Submissions time!

Jessie Sin has a few questions on submissions.

First, she asks: What will you be looking for in an editor?

Hrm…this is an interesting one, mostly because it is so far in the future I haven’t given too much thought to it. Daydreaming is fun, but I prefer to live in the present, so I don’t spend too much time in my daydreams.

However, there are some things I know I want, just based on the editor and agent blogs I have read. I want an editor who will be a champion for my books in-house. One who will work with me to make the book the best it can possibly be (after, of course, I get it as great as I can on my own). I want an editor who will listen to me and take my input into consideration (when it comes to design, cover, marketing, etc.), but who will ultimately do what is best for the book.

Moving onto agents, she asks: What will you be looking for in an agent?

This one is a more immediate goal (in publishing terms…which is so NOT immediate in the rest of the world), so I have given much more thought to this one.

I will be looking for an agent who is passionate about my book, not just one who thinks they can sell it. I will be looking for one who has a track record in YA sales (or, if I am targeting a beginning agent, one who has enough experience to let me know they can sell YA).

I want an agent who wants to build a career with me, not just support me book by book. Also, I want an agent who, when negotiating contracts, looks for what will be the best long-term not what will give the biggest profit upfront (perhaps trading a higher advance in for a bigger marketing budget).

and finally: Do you have a plan of action for your querying? Do you think you will send out a few letters at first and see if you get any nibbles? Or do you think you’ll mail out a bunch at a time?

Yes, yes I do. Literary agents are incredibly busy, and get a lot of queries. Even when they are looking for new clients, they have to turn down a lot of material. There are a lot of different times when a book can be turned down.

I will start with a few letters at a time. Not to see if I “get any nibbles,” so much as to test my query. If i am not getting any partial requests from my query, I will know the letter needs help, and I can rework it and send a few more out. If I am getting partial requests, but no full requests, I know that the problem is in the beginning of the book, and can focus on making that better before sending more queries out.

Taste is very subjective, so in the end, finding an agent is partially a numbers game, so I will have to get my book into enough hands to find the right agent for me. But I will do everything I can to increase my odds!