StorytimeWednesday

  Can you send query letters to multiple agents or publishers? Of course, you can send out multiple query letters to as many agents and publishers as you like. However, I’d caution you to be very careful in doing this because you don’t want to send the same letter to various agents or publishers only to realize that you’ve written a mystery novel and you’re about to send a package off to an agent or publisher that primarily specializes in sci-fi or romance novels.  Be sure to research who you are going to send a query letter to before you do anything. Prepare a list of agents or publishers that you want to query and be sure that they accept unsolicited query letters before you send anything to them. Know their stable of authors and books also. Revise your query letter to cater to their stable of authors and their likes. The last thing you want to do is send a letter to someone who hates mystery novels and who will take your letter and pitch it in the trash. This will not only ...

  I’m always asked how to write a query letter to a potential agent or publisher. It’s simple, It’s a letter that checks all the boxes and is especially unique to your manuscript and to the genre to which the agent or publisher specializes. Don’t send a query letter to an agent or publisher that doesn’t specialize in your genre. For example, if you’re writing a mystery novel that is filled with blood guts and gore don’t send your query letter to an agent or publisher that specializes in romance or sci-fi stories, your letter will never be read. Start your letter off with a quick paragraph that introduces you, and your work to the person the letter is addressed to. For example, start the letter off with this line: I’m writing to you in the hopes of obtaining representation for “The Name of your work”, a 90,000-word adult mystery novel that is the first in a future series called “Blank Series”.  Include your hook line in this paragraph. Then in the next paragraph, describe the m...

  How to Write a Synopsis for a book or screenplay! A synopsis is basically a summary of not only the plot but the storyline of any book or screenplay. Not only should your summary be intriguing to the point where the reader doesn’t want to put it down. The first paragraph should have a line that is your hook. Your hook plus summary should entice your reader to want to read your entire manuscript even though the summary will give them all the twists and turns of the actual storyline. Three things should be included in your summary, your hook, your main plot, and your arc. It should also include the conclusion of the story tying the entire story up in a nice bow for the reader. Before I write any book, storyline, or screenplay, I always write the synopsis because It’s my blueprint for my project and helps me stay on point for the story. Once the synopsis is written I begin writing the screenplay, just so I can get the story out of my head along with who is in each scene and the ...