Expert: Cathy Clamp - 7/6/2007

Question
QUESTION: Dear Ms. Clamp,

Hello again!  

I now have a potential crisis/triumph on my hands.  Friday I received a letter from a reputable children's literary agency--they want to read my Josh Powers manuscript!

Triumph?  Maybe.  But I'm not holding my breath.  What's that saying about keeping one foot grounded in reality?

Although I must admit it's been fun dreaming that this agent will love Josh Powers and want to represent me  ;)

Crisis?  Probably!  I've never received an agent's invitation to submit a manuscript--only rejections, until this past Friday.

I really don't want to screw this up.  Granted, it isn't life or death, but here is a chance--a chance!  I have to do this correctly.  My manuscript is ready and complete, with proper pagination (Name/Shortened title/page number).  Besides a short cover letter to reintroduce myself and Josh Powers, is there anything else I should do/know?

Also--another agent asked to see "The first ten pages".  This might be another lead, but we'll see.  If they want to see the first ten pages, what should I do if the tenth page lies in the middle of a chapter?  Should I send eleven (twelve, etc), or less (eight, nine)?  I've read/been told to follow an agent/publisher's instructions EXACTLY.

If there's anything else I should know about this sort of thing (agents, etc), please tell me now.  Again, I'm not entirely confident that this agent will want to represent Josh Powers; in fact, I'm almost certain that another rejection is in store for me.  But isn't this a good sign?  Isn't it indicative that my work may be interesting and saleable, if only slightly indicative?

Thanks for your help!  I'm going nuts over all this stuff, but it's something of a good brand of nuts.  And at the very least, I've enjoyed a short "vacation" from rejection letters ;)

Thanks!

Junior

ANSWER: LOL! Well, first you need to leave the negative attitude at the door! :) Why WOULDN'T the agent fall in love with it? You wrote it, didn't you? First, if you're confident about the agency's background--if you've already made certain that they're not a scam agency, and have checked to see that they've SOLD books like yours to first tier publishers (and if you don't know where to look to find out, just let me know and I'll send you to a good place to check,) then do send the full manuscript as requested. Unlike a query letter, a full ms. cover letter is a piece of cake to write. It would look something like this. Feel free to change the wording around so it sounds "like you":

**************

July 5, 2007


Ms. XXXX XXXX, Editor
ABC Publishing Co.
123 S. Main Street
New York, NY 10010

Re:  Full Manuscript request

Dear Ms. XXXX:

Pursuant to your recent correspondence (a copy of which I've attached) please find enclosed the full manuscript of my novel, MY BESTSELLER. A #10 self-addressed stamped envelope is included for your convenience in responding. I appreciate your time in giving this a read, and look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Junior

************

That's it! Pretty simple, huh? Make certain that you include your name, address, day/night phone numbers and email addy at the top or bottom so they can reach you if the answer is "Yes." Likely the agent will call you to discuss the book if they're interested. Now, only send a #10 envelope if you DON'T want the manuscript back. That's the agent's signal to discard the manuscript. If you DO want it back, you'll have to include sufficient postage on a large envelope, which is why most writers just let them discard it. Don't worry. Good agents don't steal manuscripts. They make their money from commissions after they SELL the manuscript. In either case, word the letter so the agent knows what you've included.

I tend to enclose a copy of the letter/email the agent sent for two reasons. First, once they've responded to your query, the details tend to slip away from their mind in the day to day press of business. Second, when your package is received, it'll likely be forwarded from the mail room to an assistant who will open it. By including a copy of the letter FROM the agent, the assistant will know that it's "really" a requested manuscript. Yeah, people actually say it was requested when it wasn't--apparently in the hopes that the agent won't have remembered.

Then, on the OUTER envelope, write in black marker (before you put in the manuscript, so it doesn't bleed through) "REQUESTED MANUSCRIPT" in the lower left corner. That will move it from the mail room directly to the agent's office.

As for the request for ten pages, send TEN pages. The agent knows that it's probably not the end of the chapter. The point is 1) to see if you can follow instructions, which is important to determine if you'll be a good client; and 2) to see if they WANT to turn the next page to see what the rest of the sentence was. If you can't hook them mid-chapter, why keep reading? And, so long as the first agent didn't request an "exclusive read" where they don't want any other agent to review it until they're done, you're free to send out as many partials or full copies of the manuscript as you want. However, if you're offered representation and decide to accept, it's polite to contact the other agencies to let them know. All the agents know it's part of the business. They expect that you're going to send out multiple submissions.

