Category Archives: Submissions

Lead With Your Strongest Info by W. Terry Whalin

W. Terry WhalinIt is something I learned early on as a journalist: your writing must begin with strength. What is the most intriguing question or strongest quotation or provocative sentence to start your query letter or your pitch to the editor or agent?

In pitches and proposals from unpublished writers, I often see critical information buried. As a reader, I know many agents and editors will never discover this information because they gave up after the opening paragraph.

Last Fall, I met an author with a strong gift book proposal. While Morgan James Publishing doesn’t produce this type of book, there are many well-respected publishers who make gift books. This author had something unusual in her proposal: a strong endorsement from a well-known author. Yet it was buried on the last page of her proposal.

I reviewed her pitch letter or query and while she referred to the endorsement, it did not contain any of the actual words. I suggested she start with a small portion of the endorsement because it would catch positive attention.

Here’s the critical fact that many people forget: agents and editors receive a high volume of submissions. They have many factors tugging for their attention besides submissions which makes them skim through the submissions making quick decisions about reading it in depth or rejecting it.

It’s always surprising to me what a little reorganization can do to strengthen a pitch. The quotation from the well-known author catches attention and pulled the editor or agent to take a more detailed reading of this author’s work. Something simple like this can be the difference between acceptance and rejection.

The first step for any writer is to get their material into the marketplace and in front of the editors. Many writers are missing this critical step and not taking action to send out their work.

If you are taking this step and collecting a number of rejections, I suggest you take a fresh look at your pitch or query. Ask a few questions:

  • Do I have the strongest material in my pitch in the first paragraph or the first sentence?
  • Can I read my pitch with fresh eyes and see how the editor or agent is reacting to it?
  • Am I missing something critical that I’ve left out of the package? One of the most difficult things to see in your own work is something that is missing.
  • Can I add an endorsement or provocative quotation or something to get additional attention?

There are many other methods to gain the editor’s attention but these questions will give you some direction in this area. In our busy world, the writer has to take action and lead with their strongest information.

If you make these changes, write me and let me know how it worked out or helped you. I’m always eager to read your comments and feedback.

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W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing, lives in Irvine, California. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com.

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author will be used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Open Every Door of Opportunity

W. Terry WhalinAs an author, I want to knock on lots of different doors of opportunity then be prepared to march through any of them when they open. It takes courage to often knock in the face of rejection but the opportunities will never come if you don’t continue trying. I know those last statements are not real profound. You would be surprised how many would-be authors give up during the journey. They should continue growing in their craft and ability to write. Plus they need to continue knocking on the doors of opportunity.

As an illustration, I’m going to use my Book Proposals That Sell. This proven book continues to help various writers with their dreams of getting a traditional publisher for their book. Last week I heard from another author who had used the information in this book and received a book contract. I’d much rather have someone pay me to write a book through writing a book proposal than self-publish (or pay someone else) to get the book into print. There are many reasons to take this route yet many have not found the right keys to open that door.

If you’ve read some of my work in my blog called The Writing Life, you know I’ve worked hard (and continue to work hard) to get the word out about the results from Book Proposals That Sell. I continue to sell and promote the trade paperback through different channels. This promotion will continue as I speak at different conferences in the months ahead and other means. Many readers have encouraged their friends to purchase the book. A number of my editor and agent friends will hold up the book at other conferences and I use a number of other resources to spread the word about this product.

Some time ago I opened another door of opportunity for this book. Now anyone reading these words can promote Book Proposals That Sell to your own Ezine or your own audience—and profit from it financially. I hold the exclusive electronic rights for this book. I’ve created an electronic version of the book and created an affiliate program. You can see my promotional page for this book at this link. You can join my affiliate program here. The affiliate program is a simple registration form (three minutes or less to complete). You will have access to various promotional tools such as advertising you can use in an email or your Ezine or banner ads you can use in HTML newsletters or on your personal website. Why would you do it? I’m going to send you 50% of the profits for any sales from it (much higher than Amazon.com’s Associate program or almost any other means). My affiliate program has a number of products and promotional tools which are free for anyone who joins the program.

