Q4U: Too Much Information?

>Hi Rachelle! I personally adore your blog, and I tend to read a lot of other agents' blogs to stay current. Sometimes it IS a little confusing, but I think the confusion for me stems from what you said – there are so many different ways of doing things. Every agent is different when it comes to querying, every agent is different when it comes to things they like to see vs. things they don't. It's hard to keep everyone straight (in terms of preferences, etc.) but I think I'd rather have all the information out there, even if sometimes it gets tricky.

I've read some agent blogs out there that tend to be a little more callous than others. Miss Snark's blog, for instance, is lovely in terms of concise, clear information, but sometimes she would give us an unbreakable rule. I love unbreakable rules – until I go to another blog and hear someone else tell us that he or she wants us to break that same exact rule.

This is never something I would complain about because, like I said, I would rather have more information than not enough. But that's where the confusion comes from, IMHO.

>I think the amount of info is fine but I have found a general lack of consistency as to how to present our works from Query to synopsis and beyond. When we do what agent A asked us to do for Agent B we get ridiculed. My writing skill is far greater that a query or synopsis.I think it's sad when there are sites dedicated to being nasty about our attempts. I would never open myself up to that type of ridicule. I've opted for Indie publishing where I can be treated with the respect I deserve and have more control over my work. There is TOO much rudeness shown to the struggling artist. trying simply to get their work read.

>I read you and several others out of curiosity. I think I have learned there is no one right way to do this although there are definitely wrong ways – such as scented note paper and bribes of wine and chocolates.
I may just end up writing something like, "Dear Agent, Please find enclosed the first three chapters of my novel."

>Yep! Too many cooks spoil the broth. It's good to learn when and what to tune out – just takes practise

>It is confusing and frustrating. I read a lot of blogs about how to format my MS, for instance. Then I used what I learned to make my MS as perfect as possible. When I sent some chapters to my crit group, they all pointed out things and said it was formatted wrong!

>@ Ted

Watch out for crit groups. Some know what they're doing and some don't. This is the painful part: you have to be experienced AND confident enough with English language and publishing conventions to sift the useful from the not-so. That means reading widely, totally up opinions from different sources, evaluating them from your own experience, and comparing their credentials. And doing it again and again and again. In the end, you'll have to stand or fall by your own decisions.

Yeah, I know, it stinks.

>Writers are frustrated because they haven't allowed themselves to tap into – or to strengthen – that strong core that is able to distinguish the advice "out there" from the messages "in here" that give them creative direction.

Yours is one of my favorite blogs, because you gently reveal the major issues we need to think about, without tearing down what we've learned and determined as relevant to our work, our goals, so far. You boil things down to the essence. New writers sense this, which is why you're getting such an influx.

I say this even though I was crushed when you used my single-sentence summary as an example of what not to do a while back.

I agree with Ernessa: "I think a lot of becoming a capable writer is being able to hear a lot of information and being able to disregard the stuff you don't need and use the stuff you do."

>There is a lot of information out there and most of it is not too contradictory.

But it's general advice. Any and every writer will want to know why their specific submission was rejected – that is the detail they want.

And that is practically never what they get.

>My guess is that the transparency issue had less to do with the amount of advice available to writers and more with the difficulty of obtaining solid information about the financial underpinnings of the publishing business as it adjusts to the electronic era.

In times of uncertainty, people will always want to know the one, true, "right way."

It doesn't exist and not all purveyors of opinion should be granted the same level of credibility.

I read Rachael's blog because (in general) it seems credible and provides useful info. My comment, however, is opinion-based, not fact-based. Reader beware.

~ Jim

>"And why do so many people write me with the most basic publishing questions imaginable, that could be answered fifty different ways from one quick Google search?"

Because, when they do a Good search, the question is answered FIFTY DIFFERENT WAYS. They (we) are looking for an authoritative answer (or even a majority consensus). It took me over a week to come up with a "standard manuscript format," which, it turns out, is anything but a standard. I had to wade through countless conflicting instructions from people and sites all claiming to be authorities on the subject. In the end, I took bits and pieces from each.

Perhaps what we need is not more information on how to do X, but a little advice on whether X is actually all that important in the first place. There is a huge fear in the budding author world that an out-of-place title, or a mis-formatted ellipsis is going to give a potential agent just the excuse they need to reject yet another manuscript, with the requisite evil grin and maniacal laughter (an image perpetuated by things like #queryfail).

Tell us which things are absolutely essential to get right; which things are nice to have, but not essential; and which things make absolutely no difference.

>I think you sort of alluded to it in this post.

Here's one aspect of the problem:

Writer queries Agent. Agent says no. Not because the query didn't have the proper greeting or had too short of a bio or had four paragraphs instead of three, but because the story Writer described didn't interest Agent. Simple as that.

Writer receives Agent's rejection, and instead of working on the story or the blurb about the story (which is the problem), Writer frets over those other, not-so-important things.

Later, Writer reads a blog that says, "Include your bio. We want to know who you are" and another that says, "Don't write anything in your bio if it's not writing related. If you don't have any credentials, leave bio out." Writer shakes his fist at the computer and concludes, "If I just knew WHAT to write in this stupid query, I could get an agent!"

When really, the problem isn't the bio at all. It's that the story didn't appeal to the agent. Either Writer needs to improve the blurb, or fix the story, or write another one.

Anytime a person is faced with rejection, we like to pardon ourselves and our babies (aka our books) from the cause. It's so much easier to blame it on the "contradicting information", but also counterproductive. Pointing fingers isn't going to get us anywhere.

