Knowing When to Say "When"

It’s no secret that unresponsive editors are one of my least favorite parts of the freelancing life—something I’ve blogged about in past posts. Although I’m pretty persistent with following up, sometimes all the emails in the world won’t elicit a response.

On the other hand, there are those markets that just seem impossible to crack—the markets that consistently do respond with “This isn’t quite right for us” or “Thanks for submitting but we’re going to pass”. No matter how great your idea or how polished your pitch(es), it could take months or even years to break into some of the higher-paying consumer markets. As far as I know, sometimes it’s just a matter of luck to break in with just the right idea for a particular editor.

These two reasons are why I’ve taken stock of some of the markets I’ve pitched (unsuccessfully) multiple times. There’s one in particular whose editor takes weeks to respond, even after several follow-up emails. I’ve pitched about 3 or 4 ideas over the past few months, and I’ve had to send multiple messages trying to gauge the editor’s interest. I finally got responses for the first few ideas; the last pitch got me nowhere (luckily, I’ve since sold it to another market!) I’m persistent when I believe in my idea and feel it’s story-worthy, but I also know when to say when. I’ve taken the advice of several other freelancers and will send a final email saying “I would appreciate a response by [day]; otherwise I’ll submit my idea elsewhere”. In this case, that didn’t get a response either so I went ahead and pitched it somewhere else, and that market bought it.

What about you? Are there any markets that you’ve given up trying to pitch? Any chance of trying them at another time?

Branching Out

Congratulations to Wendy Wallach, winner of Stephenie Meyer's The Host, my first book giveaway!

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I’m taking baby steps toward branching out and getting my name in front of (hopefully) prospective clients. I know it might take some time to build, but I’m trying to get the word out in a low-key way at first, so it’s out there but I’m still flying relatively low under the radar.

I've also hit a bit of a stride with queries—I sent out 8 in the past month, which might not seem like a lot, but it is for me. I have a few other ideas that I need to formulate into queries, as well. Which brings me to my dilemma—I have 2 ideas for 2…shall we say, edgy…markets. My ideas relate to the overall theme of each publication, but are fairly benign compared to some of the other articles I’ve read on these sites. But to be honest, I’m a little leery about sending either query. Not that I have a problem with the focus of either site, but others might.

Most of the pieces I’ve done have been pretty mild—business profiles, author interviews, historical pieces, etc. I’ve been querying a variety of markets over the past few weeks, but all have been fairly tame. These 2 may not be viewed as such, so now I’m not even sure if I should send my pitches. So do I just throw caution to the wind and send them, or stick to the cautious path and not send them?

What about you? Have you ever not pitched a market because of how it might reflect on you, or because you were concerned about how others might react?

Guest Post: Are You Ready for an Agent?

by Laura Cross

Have you researched agents and created an agent file?
Individual agents within each literary agency represent specific types of books. If you approach an agent who does not consider your particular genre, you have wasted your time submitting a pitch. A well researched and focused approach will help you acquire the right agent more quickly. You can download a free chapter on “Finding and Selecting Agents” from my book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent at www.GetALiteraryAgent.com

Do you have a pitch package?
An agent expects you to know the selling points of your book and be able to convey them effectively with your pitch package. For fiction writers, a pitch package consists of a query letter, synopsis, and completed manuscript. For nonfiction writers, your pitch package is made up of a query letter, book proposal, and two sample chapters.

Is your novel or book idea marketable?A key component to acquiring an agent and publishing deal is a marketable product. Below are questions you can answer to determine the marketability of your idea or book to an agent.

1. Does a nearly identical book already exist?
If a book already exists that is almost identical to your idea you will have trouble selling yours to an agent or publisher. You will need to ensure and show an agent how your book will be better than the ones already on the market.

2.How large is the potential audience for your book?
Who will buy your book? A valuable resource for determining how many potential readers there are for your subject matter is to browse the sales ranks of similar books on the market and review the bestseller lists in your genre. Publishers Weekly magazine (www.publishersweekly.com) provides bestseller lists, and columns on “Retail Sales” and “Trends and Topics” that you may find helpful. The New York Times’ book review section (www.nytimes.com/pages/books) also lists bestsellers by category. The Web site Titlez (www.titlez.com) allows you to track Amazon.com sales rank history by keyword, title, or author and compare similar books by genre or title.

3. Does your book have series potential?Spin-off or series potential is not mandatory to sell your manuscript or book idea, but an agent or publisher is more interested in projects that begat more product. Books with spin-off or series potential are considered more valuable.

Do you have a platform and strong promotion plan?Agents and publishers prefer authors who have an established platform. If you are a nonfiction writer, especially, your ability to promote your book will be vital for acquiring an agent and a book deal.

Have you mapped out a writing career?
Agents represent writing careers, not authors who write only one book. They look for authors who have a vision and plan for their writing careers. Before approaching an agent it’s a good idea to have a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish with your writing and the next step along your path as an author.

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Laura Cross is an author, screenwriter, ghostwriter, freelance book editor, and writing coach specializing in nonfiction books and script adaptation (book-to-film projects). She writes two popular blogs, www.NonfictionInk.com and www.AboutAScreenplay.com, and teaches online writing workshops www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com/workshops. Her latest book is The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent: Everything You Need To Know To Become Successfully Published. You can download a free chapter, view the book trailer, read the full table of contents, and purchase the eBook at www.GetALiteraryAgent.com.