Gossip Overheard at Pikes Peak Writers Conference
I was a faculty member at the recent Pikes Peak Writers Conference (a fantastic event for writers if you are looking for one next year) and it was great to hear other agents and editors answer questions from the audience and list their do's and don'ts. I thought I'd share.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN AGENT OR EDITOR IS ASKED A HUNDRED QUESTIONS A WEEK?
The most recent trend in query letters, and one that sets agents and editors on edge, is the first sentence question query. Like this:
"What would you do if you woke up one morning with no memory of who you were?"
"Can a bright seven-year-old with ADD save the world from an alien attack?
"What happens when two brothers compete to inherit $10 million in a winner-take-all will?
So, if you've got a query letter that begins with a question, rewrite it or face rejection. (Or at least a negative attitude from the editor/agent while reading your submission!)
CHICK LIT IS DEADER THAN LAST YEAR'S MANOLO BLAHNIKS
If you don't know what chick lit is, then you probably don't care that it has fallen out of favor with the reading public. If you write chick lit romance, you're going to have to make those designer clothes, shoes and handbags supernatural if you want to sell your work. But don't worry. Fashion, like reader preferences, tends to cycle around. Put your manuscript in a drawer, write something about a vampire (they're fashion trend setters, no?) and like a fine wine your chick lit will get better with age. Or at least it may become popular with a future generation. You'll probably have to update the designer names at that time, but what fun your research will be!
URBAN FANTASY IS HOT; EPIC FANTASY IS NOT
As a lover of all types of fantasy, this is sad, but predictable. Urban fantasy--a relatively new sub-genre where preternatural creatures have come out of the closet (or coffin) and we mortals now acknowledge that they live among us--is so popular with today's readers it has literally knocked sword & sorcery/epic/traditional fantasy off the bookstore shelves. Of course this will even out or even reverse over time, so Beowulf-lovers don't lose heart! But if you feel like delving into a contemporary storyline with no holds barred and very few boundaries, give urban fantasy a spin. Release your inner werewolf or demon hunter and have fun with it. (And email me the first 10 pages when you're finished!)
YA IS HEALTHY IN EVERY GENRE
Young Adult books--the category created in the late 1970's since some very astute bookseller noticed that teens refused to step near the children's section of his store yet were confused by the maze of adult selections--are as popular as the newest iPod or cell phone. YA titles that range from romance to fantasy to adventure to serious contemporary issues are flying off bookstore shelves. A word of warning to would-be YA scribes...perfecting that YA voice is difficult and tricky, so read a lot of YA bestsellers before you decide to plunge into these waters.
INSPIRATIONAL FICTION IS DOWN; EROTICA IS UP
Okay, I'm not even going to comment on this one.
IS THERE A NEW TYPE OF WESTERN FICTION?
I know I'm searching for a brand new type of western. One that would be popular with modern readers. One that does not rehash the same old stories. One whose characters SOUND like a person from today--okay, not with the slang and dialect of this era, but equally not with the "pa-and-ma" vernacular or cowboy idioms of the 1800s. What do I mean by this? Not exactly sure. Maybe a fictional tale of a teenaged Annie Oakley or Billie the Kid. Or a meeting of two real-life heroes, but with a fictional storyline. I'm thinking how popular the television show THE WILD, WILD WEST was back in the day and I'm looking for something similar that today's readers would dig. The problem with traditional westerns is that the market is so tiny. I need a bigger book for a larger market. Anyone got one?
Okay, that's it for today. I've got a lot of work to do.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN AGENT OR EDITOR IS ASKED A HUNDRED QUESTIONS A WEEK?
The most recent trend in query letters, and one that sets agents and editors on edge, is the first sentence question query. Like this:
"What would you do if you woke up one morning with no memory of who you were?"
"Can a bright seven-year-old with ADD save the world from an alien attack?
"What happens when two brothers compete to inherit $10 million in a winner-take-all will?
So, if you've got a query letter that begins with a question, rewrite it or face rejection. (Or at least a negative attitude from the editor/agent while reading your submission!)
CHICK LIT IS DEADER THAN LAST YEAR'S MANOLO BLAHNIKS
If you don't know what chick lit is, then you probably don't care that it has fallen out of favor with the reading public. If you write chick lit romance, you're going to have to make those designer clothes, shoes and handbags supernatural if you want to sell your work. But don't worry. Fashion, like reader preferences, tends to cycle around. Put your manuscript in a drawer, write something about a vampire (they're fashion trend setters, no?) and like a fine wine your chick lit will get better with age. Or at least it may become popular with a future generation. You'll probably have to update the designer names at that time, but what fun your research will be!
URBAN FANTASY IS HOT; EPIC FANTASY IS NOT
As a lover of all types of fantasy, this is sad, but predictable. Urban fantasy--a relatively new sub-genre where preternatural creatures have come out of the closet (or coffin) and we mortals now acknowledge that they live among us--is so popular with today's readers it has literally knocked sword & sorcery/epic/traditional fantasy off the bookstore shelves. Of course this will even out or even reverse over time, so Beowulf-lovers don't lose heart! But if you feel like delving into a contemporary storyline with no holds barred and very few boundaries, give urban fantasy a spin. Release your inner werewolf or demon hunter and have fun with it. (And email me the first 10 pages when you're finished!)
YA IS HEALTHY IN EVERY GENRE
Young Adult books--the category created in the late 1970's since some very astute bookseller noticed that teens refused to step near the children's section of his store yet were confused by the maze of adult selections--are as popular as the newest iPod or cell phone. YA titles that range from romance to fantasy to adventure to serious contemporary issues are flying off bookstore shelves. A word of warning to would-be YA scribes...perfecting that YA voice is difficult and tricky, so read a lot of YA bestsellers before you decide to plunge into these waters.
INSPIRATIONAL FICTION IS DOWN; EROTICA IS UP
Okay, I'm not even going to comment on this one.
IS THERE A NEW TYPE OF WESTERN FICTION?
I know I'm searching for a brand new type of western. One that would be popular with modern readers. One that does not rehash the same old stories. One whose characters SOUND like a person from today--okay, not with the slang and dialect of this era, but equally not with the "pa-and-ma" vernacular or cowboy idioms of the 1800s. What do I mean by this? Not exactly sure. Maybe a fictional tale of a teenaged Annie Oakley or Billie the Kid. Or a meeting of two real-life heroes, but with a fictional storyline. I'm thinking how popular the television show THE WILD, WILD WEST was back in the day and I'm looking for something similar that today's readers would dig. The problem with traditional westerns is that the market is so tiny. I need a bigger book for a larger market. Anyone got one?
Okay, that's it for today. I've got a lot of work to do.
I'm from South Dakota. I've been trying for years to tell a quintessential story about the place, but everything I assay has turned into serious weird. Eh. Maybe someday I'll be good enough to pull it off.