence. That is a good way to start your pitch!

2010 Backspace Writers Conference

25 Tips to Queries

1. Keep it short And sweet!

2. Grammar!

3. Don’t tell your life story!

4. No I did this or I did that! No, It was edited, or I have so many other ideas, or my friends think it’s great.

5. Do research on the agent. Let them know that you know them.

6. Genre, word count, title, conflict, who the character is, how you found them, have you read books the agent published, make the title

7. Who it appeals to

8. Give them the setting, plot. Lead the reader by the hand at the start, but make them want to finish the journey.

9. YA, write the voice of the 18 year old.

10. The fans of _________ will like my book! Not it’s just like this author’s books.

11. Write the book of your heart! Don’t follow the trends, make the trends.

12. Agents get like 100 query letters a week, but they only accept like 5%-10%. Don’t get discouraged. There is someone out there for you, you just have to find them.

13. I recommend sending out to multiple agents, and let them know that.

14. Be sure that the manuscript is ready.

15. Word count. Don’t go over 115,000 words, between 85,000 and 100,000. YA, MG 50,000 to 75,000

16. Don’t include all the agents who you have sent out to.

17. YA, doesn’t really need a platform. (Boo Yeah!)

18. Build a platform. Personal Website and blog are a good start. Facebook, Twitter, are necessary.

19. You may not be able to keep the title.

20. It’s great to mention a series, but don’t pitch the plots for the next 2,3,4 books. Focus on the first book.

21. Editors are looking to build careers. They are not looking for one hit wonders.

22. Agents are not editors

23. If you are writing fiction the bio isn’t that important.

24. Degrees don’t mean crap in writing. Fiction is not the art of telling the story, it is the art of showing the story.

25. Have fun. When writing is no longer fun, get the hell out. Don’t get discouraged…

Steven King threw out Carrie, but his wife rescued his manuscript from the trash!

Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected over 300 times until the author printed himself and handed out copies at a convention. Now the series is a major success.

Twilight was rejected over 100 times by literary agents. (Maybe it would have been better if that one wasn’t published… kidding)

J.P. McNeill’s Links for Writers

(Disclaimer) These links will not guarantee writing success, but they were all valuable to me as a writer and most I still use daily.

How to get your self-published novel in Barnes and Noble

http://www.vampyrekisses.com/?p=847

How to make your own book trailer…

http://hubpages.com/hub/Create-Your-Own-Book-Trailer-Free

Great resources for Finding Literary Agents

www.agentquery.com

www.querytracker.com

Some Self-Publishing Houses

www.authorhouse.com

www.lulu.com

www.llumina.com

Writing Groups/resources

www.writing.com  (Free)

www.writersdigest.com  (Free)

www.bksp.org  (Yearly Membership Fee)

www.goodreads.com  (Free)

Multi Media Resources

www.twitter.com

www.facebook.com

Create your own Website free

www.Webs.com

Writer’s hints, tips, and help.

What Agents Hate

http://writersdigest.com/article/what-agents-hate?et_mid=43422&rid=2968975  

10 Tips for Querying an Agent

http://writersdigest.com/article/10-submission-tips-for-querying-an-agent?et_mid=43422&rid=2968975  

7 Tips to Dialogue

http://writersdigest.com/article/master-these-seven-tools-of-talk/?et_mid=81971&rid=2968975

On Writing, by Steven King… Sorry no link to this one, it is an actual book that every hopeful writer should read. It costs roughly 27 dollars and is 291 pages, but it should be required reading for any person who wishes to pick up a pen. Trust me… its worth 1000 times more.

Hope all of this helps...

Keep Writing,

J.P. McNeill

Hello Readers,

It's day 3 in the conference and I now have been given a straight answer to what I need to do with my book.  For you who have read my book, I am sorry, but "Elemental" is about to go under my knife.  To give you a brief description of the operation that is about to take place, I am changing the chapter order, trimming the fat, and starting with a new beginning.

I hope that the operation goes well and I have a lean, mean, fresh, Young Adult Novel to pitch to agents.

I'll keep you posted!  I've gotta get to work!

Keep Writing!

J.P. McNeill 

Hello Readers,

Just another update of my notes from the conference.  Hope it can help you land that agent!

