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| Jodi Henry Query Blogfest Dec. 12th |
I say, if you're thinking of querying in the new year, then you better be working on that query right now. And what better way to grow a thick skin (necessary for querying) then to put your query up in all of it's glory for everyone to comment on? Right? Right.
I'm not sure which query to put up though. I have a query I managed to get two partial requests on but I've since decided to change the whole book from 3rd person to 1st. And then I have my NaNo book which I finished on the 19th of November and have already done a once-through on the edits, but I would really like to beef it up to 65k from 54k. Do you think 54k is on the low side for YA? My first book was 74k. Hmmm. Time for twenty (really just five) questions:
WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? ARE YOU NEW TO QUERYING? HOW ARE YOUR NERVES? ARE YOU NERVOUS TO QUERY AND/OR PUT YOUR QUERY UP FOR THE GENERAL BLOGGING PUBLIC TO COMMENT ON?
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI took a break from writing to visit you. The scene I am working on is intense and emotional, but I'm a big guy, I can handle it.
As for your questions, I would query the new one. You already know your first is successful, even though you changed your manuscript, you can alter it to fit.
54,000 is a bit slim for y/a, but in revisions you might add a few thousand more words to it. Generally y/a run from 60-90 max. depending on genre. Yours is a fantasy if I remember and they tend to run longer. More worlds to discover.... lol
Those are the numbers I read from Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown agency.
I'll be querying my current publisher first, but if they aren't interested, then I may need help!
ReplyDeleteI don't have anything to query with yet, so I'll have to skip this one. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm in. I don't have much of a manuscript yet. But I'm in anyways. I think I've worked on my query as much as my novel. Hmm..maybe that's my problem. :0) christy
ReplyDeleteMan! I was seriously going to take a break, but now I feel challenged once again and I feel like I have to take the challenge! What to do, what to do???
ReplyDeleteI'm not joining query blogfest but wish you tons of luck with it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the blogfest!
ReplyDeleteLuckily I've had my current query critiqued by many people including an agent so I think I'm okay with this one. But starting from scratch is always the hard part!
Goodluck with the blogfest, I saw on Quinn's blog u said you want us all to query with you that was funny. I have done queries a couple of times and am still waiting for feedback on a partial request so i have to beg to sit this one out.
ReplyDeleteBut I am cheering you on
Yeah, my recommendation would be to try to get it over 60k during revisions. I write "skinny" too, so I know how hard it can be to get that word count up (vs. Michael - points up - who can spit out 125k in a couple months!).
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I know someone who queried a 40k upper-YA novel and sold it within a few weeks. So who knows? Good luck and maybe I'll query with you - I've been through one round, had some partial requests, used the info to revise again (now at 64k - yay!) and am ready to send out again after the holidays.
erica
It *sounds* like you want to get to 65k, so I'd maybe if I were you, I'd hold off on sending that one out. Although 54k sounds good, too. I'm not much of an YA expert, but I do think either sounds pretty reasonable.
ReplyDeleteThat's very cool that you changed the pov from 3rd to 1st. I think 1st is so much more challenging, and kudos to you for managing that. Sounds like you got a lot on your plate!