tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post114671950636286857..comments2024-03-26T18:28:06.391-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Q & A 3 How much detail?Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1146841013109773592006-05-05T10:56:00.000-04:002006-05-05T10:56:00.000-04:00curious difference in definition of blurb between ...curious difference in definition of blurb between US and UK. In UK the whole back cover is the blurb, the endorsements ("couldn't put this book down...") are referred to as puffs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1146799905673923402006-05-04T23:31:00.000-04:002006-05-04T23:31:00.000-04:00Gotta confess, I was thinking exactly what this le...Gotta confess, I was thinking exactly what this letter writer is asking. Seems most every "How To Write A Query" article written by someone worth their salt says one -- two at the most -- paragraphs about your novel. <BR/><BR/>Paragraph one, the hook. Paragraph two/three, your story. Paragraph four, your credits. End. And most agents, I gather, get about two paragraphs in and decide.<BR/><BR/>These entries mostly come across as one-page synopses to me. Then again, my query must suck because I'm only batting about .150 (although today was glorious thanks to a request for a partial).<BR/><BR/>JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1146778672204877072006-05-04T17:37:00.000-04:002006-05-04T17:37:00.000-04:00Haha, Val Tear. Gives a whole new meaning to writi...Haha, Val Tear. Gives a whole new meaning to writing "trash".<BR/><BR/>So EE, before Evil Editor's blog, did you have any special rituals for really bad query letters?Patrice Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12061901112336162568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1146767301921272862006-05-04T14:28:00.000-04:002006-05-04T14:28:00.000-04:00I'm guessing in some cases it wouldn't. Not becaus...I'm guessing in some cases it wouldn't. Not because the rewrites weren't absolutely fantastic, but because the books didn't meet the publisher's needs for whatever reason. Wrong genre, length, the premise is too similar to another book recently published, etc.Tawny Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15271057218679001241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1146766465742069432006-05-04T14:14:00.000-04:002006-05-04T14:14:00.000-04:00I was thinking the same thing this person asked, E...I was thinking the same thing this person asked, EE. The "about my story" portion of my query letters is usually two paragraphs max.Patrice Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12061901112336162568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1146760228248326212006-05-04T12:30:00.000-04:002006-05-04T12:30:00.000-04:00Queries will be the death of me.My first go-round ...Queries will be the death of me.<BR/><BR/>My first go-round was criticized because the first paragraph was two stylized, too literary in its attempt to get you to know the characters, and the hook in the second paragraph went by too quickly. My second go-round read like a horribly cramped synopsis. My current attempt sounds smooth (to me; haven't had it reviewed yet), but it's probably too long. <BR/><BR/>Argh, I never would have figured it would be this difficult. I mean, I just wrote a 102,000 word novel; you'd think I could nail a query letter :PReihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17005292189176596201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1146759142354575512006-05-04T12:12:00.000-04:002006-05-04T12:12:00.000-04:00"Among the greatest plot distillers in literary hi...<I>"Among the greatest plot distillers in literary history was the guy who determined that only one m needed to be stamped on the side of an m & m."</I><BR/><BR/>Ha! This is one of the funniest lines I've read in a very long time.<BR/><BR/>On a serious note, there is something I'm wondering. The query rewrites you're providing are, without fail, great improvements over the originals. However, are they good enough? If you received the rewritten versions (assuming they fit the genre, length, etc., for your guidelines), would they entice you to ask for partials? Just curious ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com