>There are some interesting agents blogs (yours is one of them) and some less interesting ones. I don't see anything wrong with the different opinions they express – it's what makes them interesting. Are writers looking for information on how to build a one-size fits all submission? Looking for the golden formula that will guarantee a MS request? Subscribe to as many blogs as you want to, but when making a submission home in on the targetted agent's blog (if they have one) and their website before submission so you can identify any of their preferences and quirks (lots of those) and tailor the submission accordingly. You might also get a view on who you could best work with. It will take more time but it might just pay off – hopefully. Good luck.

>There is ALOT of information out there– my frustration stems from my own tendency to get too bogged down in too many details and in conflicting information. Maybe we just need to be more discerning and focus on the basics rather than looking for the "magic formula."
Thanks, Rachelle!

>I think it's just part of a writer's growing process. At each bit of new advice you think, "This is it! THIS is why I've been getting rejected."

Then you get rejected some more.

Eventually you learn that it's as much luck/timing as it is skill, but that takes a long time. I, for one, am super glad for all the info and wouldn't trade it for anything.

>I agree that there's WAY too much info out there. And a lot of it is contradictory…but I think there are certain themes that you find repeated everywhere.

Like, you gotta have a great voice, the story has to have good pacing, and readers have to care about the characters. There may be a few others, but after that, I think things are mostly subjective.

For me it's useful to focus on two or three blogs rather than surfing every writer/agent/editor blog out there. Your blog and Nathan's blog pretty much cover everything a writer needs to know…imho

>I think people don't want to face how subjective this business is, and are trying hard to objectify it. They also perceive huge competition because the plethora of such sites makes it seem as if EVERYbody is writing and is getting better at it. I've heard there are more people trying to write than ever before, and have no idea whether that's true or it just looks that way. Why do they ask such basic questions, even with all the info out there? Maybe because there are just a lot of people who want to ask a pro a "quick question" rather than do their own research. It puzzles me, because I'd always rather research on my own, but evidently a lot of people aren't that way.

>Y'all are very insightful and I'm really enjoying your comments. It's great for me to hear the writer's perspective. Many of you are hitting the nail on the head, I think, with the idea that this business is subjective yet we all fight to find "objective truth" somewhere. I also resonate with the problem of trying to sort through what's important and what's not.

Thanks for everyone's perspectives… keep 'em coming!

>When in doubt on standards, I turn to The Chicago Manual of Style. I realize that not everyone follows The Chicago Manual of Style (as is evidenced by the sloppy way some publisher number pages), but if I do then people can’t say I’m wrong, only that I didn’t follow their guidelines.

As for why someone would ask a question they could easily find through Google, that’s somewhat like asking why people go to church when they can read the Bible at home. What a search engine can’t do is apply it to our specific situation. It is always helpful to have someone who’ll say, “This is how this applies to you.” Experience has shown me that I can spend hours trying to understand something enough to know what to do, but if I go to an expert he can probably tell me in less than a minute.

>One problem, if you can call it that, with the wealth of informaiton out there is that it's not always consisistent. For instance, one agent blogger says in regards to queries 'Put the hook right out front' and another says 'Briefly introduce yourself and your project first.' I think I've learned to put these disparate pieces together as "the industry is subjective, and there are some definite no-nos, but for the most part you're dealing with people who all have opinions and preferences." I've seen some writers, though, who are driven nuts by this–how to write a query to please everyone, how to write an opening to hook everyone. I think the answer is that you can't Just do the best you can with what you have (and tailor your query to each agent, like you know to do anyways!).

To be honest, there's also quite a bit of bad info out there–folks have to learn to tell a good source (industry blog, agent website) from a crummy one (opinionated writer, seven-year-old article on rights agreements). It's so easy to create a website and have a presence that I've definitely seen some very misleading but very professional-looking sources out there.

As for why you get questions on the most basic stuff–you seem nice and it's easier to barrage you than search Google?

>When I query, I read the guidelines and blogs carefully. If Agent A says "include a bio" I include a bio. If Agent B says "I don't care who you are, just tell me about your story," I take the bio out. I don't have a one-size-fits-all query. I think a lot of writers think "multiple submissions" means sending the exact same query out to a hundred agents. And this is where they get confused and frustrated. Perhaps they should follow the directions?

And, as several people have mentioned, if you have a great story, no one's going to reject it because you included a bio or didn't.

>I think it's good to start with some basic books about publishing and writing. Just go to your local B&N and look in the reference section. Buy a few and keep them on your shelf for reference. You'll find out that there isn't all that much variation in advice about how to write a query etc. Agents do have preferences–you can look at their blogs or websites before you send a query. I'd also suggest following a few good publishing blogs. When you have a question about query letters and so on, check their blog archives first before asking your crit group etc. Then you know you're getting your information from a good source.

>I love publishing blogs, and I'm thankful for the agents who write about how to submit and the best way to craft a winning query.

That being said, it makes me crazy when one agent freaks out if the title and word count appear in the first line of a query and another agent says it's fine. Or if one agent's pet peeve is a letter ending in "thank you for your time" and another says it's imperative. I'm happy to move things around if agents specify, but I think it makes writers freak out about what to do when an agent does NOT specify! With so much information, we get caught up on insignificant details.

And I agree. There's an element of wishing it were easier! "If only I had more info…" Not the case. We have more than we can handle as it is! (but, um, keep it coming. love your blog

>Are you kidding? I've learned TONS from reading publishing industry blogs. Nor do I expect one size fits all answers. There aren't any in the rest of life so I wouldn't look for them in publishing either.

