In Praise of Short and Sweet Queries

By Ami Hendrickson

Several months ago, I committed what I thought was a faux pas only to discover that I’d been wasting valuable time…

I was responding to an online live forum that wanted speakers from the publishing world to talk about various topics. I’d begun composing an e-mail in which I suggested topics I thought might be worth discussing. After each suggestion, I provided a few short sentences explaining my qualifications to talk about it.

I had two topics written: “Successful Ghostwriting, Co-Authoring, and Collaborating” (hardly sexy, but that’s what I do) and “How to Be Your Book’s Best Friend” (easy ways for authors to promote their titles without relying on the publisher to do it for them). I figured I had the e-mail half done. I wanted to re-read it, polish up a few things, come up with a suitable close, sign it and send it.

I thought I hit “Save Draft.” Unfortunately, the telltale whooosshh! of my mail program told me I’d inadvertently hit “Send.”

Thoroughly disgusted with myself (It wasn’t even signed, for crying out loud! How unprofessional does THAT look?), I turned back to work on another project.

In less than 15 minutes, I received an answer from my Ooops! e-mail. They liked the ghostwriting and co-authoring angle. They scheduled an interview on the spot and put me on the calendar.

!!!

I couldn’t help myself. I wrote back to thank them for their prompt reply. I also explained what had happened earlier and apologized for sending an e-mail that ended so abruptly and that contained no signature.

Only a few moments later, I had the epiphany when I received this reply:

“I didn’t notice!! lol I’m a busy person and appreciate short, concise, e-mails that are to the point.”

The experience revolutionized my query-writing process. Not only did it drive home the fact that lengthy queries are unnecessary, but it also reminded me to construct every query from the “What Does The Person I’m Querying Need?” vantage point. All the time I would have spent slaving to construct the perfect query ending I now put to better use and spend it on my writing.

I’m not suggesting that sloppy work is to be encouraged. I’m just saying I know I have benefited from taking the “short and sweet,” get-in-and-get-out advice to heart! Perhaps I’m not the only one…

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About the Author:

Ami Hendrickson is a bestselling author, award-winning screenwriter, and educator. She has written for some of the leading horsemen in the world including the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), hunter trainer and judge Geoff Teall, neurosurgeon Dr. James Warson, and Clinton Anderson of Downunder Horsemanship. Her most recent book is “Beyond a Whisper” for horse trainer Ryan Gingerich, slated for release this spring. She is currently working on “Against the Wind,” an independent feature film on the life of marathon running legend Dick Beardsley. To learn more about her work, visit www.amihendrickson.com, read her Muse Inks blog (http://museinks.blogspot.com) or become a fan on Facebook.

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And check out the innovative, money- and time-saving features of LITERARY DATABASE

Tips for a Successful Booksigning

Because Tasha Tudor, a beloved artist, illustrated my first picture book, I met a line of her fans at my début book signing. I learned several items that evening; first of all, a signing is a type of performance where a writer interacts with the person who has shelled out her precious cash for my creation. I feel immense gratitude for that decision and want to serve that person in those brief moments when they talk to me, ask questions or tell me about the individual who will receive the book as a gift.

Since I need to concentrate on the patron and signing the book, I bring along a friend to take cash or checks, set out books and also hand out sticky notes upon which the buyer can write what they want me to inscribe. This detail helps me as I can look at the inscription and insure that I spell everyone’s name correctly. And if traffic is slim, my friend and I can chat during the lulls.

If the signing is close to home and you are a member of a band, or friends with a band, invite them to play at your signing. Most people enjoy any sort of live music as they stand in line, and I promise my band members a book for giving up their time. The public exposure can be profitable for the band as one time my son played his fiddle at a signing and later the bookstore asked him to return and play at their annual celebration.

Allow plenty of travel time. Once I missed a signing because a Friday afternoon traffic jam in Cincinnati trapped my family. We had allotted an extra thirty to forty-five minutes when planning our trip from Michigan to the bookstore, but we sat on the expressway for over an hour. This was in the days before cell phones, so we had no method of contacting the store. Thankfully, they were understanding and had a stack of sold books for me to sign when we finally rushed through the door. Now I expect delays and schedule more time to reach my destination.

If you are providing your own books, bring more than you think you will sell. Another time I scolded myself as I watched the stack of books dwindle out before everyone had bought what they wanted. I had left about six copies at home for a few local friends. Foolish decision! I could have ordered more when I returned home, but I couldn’t wave a wand and set more books on the table. In that case, I mailed the books to the customers, but I learned to bring every copy I have.

