No Kidding? Free Review of Covering Letter, Marketing Plan, Sample Pages?
Read my previous posting, “Publisher’s Pet — It Takes More Than An Apple.” If you’ve got a covering letter, marketing plan and about thirty sample pages, I’d be happy to take a look at them. Free? Absolutely! Let’s see what you have been sending out to prospective agents and publishers. Let’s see what you’ve been doing right and what you have been doing wrong.
1) Name of the book.
2) Fiction or nonfiction.
3) Where you have submitted your book before–if anywhere.
Also include the following:
4) Covering letter.
5) Marketing Plan.
6) 30 +/- pages of the book.
I’ll tackle about twenty submissions.
Don’t worry, my lips will be sealed. What I might do is recap the good and the bad associated with these submissions, but in general terms, in a posting here later. What I will do, I promise, is get back to you with some suggestions, privately.
This will be fun. Email me!
Offer ends Wednesday, March 21, 2006, at 6 p.m.
March 15th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
If you do not know how to develop a marketing plan (and it seems many writers do not), go on the Internet and do a search for “how to write a book proposal” and “how to write a business plan.” You have to combine both!
You have to put yourself in the shoes of the agent or editor and provide him (or her!) with the kind of information that will make it easy for him to sell the book to others in the company.
What makes your story line unique?
How does it compare to other books of the same genre?
What will YOU do to contribute to the marketing, specifically?
Where will this book sell best?
Lay it out in blocks of information with simple, bold headings.
March 15th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Lynne,
I’m completely new to publishing, trying to find an agent for a first novel. Every one I’ve looked up that has submission guidelines for fiction is quite specific about accepting only minimal queries — one even insists that the letter include no synopsis. I’ve gotten the impression that attempting to include a marketing plan would get my e-mail or letter tossed in the trash. Not so?
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Follow the rules? Only if you always wait for the light to change before you cross the street! You want your proposal to stand out because it looks so professional. A professional proposal can take different forms. A very brief covering letter, very brief synopsis, very brief marketing plan, very brief sample chapter — all addressed to a person you have targeted — put you ahead of the folks who followed the rules into the slush pile.
March 15th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
Wow. Thank you so much for the feedback! It is really helpful to hear from someone I don’t know. Actually, the vast majority of the agencies I have sent to did not even get the synopsis. Just the query. But I like what you suggest about retooling it. I hated writing it and had no idea how to do it. The novel is rather epic, and condensing it felt like writing Cliff’s Notes (which are boring and lack tension, just as you describe.)
I am just about to rework my query and resend it to new batch of agents. Your advice couldn’t be more timely, or more welcome.
Thanks again!
Krista
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Krista’s manuscript, Path of the Butterfly, was a semi-finalist in the Novel-in-Progress category in the Faulkner — William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. She lives in Georgia. (Thanks, Krista, for “going public” with your nice comment and saying it was okay for me to include your name and title of your book.)
March 16th, 2006 at 8:10 am
Dear Ms. Scanlon:
Thanks very much for the opportunity to send in a proposal/sample of the next book project I’m working on. Next week, Writer’s Digest Books will publish my first book, “I’m An English Major — Now What? How English Majors Can Find Happiness, Success, and a Real Job.”
In deveoloping the proposal I sent you, I followed a model from my first book — which my editor, Jane Friedman, was very generous to help me write! A few years ago, Jane called me to express her regrets that WD would have to pass on a book proposal I had sent her (it was very similar to a book WD was already planning), and in our phone discussion, I told her about another manuscript I had. She invited me to send it in, and with her invaluable guidance, a winning proposal was written. Following proposal models from books had been helpful, but seeing the model applied to my own project was what really did it.
Currently, I’m busy doing a lot of publicity legwork. Because this book is primarily addressed to college kids and recent college grads, I have been using the Internet to contact every college student newspaper I can. I drew up my own flyer for my book (which WD approved), and so far, I’ve gotten 4 newspapers to do articles. Every bit of press helps generate more press, I find. It can be a great deal of fun, promoting your own project. It truly is the responsibility of the author to get out there and hustle.
Thanks again for the invitation and opportunity to send in the proposal.
All the best,
Tim Lemire
March 16th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
Hi Lynne,
I think what you’re doing is wonderful! Just wanted to give your audience an agent’s take.
Someone who submits a marketing plan gives me the sign that they know where they’re going, and how they’ll get there. This kind of blueprint gives an agent the insight into the writer to see if they’d make a good team. To me, the agent/author relationship is a partnership, with both people pulling their weight. I would love to get a query with a marketing plan.
As to the dreaded synopsis, not so. If I request a partial and synopsis, I’m not judging the synposis for writing style, but to see if the whole story is plausible and how the manuscript ends. At least with me, heave a sigh of relief and don’t worry about it. No one has ever published a synopsis.
Best,
Kelly Mortimer
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Kelly is the president of the Faith, Hope and Love Chapter of the Romance Writers Association. She has recently become a literary agent.
March 16th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Lynne — When I woke up yesterday, I didn’t know you from Adam. Now, after exchanging some twenty emails with you in regard to my submissions package/marketing plan, I feel like you’re my new best friend, trusted confidante, marketing guru and a person I hope I get to meet someday.
Your suggestion to contact an advocacy group and see if I can get them to commit to 5,000 - 10,000 copies is nothing short of genius. I had no idea a concept like “Special Sales” even existed. I’ll start burning up the internet as soon as I finish this post.
I’m literally astounded by how much time you’ve given me these last two days. Your guidance is invaluable and your support unquantifiable.
If by some miracle my novel actually gets published, you’ll be one of the first to know and I promise to spell your name correctly in the acknowledgments. (One can only dream I will someday have to actually compile such a document. But thanks to your help, I’m one step closer.)
Best Wishes to The Wicked Witch of Publishing (who is actually one of the nicest witches I have ever met.)
Lorra Laven
P.S. Suggestion about changing the title of the book to better reflect the story. I’m considering changing it from “Ice Time” to “The Deadly Secrets of an All-Boys’ Prep School. (Will ponder that one for a while.) Thanks again for all your help.
March 16th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
This is a wonderful thing you are doing.
I just sent you a submission email and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
March 17th, 2006 at 8:48 am
Lynne, you ROCK!!!!
Thanks so much for shining a light on what’s what with marketing plans (and my synopsis, too!).
Whatever I write up after having read your advice, it will only be BETTER!!!
Thanks again!
Kelsey
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Kelsey second book, Swamp Spells, is being shopped right now by her agent. Her first book, Not the Usual Isaac, was aquired by a newly created publishing house; pub date to be announced. Kelsey lives in Wisconsin.
March 17th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
Lynne,
Thank you so much for helping me to understand what is expected from a marketing plan. I will most definitely get on the internet and look up what you suggested. The first manuscript I sold, I gave away the rights to—no royalties, either. So… That’s that. I just wanted the publishing credit so badly… Anyway, I also appreciate your looking over my synopsis and letting me know what is truly expected of it.
You put a lot of personal time and smart thinking into your comments to me, and I really appreciate it.
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Say it ain’t so. Say it ain’t so.
March 17th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Lynne,
Thank-you so much. This is probably the most practical help I have received thus far in my writing journey! This is exactly why I detest doing those cover letters and synopsis - they are hard work
Writing a book is much more fun! But I will go back to the drawing board and see what I can do!
I appreciate your offer to take another look once I am done. It will probably not be until April however, as we’re going to South Africa for two weeks. I hope to take some good notes for use in future books!
Many thanks again and may God bless you!
Cathy
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Cathy’s book appears in its entirety on her website and is featured on the e-zine, christianwomenonline. Cathy lives in Bermuda.
March 17th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Lynne thank you for all your help and ideas on my “Book intro teaser” it is greatly appreciated!
March 18th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Thanks, Lynne, for the bracing, constructive critique. As they say in the crosswords, you’re a “oner.”
March 20th, 2006 at 11:06 am
Thank you many times over for helping me revise the cover letter and proposal for my next book project. Your candor and quick replies were very much appreciated.
It’s one thing to consult reference books for models and templates of proposals and cover letters, but it’s a different matter entirely when someone with your expertise goes through the material line by line, offering comments and suggestions.
There are a few things I found most helpful in your edits: first, your insistence on directness and clarity of expression. In writing about this project, it seems I myself knew what I wanted to say, but too often I was being vague. I appreciate the consistent call toward specificity and examples.
Secondly, I find I’m not always the best judge of the “tone” of my writing. In parts of my proposal where I thought I was being funny, you were clearly not amused: that compelled me to drop the lounge act and just state my case, clearly and effectively.
Finally, I appreciated your comments directed at the most effective placement of what information I already had: e.g., “move this paragraph to your marketing section” or “put this higher on your cover letter.” A true lesson in leveraging strength.
You’re very generous to offer a service like this for free! Thank you again, and if anything breaks with this new project, I will be sure to let you know.
All best,
Tim Lemire
March 22nd, 2006 at 5:42 pm
You have helped me so much over the last few days. The least I can do is let you tell everyone how much.
Thanks for reworking [the covering letter] for me. LOVE the improvements–especially the bold sections! I will be heading to the bookstore this evening to continue my assignment. You are the best!!
Thanks for showing me how to approach this career from more than one angle. Your advice has been so liberating–break the rules when you need to, approach publishers directly while querying agents. Instead of the Wicked Witch of Publishing, you should call yourself the Robin Hood of Publishing. You benevolent vigilante you.
Krista
March 23rd, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Lynne Scanlon’s insightful critique of my novel, cover letter, synopsis and marketing plan was a God-send. The “Wicked Witch” has been exposed as the helpful angel that she is, at heart.
Nicole
March 23rd, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Lynne,
I got my second rejection, but the agent said it wasn’t due to any flaw in my work. “On the contrary, I found your presentation compelling.” That’s thanks to you.
I think if I get this to someone very pointed, like you suggest (finding similar successful novels and get it to their editors/agents), I might just be on to something….
Krista
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Krista is on her way! I’m delighted!
March 16th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Lynne,
Once again you’ve nailed your point. As a small publisher, we love it when an author comes to us with a marketing plan. Any author who has thought about his or her market and what it will take to sell books, is saying, “I know my job is only half done when the book is published.” We suggest, rather than putting time into a synopsis (we don’t read them), put your time into a marketing plan and include it with the cover letter and sample chapters. Show us you can write (first 25 pages of your manuscript) and then show us you are willing to continue working (marketing plan) to help us sell your book. Apples are very nice, but I’d rather have apple pie.
Kevin Watson
Press 53
May 15th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
I just wanna put in a plug here for your expert and spot-on advice with helping me craft a polished and professional query/marketing proposal. I got lucky–you used me as an example when you were just beginning this Get Published business. I consider that stroke of luck to be the turning point in my career as a writer.
I just recently pitched in person for the first time, using much of the material you procured from me during our back and forth exchanges regarding the synopsis. The agent asked to see the first 40 pages, and this was after declaring to the whole room that she wasn’t interested in hearing about any new fiction, unless it was award-winning stuff. I had just gotten the news that it made finalist in Heart of the Rockies, and I made sure that got mentioned first–something else I learned from you.
By the way, I heard from Heart of the Rockies yesterday…I won first place.
Thanks again, Lynne!
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: Wow! I’m so thrilled for you, Krista. This is great news. And…you are very welcome!
June 18th, 2007 at 4:16 am
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title No Kidding? Free Review of Covering Letter, Marketing Plan, Sample Pages?. Thanks for informative article
December 1st, 2007 at 12:48 am
This is good but it’s different for urban audiences. Especially since the industry is so relationship driven.
You have any experience with African American Authors? That’s what we specialize in - the AACM.
Thanks.
Pam Perry
May 20th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I need to know the difference between a marketing plan for a non-fiction and a fiction project. Most of the time you only get request for marketing plans on non-fiction. However, with no writing credits, I think it would help a lot to let the agent know of the committment offered by the author.
Johnny ray
Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing ™: If you do a search on this blog for “slush pile,” you’ll find the kind of information you are looking for. Here’s just one posting that should help:
Manuscript Rejected Repeatedly? Find a Fresh Eye to Review Submission Package