Now you just need to relax. Send out the pages and get back to writing on the next book! That'll keep your mind off the wait . . . and it'll be a LONG wait. Full manuscript reads can take from 2-6 months. Don't panic or try to rush the process. A good agent will not only read the manuscript, but re-read sections a second or third time, and then try to decide where they can sell it, all BEFORE they contact you back. That takes time. So just let it go, continue to send out partials or full manuscripts when requested and let it slide from your mind. Start on your next work and try to be Zen about it. :D

Good luck!

Cathy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Cathy.  This is all first-rate stuff!  I knew some parts, but I learned a lot too!  Thank you!  

I don't have a negative attitude, by the way--do I sound like that?  I was just going for a bit of humor.  Guess I failed miserably :)  I never put that sort of stuff in my pro writing, though.  On "official documents" I'm strictly a self-confident author  ;)


He hasn't asked for the full manuscript yet, but I'm hoping that my ten pages will really wow him.  I haven't even let myself fantasize about acceptance yet--right now my fantasies revolve around him just wanting to see the full book!

One last question: others have told me not to write Book Two until the first one is accepted.  I've been informed that I should get to work on Book Two after One is finished, or when the publisher instructs me to write it.  Isn't it a potentially terrible waste of time to write all five books now, since Book One may never be sold?

And about being Zen...fat chance  ;)   I can't help it.  I'm a worrier, although I don't hinge my entire future on Josh Powers.

Not ENTIRELY  =P

Thanks again!  You really are great!

Sincerely,

Junior



ANSWER: Okay, there are two sides to writing on book 2. On one side, you'll have TWO completed manuscripts to present to a publisher that's interested in the first one. Most agents try desperately to sell a two book deal, because it often takes that second book to find an audience. So that's a BIG plus for an agent that's enthusiastic about the first one. I don't know if you've heard of Jim Butcher. He writes The Dresden Files (it's now a series on the SciFi channel) He told me he wrote the first FOUR books before he got an agent, and that it was a huge relief for him because the agent could sell a THREE book deal on the strength of the three completed manuscripts.

Now, that said--the PROBLEM with writing multiple books in a series before you've sold the first one is that if the editor wants a drastic change to the world or the characters during edits, it spells problems for the next books. However, ANYTHING can be edited. One of the most prolific authors in the world, Nora Roberts, once said in an interview that whatever she writes starts out as her POS (pile of sh**) but that so long as it's on paper, it's fixable. So, as long as you're going into the next books with the knowledge that everything might change, you're good. Don't worry about what your friends say. You can thumb your nose when your agent sells that three book deal--that are already written! LOL!

And I'm a worrier too, so I know how you feel. But you have to be careful about even JOKING about negativity. You have to be uber-confident about your work in writing--whether blogs or emails or even stuff like this. It doesn't matter to me all that much, but for some people, it's not a far jump from "Oh, I know it'll be rejected." to "Well, then it probably DESERVES to be rejected, if the author doesn't even like it." See the issue? :)

My advice is to go forth and write Book 2, but keep an open mind about characters and plot and world vision. Make it wonderful, but don't be so married to it that it becomes "your baby." It's a product, like a bar of soap. Keep that in mind, and you'll do fine. :D

Cathy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello once more,

I just wanted to have something clarified:  should I write all five books now, or is it better to wait and see what happens with Book One before diving into the rest of the books?  Or should I write the next three?  I'm so confused now  =P  You make a good argument for waiting, and a good argument for jumping into the rest of the books...

Let me put it this way: if you were in this situation (you have Book One written, with four left in the series), what would you do?  I know nothing about this stuff--this is my first contact with an agency EVER (excepting reject letters).  If it were Cathy sitting in my place, what would SHE do??

The eternal nuisance,

Junior

Answer
How about I tell you what I DID do in your place? I kept writing, but not all on the same series. I DID write the second book and an outline of the third. Then I started on a different world.  See, here's the thing:

What happens if the first book flops? Despite our best efforts, it can happen. So, let's say your wonderful agent sold a two-book deal on the strength of a pair of manuscripts, but THEN the first book shot craps with readers? Your editor might well say, "Okay, we're canceling that series for now. Too many returns. Give me something else for the second book." Yeah, they can do that.

So, write the second book in the Josh series. Make it GORGEOUS--tight plot, perfect prose, snappy dialogue. Then write a few bits and pieces about what you PLAN to do in book three. Plot, returning characters, new characters, and then set it aside. Then, start on a different world. Get excited about new people and places and things. Keep the new series in the same sort of genre (again, in case Book 1 flops) so the two books will wind up on the same shelf in the bookstore, side by side. That gives readers a chance to "discover" your first book if it's the second series that hits it big instead. It doubles your chances to get an audience, AND it proves that you're more than a "one-trick pony." Agents (and editors) like authors who can keep producing new stuff.

Is that clear enough? <g>

Cathy