Helpful Websites When Querying an Agent

It's always important to research everything pertaining to your book's subject when writing. So why stop the research when searching for an agent? I've put a list together of great websites to help writers in their query/agent process. I use all websites I've listed each and every day on my road to finding an agent. If you know of any other sites to add, please post them in the comments for all to see!

Absolute Write- The Absolute Write forums are awesome and the Bewares and Background Check portion is unmatchable. Not only can you find out agents/agencies' backgrounds, but you can also puruse fellow writers' posts regarding how long the wait times on queries/partials and fulls were for them. It's a great place to hang out and hear about the road to agents/publication for your peers. Very supportive crowd.

Preditors & Editors- If you've ever sent queries out into the world or you are thinking of starting the process, you need to have this site bookmarked. You can find a list of agents/agencies/publishers with their contact information and if they are recommended. If you are weary of an agent/agency, look no further than Preditors & Editors.

PublishersMarketplace- This is an invaluable site, but to reap all benefits, it's a $20 per month fee (you can find all member benefits listed on the site). That's not saying it's not worth it! You can find the latest and greatest news, reviews and deals, along with very informative articles. Search for agents to find all information about their recent sales and clients. They also have a Publishers Lunch email service that is free. If you can't afford the $20 a month, make sure to sign up for the slimmer, free version.

Agent Query- This site is where I start off making my list of agents to query. You can search by genre or keywords to bring up a list of agents. It is the largest database on the web. How can you go wrong?

Query Tracker- Query Tracker is a lot like Agent Query, except to benefit completely, you have to sign up for their services (it's free!). You can tracker which agents you've sent your query to, their response, etc. While you're there, check out the great blog and forums associated with the site.

Miss Snark's First Victim- I've talked about this site before. It's awesome! Writers can submit their work for critiques and contests. A secret agent reads through the entries (the requested material changes each month), commenting on each one. Everyone is welcome to comment, as long as they play nice. At the end of the month, the secret agent is revealed and the top selections are chosen and awarded.

Query Shark- Run by super-agent Janet Reid, Query Shark is a great place to not only read other writers' queries (and what they did wrong), but also submit your own! Can't beat an agent breaking your query down and pointing out what works and what doesn't!

Character Cards

It’s interesting how characters develop from gnat-sized vague impressions to in-your-face personas that won’t let you sleep until you’ve got their story down on paper. They start off like:

Tall guy enters room. Looks angry.

And become something like:

Talon burst through the doorway, ready to knock a few skulls together.

Okay, maybe not a fantastic example - but still, you get the idea. Just who are these people? I mean, seriously…how do writers do what we do? Create worlds, lives, creatures? I, for one, am clueless. But I have a blast figuring out each newbie as they drive into the lot.

Sometimes they’ll arrive on the set fully formed, but often I’ll be a few chapters into a first draft before I can completely visualize them or understand their motives – and even then, plot twists might reveal a motive or talent I’d never suspected. Characters can be that way – closed mouthed until the weirdest moments. I’ve been totally blindsided … and I’m the one writing the damn book.

My new WIP, Witch’s Shadow is part of a series I’m writing with fellow YA paranormal fiction author, Kitty Keswick. We are individually writing books, but they take place in the same world, a pseudo-Salem town called, Origins. Our characters crossover – we have best friends, rivals, enemies and mythologies that mesh together from book to book.

OMG – the planning!

Not only do we have to have a handle on our character’s motives, appearance, goals, failings – we have to share that information with each other in a clear, precise way so that they remain consistent - no matter who created the character, or who is writing them into a scene.

To keep this large cast present in both our minds, we created character cards. These profiles have all the essential information a writer would need. We list: name, appearance, background, motives, goals, personality type, likes, dislike, fears, talents, friends, enemies, etc. We also search the net for images to depict, as closely as possible, how we envision our characters to look like and dress.
We do this with setting as well, naming buildings, creating a town map, sharing photos of interiors/exteriors.

Setting up a mutually shared world is a time consuming and strange process. We disagree, we compromise and we get frustrated, but we’d be so lost without it.

I’ve never had to work so hard at getting to know my characters, so quickly. To not be wishy-washy and constantly changing their traits – frankly, having them pegged down this well makes the writing go a lot smoother. Filling out our character cards was so fun, that we took it a step further and have started to create graphics containing key elements. Here’s mine for my main character, Bea Drake:


Want to really get into your character’s head? Then I suggest creating your own character cards and see what tidbits the process reveals.