To me, I think what frustrates writers is simply the fact that it takes years to get published (usually). This is natural. Writing books and submitting them is our equivalent of job hunting.

And how many people besides writers takes years to find a job?

But that's the deal we signed up for when writing claimed us.

>I think there is plenty of information out there, but finding the answer to a particular question can be time consuming. It's easier to ask someone than to dig through books and blogs for what we want to know.

People need different things at different stages of their career, and sometimes it can get confusing knowing what we actually need to know at a particular point in our writing journey.

When I decided to actively work at becoming an author, I read a lot of blogs and articles about how to write, how to get published, and how to market my work. Now I'm at the point where I check 5 of my favorite agent blogs every weekday, and spend the rest of my writing time writing, or researching information for my blog and novel.

>This is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. For me, when I first started reading industry blogs and truly learning about the writing and publishing process, the amount of information was paralyzing.

I almost gave up on two different projects because of all the contradictory information. (There were other reasons, too.) It felt as though I would never learn enough of the nuances to ever be successful. Then there were all the rules. No adverbs, yes adverbs, add description, don't add description. The list can go on for a good while.

But then I reached a point where I'd synthesized enough information to be able to look at it all with a clearer head.

Looking at it all, I found a balance. Yes, I need to worry on a hidden level about the rules and about the nitty-gritty mechanics of the industry. No, I do not need to conform to every single rule of writing put out there in the world, as long as I know why it exists and why I'm breaking it.

There are some hard and fast rules, like following submission guidelines. But then, ones like no adverbs, are more fluid. The ultimate message is to write your book, revise and edit to make it shine, then jump into the rule book and figure out how to make your book stand out despite its flouting of the rules.

>I agree 100 percent that there is too much information, and I think the problem is compounded by the fact that 99 percent of all writers (if not more) will never achieve their writing dreams. This is a hard fact to accept, and so writers (including me) will keep searching for that mythical blog post or website that will give them the keys to the kingdom (while going crazy in the process). I know this because I was guilty of hunting for it, too.

I read far fewer how-to-query, how-publication-works blogs than I used to, and I've been writing a lot more since.

What I know is this: my first crappy manuscript several years ago got exactly one request for a partial. My third one got 14 partial requests and 7 full requests. This happened because I got better from manuscript to manuscript, not because I read a thousand blogs (no offense, Rachelle).

Basically, authors need to read one blog post about how how to query (either on this blog, or over at Nathan Bransford's site), and that's really all you need to know.

If you've written a good enough book, and you write a good enough query (and you could do a lot worse than to write a query that sounds like jacket copy of any book at the bookstore), you'll probably get an agent. If not, you won't.

>I haven't read the other comments, so this is no doubt a repeat of theirs. Yes, there is a glut. Much of it, as you noted, is subjective and confounds other information.

I really don't think any more information could possibly be communicated other than for agents, etc., to keep their desires and/or restrictions for material current. Beyond that, what's left?

>Yes!

There is so much information out there. And that's probably why some people feel it's contradictory. Because it is:
Should you seek an agent or go indie?
Should you direct email potential buyers of your book or not?
Should you write your query this way or that way

Answers to these and a gazillion questions are out there. And yes, what you find may be conflicting – we, as authors, need to take the time to read and digest the information (thinking of it as that – as information that will guide our decisions, not as instructions spelling out what we must do).

I've only really participated in the blogosphere for just over a year now. I've been blown away by the amount of info that is out there. Good info, too.

The bad side of it is that reading it all has really cut into my writing time. But the good side of it is that I feel that, these last 6 months, I have just come through an in-depth short course about the publishing industry. And I am finding that I am not reading many of the articles any more (in spite of the enticing Twitter feed titles!) because I am at the stage on that learning curve where I am now reading more of the same-old, same-old.

>I do think there is too much information out there and like you said a lot of it's contradictory. For me, I've had to seriously narrow down what I read (and WHO I read) to keep from info overload. Obsessing over what's the "right way to do it" has a negative impact on my creativity, so I have to distance myself. But then when I do, oddly enough, I feel like I'm missing out on vital information that I need to know. It's a real catch-22.

>Hi Rachelle,
In a perfect world, all of the publishing information would be universal. Right now, there is so much confusion because each publishing house has there own criteria for submission.
With all of the books and blogs out there on the subject, the information just becomes more and more confusing. I wonder how many great books and stories are passed over because the writer was misinformed by a blog or a 'how to publish' book. Or just unsure of which were the correct steps to take.

Thanks for putting this subject on the table, Rachelle.
Whew! I'm glad I got that off my chest:-)

>I think many of the things you've said sum up the issue perfectly. Writing is an art form, but so many people seem to be looking for a road map. It's not a math equation – the answer isn't the same for every person.

In the end, all the advice in the world can't substitute for confidence in one's own work, and a desire to put in the time needed to get it noticed.

>I think the wealth of info available now is great. And yet, as an author who broke in before the write-osphere existed, I wonder if it's actually making it harder for new writers.

About the only mistakes I didn't make were bragging about my books and claiming they were going to be bestsellers. I made every other mistake. Nowadays a writer who makes such mistakes can end up looking like a real idiot– someone who doesn't even bother to read the blogs.

I wonder if it was easier in the past to be forgiven for new-writer mistakes.

