how to properly structure a query letter!*

Dear [Agent], 

[An optional brief introduction, no longer than 2 - 3 sentences, perhaps where you elaborate on the #ownvoices of your manuscript, or pointing out certain things in your manuscript that the agent asks for. I reiterate that this paragraph is optional. Unless you have a very specific reason to be querying this agent—for instance, if they tweeted an MSWL for a heist novel and you’re querying a heist novel—there is no relevance, so don’t include this paragraph.]

[The first paragraph of your summary introduces the world, the main character, and their Normal. For instance, Cynthia lives in the times of a pandemic and works to continue living in their new normal. Every day, Cynthia chooses to get up and keep living and making the most of their situation while trying to find something to do to be useful.] 

[The second paragraph of your summary introduces the plot. To continue with the above idea, Cynthia has been tasked with trying to find a cure to coronavirus, but all they have to work with in their home is duct tape, tangerines, Tylenol, and a never-give-up attitude.] 

[The third paragraph introduces stakes, aka what will happen if Cynthia doesn’t discover a cure with the resources they have at home. Luckily for them, however, a woman named Jane they had a one night stand with needs a place to crash after she was evicted. Cynthia agrees to let her stay as their roommate, especially because Jane brings with her the missing ingredient to the cure for coronavirus, a magic bean she stole from a giant–but there’s only one magic bean. If Cynthia and Jane can’t find a way to make more beans, they might be sent to the realm of giants forever.] 

[The closing paragraph goes like this: Complete at 89,000 words, THE MAGIC BEAN is an Adult contemporary fantasy with potential for a companion novel. I believe it will appeal to fans of Erin Morgenstern and Naomi Novik. Briefly explain who you are and share what you’re comfortable with about yourself—I say I’m 26, headed to grad school for archiving, and that the book is #ownvoices for genderqueer representation. Also mention if you have any connection to the publishing industry. I mention who I was previously represented by, why we amicably parted ways, and that I’ve mentored in many writing contests.] 

[Final closure: Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you!] 

[Best,]

[My name]

[My phone number and, though optional, my twitter handle] 

*i’ve been in the publishing industry for nine years now, have mentored many authors who went on to be published by the Big 5, and worked in writing contests to help writers, not only with their manuscript, but with their pitch and query letter and comps etc. i know what i’m about 😉

if a fictional character gets stabbed, they have only 2 valid options:

1. slowly raise their hand to the wound and/or pull the weapon impaling them out while everyone stares in horror before collapsing to the ground from shock and/or blood loss and being caught just in time by their friend/sibling/love interest

2. hide the wound beneath a dark item of clothing in preparation for the dramatic reveal later where another character touches them and their hand comes away bloody or they overexert themselves and they stumble and wince but still try to insist they’re fine, even though they’re clearly in pain and struggling to stay on their feet, and as the other character peels back their jacket it becomes clear that they’re badly hurt and have been for a while (bonus points if they’re wearing a white shirt underneath)

i stand corrected they have 3 valid options

ah shit here we go again

am i bisexual? uh yeah it’s called having good taste

Warning to writers

While you are worrying about whether beta readers will steal your ideas, there is a more genuine threat on the horizon.

When offered a publishing contract, please do all your research before you sign. There are a number of fakes and scammers out there, as well as good-intentioned amateurs that don’t know how to get your work to a wide audience. I won’t tell the heartbreaking stories here - there are too many.

Being published badly is worse than being never published.

It can destroy your career and your dreams.

The quick check is to google the publishing house name + scam or warning.

But, to be sure, check with these places first. They aren’t infallible (nothing is) but they can help you protect yourself. They are written and maintained by expereinced writers, editors, publishers and legal folks.

Absolute Write: Bewares and Background Checks

Preditors and editors

Writer Beware

and the WRITER BEWARE blog

Keep yourself and your work safe.

This is really important, so if you are a writer or have writer friends, or you are a writing blog, please reblog it.