Bring lots of pens in case one becomes contrary. If I am selling my books directly, such as at a book fair, I tote along a cash box with a selection of denominations and a large amount of one-dollar bills. Tuck in a thermos of hot coffee or tea, as warm liquids sooth the throat after talking to people for a length of time. As we say around my house, “organize or agonize”, I hope that these tips will help everyone organize joyful celebrations for their newly published books.

BY: Joan Donaldson. Her most recent middle reader book, On Viney’s Mountain, is available now. Learn more about Joan, her work, and her life on an organic blueberry farm at: www.JoanDonaldson.com

The Review Review Review–Really!

By Maija Stromberg
http://www.thereviewreview.net/
Read literary journals! is advice we, as writers, hear again and again. We need to read them, evaluate their moods, quirks, and quality, then submit our work to the publications we consider to be the best fit. But there are hundreds of journals. They aren’t, for the most part, available at our local bookstores, and they aren’t free. Also, lots of them are thick and look disturbingly thought provoking. If I’m going to send away for thick and thought provoking, I’d like a hint of a guarantee that the writing will be something I’ll appreciate. The job of getting to know literary journals is daunting.

Recently, though, I came across “The Review Review,” a new site which posts reviews of literary journals including Gulf Coast, Witness, and Shenandoah, as well as lesser known titles. These reviews aren’t just a few sentences about the journal as a whole, they include comments on many of the individual pieces in a given publication. On the site, creator, Becky Tuch, explains: “Here, writers can get a deeper sense of the journals by reading the reviews of the latest issues. This is not intended as a substitute for the actual journals, but merely a way to guide writers toward the journals that most interest them.” A blessing for the poor and literally overwhelmed!

Tuch created the website in March of this year, so it’s growing. At present they have reviews of about twenty-five journals which have come out in the last year or so. “The Review Review” site also offers the opportunity to apply to become a reviewer. The application requires two writing samples and a short bio.

If you look at the site, be sure to read Tuch’s explanation of why she created it (Click on About). She makes a convincing argument for the importance and the rewards of investing in the reading end of our writing endeavors.

How do you decide which writer’s conference to attend?

Conference Reviews by Writers is a place for writers to share information about the writing conferences that take place all over the country. ConferenceReviewsbyWriters.com

How do you choose which conference you are going to attend? If you read the information that each conference produces to promote itself, it is certainly all upbeat and promising. But will it live up to the hype? Will it be worth your time and money? Which conferences give you the most bang for the buck? Where can you pitch to agents? Where can you meet editors?

We’ve asked all of our writers to be candid about their experiences so that you can make an informed decision about which conferences to attend. We’ve even found a free conference that rivals some of the best (and most costly) conferences out there. [Check out the review for StoryWeek in Chicago!]

There are many conferences reviewed on the site in locations from New York to San Francisco and all points between. Literary Database is pleased to sponsor this site!

If you’ve attended a conference in the past, feel free to submit a review.

Finding an Agent

One of the easiest way to research agents is AgentQuery.com.  This website/database lists over 900 agents and is searchable.

Here’s what the site says about why it was created:

“We created Agent Query as the only one-stop writer’s resource on the web about literary agents and publishing. Agent Query was founded by a group of writers, web designers, and computer programmers who realized there was no single online resource to help writers find literary agents, much less learn the basics about getting published. So the AQ crew decided it was time to fill the void and create one single website—a literary touchstone—to help writers navigate through the arcane world of book publishing. Other online resources offer truncated glimpses of the publishing process. And those “familiar” print guides are out-of-date by the time they hit the bookshelves. So the AQ crew decided to take action—and Agent Query was born.”

And the site is free.  You can search by agent name, area of representation, or other factors.  Then, when you find agents which meet your criteria, you can pull up their full profile and get information on who they represent, what they like to see submitted, and full contact information.

Make sure you’re ready for an agent before you begin querying them.  You should have a strong publishing record in good journals, and you should have a novel or short story collection that you have worked on through many revisions.  LiteraryDatabase.com is a great tool to use when you are trying to place your short work (stories, essays, and poems) in literary journals.

All the best with your writing.

The Writing Life

No one is going to knock on your door and demand that you finish your novel.

An agent will not call you up and offer to represent your work if you haven’t sent out a query first.

