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 Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 12:01 pm
I know a lot of us here are UBER protective of our plots and stories and characters, because all of us want to be published someday and don't want anyone else stealing our ideas before we can get them in print.
So shouldn't we have a corner where we can critique your all-powerful query letter before you invest your college fund in stamps to send a gross amount of letters and SASEs to agents and publishers? Or perhaps share tips on where to get a good professional critique?
Personally, I'd rather have someone else's critical eye review my submission letter before I send it to the editor and get rejected for a stupid and preventable reason.
Maybe we don't need a whole forum for that, but it's a thought.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 4:56 pm
That sounds like a good idea but I don't know if anyone here is qualified for doing that exactly. You might want to run that idea past our leader, of course. 3nodding
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:41 pm
i guess we can give advice and suggestions but i am not sure about how beneiftial it would help considering we might not be experienced.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:09 pm
I was thinking that we could have Query Clinics--where a mod or someone who has done queries before lays out a basic outline, maybe links a few good examples, and then those of us trying to make a query post it for others to read. Then the others would make comments like "Don't refer to your novel as 'the next Harry Potter' because its arrogant and annoying" or "Don't say 'I think it will sell well.' Show some confidence in yourself and say 'This story will appeal to a large audience of fantasy lovers.'"
Or if we were working on a Summary thread, we'd write the "back of the book summaries" and ask the question, Would you read this? Does this sound totally dorky? More detail? Less detail?
We all take on the roll of the editor and acquisitions department and even prospective readers and support our fellow writers.
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Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:41 am
I dont really know, i am not working on such letters at the moment but i guess Mel would have to decide.
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 8:15 am
I will admit that a large part of my motive for suggesting this is that I'm trying to find an agent and editor for my novel Goblin Hunters. I was hoping to get some objective opinions on queries and summaries before I made a fool out of myself in front of the people who hold the fate of my book in their hands. sweatdrop
I've also noticed that so many people here are so over protective of their works (me included) that we don't share enough of our writing to make much of a difference. So maybe we could share the less personal parts (the parts that make dental surgery look like fun) and edify each other that way.
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Posted: Fri May 29, 2009 3:11 pm
ScarletFrost I was thinking that we could have Query Clinics--where a mod or someone who has done queries before lays out a basic outline, maybe links a few good examples, and then those of us trying to make a query post it for others to read. Then the others would make comments like "Don't refer to your novel as 'the next Harry Potter' because its arrogant and annoying" or "Don't say 'I think it will sell well.' Show some confidence in yourself and say 'This story will appeal to a large audience of fantasy lovers.'" Or if we were working on a Summary thread, we'd write the "back of the book summaries" and ask the question, Would you read this? Does this sound totally dorky? More detail? Less detail? We all take on the roll of the editor and acquisitions department and even prospective readers and support our fellow writers. That seems like a good idea. I think I feel the exact same way you do when it comes to talking to editors who would just put us down miserably and mercilessly. 3nodding I wonder what Mel has to say about this though. Have you sent her a PM Scarlet?
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 11:28 am
No, I haven't. I'm not sure if enough people are serious enough about writing to make it worth while. sweatdrop
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:08 am
It seems like a good idea.
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 9:49 am
And how many would be enough for you my dear Scarlet Johanson? He-he, just a little joke there for ya... wink
You should really PM Mel btw...
At least we have someone else saying it's a good idea. 3nodding
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:40 pm
I would think "enough" would probably be 5 or 6. So far we have 3. sweatdrop
I PMed Mel. We'll see what happens, I guess.
By the way, out of curiosity, has anyone actually searched for a professional editor before? I totally need to rethink-my career goals; most of the editors I googled get payed BEACOUP BUCKS to critique a story. Like $400 to $1600!!!
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:13 am
Do you need a professional for that? Seems a waste of money to pay hundreds for something a friend could do.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:48 am
If your story is still in the "my grammar is teh suck" stage, you can have a friend help you with the basics. But once you get to the "Dear Sir/Madam, Please consider this manuscript for publication" then you might need someone who already has a foot in the publishing door to give you a 3rd party opinion.
A professional editor critique is actually very valuable. I'm working on getting my story published, and the agency I'm working with uses the editor's comments and insights to help them sell the novel. It's kinda like getting someone to write marketing cliff notes about your story. sweatdrop
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:10 am
Well, if it works for you. Personally, I'd have a lot of trouble paying that much.
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:40 am
I found a good place that already works with the agency I'm signing with and they're willing to do it for $80. So it's not so terrible. But independent editors have the BEST job!
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