Just to let you know, PublishAmerica changed their name to America Star Books.

HEAD’S UP, WRITER TYPES: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PSA!

Also applies to many so-called freelance sites that are just content mills, and may not pay unless your work is used, even if the contract seems designed otherwise.

Listen, reading these is like legit reading horror stories.  When it comes to publishing your writing, always, always, ALWAYS do your research.  Not only will it help you avoid scams, but it will also be likely to help you land a much better fit for an agent/publisher/whatever.  Knowing more is never going to hurt.

Omg!!! Thanks for the warning! Writers— reblog!

I’ve heard stories like this that are scarier than horror stories. This is an all time worst nightmare for a writer. Everyone reblog and make sure you keep your work safe! 

Always, ALWAYS check Writer Beware. Let me also recommend Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog about contracts and contract scams for authors in her section Business Musings.

Reblogging again for the links. Also check pred-ed.com and the Absolute Write forum. Then google Publisher’s name + scam and see what comes up. Do NOT use the BBB ratings, they are wholly unsuitable for rating publishers and regularly give A ratings to well-known publishing scams. You can also read my own post on publishing scams, have a link on the left of my blog ( can’t link here, I’m on mobile, sorry).

@korrigu

SUPER IMPORTANT PSA!

Equally important to know is that you can SELF-PUBLISH through a number of platforms these days. @ean-amhran and I used Amazon’s CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing to publish both of our books. No editors, no contracts, no finagling with publishers who want to change your materials. Just direct-to-market material.

(Granted, it means you’ve got to do a LOT more work yourself with editing and formatting and cover art, but it’s worth it to miss the headache of trying to bargain with publishing houses or avoid scams.)

Be vigilant, fellow writers!

If you choose to self publish then HAVE A PLAN and think things through.

And hire an editor. Please, for the love of all that is holy, hire an editor. It’s expensive, but you will get a better book out, a better reputation…

If you’re going to publish electronically, make sure you also get someone who can LAY AN EBOOK OUT PROPERLY.

I have spent money on Kindle books, many of them reprints of older works, whose formatting is so messed up as to render them unreadable.

I actually recommend using the Smashwords Style Guide even if you don’t use Smashwords.

It lays out how to neatly format an e-book in a wonderful step by step format, and you can get it free from Smashwords. Just leave off the couple of things that are (very obviously) Smashwords specific.

If you can’t stand dealing with the meticulous detail, then by all means hire somebody, but most people can learn to format an ebook correctly and once you’ve done it a couple of times it takes about an hour tops.

@ghdos spread the knowledge

Because the redirects aren’t working for me, I’m going to assume others might have trouble with these links, so for those who need it the URL for the website to Writer Beware is: www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/ As stated on here: “Writer Beware is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, with additional support from the Mystery Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.” These are not publishers’ guilds, notice; you sometimes see scammers trying to defend themselves against Writer Beware exposes by claiming that they’re “small press” or “indie” and Big Publishing is somehow out to get them - but all of those guilds are run by and for writers, to help support them and represent them in the field. It is the closest writers have to having unions, and there’s no direct competition between them (you could literally be an in any of those guilds are the same time as each other, in addition to others, and I believe a number of authors are).

Writer Beware is a wonderful resource, and I highly recommend it. It’s both a good general guide to the scams people run/red flags to watch out for (such as giving up your copyright entirely as opposed to specific rights, or being charged to publish something or have it edited, when they’re trying to act like they’re a “normal” publisher), and a frequently-updated list of the latest specific known scammers, both in “fake agents” and fake/scammy publishers categories. (The company formerly known as Publish America is one of the most famous and egregious cases, but by far not the only one)

Additionally, for SF and fantasy writers, the SFWA’s own list of qualifying markets that one can be published in as a prerequisite to be able to get into their guild (remember, it IS a profession-based guild), is a great guide to normal markets for those genres that have standard contracts that aren’t abusive or scammy, and their guidelines include some of the industry-standard minimums for “per word” etc rates, so even if some new magazine market isn’t on their list, you can tell if it’s suspiciously far outside the usual per-word or whatnot standards. (It’s likely the guidelines for Mystery Writers of America etc also would be useful in that vein) Even if you’re unpublished or don’t want to join their guild, they’re a wonderful group and resource, and I highly recommend their site and Writer Beware in particular! The other sites mentioned above, such as “Preditors and Editors” should be still valid if you Google them, and are often rec’d by Writer Beware, but Writer Beware is the one I’m most familiar with. :)

Also, you should never have to pay an agent or anyone a  “reading fee”! DO NOT PAY PEOPLE TO READ YOUR WORK!!! Run away from so-called agents that charge a reading fee! They are considered unethical in their own industry!

Also related to agents: Should you go this route and seek one, DO NOT PAY ONE DIME TO THEM upfront! A real agent only gets paid when he sells your book to a publisher! The average cut is about 10-15% of the first sale profits, if I remember right, with cuts of film and other rights maybe being more, when sold. At most, writers should only be responsible for the costs of phone calls and postage.

For more information see: How Literary Agents Get Paid. Standard Commission Practices and Payments for Literary Agents

Edited to Add: Some other great, highly respected resources for writing and getting published are:

Writer’s Digest

The Writer

Writer’s Market

How to: write pain

Describe:

- the object used to harm the character

-where the injury is

-how long the character had had the injury

-how deep the cut is (for blades)

-whether or not the wound triggers other things (dizziness, bleeding)

There are different kinds of pain

-how it feels: aching, a single spike of pain before it fades into an ache, throbbing, numbness

-effects: swelling, bruising, broken bones, unconsciousness, dizziness, concussion, internal bleeding.

-how it feels: stinging (shallow wounds), burning

-effects: bleeding (the blood from arteries is a brighter red, like vermilion, the blood from veins is dark crimson), dizziness from the blood loss, unconsciousness, infection (if left unattended), death

-how it feels: depends on the caliber bullet, from how far away they were shot and in what place

-effects: same as stab wounds

Things that an injured character may have/do

-heavy, harsh, ragged breathing

-panting, gasping, crying, grunting, hissing, groaning, whimpering, screaming, shrieking, clenching their teeth

-ears ringing, unable to speak

-pressing their hands on the injury to try and stop the bleeding, trembling, eyes rolling up into their head

-vision blurring, room spinning

Where to hit in a fight

—————–

But not getting into a fight stops the injury for both the opponents :)

Happy Birthday Hannah

It’s a couple days late and I’m sorry but bringing this au back from the dead took some time. So here’s more punk!annabeth and quarterback!percy for @ananbeth‘s birthday. 

“Hey, Chase!” The voice manages to cut through the chaos of the hallway, rising over the chatter and noise.

Annabeth keeps her head in her locker, taking her time sorting through the books hastily crammed into the metal box. The stream of teens through the hallway flows behind her, a natural barrier that’s a feat to cross.

“Chase!” The voice is close enough this time that the guy behind it must be able to see her.

Deliberately she reaches up slowly, pulling her curls over one shoulder to give a perfect, unobstructed view of her shoulders. More importantly it gives him a view of the letters emblazoned across those shoulders. There’s a pair of muffled grunts as two people run into each other, followed by a few muttered curses. Annabeth’s smile grows to a grin.

The lockers around her rattle as six feet of muscled jock bounce into them. The smell hits her first, that ever present smell of deodorant and sweat and the ocean. Even with it clinging to the jacket she hasn’t gotten used to it.

“Something I can help you with, Jackson?” Annabeth slams her locker shut, wiping the grin off her face just before she turns to look at him.

Keep reading

I Don’t Want To Just Be Fine

Coming in at the last minute but here it is. Shout out to @pjohoobigbang​ for putting this all together and to the mods @percyyoulittleshit​ and @falloutside​. Another shout out to @bananannabeth​ for dealing with me and betaing this. 

Every flat surface seems to be covered in stacks of organized papers, drawings and notes and lists tacked to the walls next to pictures of temple ruins. The clutter and mess drags back the smell of old paper and brownies, the feeling of California heat and sweat prickled skin, and long days spent sitting on the edge of another desk like this one. The memories slip back to her, little things that find their way back after so long. They aren’t much in themselves, the taste of salt from In-N-Out fries and the Pacific ocean, dust covered sandals, wind whipping at her hair, the echo of laughter off stone, but together they pull her into something she’d forgotten. Something she’d hoped she’d lost the details of.

Despite the fine coat of dust that clings to the less used surfaces, to the edges of framed photos on the wall and the spines of the books on their shelves, the room still smells of fresh air. That, more than anything else, pulls at her. Piper breaths in, sinking her into a place between dejavu and nostalgia. This isn’t the same room but somehow, in a way she can’t manage to grasp, this is the same place from all those years ago.

She reaches out a hand, running her fingertips across the pages closest to her. Tight, hastily scribbled notes in a nearly perfect column flow down the page. Each is little more than a phrase or term, each likely an aspect he’ll want to capture in stone and fresco to appease whatever god the building will represent. Without really reading she skims the list. The words coming and going without settling into solid understanding until she reaches the bottom of the lists and the single word scratched onto the page.

A flower of panic blooms in her chest between the too quick beating of her heart, the same thorny plant that rooted itself in her in the months after the war. The same fear she’s spent the last five years chasing away. Her fingers curl into a fist, her jaw setting and teeth pressed to teeth. Piper drops her chin, throat tightening as she swallows and stares at her own name at the end of the list.

“Piper?”

Keep reading

Chapter 2: An Ocean of Space

Update! The next installment is here. 

Overall fic summary: **Percy and Annabeth are in their twenties, divorced, and yet still have to raise their three year old together. Old feelings don’t just go away. Set in the canonical demigod world, and as in character as possible. Angst, and more. Multi-chapter.** 

It’s not a long chapter but it’s a chapter. As always, would love to hear any response you have. 

An Ocean of Space: Chapter 2 

I am not a weapon.

Jason would, with time, learn to temper his resentment with reason. He would learn to reconcile things like his mother and Hera effectively ruining his life, because Thalia suffered so much more. He would learn to accept that the glory of his old achievements was gone because his loyalty was no longer chained to one place, because people like Percy had their loyalties tested through worse. He would learn to quiet his insecurities, to hush the whispering of Die a Roman in his head at his worst moments, because it was nothing compared to what Nico felt like every day, listening to death itself in action.

Jason would tell himself, almost always, that he had no demons to fight. His problems were no hindrance compared to what others fought daily. He would remind himself that they needed him to fight with them, for them, because they couldn’t do it alone. What good is a weapon if it’s rusted over? He told himself this when he felt himself slipping, and while it hurt, it worked. He learned to soothe his thoughts with this mantra. The one thing he couldn’t shake, not for any promise of peace he tried to convince himself with, was the fearful thought that he was nothing but a weapon. The fear started so swiftly Jason didn’t notice it splinter his skin and bury itself there. 

But it did, and it began with a sudden jolt of electricity burning Nico’s hands during training. He had known–had been warned, personally–that Nico could make people fear him. Apparently being a friend to someone did not lessen the extent you could feel scared of them. It certainly didn’t for Nico.

But when the bite of panic set in, and Nico smirked, ready to strike Jason’s sword out of his hands, Jason did not react the way most did. He did not retreat, or cry out in fear, or drop his weapon. Nico watched as the concentration on Jason’s face cracked into terror, and then as it contorted into anger. The seconds that followed brought with them sparks of blinding light, and the sensation of his own sword burning his palms with lightning. That, and the look on Jason’s face as he realized what he had done. Someone yelled Fetch a healer! and Nico lurched away from Jason, hissing in pain.

He dropped his weapon immediately, fingers still sparking with energy.

Keep reading