More on Querying

If you want to see your novel published, the querying process is one of the first challenges that you need to deal with effectively. I don’t have the numbers, and the estimates I have read vary so much that it’s difficult to pin the number of queries literary agents receive every day.  I do know for sure they add up to a huge number. Irrespective of this number, the fact remains that the query determines whether your book project will proceed to the next stop or not. Here are a few posts from experts to supplement what I had written some days ago in a post:  “On Querying”.

On Querying

As mentioned earlier, I am in the process of querying for my third thriller, “Let The Dead Stay Dead.” As always it has been a hugely educative experience.  I had the opportunity to see many interesting websites and blogs of literary agents and was totally lost in the wealth of knowledge and perspectives found there. This is by no means a comprehensive list. I am only mentioning top of the mind a few points that have stayed with me.

Editing “Let The Dead Stay Dead”

A writing project I am currently engaged in is the editing of my third thriller, “Let The Dead Stay Dead.” I found it quite fascinating to return to this manuscript which had been put on the back burner in October 2012. You may recall that I had written the first 50,000 words for “Let The Dead Stay Dead” during NaNoWriMo of 2011.

Editing Your Manuscript

I have been an avid fan of the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it is popularly called since I first took part in this annual writing competition in 2009. After that I have successfully completed NaNo, for short, in 2010, 2011 and more recently in 2012. In essence, this means I have written 50,000 words every November for what we call our NaNoNovel, for the last four years on the trot.

“A Toast To Plum: Celebrating P.G.Wodehouse”- An Update

This writing project has gone for a toss! It was so dear to my heart and I had great hopes of it becoming a published book that Wodehouse fans the world over would enjoy. However, the plan seems to have become unstuck. I failed in my attempt to persuade the Trustees of the Wodehouse Estate to grant permission for its eventual publication. They didn’t seem to have been impressed by my preliminary inquiry. Perhaps I should have made out a formal book proposal.

Writing A Book Proposal

Till now I have written fiction and the process generally followed to get your manuscript finally published as a book is one I am familiar with. Key points here are to write a strong query, a succinct but interesting synopsis and of course have some top quality writing in the first few chapters. Without these, I am afraid, you may not succeed in your efforts to get your book published. But hang on a moment, is the submission process the same for non-fiction?

Writing A Synopsis

Done with your novel? Writing work over? Great, because the tough part starts now! If you thought writing the novel was the difficult part and it will be smooth sailing from hereon till the book is published amongst a burst of flashes from the Press cameras at the book launch, you are in for a surprise. The tough part begins now.

Novel or Query? Which Is More Difficult?

Which is more difficult to write? Novel or query? No prizes for guessing! It has to be the query!! As the days go by, I discover that writing a 80,000 word novel was so much easier than writing a query. I would like to share my learnings for the benefit of others who might be in a similar position – now or later: