So I submitted 6 e-queries for my paranormal romance. (2 were online forms, 4 were emails.) The thing is...the partial is ready. Done, edited, polished, ready to face the world. I'm just finishing up final polishes on the full. And lets face it, I can edit over and over and over again and convince myself each time I need one more draft. And frankly I have no way of knowing how close I am to anything publishable until I start pimping my baby out.

So it's out there now at least, in process. So now at least I can be getting rejections and hopefully SOME type of feedback while I finish polishing. And I'll admit, part of this is trying to play on Murphy's law. If I'm not totally finished, it feels more likely someone will show some interest. But if not...I've kept myself from wasting extra time, by getting some feelers out there, so I can move on to the next names on my list when I'm finished with these edits.

Keep us posted and let us know what others think.

I will.

  You could also get in touch with a literary agent, so they can do the pimping for you.  Hope all works out wonderfully for you, either way.
 

That's where the queries are going...to literary agents.  You can't really get published hardly anymore submitting straight to editors.  Not if you want to sell to New York.  You have to go through an agent.

Best of luck Zoe - what's the book about?  Or is it still a secret? 

Congrats Zoe!  I know it doesn't feel like it - but getting the thing written is half the battle.  You know, if you can't find a agent, you can always self-publish - that stupid Eragon book started that way, and now its a movie, so it can work - just not preferable.  Good luck, you know we will all be pulling for you.

Cas/Anaunthe

Got my first FORM EMAIL REJECTION.  That was a bit of a shocker, FORM emails? email is already impersonal.  Heh.  Anyway I sent her a thank you card for taking the time to consider me, and I'll resubmit a new version of the hook in a month and see how that goes.

Spikez_tart, I think I've said before it's a paranormal romance about an incubus.  

Cas, Thanks.  I would consider self publishing if I couldn't find an agent or anything, but I really think with persistence if it's actually worth reading it will find a home eventually.  If it doesn't, by the time I gave up on it, i'd have other novels I was shopping around.  So I MIGHT self publish this title, but it wouldn't be to make money, it would be to have personal copies for family and friends because by the time I gave up on it, I'd already have other projects in the works.  Probably better ones that I'm more passionate about.

Sigh - I'm an idiot.

hehe. nah. ;)

GUESS WHAT?  an agent requested pages! I'm so excited!

Awesome! If your original fiction is even half as good as your fanfic, then it should be great. Call me clueless, but is this your first one?

first one what? lol.  First novel? first submission? first agent request?  I'll just answer all hypothetical questions. ;)

This is the 5th original novel I've written.  The first parnormal romance novel I've written.  The first novel of any type I've ever submitted for publication, and the first agent who wants to see pages. :)

  Cool!  VERY cool!  Much luck to you, Zoe!
 

Way cool!  And a fast reply too, which I would suspect is good.

What do you send an agent if the original correspondence didn't include pages?  How do you decide what pages to send?

I personally, and everyone of us I am sure, are exceedingly excited for you. 

Best luck,

Cas/Anaunthe

Woo hoo! Best of luck, Zoe!

Great news Zoe - best of luck.

Right. Extra good luck with the submissions then. Out of cat-killing curiosity, what's happened/happening with the first four original novels?

Woo hoo!  Best of luck, Zoe!   (Can we say we knew you when? After you're all famous and what have you.):)

Thanks for the well wishes TC, Cas, Always_jbj, Spikez_tart, Jess and Slaymesoftly!

Cas, fast replies are only good when they are positive lol.  A fast request would indicate that they are excited about the material, yes lol.  Of course a fast no or a slow no is equally crappy.  Sometimes a long wait is good because it means you are really being considered.  Fast no's (I got one just the day before) are pretty crappy.  Especially when they are fast form rejection no's.  But then again on some level a fast no is better than a slow no because it's not hanging out there.  But with agents you can multiply submit (unlike with editors) so you don't have to wait on stragglers.

I sent the agent a Query letter. The most important part of that is the "hook" which is a couple of paragraphs similar to the back jacket copy of a published novel.  If they are interested in the story and writing style they will request a partial (which is what was requested)  When they request a partial it's always the FIRST pages, but they set the limit, 30 pages, 50 pages or 3 chapters.  They often request a synopsis with the partial too, which is a 2-4 page breakdown of the whole story told in third person present tense.  Like: "Suzy goes to the store and discovers something really exciting..."

Jess, 

The first 4 novels will probably never see the light of day. Although 2 of them are potentially reworkable.  Basically they were practice novels where I was learning how to write one period.  And I misspoke earlier actually this is my second paranormal romance.  Part of the early 4 novels also was finding my voice and my genre.

slaymesoftly, in the unlikely event I ever attain fame you can say you knew me when. ;)

Also...Anyone waiting on Fallen Angels or P&F, as soon as I get this novel as polished as I want it, I'll probably write some more fanfic.  It'll probably be the beginning of May at the earliest.

I feel like some part of me will always be waiting
for you. Like if I'm old and blue-haired, and I turn the corner in Istanbul
and there you are, I won't be surprised. 

All my good wishes to you with your publishing efforts - and on the self-publishing thing, I like the idea of selling  work on disk and adding few images with it also - more like Novel DVD's - this also gives you control and little expenses as you only cut disk as needed.

Congratulations Zoe! And good luck! I am sure the novel is good and you will find people who want to publish it. My father writes books (not novels though usually boring staff), and I know that these things takes time and you should be patient. I am sure something will come along.

Hey when your book gets published maybe you can send us an autographed copy!  

It seems like I forgot to login again :D the message above is mine.

SOUR