>I, for one, am grateful that agents, editors, and other successful* writers are willing to share. I don’t think it’s possible to have TOO much info. I believe the issue is new writers, or those just learning the publishing business expect the “… standard rich and famous contract.**” And, there isn’t really one to be found.

(*Definitions of success vary depending on which blog/email/forum post you read. – LOL)
(** I hate to admit it – but that comes from the Muppet Movie.)

I liken the process of learning the industry (and writing in general, for that matter) to reading a good book. The plot may be crystal clear, but the theme of the story is woven in bits and pieces throughout. Read another book – different crystal clear plot, equally enigmatic theme. Understanding the industry is finding the commonality between those themes and discovering how the author hid them in plain sight.

Finding the “truth” in this business is a lot like standing away from a TV, with each blog and post represented by a single pixel. Each has a tiny piece in the whole but is not specifically necessary for the whole image to come through.

Specific conventions may be used by the majority of industry professionals, but as one posted said (paraphrasing): Whatever you do is fine so long as it isn’t on scented paper and comes with bribes of wine and chocolate – unless of course that’s what the agent/editor is expecting.

>I think its overload of information–and I think that some of it comes from people who don't know what they're talking about as much. Not that the fault is all the agents and editors'. The writers have made it harder on themselves by not being patient and learning the trade. If more people would take the time to learn the craft of writing instead of shooting out amateur query letters to everyone they can Google search, the editors and agents might be a little easier to contact.

>We are fortunate to live in a time where so much information can be gleaned gratis. If those who seek more "transparency" mean the publishing industry must be more open in the divulgence of publishing figures, then those comments are directed at folks who are already published. No prob.

If, however, those comments were indeed referring to withholding of information necessary to BECOMING published, then I would say they are a little unrealistic. First, that word, transparency, has become such a buzzword lately, I feel it has lost much of its punch. Second, like you mentioned, there is a veritable overload of information available. Perhaps the confusion has created an opaque barrier to the knowledge they seek. I could see that.

We writers tend to be such a fragile bunch, really. Our egos are tied to our art, our self-worth tied to the craft. And when we've birthed our masterpieces, we tend to search out the most detailed information to send that puppy on its merry way. It is self-defeating at times, cathartic maybe. Much can be gained in these pursuits, but much can be lost as well. Some of us lose our faith, some lose their temper, some their minds.

I don't blame the writers, I don't blame the medium or the agents or the publishers. It is such a personal journey, not everyone will be served in a way that is constructive. It is like the disclaimer for a diet: results may vary.

>For me, the information is helpful, but daunting.

I've written a novel and have been revising it since January. Now that I'm about to query it, I'm terrified about the process. No amount of information is going to ease this.

If I understand correctly, I am supposed to thoroughly research each agent who represents my genre. This includes reading several novels they've represented so that I find an agent who would appreciate my style/voice. (If I pick an agent whose material matches mine too closely, I may be inappropriate for her because I'd be competing against her other authors.) I should query extensively (but not to multiple agents in the same agency), which means I need to read about twenty or so novels for every batch of agents I query.

If I do the math of how much reading I should be doing–and I should not quit my day job–this leaves me about eight minutes a day to write.

Then it's all dependent on a query letter, which in essence looks extremely simple: what is this novel about? Summarizing the novel into a paragraph or two is quite a task, but I understand the need. And my novel summarizes very easily. Except that the summary misses just about everything interesting in the novel and getting that into the query feels monumental.

Even if I nail the query letter and perfectly encapsulate my novel into one page, I don't get any guarantee that anyone will ever look at the book, let alone read it.

It's daunting.

>I began this blogging and surfing for other blogs in October, 2009.

Until that time, my "google" was reserved for research, live search for locations of different houses or landmarks … maps and historical background … and was not a source of information "dumping."

One of the first things we all learn is to avoid is ab info-dump … especially early on. Don't put your reader to sleep with too much talk/talk/talk.

I don't want to sound antiquated, but it might be better for some of us to surf less and work more … she says as she reads your blog daily.

"You have to write the best book you can, properly query agents, and see what happens. Beyond that, there are countless views on exactly what process to follow. You can keep asking until the cows come home but you’re not going to get that one magical piece of advice that is going to finally bring you success."

That pretty much says it all.
Thanks

>Please excuse the typo … "is an info-dump" Sorry.

>Rachelle, thank you for posting this. It resonates strongly with my comment yesterday about the lack of good, comprehensive and transparent information. I’m so glad you’re thinking about it.

However, I don’t think quantity of information is the issue. I think it’s QUALITY. I see a lot of agreement about this in others' comments here. There are endless reams of information available, yet its quality (and preciseness and thoroughness) ranges dramatically. It’s very difficult for writers, especially those newer to the game, to sift through it and make good choices.

Importantly, quality is more of a problem when it comes to information on “what is good/publishable” writing than to procedures such as contacting agents, crafting queries, etc. There’s plenty of excellent info readily available on the how-to’s of the business. And most often a good query flows naturally from a good manuscript and the path that led to its creation.

What’s really missing is info on “what is good/publishable” writing, including current trends about what editors are buying and therefore what agents are looking for in a manuscript. (From my experience as a friend and publicist to many authors, I’ve deduced that what agents are looking for, especially from debut novelists, is far more specific than anybody has stated to date.) Mary DeMuth responded to my comment in your post about “Can’t Get Something for Nothing” agreeing that often questions don’t get answered specifically, as if the info were “a trade secret.” She is absolutely right. I have many fascinating, concrete examples of this in settings ranging from writers workshops to consultations with agents and editors. **I would like to share some of them with you in an e-mail: fodder for future posts?**

My wish-list / suggestion would be to see the creation of some sort of authoritative list or guide or other resource of individuals and organizations willing and able to speak to this with clarity and precision.