The New Yorker Magazine isn’t going to send you a letter requesting a short story for their next issue

If you stopped writing today, it would all just…stop. And, sometimes, you feel like quitting. Sometimes you do quit. But then it calls you back. The page, the words, the stories call you back.

We know how it is. We’re writers, too. And we wanted to spend more time writing and less time trying to figure out where to send our short stories so that they could find a home in print, get published, and give that needed infusion of energy and success into our writing lives.

That’s why we created Literary Database. Check it out, and keep at it. We’re pulling for you.

-Literary Database Team.

A Platform Helps You Publish

Okay, you’ve just finished the Great American Novel. Really. It’s going to win prizes, sell millions, and receive critical acclaim . . . if only you can get it published. If you’ve truly written a masterpiece, it will probably get published somewhere, sometime, by some publishing house. But it will be easier to get picked up by an agent, and the agent will have an easier time selling your novel to a publisher, if you have a platform.

Think of your platform as a base of recognition. Who knows you are a writer? Who has read your work? What prizes or recognition has your work garnered? If you’ve been writing a novel for the last few years in your basement and have never published before, you have no platform. But if you’ve written and published many short stories in great journals, maybe won or placed in a contest or two, and maybe written a column for your local newspaper or MFA alumni newsletter, well, then you have a bit of a platform.

Do you see the difference? All those things you would put in your cover letter (after your novel pitch) comprise your platform. If all you have is the pitch for your novel, you can still approach agents and editors, but you are an unknown. If your mom and your cat are the only ones who even know you are a writer, well, the marketing prospects are pretty slim.

So, how do you build a platform? Here are a few things you can do NOW to start:

1. Send out your stories or essays to respected journals . . . and keep sending them out until they get published. Literary Database (www.LiteraryDatabase.com) is a great tool to help streamline, time, and target your submission process.

2. Enter contests with your work. If you never enter, you’ll never win.

3. Go to book fairs, conferences, readings . . . anywhere that writers gather and where editors and agents may attend. Learn from writers who are further ahead in the process than you, and ask questions of agents and editors. Conference Reviews by Writers (www.ConferenceReviewsbyWriters.com) is a great place to get inside info from other writers about the best conferences.

4. Participating in conferences as a speaker or panelist is also a good idea. It gets you out there in front of an audience, and it will boost your credentials.

5. Participate in readings or speaking engagements in other settings whenever possible. You’re getting yourself out there, bringing your name as well as your work to an audience.

6. Read published authors’ bios on their books. Here you will see how they (actually, their publisher) describes their platform. It’s a great way to learn what publishers like to be able to write – what they think the potential readers will want to hear about an author they’re unfamiliar with.

7. Do you have a website? If you’re serious about being a writer, you need one. And start signing all of your correspondences with your name, e-mail address, and website URL underneath your signature. RugelDesigns.com is a great design firm that has done many writer websites.

8. Can you get endorsements or blurbs from ‘big’ writers? If so, this is something you can mention in a book proposal, and that your agent might then use in their pitch to an editor.

9. If you’re writing a nonfiction/how-to book, you need to be recognized as an expert in your field.

10. Always be professional, patient, and persistent in this process. Every piece will build on the next, until you have a platform you can stand on (figuratively) and continue to build (literally).

It would be nice to just do the writing part of being a writer, but the job description has expanded. In today’s marketplace, you now have to think about your career. Work with your agent once you get one; talk with them about ways they might suggest building your platform. And always, remember that while the world of writing is a creative place, it is also a business.

Two Weeks Left

Literary Database sponsors the BEST FIRST LINE CONTEST.

Which of your stories has the strongest beginning, that opening line that pulls the reader in and won’t let them go?  This is where you open the world of the story to the reader (and the editor), so it’s got to be good.  In one sentence you introduce the tone of the story, the place, maybe even a character or two.

Enter your best first line for a chance to win a free copy of Literary Database.   We’ll choose at least three winners and send them  a free copy of Literary Database 2009.

Literary Database is the  submission database created by writers, for writers.   It will help you send out that story with the great opening line to the publications where it will best find a life in print.  That’s where the world can read that first line and get sucked in to your story!

Enter at the contest page at LITERARY DATABASE.

The High Points of a Publishing Contract

At AWP Anita Fore, the Director of Legal Services with the Authors Guild (www.AuthorsGuild.org), gave a session on publishing contracts. This organization offers legal services to its members (and you can apply for membership once you have a contract in hand). She went though the high points of a publishing contract. Here are the main points that Fore made. Please note that this is not to be taken as legal advice, but only to help familiarize writers with the major components of a publishing contract.

