Query Torment

Here's the deal...I wrote this novel last summer, a YA (young adult) mystery called WHISPERTOWN. What's it about? More on that later.  I'm just getting to the point where I don't believe any mention of the book is going to jinx...well...whatever happens next.

Anyway, the book in itself isn't a huge deal (or maybe it is). I've written novels before. Some are permanent trunk stories, others I'm still quite fond of. None have found a publishing home. And so it goes. There are a million other writers who can make the same claim.

And like those million other writers, I secretly (not so secret now) fantasize about agent love, publisher adoration, and one day seeing my characters walking around their own theme park.

But we must walk before we can fly...so I queried.

For those who aren't familiar with the process, querying is much like job hunting. Instead of creating a resume that shows your impressive skill and why you're right for the gig, you write a letter for your book hoping that an agent or publisher will want to hire it (and you). Fact: you're much more likely to find a job in this horrible economy than have an agent/publisher take a second (or first) look at your manuscript. That's not me being pessimistic, and if you doubt me, just Google 'novel query stats'...

I read those stats, have been reading them for years. I queried anyway (because rejection is for everyone else folks, live by that). 10 letters sent via email in the first week of January.

By mid-January 7 agents had asked to see more of my manuscript.

To put this in perspective, from 2004-2008 I sent numerous queries (upwards of 100) for previous work, and in that time I received exactly 2 requests for a partial manuscript, and neither resulted in an offer of representation.

Sounds like I'm doing pretty well now, right? I should feel good?

I did at first. Coming home, opening email on an almost daily basis, and seeing yet another request for more...it felt like being noticed by someone you love for the very first time. Yeah, that good.

But, then you realize maybe that unrequited love of yours only noticed you because you were wearing the Michael Jackson Thriller jacket, and that's not necessarily a good thing.

See, this part is new. I've never made it this far before. I feel like I'm following in the steps of that French Spider-man guy, and it's cool that I climbed to the 30th story of an 80 story skyscraper, but it's going to suck so much more to fall now.

And that's the torment (one agent was nice enough to warn me about this; she actually used that word). Waiting on what could still potentially be a 'no'. According to the stats, it probably will be a 'no'.
But, the stat's have been wrong before.

And, I've still got 50 stories to climb. Fortunately, my Thriller jacket is a great windbreaker. Better get going, I suppose.

And, for those who care, this is the query letter that got me such a phenomenal response from my first rounders:

Dear ,

I’m seeking representation for my 70,000 word YA mystery Whispertown, a book about high school, heartbreak, and hit men. [A few lines of personalization to let them know I did my homework]

15 year old Nick Pearson is pretending to be someone he isn’t. Not high school pretending. Witness Protection pretending. And the #1 rule is “stay low-key”. But, when his sole friend Eli dies in the school’s journalism room under mysterious circumstances, and Nick stumbles upon the conspiracy Eli planned on exposing, staying low-key takes a backseat to staying alive.

Newspaper Nerd Eli had a secret, an in-the-works story codenamed “Whispertown”. And it’s got a lot of folks interested. Like corrupt cops, the town’s shady mayor, and certain high-ranking government officials. Teaming with Eli’s estranged (and gorgeous) sister Reya, Nick sets out to unravel the mystery and still maintain his cover. He’ll have to use all the deviant skills he’s gained from his racketeering dad, assassin godfather, and their Serbian gangster boss to find the truth. However, each clue brings him closer to answers he may not want. Whispertown is bigger than he could have ever imagined, and in its shadow stands a killer…a killer Nick fears may be his own father.

My fantasy novel The Darkness Kept was a Top 10 finalist in the Tor UK and SciFi Now “War of the Words” competition. I am a recipient of the 2006-2007 Virginia Commission for the Arts Fiction Fellowship (a $5000 cash award). And, I’m a three-time contributor to the Dark Dreams anthology series edited by author Brandon Massey for Kensington Publishing (Dark Dreams, 2004; Voices from the Other Side, 2006; Whispers in the Night, 2007). I have a lot of stories to tell and I just need the chance to put them where they belong…in front of readers.

I’ve included the first 10 pages of Whispertown for your review [this, of course, varies from agent to agent; please send them what they ask for]. Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope you find that we are a good match for each other.

Anybody else have a query story that's both awesome and anxious at the same time? Here's to hope, folks...