Mary concluded her reply to my comment by saying: “I vowed that if I ever figured out how to get published, I’d share that information freely. There are many of us who teach at conferences who give out this information.”

I’d say it’s time to use this as a criteria in evaluating conferences, workshops, classes, writing organizations, teachers and even agent manuscript consultations.

>Rachel,
It is very true that overall, we are overwhelmed with information. With that said, it's important to weed through such information and apply to ourselves what's going to work and ignore the rest. In fact, there's enough information about the publishing industry so as writers, we don't have an excuse to NOT write accurate query letters, or format manuscripts appropriately, or know where to turn to find the right agent, etc. The ones that aren't following obvious instruction or who e-mail you questions easily found with a Google search, are simply lazy. There's no excuse. We're living in a "What's in it for ME right NOW" society to the point where no one wants to do any real work, such as research. It's a shame, but if that's their attitude, it's very telling about their writing and how they will be as a client. I'm sure the ones who are professional and who do follow instructions, stand out to you. The ones who've taken the time to do their research are above the pack, and I'll bet they're the ones that catch your attention. I personally appreciate blogs (such as yours) and Web sites that keep us informed of what's new in the industry so we can stay on top of things. Reading them shows we're interested enough to care about how to market our art.

>TMI, no doubt about it. As I went from entry to entry and blog to blog, I grew so confused. Some of the best advice I've had has been from an author who saw one of my comments on your blog. She emailed me and has given me concise, wonderful advice. If people want to learn how to write a query, I recommend they take your webinar, Rachelle. It's worth the money because we get individual feedback from you.

>I think we writers have a propensity to make matters more difficult than necessary. It's up to each of us to read, study, and screen the info we receive.

In simplest terms, we need to know: how to write a good book, how to format it, and where to submit it.

In the first case–that's up to the writer.

RE: Formatting, there may be a bit of variation but it's not earth shattering. And unless an agent or publishing house places a note on their site to the effect of "If you misplace so much as one comma, you're manuscript is toast!" I'm going to assume they'll be reasonable.

As to the third–where to submit–this info is usually always available on websites or conference faculty pages and it changes all the time. That's life.

I don't see why reasoning out the info presented is causing such a stir.

The authorative list or guide someone mentioned seems redundant to me. That's what agents and editors are doing with their blogs in the first place. And in most cases with a little study it's pretty easy to learn who are the reputable players in the industry.

Besides, one of the big gripes writers have is that it takes so long to get a response on a submission. Can you imagine the time involved in trying to dredge up and post every microscopic little detail of the publishing business?

You think it took a long time to get a response before…

>To Shawna Marie Bryant and others who have posted about the frustrations of having no guaranteed results: As a writer you're self-employed. You're running your own business. The doctor analogy is false. The med student knows how many years to a degree. He doesn't know how long it will take to build a name and a reputation and a client base or if he might do something really bogus and have to take a class or twelve over again before he gets that diploma. He doesn't know if he'll graduate just to find that his tiny hometown has just gotten a new doctor. None of us know tomorrow, that's not unique to writers.

>Sorry Wendy, I disagree… mostly.

I am self employed and have been for over 20 years! Believe me, I know what it's like to wonder if I'll be able to pay the mortgage certain months, even after all these years as a successful business owner.

The doctor's degree is like unto the publishing contract. The doctor's successful practice is like unto the number of books sold.

>Nobody's asked the other half of the question: has all this information helped agents?

Do you get a better quality of query or writing now that you've spent so much time educating people on how to do it?

I'm guessing… not so much.

Still, I appreciate the effort. It definitely helped me!

>While I understand that many could find themselves overwhelmed with the variety of opinions floating around the net, I still find that having so many resources available to me is a blessing.

>While I appreciate the information that agents provide online, there is an insane amount of it out there, and because everyone is blogging and tweeting 24/7, it feels as though some agents expect us all to read every post everyday. If we did that for every agent we follow, there would be no time for writing, much less our day jobs and family.

It is frustrating to read nit-picky things that can make or break your query, but that's all part of the process. Before the social media frenzy writers had no clue what individuals liked or didn't like.

We can read everything that's out there, but at the end of the day it comes down to us writing the best manuscript and query we can, and following the submission guidelines.

Best of luck to us all.

>I may be coming at this with a little different perspective than other commenters, as I already have an agent (though I can certainly relate to many of the comments). But I took your blog in a little different way. Lately I've been feeling a little lost in the business of publishing, unsure of where to submit, what to submit(I have several digital publishers plus agent) and I think I'm confused becase YES there is so much info out there! I read about NY publishers switching to digital, I read about agents becoming publishers, I read about this or that sub-genre being dead or a tough sell, I read about Amazon Kindle sales surpassing sales of hard covers and it makes me crazy! What does the future hold? What should my next steps be? The best part of your blog article:

"You have to write the best book you can, properly query agents, and see what happens. Beyond that, there are countless views on exactly what process to follow. You can keep asking until the cows come home but you’re not going to get that one magical piece of advice that is going to finally bring you success."

Thank you! I will just keep writing the best books I can.