And, of course, when you DO get a contract, the guild (along with many fine lawyers in private practice) are there to assist you in navigating the negotiations.

PRIMARY RIGHTS: Never assign copyright to the publisher. Instead, license CERTAIN rights. Fore advised holding onto certain rights (like foreign language rights). Negotiate for publisher to publish in book form (only), and only domestically.

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS: These include movie rights, audio, other languages, merchandise, internet, e-books, etc. Try to hold on to multimedia rights and retain ‘right of approval’ for condensations and other versions. Also wise to build in a renegotiating point for electronic rights since this facet of publishing is still evolving.

DELIVERY & ACCEPTANCE: This part of the contract gives date by which the manuscript must be delivered to the publisher and parameters for revisions if the publisher deems that the manuscript is not up to their standards. You can negotiate a grace period past the delivery date. Sixty days is the standard grace period. You can also negotiate the revision period in which to do a rewrite. You can also negotiate for a period to shop the manuscript if it is rejected after the rewrite. You’ll have to repay any advances if the original publisher rejects it, but if you can shop it, you may find a new home for it.

PUBLICATION CLAUSE: Have a time period built into the contract by which the publisher MUST publish the book (typically 12-18 months) after acceptance of manuscript. If they don’t publish within that period, state that all rights come back to you (and you keep the advance).

ADVANCES: Fore suggested that writers negotiate for as large an advance as realistically possible. Once the book is published, the advance is yours. It is customary to get half at signing, the other half at acceptance of manuscript. She suggested that writers negotiate for a bonus: “If X happens [e.g. it wins a certain award], writer gets Y amount of money.”

ROYALTIES: The writer gets these once the book has sold enough to cover the advance (called ‘the advance paying out’). There is a pretty standard schedule of percentages on hardcover and paperbacks, but make sure it is on the ‘retail price of the book,’ not on profits made by the publisher.

OUT OF PRINT CLAUSE: Negotiate for best clause. Define ‘out of print’ in terms of compensation you are getting. For example: “Book is considered out-of-print if less than X number of copies are sold in two consecutive accounting periods.”

TIPS FOR NEGOTIATING A BOOK CONTRACT:

#1: Make a short list of things that are important for you to have in the contract.

#2: Use past experiences (or those of writers you know) to help make that list.

#3: Make sure all changes to contract are in the text of contract (not handwritten and initialed).

#4: Negotiate in writing, not on the phone.

#5: Don’t be worried if a larger house refers you to the legal department. This means they are taking your concerns seriously.

#6: While first-time authors may not have a lot of negotiating room, you still need to look out for your rights.

The Solitary Life of a Writer

This solitary life of crafting words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into stories full of plot and character and emotion, then mailing these stories out only to get a rejection months later, well, it can suck at times.  Sometimes it helps to commiserate with other writers.

If you don’t have writer friends available, or if you hit a dark patch in the early morning hours sometime, Erin O’Brien is always there on her blog:  The Sad Writing Chronicles of Erin O’Brien.

She is always honest, often profane, and will make you feel not alone in your struggle to be a writer.  And she’s usually funny as hell.

So, keep at it. And when you hit a wall stop by here for info, ideas and inspiration.  And when you hit that really big wall, pop over to Erin’s blog.

She’ll make you feel not so alone.

“I can now accomplish in an hour what used to take a day”

Welcome to the Literary Database Blog!  We hope you’ll find valuable information here on how to establish and further your writing career . . . and that you’ll investigate Literary Database 2009 as a tool for getting your work to the publications where it best fits.

That’s a big part of getting published. You want to get your work into the hands of editors who are looking for what you are writing. Then, you need to make sure to submit during their reading cycles. And, of course, it helps to have current contact information for the journal.

And how do you know if a journal is prominent . . . or a new one just establishing itself?

These are questions that may plague you, especially if you’re just finishing an MFA degree and are looking for an easy, all-in-one source for submission information, focused on those publications must likely to advance your emerging career.

That’s how Literary Database came to be.

We’ve refined it using feedback from many writers, and now it covers fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction submissions.

Check it out at www.LiteraryDatabase.com.

And keep checking back here for more tips and support for your writing career!

Online Book Readings, Interviews, and More

Do you enjoy attending events where authors read from their work?  And do you like listening to interviews with authors to find out about their creative process?  Do you find it difficult to find these sorts of events near you . . . or, when you do find them, you don’t have time to attend?

Well, next time you’re at your computer, click on one of the links below. There are many sites that have interaction with fiction writers and poets for you to listen to at your convenience. Some even allow you to download the MP3 file for that ‘on-the-go’ literary experience!

ONE STORY READINGS
www.one-story.com/index.php?page=readings
The literary magazine, One Story, has monthly fiction readings archived here.

(This literary magazine is featured in Literary Database 2009.  Check out all the great updates at: www.LiteraryDatabase.com)

NPR’s BOOK TOUR
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10448909
This site has a variety of readings by fiction and non-fiction authors. The readings are followed by a Q&A. At any time, there are around 20 of these sessions archived. Recent featured authors include Junot Diaz, Toni Morrison, and Francine Prose.

BBC’s OPEN BOOK
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/openbook/
Mariella Frostrup interviews fiction and nonfiction writers in this excellent weekly program. She also occasionally talks to people in the publishing world about trends or current issues. (For instance, did you know that 70% of the retail price of a book is for the materials, printing, and distribution of the book?) The site archives over a year’s worth of shows. Recent guests include Toni Morrison and Zoe Heller. There is a British bent, but the British take their literature a bit more seriously than those of us living in the ‘former colonies,’ so it is refreshing to listen to an interview that isn’t all about selling books.

BBC’s BOOK AT BEDTIME
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/book_bedtime.shtml
This site is a little different. Each night, a 15-minute slice of an abridged novel is available online. It’s like a book on tape, but in little bits. It’s like someone reads to you each night. At any time, an entire week is archived.

BBC’s ARTS & BOOKS
www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/
The site’s subtitle is: WRITING, POETRY & BOOKS: All about authors, learning to write and literary fun and games. You can bounce off this page to many interesting features including links to such diverse things as accessing radio scripts and joining an online community of writers.

BBC’s BOOKCLUB
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/bookclub/
This is a monthly feature (with almost two years archived) where Jim Naughtie interviews an author about their book and the audience asks questions. Recent interviews include Gore Vidal and Alice Sebold.

CALVIN COLLEGE JANUARY SERIES
www.calvin.edu/january/
Calvin College brings in speakers throughout the month of January and has 10 years of these talks archived online. Not all are authors, but most are interesting. There is a conspicuous Christian bias (as one might expect at a Christian college), but not exclusively.

Know a Literary Journal Before You Submit

One of the best pieces of advice for submitting your work to literary journals is ‘know what they publish.’ The obvious and most thorough way to do this is to subscribe to and read the journal.

The next most obvious thing: it is impossible to do this with the thousands of journals out there! Who has the time – let alone the funds – to pull this off?

As writers, we should all subscribe to the journals we most love . . . and in which we most want to, one day, see our work. Not only do we get to support these endeavors (many are operating on the knife edge of financial survival), but we then get to know these journals intimately.

This is possible for a handful of publications. So how do we get to know the rest?

One good source of information on any publication is that journal’s website. Some even have recently published work online for review.

Literary Database (www.LiteraryDatabase.com) is a submission tool for writers with ‘hot links’ to each of the 400 listed journals’ websites. It also breaks down what type of submission each journal is open to (by category, such as humor, experimental, novel excerpts, etc.). This database was designed by writers, for writers.

There are several websites that list and review the literary reviews. One is The Review Review (www.TheReviewReview.net) which also has informative interviews with some editors, plus sections of advice to writers. One such piece, for instance, offered some interesting advice about getting published mentioned:

“Don’t toss that rejection slip! Rule of thumb is that if you get a hand-written comment from an editor it means your story is close to being publishable. Editors rarely take time to comment on rejected pieces. This is a moment to seize upon!

Get in touch with that editor. Ask if you can send something else. Ask if there was something specific that the staff disagreed about and if you are open to changes, ask if you could send the piece back after revising.

You should be able to tell if this editor is receptive to your queries, and if so, do not take this connection for granted. Even if all it does is boost your writerly ego, it’s always good to have an editor on your side.”
– ‘From Pen to Print’ advice on The Review Review

New Pages (www.NewPages.com) is another good source of info about literary magazines, especially new ones, for which they tend to write up a longer description. They also list established journals with a sentence or two about what they have historically published. Other information you’ll find on the site includes writing contest information, a guide to smaller presses, and a list of independent bookstores.

Using these tools will help you to define the markets where your work best fits. And sending your work to where it is most wanted will increase the likelihood of getting your work into print.