How to get through the Slush pile

Query Letters

• Don’t be too casual, Query letters should be professional
• Do not query more than one work. In case of a series, just let the agent know that there is a possibility for a series.
• If rejected, don’t send a different work to the same agent
• Query one agent at a time. Don’t CC a bunch of agents.
• No, To whom it may concern, Or Dear Literary Agent
• Agents read the Pitch paragraph first, if it sucks they won’t read on.
• Tell them the genre.
• Don’t use backgrounds
• Don’t forget the Title of the work

Query breakdown

• Introductory paragraph (if previously published, you can start with “Books” published
• Query pitch paragraph
• Bio/Background paragraph (What separates you from the rest of the want to bes
• Closing

The Pitch Blurb Secret

(To give you a good understanding: Imagine you are in a bookstore. When you are looking for a book what do you first look at? Most look first at what Genre they want, then a cover catches their attention. What next? You read the back cover! What you are looking to write in a pitch is the back cover!)

The pitch paragraph should be less than 10 sentences. But try to make your pitch in seven sentences.

Find the Catalyst. Put it into a workable, engaging sentence. That is a good way to start your pitch!

Hello Readers,

I wanted to give you all the chance to experience what lessons I have learned from the conference.  So I will post my notes I have written.

1. Keep it short And sweet!

2. Grammar!

3. Don’t tell your life story!

4. No I did this or I did that! No, It was edited, or I have so many other ideas, or my friends think it’s great.

5. Do research on the agent. Let them know that you know them.

6. Genre, word count, title, conflict, who the character is, how you found them, have you read books the agent published, make the title

7. Who it appeals to

8. Give them the setting, plot. Lead the reader by the hand at the start, but make them want to finish the journey.

9. YA, write the voice of the 18 year old.

10. The fans of _________ will like my book! Not it’s just like this author’s books.

11. Write the book of your heart! Don’t follow the trends, make the trends.

12. Agents get like 100 query letters a week, but they only accept like 5%-10%. Don’t get discouraged. There is someone out there for you, you just have to find them.

13. I recommend sending out to multiple agents, and let them know that.

14. Be sure that the manuscript is ready.

15. Word count. Don’t go over 115,000 words, between 85,000 and 100,000. YA mid 50,000

16. Don’t include all the agents who you have sent out to.

17. YA, doesn’t really need a platform. (Boo Yeah!)

18. Build a platform. McNeillink.com is a good start. Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Following, (Check! Check! Check! Check!) Following is over 589 different people, from over 10 different countries.

19. You may not be able to keep the title.

20. It’s great to mention a series, but don’t pitch the plots for the next 2,3,4 books. Focus on the first book.

21. Editors are looking to build careers. They are not looking for one hit wonders.

22. Agents are not editors

23. If you are writing fiction the bio isn’t really that important.

24. Degrees don’t mean crap in writing. Fiction is not the art of telling the story, it is the art of showing the story.

Hello Readers,

Day 2, Part 1.

Workshops, workshops, and yet more workshops. And the fun thing is, I personally enjoying every minute of it. Yes, sitting in the chairs for two or three hours is slightly uncomfortable. But I do enjoy craning my neck to read the facial expressions of the other writers who look at the agents in a sense of awe as if God were speaking to them directly. Not, that I don’t conceal thoughts of longing myself, I just enjoy the look.

Okay, here I sit in the next section… “Midtown Idol” A knockoff of you guessed it, “American Idol. The group of three Judges, have bashed the last six and then thrown them into the maybe pile. Then it came to my Query. I received the first solid, Yes!!! I feel like I’m going to throw up! I am so freaking excited! I don’t even care if my book moves past round 2. The agent judges, who only judge round 1. Gave me a solid Yes! There wasn’t even a hint of dislike! So far twelve have been read and only one other yes has been given. Okay, the votes are in…

“Elemental” went down in a blaze of glory in the second round. I expected this and so I am not disappointed at all. What matters is that the agents accepted the query letter. I already knew there were mistakes, but I had already turned my submission into the contest. So, over all, I feel like a winner.

I'll keep you posted.

Keep Writing!

J.P. McNeill