>Is there too much information out there? I would say there probably is and I have to admit that I have added to it (with a book on 'Writing for Children'). But I am not saying that you don't need to know how to write a coherent query letter or how to present your MS of course you do. My point is that if you spend so much time reading all the different ways that you should or shouldn't do this or that, you will have no time to write. The most important thing is to write well and to keep polishing it until it shines.

You do need to get to know the market you are writing for but most of all you need to be professional in your approach. No one owes you a publishing contract.
Publishers and agents want to publish great books that a lot of people will want to read and enjoy – but they also need to earn a living and this is their JOB, not a fun thing they do in their spare time.

Treat your query letter as you would an application for a job.
Research the agent or publisher to find out what they want and in what format. Address it correctly to them. Send them work that is as polished and perfect as you can possibly make it. Be polite.
Act in a professional manner and accept that if your work is not good enough you will need to make it better, but if you have sent it to the wrong agent or publishing company for that kind of book it means you have not done your research well enough.

Writing for publication is not a game – it is wonderful and amazing, heart-rending and difficult, but I do think people often forget that it is a job for all those involved in publishing.

See – now I have added even more to all the information that is out there.
But perhaps if you are reading this you should STOP – go back to your manuscript, and get writing!

>Hi Rachelle,

I'm a total newbie to this process. And after doing alot of research and reading many of the wonderful agent blogs out there I have to say that the blogs provided by agents such as yourself, have been invaluable to me.

At first I was overwhelmed by the different opinions in format, queries, etc. But finally, I got to that point where it all made sense.

Simply put you need three basic elements:
1. a clear concise query letter following the common guidelines given (and there is a common thread).

2. A well written, interesting story (this of course is the most important).

and

3. It needs to be something that the agent you are querying is either looking for or intrigued by/interested in.

That about sums it up…again, thank you so much for all the time and effort that you and other agents invest in educating authors on the process.

>I love how informative your posts are. Too be honest if there were no industry blogs I would feel lost. The information I've gleaned over the last three years is staggering in comparison to what I could have learned through magazines or books. Also, the industry has been in flux and blogs bring together information faster and more personably. It makes me feel not only connected, but like I've got front row seats to the best show in town.

>Definitely too much information out there, making it hard to know which sources are worthwhile. I consider your blog one of the worthwhile ones, by the way.

>you guys are great…you've given tons of information…but for me sometimes I get lost in all that information. I need to keep things simple…short…almost in point form. I've also stopped reading alot of the how to's and keep it down to just a couple. But…know this Rachelle…I do appreciate you guys posting this stuff on how to write up a query etc….

>There's a lot of information but you just have to sift through to find what suits you. Some bloggers (like Rachelle)will strike a chord and you'll follow along, others you won't bother so much with. My main problem is that I find so much so fascinating that I spend too much time writing my own blog, reading other blogs, posting comments and getting diverted by intriguing links when I should be writing.

I think a lot of people are looking for a quick fix (just like me with wanting to lose 10kg by like, tomorrow)and don't appreciate that writing is work like any other. Plumbers won't build a successful business by sitting around reading, thinking and talking about plumbing – and neither will writers!

>Rachelle, are you allowed to post excerpts from emails sent to you on your blog? Say a monthly round up of 'should have been googled questions'. Wouldn't that cut the numbers down a bit?

I watched Sherlock Holmes last night and one scene was so relevant to writers wading through the blogosphere. Sherlock discovers a secret room and rather than standing staring at the magnificence of it, he homes straight in on the pieces of evidence he wants to steal and gets out of there leaving the officers ogling the room. Isn't this what we should all be doing, quick in and out and back to writing world?

I think one reason for info overload is the pressure to have something new to blog about. So many bloggers regurgitate publishing news and yes its useful but its wasting our time. My blog has none of that (nor the subscribers) but I hesitate to bring more of the same news to everyone when all I want to do is write.

>Directing my comment to Joanne Shephard above:

With all due respect, I don't believe it has anything to do with bitterness over not being able to get published. The fact that there is conflicting and confusing information out there is a real annoyance. If we are to write, we don't have time to pour over every bit of info we can find. Much of the information is put forth in generalities, when commonality would be more helpful. If you get a set of instructions from one publisher or agent, it would be more productive to know that this is it. This is the way to query or approach a publisher. Instead, each is just slightly different enough that the odds of satisfying the person reading the query is slim. I would be thrilled if I could just match the info of two professionals. Then those would be the instructions I would follow.

These are my thoughts and I respect all the other thoughts and opinions out there, but I don't think bringing the word 'bitter' into it, explains any of it.

Have a blessed day!:-)

>I think there's plenty of info out there. The problem is that it conficts. I didn't have time to read all the other comments so this may be redundant, but I've researched the process for months, and found that some agents prefer queries one way, others another. Some resources say use a cover later not a query. Some resources say keep your query vague, others say tell the crux of the story. Then, there's all sorts of etiquette on follow ups with agents. It's not that the info isn't there. It's just confusing.Now, there's all whole new world of eBooks vs. publishing rights on printed books. Gee whiz I can't wait til I finally get one so he/she can help me make sense of it all!

>Joanne, the first two paragraphs of your rebuttal is certainly true. The writing MUST be great. I considered that to be a given. Of course you have to be knowing of your craft and write the best you can, BTW, I haven't even sent my first query, yet. I want my book to be as perfect as I can get it before I query.

The question here was – is there TMI about querying and publishing? That comes after learning the craft and the great writing.