Moving Your Work from the Slush Pile to the SHORT Pile

Exceptional writing is always the primary key to getting your work published. Every writer should know this and continually work to improve their craft. But, there are additional factors to consider when submitting your work in order to maximize your chances of getting published. Think about the following situations:

Journals that restrict submissions in some way: Many journals take submissions only from writers living in the region of the country from where they are published, like Zyzzyva. Some restrict submissions based on other factors, like Caylx and Swivel which only publish work by women writers. Some journals consistently publish only work about a narrow topic, like ‘social change’ (for Mobius). Pay attention to these narrowed submission criteria. And, if your work meets these restrictions, you increase your chances of getting that golden ‘acceptance’ letter instead of the dreaded form rejection.

Themed issues: Many journals will have an occasional themed issue where all the work in that issue will deal with a certain subject. The best way to keep up with these is to do a quick check of the journal’s website before you submit your work. There are some journals where each issue has a theme, and that theme changes constantly. Ballyhoo Stories does this, so does Whistling Shade. Again, meeting these restrictions will take your story from the slush pile to the short pile.

Matching the journal’s location to the setting of your story: Okay, maybe this is an obvious one, but if your story is set in Nebraska, don’t send it to a journal based in Hawaii. Send that story to quality journals published in the greater Midwest, like North Dakota Quarterly or Prairie Schooner. And that story you set in the bayou? Send it to New Orleans Review, or, yeah, that journal named Bayou!

Make sure they want the type of work you’re submitting: If you have a satirical short story, submit to journals like McSweeney’s or New Letters. They publish satire. Many other journals will just toss any satirical work sent their way.

An easy place to get all the information you need to match your stories to journals is in the fully updated Literary Database 2009. That’s what I used to get the journals to reference for this article, and it took me about three minutes TOTAL to get all of these great examples. This database was created by writers for writers, and the information is available at a glance. It is a PDF table format that is searchable and keeps this information constantly at your fingertips. Check out all the writer-friendly features at: www.LiteraryDatabase.com.

New Year’s Resolution: To get your work out there and get published

Okay, December 31 rolls around and you look back over the year, then you look forward. What do you want to do differently in 2009 for your writing? Where did you slack off? Were you discouraged by those little rejection slips? And why do they have to be so small when you’re paying the postage to send it back to you?

Here are some tips to getting a jump start on the year ahead.

1. Pull out those stories, essays and poems that have been ‘resting.’

2. Look at them with fresh eyes and do a strong rewrite or edit job on them. Be discerning about any pieces that may not be good enough to send out now, and put them away again for another ‘rest.’

3. Let your edited work sit for a bit while you decide where to send them. Literary Database is an easy-to-use resource that will guide you in this process. It even has hot links to each journal’s website so you can check for current info or restrictions on submissions.   Check out this  sample page [to download larger version go to www.LiteraryDatabase.com]:

Sample page (just one of over 80) in the Literary Database. Downloaded version is fully scalable within Adobe Acrobat Reader.

4. Go back to your edited work and read them ALOUD. You’ll be amazed at how this will help to smooth out rough patches in the flow, rhythm, and even wording.

5. Print off your stories, essays and poems and send each one out to at least five journals that you have chosen as being a good ‘fit’ for each story.  Literary Database always tells you which journals allow simultaneous submissions.

6. Mail them out and wish your stories a good trip.  Iif they return, send them out into the world again until they find a home. If you’ve done your job and they are ready, then they no longer live with you and you need to boot them out the door when they come back.

All the best to you in this fresh year, and may your stories, essays and poems be happy in their new homes.

Blogs by Literary Agents

Get the inside scoop on how this business works from the players and deal-makers.  Writers need to realize that the publishing world IS a BUSINESS.  The more savvy you are to that (e.g. knowledgeable, self-marketing, receptive to guidance from people in the biz), the more successful you’ll be.

Here are a few blogs to put your ear to the door of the publishing world:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/

http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/

And getting your short work (stories, essays and poems) into quality literary journals tells the publishing world that you’re a writer to watch.

The best in all your literary endeavors from Literary Database (www.LiteraryDatabase.com)

The Anatomy of the Agent Query Letter

Great hook, precision, clarity, succinct, focused, these are all words used to describe the perfect pitch, the great query letter.

For many writers, the shift from writing prose to writing a query letter is a painful one. If feels like they are shifting from being an artist to being a salesperson. It is a necessary shift that the writer must make, though.

There are many books and websites that will tell you how to construct a query letter. Here’s the basic structure:

Paragraph One: The Handshake. What do you know about this agent? Why are you approaching them? Did you meet them? [Check out reviews of conferences--great places to meet agents--by writers at: ConferenceReviewsbyWriters.com ] Do you know a client of theirs (either personally, or by their work)? Did you read an interview with the agent? Did you read their blog? Let them know that you know something about them and that you know they represent work like what you’re wanting to submit to them.  Show them that you’re not wasting their time with a ’shotgun’ query.

Paragraph Two: The Hook. One sentence hook followed by a bit of expansion, a few details that pull the reader into the story.

Paragraph Three: The Storyline. Broad strokes of the plot. Try to get the reader to feel the emotion of the storyline. Don’t hype.

Paragraph Four: The Close. Give length of manuscript, your background as a writer and any other experience you bring to telling this story well. Tell the agent you’d be happy to send the manuscript at their request, then thank them for their time.

Sign it and send it off with a SASE.

Actually, the best thing you can do BEFORE signing and sending it off is to send it to friends who will tear the thing apart, question your wording, suggest improvements, and work with you to hammer out the best letter possible.  Friends who send the letter back to you untouched, saying it’s perfect are great friends.  You need those types of friends (and family members) to support your writing.  But they are not the ones to send this letter to.  You want ‘hammer’ friends.  Friends that will work with you to improve this letter.  Friends who will question any hype you’ve tried to work in, who will bash off unneeded adjectives, who will help clarify your hook.

Making the shift from artist to salesperson is necessary in this business.  And it’s easier with a little help from your writer friends.

Hey,  leave a comment about your query-writing-editing experience!

AWP in CHICAGO

The Association of Writers and Writers’ Programs (AWP) has one of the largest (if not THE largest) annual conference for writers.  Last year, it was in New York City (check out the review on ConferenceReviewsbyWriters.com), and this year it is in Chicago, February 11-14:    www.AWPwriter.org/conference/2009awpconf.php

Registration is closed, but the bookfair is open to the public (and there is no charge) on  Saturday, February 14.

Thousands of writers  and exhibitors (small presses, MFA programs, literary journals, and more) will converge soon at the Hilton Chicago.

Next year, the conference will be in Denver.

How Do You Rank Literary Journals?

Clifford Garstag has an interesting way of ranking literary journals.  Check out his method at:

http://perpetualfolly.blogspot.com/2008/12/2009-pushcart-prize-rankings.html

Liteerary Database 2009 takes another approach.  It flags all the journals which submit to the Best American Short Stories anthology (BASS) and adds another 200 quality journals to this list.  Literary Database contains all of the top journals that Garstag ranked and gives you all the information you need to quickly target and time your short story, essay, and poetry submissions.

A new update was just released last month.  Check out all the features at: LiteraryDatabase.com

AWP in Chicago!

The Literary Database Team had a great time at AWP in the Windy city.  It was great to see so many writers gathered together in one place. We enjoyed meeting so many of you and also wandering the bookfair and meeting the editors of journals listed in the Literary Database.

One of our favorite sessions was put on by four writers who talked about what writers can do to promote their books.  They vowed to blog about their ideas after the conference, so check out the SQUAD 365 blog at Squad365.Blogspot.com

A review of this conference will be posted soon at
ConferenceReviewsbyWriters.com. This is a great place to get the inside story about writers’ conferences from other writers. If you were at AWP, go to the site and submit your own review.

And if you’re writing short fiction, nonfiction essays, or poems, you need to check out LiteraryDatabase.com for the best submission database out there.  Created by writers, for writers.

Best First Line Contest

Literary Database sponsors the BEST FIRST LINE CONTEST.

Which of your stories has the strongest beginning, that opening line that pulls the reader in and won’t let them go?  This is where you open the world of the story to the reader (and the editor), so it’s got to be good.  In one sentence you introduce the tone of the story, the place, maybe even a character or two.

Enter your best first line for a chance to win a free copy of Literary Database.   We’ll post our favorites on the site through the month of April, and will choose a winner (or two if it’s close), and send the winner(s) a free copy of Literary Database 2009.

Literary Database is the  submission database created by writers, for writers.   It will help you send out that story with the great opening line to the publications where it will best find a life in print.  That’s where the world can read that first line and get sucked in to your story!

Enter at the contest page at LITERARY DATABASE.

