Comments on: An angry rant about query letter writing

By: Bella

Bella — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:57:25 +0000

I understand why you are angry about this tweet but I have to say I am completely on the tweeter’s side on this one. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer then writing a query letter is part of the job. If would-be writers are discouraged by tweets like that then I highly doubt they have the determination and sticking power to actually be a novelist. It is hard work. It is full of rejection and upset and, at times, anger. The ability to overcome all this and still carry on is what distinguishes serious writers. There are plenty of websites and internet tools out there that help with the query letter writing process and I admit they can be very frustrating as most of them are contradictory. I hate writing query letters. I would rather write a hundred trilogies than one query letter but that’s just tough. If I want to be taken seriously as writer then a query letter is a must. Using a query writing service is bound to put an editor off because what they are reading isn’t the words of the author asking them for representation. How could they start a professional relationship if the first thing that’s said to them by this author is essentially a lie? If I was an editor I dont think I would consider a query letter that had used one of these services. My reasoning would be if they dont have the dedication to sit down and hammer out a letter, and rewrite it again and again and again if necessary, then they may well not have the dedication necessary to be an author. The fact that it is hard could be a way of discouraging those writers out there that arent actually serious about what they do. Believe me, I see it everyday at work; people saying ‘I think I might write a book one day’ or ‘I always thought about writing a book’ as if it was a silly hobby that they could just get in and out of whenever they felt like. The truth is, it is hard and if you are discouraged by the difficulty of writing a query letter then you probably couldnt hack it in the highly competitive writing market. You learn to do it. In spite of my loathing of writing letters I have had to learn and so have countless other writers. Using a service is as good as cheating. Practice, practice, practice so you can show those editors how good you are.

By: TamaraPaulin

TamaraPaulin — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 00:57:11 +0000

I love writing my stories. I even love revising them!

But the query process is so disheartening, so upsetting, so sense-of-failure-inducing, that I forget I have actually succeeded at a thing or two during my time on the planet.

Bravo on your post! You really said it, and you said it well!

By: Olivia

Olivia — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:39:28 +0000

Hi Emma, just came across your website again, and do find it to be wonderful encouragement. Thank you so much.

By: Sylvi

Sylvi — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 21:34:32 +0000

You know, funny thing is…success is like a “thief in the night”. You never know who it’s going to visit next. So it would be wise…and well advised…, particularly for agents, to treat aspiring authors with the kindness and respect they deserve. A general rule that we should all treat each other by and large in any given circumstance. Even if you’re not doing it to anyone’s face, in particular per se, but shooting it out there in cyberspace for any relevant passerby to receive, can still be just as hurtful. My understanding is that Stephanie Meyer was stung by one agent when she was shopping Twilight around, then entitled “Forks”, right around the time she signed a three-book deal with her Publisher.
Right on, Emma. There is so much contradictory advice, and many more essays out there that seem…and I use that loosely, targeted with the sole intent of discouraging writers.

By: Olivia

Olivia — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:24:48 +0000

Thank you for the tea. I couldn’t agree with you more, Emma. Thank you for saying it so eloquently for the rest of us.

By: Josie @safetycomfort

Josie @safetycomfort — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:40:33 +0000

Not being a fiction writer, I’ll confess to not really knowing what a query letter was when I started reading your post, but your post and the comments filled me in very well. Excellent rant, Emma.

A lovely encouragement to all writers. Thank you. And ta for the cuppa, too.

By: Rejection-Letter Goal Setting a Must « On Not Being Able to Write

Rejection-Letter Goal Setting a Must « On Not Being Able to Write — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:28:04 +0000

[...] market, looking up the editor’s name, suffering through drafting a query letter which an editor might sneer at on Twitter, addressing and posting the letter when all I am going to receive in return is a rejection? [...]

By: Donna Carrick

Donna Carrick — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:40:03 +0000

Bang on, Emma. I, too, stopped reading or caring about the plethora of contradictory advice, the endless rules and the relentless arrogance that face us in the literary world. I decided instead to focus my energy on creating a strong writing style, believable characters and interesting stories. From there, we’ll see where hard work and determination will lead.

Meanwhile, I’ve met so many worthy authors and struggling unpublished writers — a word of encouragement here or there costs me nothing and gives me a firmer sense of my own accomplishments.

Let those who espouse the rules of landing an agent or publisher carry on their business. I’ll carry on mine: writing, sharing my stories and growing as an artist.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:31:33 +0000

Wonderful rant. Great tea.

What more could one want? (Oh yes, chocolate HobNob!)

By: Jackie Gamber

Jackie Gamber — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:41:19 +0000

Coincidentally, I was a panelist on the topic of query letters at a convention this weekend, and I mentioned this tweet and blog as a discussion point. I got a terrific response. The editors were split on seeing the agent’s point of view. We conjectured what could have been the tip-off to the agent, and if a generic sounding letter might indeed be more of a turn off than a turn on (not having all the facts, of course).

Great point/counterpoint info! Thank you for the fodder.