I don't believe Rachelle asked this question to create negative responses, but to collect a myriad of OPINIONS from every corner of the writing community. It does not need to be a "You're right, I'm wrong" type of dialogue. I haven't read every single comment, but yours had an accusatory tone to it and I don't believe that was the point of this post.

I certainly appreciate the blogs and sites that offer their knowledge about everything to do with writing, I've learned so much from them and will continue to learn from them. I am only pointing out that there is much contradictory information about the subject at hand.

I don't agree with your analogy of the talent show. I guess I don't look at my writing as a competition. I look at it as something I love to do. Maybe I will become a good or great writer and maybe, I won't. The only one I'm competing with is myself.I guess that's why I don't feel that accusations of being bitter are called for in this situation.

If I offended you by calling you out on your comment, I apologize. But my opinions are just that, mine.

>@Cynthia

There was nothing accusatory about my post at all. You chose to read it that way. As you say, opinions were requested, and I offered mine: I don't think there is too much information out there, but I do think lots of people are horribly over-reliant on it.

That opinion is just as valid as yours. You can't 'call me out' on my opinion and dismiss it as accusatory, invalid and negative and then expect to have your own go unchallenged. Your opinion is yours, as you say. But if you accept that, then you really do need to accept that mine is also mine, that it's apparent negativity doesn't make it invalid or inappropriate, simply because you don't like it.

Or are you saying that only 'positive' opinions have any validity? And that there are no bad writers or bitter people in the world, and that if they are, we have to pretend they don't exist?

Regarding talent shows, the competition aspect of it is completely irrelevant to the analogy. I didn't refer to writers competing with others, and that's certainly not how I see writing. I referred to bad writers offering their work to be judged by agents/publishers on its own merits, and then refusing to believe that the reason for their rejection is that insufficient merits ever existed. How is that different from a bad singer asking to be judged by a producer/record company exec/whatever on the quality of their singing, and then refusing to believe that the reason for their rejection is that the quality of their singing is abysmally low?

I am really baffled that you could be offended by an acknowledgement that some writers are terrible. That is simply an indisputable fact. How is that 'accusatory'?

>Hi Rachelle, I used to read your and others' blogs very carefully and eagerly in order to learn, but now I just glance through once a week or so, for that exact reason. The information is good and useful, but I feel I know all I need to know at this particular point in my career and more information would just blow things out of proportion.

I actually do feel like there's a lot of temptation to blow things out of proportion – increased stress, increased self-importance, increased controversy, etc. – because of the enormity of information available.

>In reference to this statement….

"Or are you saying that only 'positive' opinions have any validity? And that there are no bad writers or bitter people in the world, and that if they are, we have to pretend they don't exist?"….

No! I am simply saying that opinions are opinions and do not have to be argumentative. Which is what you seem to want to do. I find that unprofessional.

In reference to this statement….

"I am really baffled that you could be offended by an acknowledgement that some writers are terrible. That is simply an indisputable fact. How is that 'accusatory'?"…….

I guess I find the words you use a little brash and angry. I agree that some writers query before they are ready to query. And are disappointed when they learn their MS still needs work. That is part of the learning process. 'Terrible' and 'bitter' aren't the words I would use. Maybe, 'inexperienced' and 'disappointed' is how I would coin them.

I am in no way blaming agents or publishers for not publishing the work of inexperienced writers. Just that all writers must start somewhere. It's all part of the process. I feel from you that you might not be very supportive in the writing community. I don't recognize your name. I don't know if you are on the NYB list, but with your arrogance, I would never buy one of your books.

>@Cynthia,

Of course writers have to start somewhere. Where did I say otherwise? My point was simply that I think that too much and/or conflicting information from experts is probably the very last thing that is going to harm a writer's chance of being published, and that therefore by focusing on it (or worse, complaining about) is disproportionate and illogical, as the main reason that books don't get published is simply their quality.

Neither did I once make any generalisation about all unpublished writers. I referred to a particular type of bad writer who refuses to accept that they are bad, and looks for people to blame. Whether you choose to believe it or not, there are plenty of those people about. I didn't say that all inexperienced, disappointed are angry and bitter. I said that some of them are. If you refuse to believe that there is a single angry, bitter failed writer out there, then you've obviously never read their posts on blogs like this or other forums. I've read blogs from other lit agents who have actually reproduced the emails they've received from such writers when they've rejected them. Believe me, there are angry and bitter writers around. As I said, that is simply a fact. Not all failed writers are angry and bitter. Not even most of them. But some of them are. I fail to see anything offensive or arrogant in acknowledging that fact. If I'd said that my own writing was great, that would be arrogant. But I didn't. I didn't say a thing about myself. Nowhere did I assert that I am a published writer, either, so I don't see what that's got to do with it or why you need to bring it up. I've never queried an agent in my life because my book isn't even close to being at that stage yet. And of course you don't know my name. Why on earth would you? And as for the 'writing community', there is no one single 'writing community' in which everyone knows each other, and I don't see writing as something which requires 'support' or any obligation to join some sort of community. Again, I'm not really seeing the relevance of any of that to Rachelle's post or the opinion I expressed in response to it. What assumptions you want to make about me as an individual are entirely your own affair, but are hardly likely to be accurate given the minimal evidence on which you can base them. If you want to know the truth rather than guessing, I've been writing for a living ever since I graduated from uni 12 years ago, because my salaried day job is copywriting, but no, I've never had a novel published, nor am I under any illusions that I'm ready for that yet.

