Q: I just purchased the 2008 Guide to Literary Agents. I am an author of three books, all of them published by POD publishers. Looking at the agents' requirements, some only except published authors. I am working on my fourth book and this one I would like to find an agent for. My question is: Shall I tell the agent in my query that I am a published author by POD publishers? I know they want to know how my books are doing, etc.
      - Gabe

A: Let me address this in two parts. Some agents indeed will request that "only published authors" query them. Usually, these are established agents who are not "actively" building their client list. Requesting only published authors is their way of trying to eliminate most of the slush that comes in. The best way to get signed by a high-level agent like this is through a referral or meeting them at a conference/retreat.

As for the POD books, sure you can mention them. If I were you, I would mention it at the bottom of your query very briefly (don't even include the titles just yet). That way, you are being upfront about your publishing past, but not drawing a whole lot of attention to it. If you mention your POD books in the first line or two, the agent may stop reading simply because of the stigma that goes along with self-publishing and POD work. Let the agent/editor see your pitch and get hooked. If they are interested enough, your bio details (such as the POD books) will have no effect.

Hope that helps.

At the conference last weekend, an attendee raised a complaint to agents and editors when we were all sitting together on a panel. Rejections letters he received over time were usually impersonal - without any comments as to why the story was rejected; sometimes the letters were often xeroxed to the point that the text was barely legible, if at all. He felt insulted by these letters.

Various agents on the panel took turns addressing his concerns. The consensus was that agents do not have time to personalize rejections in almost any way. Occasionally, agents will have "checklists," where they will check a box saying why they rejected something (e.g. "POV confusion," "I don't handle this category of fiction," etc.).

Miriam Hees, publisher of Blooming Tree Press, said it like this: She was spending so much time trying to personalize rejections that her slush pile contained material more than a year old. She changed her policies, figuring that a cold, impersonal rejection was more compassionate to a writer than keeping their manuscript for a crazy amount of time. Makes sense to me.

That said, everyone agreed that rejections with the wrong book title pasted in, or rejections that were not readable, were not fair to writers. (To avoid the latter problem, use e-queries where possible!)

While we're talking about rejections, it's important to mention that more and more agents have adopted the policy of only responding to queries if interested. Usually, they are upfront about this policy and their reply timeframe. If they say "We will reply within 6 weeks, only if interested," you should probably wait eight to be certain. After that, consider it a "no" and move on.

Blooming Tree Press

I just got an e-mail from someone working at Writers in the Sky Literary Agency, a (practically) brand new agency that was openly looking for clients. They have shut down for good, it seems. I had previously profiled their agency on the blog.

By the way, I have tagged this post "Random Updates." To see more updates, click on this category on the left side of the Web page. "Random Updates" includes changes in information such as 
      - Agency closures
      - Changes in address
      - Agents leaving one agency to join another
      - Etc.

Lindstrom Literary Management has a new Web site, as well. Check it out and review the detailed submission guidelines.

A few months ago, Lindstrom sent out a notice saying they were temporarily closed to submissions. As far as I can tell from all the Web site info, that is no longer the case. Check them out and see if they're worth a query.

Here's what they handle: 

Commercial fiction
Thrillers and mysteries
Women's fiction
Narrative nonfiction
Biography/memoir
Current events

The agency does not handle young adult or children's books, or short stories and poetry.

Lindstrom Literary Management, LLC
871 N. Greenbrier Street
Arlington, VA 22205
(703) 522-4730
lindstromlit@aol.com (NEW E-MAIL)

Laura Gross Literary Agency

75 Clinton Place, Newton MA 02459. Phone: (617)964-2977. Fax: (617)964-3023. E-mail: LGLitAg@aol.com; lgross@lauragrossliteraryagency.com. Contact: Laura Gross. Prefers established writers, mostly referrals. Prior to becoming an agent, Ms. Gross was an editor. Established: 1988. Represents 30 clients. 75% of clients are new/unpublished writers. Currently Handles: 40% nonfiction, 50% novels, 10% scholarly books

Nonfiction areas of interest: Biography, Child Guidance/Parenting, Current Affairs, Ethnic/Cultural, Government/Politics, Health, History, Memoirs, Popular Culture, Psychology, Sports, Women's Issues. Fiction areas of interest: Historical, Literary, Mainstream/Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller. How to Contact: Query with SASE. Submit author bio. Accepts e-mail queries. No fax queries. Responds in several days to queries; several weeks to manuscripts.