Contests for Short Story Collections

You’ve written many short stories, maybe even had a few published with the help of Literary Database (the submission database created by writers for writers).

And now you have built connections between some of your stories, grouped them by theme or characters or setting.  There are some small presses which will consider short story collections, but another way to get them published is to enter the entire collection into a contest.

The Flannery O’Connor contest sponsored by the University of Georgia Press is probably the best known of these contests, but there are many more out there.  All charge a reading fee.

Bookmark Press deadline:  Jan 15               page count:  150-300 http://www.umkc.edu/bkmk/poetry.html

Sarabande submit:   Jan 1-Feb 15                   page count:  150-250 http://www.sarabandebooks.org/contest/mary_mccarthy_prize.html

AWP submit:  Jan 1-Feb 28                   page count:  150-300               http://awpwriter.org/contests/series.htm

Ohio State University submit:  January   page count:  150-300  http://www.ohiostatepress.org/

Prairie Schooner submit:  Jan 15-March 1  page minimum:  150 http://prairieschooner.unl.edu/prizes/index.html#Anchor-GUIDELINES-5055

Leapfrog submit:  Jan 15-May1            minimum words: 22K http://leapfrogpress.com/main-pages/FictionContest.htm

Spokane Prize submit:  March 1-May15     page minimum:  98 pages http://ewupress.ewu.edu

Flannery O’Connor submit:  April 1-May 31         words:  50k-75k http://www.ugapress.uga.edu/info_aup_submitfoc.html

Autumn House Press submit:  June 30                      pages:  200-300 http://www.autumnhouse.org/index.cfm?method=displayPage&pagename=Contest

Katherine Anne Porter submit:  July 1-Aug29          pages:  100-200          http:// web3.unt.edu/untpress/potential_authors.cfm#subkap

Iowa Press submit:  Aug 1-Sept 30         minimum pages:  150 http://writingcontests.wordpress.com/2006/06/22/iowa-short-fiction-contest/

Juniper Prize submit:  Aug 1-Sept 30         pages:   150-350 http://www.umass.edu/umpress/juniper_fiction_guidelines.html

Bakeless submit:  Sept 15-Nov 1         pages:  150-450 http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/blwc/bakeless/

Tartts Contest submit by:  Dec. 31               page minimum:  160 http://www.livingstonpress.uwa.edu/htm%20(web%20pages)/Main%20Website%20Pages /tartt_first_fiction_award.htm

Check each website for any changes in contest dates and for fees and submission addresses.

And good luck in all your literary endeavors.

-The Literary Database Team

Writing Conferences Reviewed by WRITERS

Conference Reviews by Writers is a place for writers to  share information about the writing conferences that take place all over the country.

How do you choose which conference you are going to attend? If you read the information that each conference produces to promote itself, it is certainly all upbeat and promising.  But will it live up to the hype? Will it be worth your time and money? Which conferences give you the most bang for the buck?

We’ve asked all of our writers to be candid about their experiences so that you can make an informed decision about which conferences to attend. We’ve even found a free conference that rivals some of the best (and most costly) conferences out there.  [Check out the review for StoryWeek in Chicago!]

There are many conferences reviewed on the site in locations from New York to San Francisco and all points between.  Literary Database is pleased to sponsor this site!

If you’ve attended a conference in the past, feel free to submit a review.

Writer Websites

So, you’ve published a few short stories and are at work on a novel. Do you need a website about your writing?  Or maybe you have a book contract, but it won’t be published for another year.  Should you still have a website?

I know writers who have published multiple books and still don’t have a site, and other writers who put up a site once they’ve published their first short story.  So, there is no ‘right’ answer here.  Websites can be a great tool to let people know about you and your work.

If you are thinking about getting a website, here are some things you might consider as you begin:

1.  Google your favorite writers and check out their websites

2.  What features did you like about their sites?

3.  How did they make their site ’sticky,’ that is, make you spend more time there?

4.  What’s special about you (hopefully related to your writing) that can add interest to your site?

I spoke with Phil Rugel at Rugel Designs (RugelDesigns.com) about what writers should have figured out when they hire him to design their sites.  He that at suggested the bare minimum they should know:

1.  How many pages they want

2.  A basic color palatte

3. A head shot

4.  At least two writer sites that they really like

Phil says that he can then build upon this to get a great site up for any writer, either just starting out or on their way with a book or two.

Apple Computers has some great do-it-yourself web designing software if you are Mac-savvy and want to use a template.

So,  surf the web, find sticky sites, and take notes!