If you don't like my tone, then there isn't much I can do about that. I'm not angry in the least. I simply made my point directly, without making any personal attacks on a single individual, and expressed my opinion in answer to Rachelle's question. Apparently that has offended you. So be it. But if you are going to be offended, at least be offended by the things I actually said, rather than the things you merely *think* I said.

I actually think that we are being immensely rude by having this debate on someone else's blog, so I would rather it stopped now. I have said my piece, you have said yours. Let's do Rachelle the courtesy of not clogging up her Comments with our bickering any more, as I feel that we're both at fault on that score.

>I am grateful for every person in the business who is willing to come alongside via books, blogging, and mentoring. I glean all that I can and then ask the Author and Finisher of my faith to tell me what to do with it.

Six years later, doors are opening for me, and I am not overwhelmed by a to-do list. I am prepared and overwhelmed with joy! We write and speak to serve others.

>I think there's a plethora of great information if you're knowledgeable about the right blogs to follow, but what frustrates me is when I read on one blog that all it takes is writing a great book and query. Then another blog says I have to have an outstanding platform and become a video director, painter and publicist because of the rise of book trailers and picture-friendly technology coming soon in e-books.

>It's fantastic that the web is there and so much information is at hand for writers. Finding the best advice on many things is very time consuming, the best information I find is on dedicated blogs from those actually doing it.
An Industry now exists to service the would-be writer. Writers sometimes make the mistake that their first look into something is truth. That the google rank suggests it's the best to be had.
It is not.

From my own point of view there was a time that i thought first draft was was completed work. Tough lesson that one!
It's a learning experience for every writer, each journey will be different in the route it takes.

Hoe genuine is the guildance offered by some. Only time will tell. So many writers lose the will to write when they have to set about the process of submitting. It's a tough environment for the faint of heart.

Send what's asked for hasn't worked for me since i started submitting my first novel. 12 months of sweat and tears , editing with people, copy edits, proofreads have not got me one invitation to read the entire manuscript.
What do you do differently then when most of the information is DON'T DO IT ?

I had a few knowledgeable people read it over. All said they'd buy this book and i asked them to be unkind. It's the only way I know how to keep improving.

To study a charachter in a coming-of-age-tale means starting at the beginning of that journey, which is usually a time when the charachter realises somethings not quite right. To explore that in the beginning and remain honest to that, may be not enough to get prospective agent to ask for more. That's the worry I have right now and I can't find answers to that.

Someone said put it out into the world and let them decide. I like to write and hope my time for that in any given day will far outweigh the time I spend promoting. That's my dream. Only time will tell where it will eventually lead. I'm glad I'm doing it though. So may don't.

>I think there's plenty of information out there for writers concerning the publishing industry. I think the problem is what you said: people want there to be one right answer for one questions – they want definitive, but that won't happen because each source has a different opinion and a different method. I think the best anyone can do is what you said: write the best possible book you can, and go from there. No one is ever going to write a 100% perfect query letter. I've never written one, but I would think your query letter needs to be just as honest as the book you're trying to sale.

>Wow, there are a lot of comments already, and you might have stopped reading.

I don't think it has anything to do with the amount of information available, comprehensive, transparent, thorough, or not.

I think it has to do with the general frustration among writers trying find something objective in a subjective medium.

In life, we're taught that 1 + 1 = 2. If we follow a map, we'll get to our destination. If you refer to this flowchart, here, you'll find out whether you have appendicitis or an upset stomach.

When we submit and are met with rejection, it's so tempting to say, "Well, that agent just wasn't clear about what she wanted! If that other agent hadn't said to put the word count at the start of the query, I would have put it at the END, and then I would have gotten a full request, for SURE."

I think the bottom line is that people seek an outlet for blame. It's human nature to look outside ourselves to find a reason for our failures.

I wish people would stop diagnosing their failures this way. It's such a waste of time. Time that could be spent writing a better novel, or playing with our children, or finding a new place to eat ice cream. It's futile. It's negative energy. It needs to go.

I have an agent. She's fantastic. She signed me last year and she's an amazing fit.

That manuscript? It didn't sell.

I could sit here and belabor the point about why. But what good would that do? It didn't sell. We all tend to get so wrapped up in whose fault it was. Who cares? First off, if my novel doesn't sell, there's only one person to blame: me. ME. I wrote it. I put those words on paper. If it didn't sell, it wasn't the right time, the right story, the right whatever.

The point isn't to look for things or people to blame.

The point is to keep writing. To keep getting better. To keep looking forward.

Anything less is like sitting in the driver's seat with your foot on the accelerator, forgetting to put the car in gear.

It feels like you're moving, but really? You're not going anywhere.

>I think lots of writers simply become hoarders of information, desperate for the most detailed and specific "how-to"s. And that desperation is unpleasant.

For example: I horde books. Shamelessly. And yet, when I walk into Borders and am greeted by the seemingly infinite number of books, I feel overwhelmed. For the most part, buying books is fun (as is reading publishing info), but there are still moments when I get weary. It's endless, and endlessness is not something we naturally like. It makes me exhausted just thinking about how many books are within a 100 foot radius.

What we need to learn to do is withstand. Stop subscribing to 1000 industry blogs. There's no way we're going to find time for them or process all the info. There's no way we're going to be able to make sense of the multiple views on the same 20 topics. So, in the long run, it's all about self-discipline. And not being afraid of the truth: It's endless, and you'll never have the time.

>This is a real problem no matter what "level" you are on. Tons of info. Some of it is bad and some of it is good. But reading it all and putting it into its different categories takes a lot of time out of the day.