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Thursday, July 21, 2011

query quest

I've now ventured into the world of Query Quest with my completed novel. For those of you who have not experienced that, Query Quest is game played between Authors and Agents. Authors submit a Query letter to a list of possible Agents, hoping the letter contains the exact words needed to pique the interest of at least one Agent so that Agent will accept the Query and re-Quest more pages. It's kind of like trying to put your finger on a drop of quicksilver or picking up a sliver of ice.

I must say, however, I really appreciate agents who request E-mail queries. No pages of manuscript to print, no envelopes, no trips to the post office, no postage to buy = no dollars out of pocket.

I sent out my first E-mail query on a Tuesday evening and got my rejection on Wednesday morning. Now THAT's what I call a quick turn-around. No slush pile for my work! (Sigh.)

Actually, I really do appreciate that I wasn't waiting with bated breath for days, weeks, or months on end. You know the feeling . . . if I haven't got a rejection yet, they "must" be considering the story.

One rejection is not a show-stopper. It's just the opening volley, and I'm ready to have another go at it.

You-all-guys keep on keeping on, and I'll try to do the same.

cj