In the past, I’ve attempted to get publishers and literary agents to include the book as a recommended resource. A few people (not many) have taken this step and included the book on their websites. Now I’ve increased their motivation because they can actually earn money from the recommendation. I was trying to appeal to their noble nature and get better book proposals—which I know firsthand comes from someone reading and applying this information. If you have an Ezine or a website or an email list of people who dream of getting a book published, go over to this link and sign up for the Affiliate program, then apply the information wherever you can do it.

I want to knock on every door of opportunity and help as many people as possible to create an excellent book proposal. After reading thousands of proposals and even writing two proposals that earned a six-figure advance, I understand that you have seconds to grab the attention of an agent or editor. My goal is for you to be successful as a writer. Some people say that traditional publishing is over and it is impossible to get a royalty book deal. That’s not true. Every day agents and editors are actively looking for excellent projects. The truth is that many of the pitches need more work and refinement.

What can you do to produce an excellent proposal? The absolute best step in my view is to join my 12 lesson three month online Write A Book Proposal course. You will gain my current teaching about how to create an eye-catching proposal. My goal is for every writer to produce a better proposal because with a better proposal, you will have increased opportunities from literary agents and editors. I wish you every success.

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and editor, lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com.

If you found this post useful, please use the Share links to spread the word to other authors.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Hello All, Dee here. I’ll be conducting a FREE eBook formatting workshop for people who are signed up for my monthly newsletter.
Topic: eBook Formatting Basics for Fiction Titles Cost: Free Date: March, 24, 2012 Time: 3-4 p.m. Central Location: Become A Successful Author Website (link and password will be given the day before the event)


Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for? Become A Successful Author will be used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author (eBook) for only $4.99 from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble  or print copies for only $7.99 by using the Contact page of this website and tell Dee know how many copies you’d like and shipping address. She’ll email the ordering information. Or you can purchase the print version from any book store for $9.99.

What’s in a Synopsis?

Shelia M. GossA synopsis is a condensed version of your full length novel. A synopsis is normally anywhere from two to five pages long. Although books and articles give different lengths, I’ve been told by industry professionals that a two page synopsis is sufficient so for the sake of this blog post this will be my focus.

A lot of agents and publishers request not only a query letter, but a synopsis during your first initial contact. The synopsis tells the reader exactly what your book is about. It should capture the essence of your novel from chapter one to the end. Keep in mind that you should not leave questions unanswered in your synopsis. I know when writing book reviews, you don’t tell the whole story out of fear of spoiling the story for the reader. But for the synopsis, please tell the reader what happened. Don’t leave the reader guessing. Stick to key points that will entice the reader to keep reading the synopsis until the only option they feel like they have is to read your manuscript.

Key things to remember when writing your synopsis:

  • Your synopsis should mirror your novel. The person reading should be able to tell your writing style by reading your synopsis.
  • Write in present tense.
  • Write in third person.
  • Your opening paragraph or the last sentence of the opening paragraph should have a hook.
  • Introduce your main characters. Show the internal and external conflicts they face in your story. Your synopsis is not the place to mention all of your minor characters unless the minor character causes a major conflict with your main character and is an integral part of your story.
  • Make sure you add transitional sentences so that the synopsis flows from paragraph to paragraph
  • Only include the major scenes or high points of your novel in your synopsis.
  • Edit your synopsis before submitting it.

Shelia M Goss
http://www.sheliagoss.com

Shelia is giving away a copy of her “Query EBook Workshop.” For your chance at this excellent workshop, you have to leave a comment here or on her Self-Publishing-Is It For You? post between now and Sunday Oct. 9, 2011. I’m (Deatri) also giving away a copy of Become A Successful Author to someone who comments on any of the site’s posts between now and Sunday Oct. 9. 2011. Winners are announced on the Winners page of this website.


Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for? Become A Successful Author covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author (eBook) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble