Why You Need a Stellar Query

Lindsay's post on Operation Awesome today is all about the publication process, with a few funny videos to illustrate her points about querying--how we think it ought to work and how it makes us feel when it doesn't quite work that way.

She says:

We set aside time in our day, our lives, to spend time with the people in our imaginations. We nurture them, love them and then want to set them free to make their own way in the world of agents and publishers. 

One day we hope readers fall in love with them like we have. Maybe our words will even inspire them to write as well. 

So to help get our words out there we have the awesome query chat with Elana Johnson tomorrow. So join us at 9pm EST on the 28th of October.

I'm very excited about this chat and you should be, too. Take a second to visit Elana's blog and you'll see why. Her fun/real/quirky way of writing makes complicated/scary things like query writing and query sending feel a lot less scary and complicated.

The author of FROM THE QUERY TO THE CALL, Elana's spent more time than the average writer analyzing what works and what doesn't in query letters. Her amazingly beautiful book, POSSESSION, is coming out next year from Simon & Schuster. She's been through this process herself and understands how difficult it can be to condense your 300-page novel into a one-page sales pitch that will get those first few pages read.

As someone who is currently querying a finished novel, I'm especially interested in picking Elana's brain (but not in the zombie way--eww). Honestly, most of my rejections have come before agents even read a partial sample of my book, and I'm guessing that's the way it is for most writers (judging by how many rejections agents estimate they send out weekly). Ultimately, you are responsible for selling your book, from querying agents to telling your neighbors where they can get a copy, and everything in between. An agent can help a lot, but the query is where you start.

Elana Johnson will help you with that. Tomorrow. 9pm EST.

Be there or eat squares (that's how that saying goes, right?)

If you'd like a reminder, sign up for that nifty little service here.

Awesome Live Chat Tuesday at 5pm EST: Magic Limitations

(banner by Kristal Shaff) If you have ideas for the OA owl's name, plz post in the comments! We're putting it up for popular vote.

Today is all about Operation Awesome news and updates.

TOMORROW is the first scheduled awesome live chat!

5:00-6:00pm Eastern Standard Time, Tuesday, October 5th.
Bring cookies to share.

We'll be talking about magical limitations in writing, or in other words, how to write believable magic without plot holes like, "Why didn't he just use his wand to make Voldemort appear, and then destroy him?"

Why not? Because you can't just make somebody else appear using your wand. And even if you could, Harry wouldn't know it because he was eleven when he found out he was a wizard.

That kind of awesome stuff. :)

Come join us and win some super magical door prizes, like these:


       














Don't forget! It's sure to be enlightening. Enter the chat room here.
(*whispers password* it's "awesome")

Update: In honor of our upcoming chat about magical limitations in writing, I wrote an article at the Best Damn Creative Writing Blog, which is simply the best damn creative writing blog. Hee hee. If you haven't hung out there yet, I'm giving you a reason to visit. I hope you'll stick around for a bit and check out the other new contributors. You can also follow the action on twitter.

And now, without further ado,

Writing is Magic