Sold 10+ titles in the last year. This agency prefers not to share information on specific sales. Terms: Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 20% commission on foreign sales. Offers written contract.

Unless you're meeting an agent in person at a writers' conference, a query is your first method of contact with an agent - so it better be good. A query letter, simply put, is a one-page letter that you send to an agent (or editor) that details: 1) What are the details of the work? 2) What is the story? 3) Who are you?

Writing a good query is a crucial step to snagging an agent. With that in mind, here are some Tuesday morning query writing tips for everyone:

• Queries are single-spaced. The paragraphs are pushed left and separated by a blank line.
• Keep the font simple, such as Arial or Times New Roman.
• Always personalize your query. No "Dear Agent" stuff.
• Stick to the basics. You don't need to throw in personal information about yourself, such as your age, the writers you admire, or your history as a dirt bike racer.
• Always include your contact information. Typically, you can put everything at the top of the page, centered.
• Be professional and humble.
• Don't promise anything outside your capability. If you write a nonfiction query and throw in tidbits concerning how you will publicize the book, don't mention you can get on MSNBC if you have no means to do so.
• Avoid saying "My novel is..."
• Don't mention how long it took you to write the novel, or how many other agents you've queried, or that the story takes place in your hometown of Pleasesignme, Ohio.
• Always include the basic info early. Here's a sample line: "I think you would be a great literary representative for my completed 90,000-word thriller, Dead Cat Bounce." Notice that, in one simple sentence, I told the agent the title, the word count, the genre, and the fact that it's completed.

More questions come in concerning
agents, queries, and all the rest.
Questions from Dean.

Q: The query letter, as I understand it, is supposed to contain no more than one paragraph devoted to summarizing the entire novel. In the sample query letter you provide (in the 2008 Guide to Literary Agents), the paragraph, in this case, ends with three questions (intended to make the agent want to invite the author to submit a synopsis). So, I'm confused. Do I construct a single paragraph that summarizes the story in full or do I just tease the agent like this author did?

A: If you can pitch your novel in one paragraph, great. Some queries have two paragraphs, and that's OK as well. Just make it concise and effective. 
      You do not want to summarize the entire story (e.g., bad guy dies at the end). You want to leave the ending open, much like you would see on the back of a DVD in a videostore. So, yes, you will tease the agent, though using questions isn't necessarily the best way - it just worked for that query in the 2008 GLA. Most pitches I read don't use questions such as "Will he make it to the island in time?" It all just depends...

Q: As the author of a fictional manuscript, should I prepare a short synopsis (3-5 pages) or forget about this and put together a much longer and more formal proposal if/when I'm invited to submit more information subsequent to the query letter?

A: Real quick: It's a fiction manuscript. A fictional manuscript would mean that the manuscript itself does not exist! 
      Yes, start putting together a synopsis now. In fact, many agents request "a query and a synopsis." To learn about writing synopses, see this previous post and this post as well.

Q: If I'm invited to submit the entire manuscript, should it be sent single-or double-sided? Single- or double-spaced? Is there a particular cover material and binding I should use? Is a title page required?

A: Double-space your text. I've heard some people say that they use a "larger font" such as Courier New so that it's easily readable. You can do this if you like, but it will take up more pages and cost more. No title page is required but you can have a "Contact Page" where you have all your information as well as the title. Make sure you list all your contact info at the top of the first page of the manuscript (where the text starts). Number your pages and have a header. 
      Use single-sided text. You don't need to bind it. Using a large black binder clip should be good enough.