Beyond the Book, Part 4: Submissions and Tracking by Dawne Webber

So you’ve completed the book, written a brilliant query letter and researched a list of agents/editors who will love your book-baby. Now it’s time to get a submission packet together and dive into the query trenches.

Submission Packet:

A submission packet for MG and YA fiction consists of:

• Query letter—Refer to Beyond the Book: Queries
• Synopsis—A one or two page synopsis is standard. If more material is requested after your query is read, longer synopsis is sometimes included. To craft a perfect synopsis, read Beth Anderson’s post here.
• First pages—Many submission guidelines require some number of pages (also called sample pages) from the manuscript. Always send pages from the beginning of the book.
• It’s a good idea to paste the first five pages at the end of the query if the agent/editor guidelines don’t specifically state not to send pages.

A submission packet for picture books consists of:

• Short query letter—Just present the main characters, the main problem, and the resolution, then work in a hook (Ex: “great friendship hook,”), and sign off like you normally would with a novel query. From KidLit.com
• Complete manuscript pasted in the body of the email.
• A link to an online portfolio if you are an author/illustrator.
• For questions about illustration notes in PB submissions click here
• Do not include attachments unless the agent requests to see more illustrations or to see a dummy.

Some Do’s and Don’ts

1. DO re-read the submission guidelines directly from the agent’s website before hitting the send button.
2. DO copy and paste the text of the query, synopsis and sample pages into the body of the email. Agents will not open attachments
3. DO flag your query as such in the subject line of your email: QUERY: GRAPES OF WRATH. Otherwise, agents will miss it, skip over it, or simply disregard it as spam.
4. DO use a personal but professional sounding email address.  JSmith@gmail.com as opposed to sparklyunicorn@gmail.com
5. DON’T use your work email address unless it’s related to your writing.
6. DON’T send a mass email to a list of agents.
7. DON’T send illustrations unless you’re an author/illustrator.
8. DON’T use a generic salutation (Dear Mr./Ms. Agent). Make sure it’s personalized.
9. DON’T send email queries with attachments. They will be unread and deleted every time—guaranteed. Agent Query

Formatting:

Formatting snail-mail packets is very straight forward. Agent Query spells it out here.

The preferred format for electronic submissions is Times New Roman, left justified, single-spaced with double space between paragraphs. All material should be included within the body of the email. Make sure to indicate the transition from the query itself to other elements, such as the synopsis or sample pages, and title these elements accordingly.

Tracking:

You may prefer to keep track of and organize submissions using a spreadsheet, index cards or file. The Internet Writing Journal gives tips and how-to’s here.

I prefer Query Tracker. Let me explain why. Recently our dishwasher died and I had to do dishes by hand. Six people eating three meals per day. That adds up to LOTS of dishes, and many hours spent washing, drying, and putting them away. Not impossible, but certainly not efficient. A dishwasher makes cleaning dishes much easier and less time consuming.

Query Tracker is like a dishwasher for writers/illustrators. It’s a tool used to explore agent data and find literary agents, as well as organize and track queries and agent responses. Basic membership is free.

Good luck on your journey to publication wherever it may take you.

Dawne Webber is represented by Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency. Ask Me to Wait, her YA contemporary novel, is currently on submission. Dawne lives in Troy with her husband and five children. They keep her sane amid the insanity of writing. You can learn more about Dawne at DawneWebber.

This concludes the Beyond the Book four-part series. If you missed the first three posts in the series, you can find them here:

Part one: The Path to Traditional Publishing

Part two: Queries

Part three: Agents

Thank you, Dawne, for pulling all of this information together for us - what a great resource!

Patti Richards is busy gathering good news from our Michigan members. Please join us next Friday for Hugs and Hurrahs!

Calling all SCBWI-MI illustrators! Logo Design Contest: How would you like to win free tuition to the fall Michigan SCBWI conference? Better yet, how would you like to earn widespread and heavy exposure for a piece of your art?

The SCBWI-MI fall conference features talent "home grown" in our state. It's got everything: big names, amazing speakers, astounding talent. The only thing lacking is a logo, a visual piece that emphasizes our great state, gardening, agriculture, fruitful endeavor, bountiful harvest. And kid's books.

The logo will be judged by Michigan illustration professionals. The deadline is tight: it's due by Thursday, June 25. Final art should be ready to run in digital and print media. It is only acceptable in jpeg form, and the size should be less than 1 MB.

The winning artwork will be featured on a slider that tops the SCBWI-MI web page, and on all conference- related communication. SCBWI members nationwide, as well as prominent editors and art directors are the potential audience for your work. Go here to learn more.

Happy creating!
Kristin Lenz

Beyond the Book, Part 3: Agents by Dawne Webber

Now we get to the fun part of querying—hunting for agents. And it’s something you can do before your book is complete. Searching for agents before you’re ready to query has its perks:

• Need a pick-me-up or a little break from writing or revisions? Spend a few minutes hunting for agents. WARNING: Sometimes you forget it was supposed to be a little break.
• It moves you toward your goal of getting published. When you’re feeling like you’ll never finish writing the darn book, researching agents gives you a boost.
• Each agent you add to your list is special because you realize This might be THE ONE!
• When you decide your baby is ready for the bigs and you can’t wait to get the ball rolling, you have a list of agents ready.

What to look for in an agent:

The most important factor in agent hunting is focusing on agents that represent your genre. A pet peeve of agents and editors is getting queries for things they don’t represent. “Oh,” you say, “I want Diana Gabaldon’s agent. I know he doesn’t represent YA, but he’ll love my novel.”

No, he won’t. Stick to agents who represent your genre.

Before jumping into the agent pool, you need to weigh the pros and cons of the following and decide what qualities you want in your agent:

• Editorial agent vs. non-editorial
• Big list of author clients vs. small list
• Large agency vs. boutique agency (smaller, specialized)
• One book representation vs. career representation
• New agent vs. established agent

Hunting for agents:

• Literary Rambles, a blog written by Casey McCormick and our own Natalie Aguirre, spotlights agents and has tons of information about them. It was an invaluable tool in my agent hunt.
• Search the internet for literary agents in your genre.
• Find a book similar to yours and look for the agent’s name in the acknowledgements.
• Find articles on agent stats, such as lists of top-selling agents. You can find lists like this for YA, PB and MG at Darcy Pattinson.
• #MSWL—Manuscript Wish List. Agents and editors post what they’re looking for in submissions. Searching #MSWL will generate hundreds of results, but here are a few sites dedicated to it: MS Wish List, and Manuscript Wish List.

Look at more than stats and agent profiles. Find interviews with agents. Read what their authors say about them. On Google Books, you can search the name of the agent that interests you.

If he/she was mentioned on an author’s acknowledgement page, it’s usually in the search results. You can learn a lot about an agent by the acknowledgement (or lack of acknowledgement) in their clients’ books.

Query Tracker:

On Query Tracker (which I’ll be covering more in my next post) you can search for agents using a wide array of search filters, including genre. A search generates a list of agents meeting your criteria. You then click on an agent to get their profile. An agent’s profile has multiple parts. Here’s a list of some of the more pertinent information you can find:

• Contact info including links to agency websites, agent blogs, social media accounts
• Reputable links where you can find more information, such as Literary Rambles, Predators and Editors, and Google Books
• There is a page for member comments concerning that particular agent. It’s very helpful.

A few things to keep in mind:

Legitimate agents will never charge a fee or try to sell you something. Also remember, information changes and becomes outdated. Always check the agency site and the agent’s profile one last time before submitting a query.

More resources:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents
http://pred-ed.com/peala.ht

http://www.agentquery.com/

Please feel free to share any resources you’d like to recommend.

Dawne Webber is represented by Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency. Ask Me to Wait, her YA contemporary novel, is currently on submission. Dawne lives in Troy with her husband and five children. They keep her sane amid the insanity of writing. You can learn more about Dawne at DawneWebber.

Did you miss Part 1 and Part 2 of Dawne's Beyond the Book series? She'll be back next month with the final post.

The SCBWI-MI Hook of the Book conference is tomorrow! We'll share conference take-aways as soon as our reporters have time to gather their thoughts after the big event. 

Coming up on The Mitten blog: a 3 part craft series on developing voice, an interview with Buffy the Poetry Slayer, a YA Success Story, Ask Frida Pennabook, and another round of Hugs and Hurrahs. Send your good news to Patti Richards at info@pgwrites.com by June 21st.

Happy reading!
Kristin Lenz