The Ultimate YA Book

This weekend I went into Barnes and Noble and purchased a few books. How is that different from any other weekend you ask? I do frequent bookstores almost every chance I get, but this time I purchased one of the best, most moving books I’ve read in a long time. Before I tell you what book I’m writing about, let me tell you a little about it.

The main character resonates with me, as it will with anyone who is…well, alive. A lonely teen, he just wants someone to talk to. A friend to listen, to tell him things are going to be okay during a hard time in his life; a place to go where he can feel safe. Instead, he has run-ins with three women at a bar, his brother’s ex-girlfriend, a group of nuns, and a prostitute. The list could go on from there, but I think you’ve got the idea. He squashes his sorrows with alcohol, cigarettes and his security blanket, a hat.

Still don’t know what book I’m talking about? I’m sure most people read the book in high school…The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

I decided to buy The Catcher in the Rye because I hadn’t read it in a good 12-15 years (I can’t remember exactly what grade I was assigned to read it). I remember liking it, which was so rare for me to like an assigned book in school. I would buy the Cliff Notes (not recommended, trust me) and go home to read a book I wanted to read, not one someone told me to read. Stupid, I know. I missed reading a lot of the great classics, but for some reason, I picked up J.D. Salinger’s book and couldn’t put it down.

Reading it again, now at 29 years old, I was amazed at how close this book mirrors young adult books today. The main character, Holden Caulfield has the same problems that teens have in today’s YA section in bookstores. He’s been kicked out his boarding school due to poor grades (or not doing his work), he drinks (despite being underage), smokes like a chimney, thinks about sex (even going as far as hiring a prostitute despite being a virgin), deals with death and mourning, religion, suicide and uses bad language throughout the book. Keep in mind, this book was first published in 1951 (58 years ago for the math challenged), but still sells roughly 250,000 copies a year. This book transcends time like no other classic that could be considered young adult.

I don’t want to give too much away. I want every single one of you, if you’re a teen or a teen author/writer, to please read this book. Even if you’ve read it, and it’s been awhile, pick it up again. You won’t be disappointed. Trust me!

The Agent Hunt- Part 2

I’ve had an interesting past week; extreme high to lows, but it’s all in the process of hunting for an agent. I thought it would be interesting to continue posting on my query process for all of the writers who have yet to take the plunge (and those who have been through the search can help with good advice). This is my first time through the query trails, and I never thought I could be so glued to my email.

The first few queries I sent out, I wanted to test the waters. Not sure how my query would fair, I've queried agents I thought would find my novel interesting or my novel seemed to be what they were looking for. I've made sure to take the time to personalize each and every query I sent out.

I didn’t hear back for a few days (which is very normal), but then three days later I received my first response. I stared at my email box, afraid to click on the letter. I sat at work, with my laptop next to me. Taking a deep breath, I opened it. Yep…rejection. It’s funny, I didn’t mind. In a way, it made me even more excited. I was finally in the game.

The first rejection spurred me on to send out more queries. I went down my list I made the week earlier and started to send out a few more at lunchtime. A couple of the agents were known to be quick responses, so I sat and waited. Six minutes later I had a 1 next to my inbox. Sure enough, it was from the speedy agent. Taking another deep breath, I clicked again. I had to read it two times, as shock, excitement and fear came over me. It was a request for a full. Despite being ready, I felt like I wasn’t as I stared at the email. Looking around, I tried to find someone to tell. I work in the same office as my husband, but he was in a meeting. Checking Skype, my crit partners weren’t on. I was freaking. I emailed them the good news and went straight to work. Well, actually, I asked my boss for the next day off to do another once over/revision of Lost and Found, then I went straight to work on it (luckily it was a slow day at my day job).

The next day, I woke up and got ready like I was going to work. Checking my email, I had another request for a partial from a different agent. Apparently my query worked! Starting at 9:30am, I worked until 11:30pm with only one short break. Everything had to be perfect. Finally, I sent out the partial and then the full.

Since sending the requested material, I've heard back from both agents, and both were rejections. One agent said that she loved the premise but wasn’t as engaged with the actual manuscript, the other said she didn’t feel the passion for it to offer representation. At first, this made me second guess my first chapters, but then I realized I’m still early in the game. I’ve gotten this far, I just need to find the one agent that feels as passionate about Lost and Found as I do. If every single agent that reads the first few chapters says the same thing, well, then it will be time to go back to the drawing board.

Yesterday I picked my heart back up off the floor and continued my query process. So far I’ve sent out 15 queries. Two were rejections off of the query, one partial request and the full. I still have 11 queries out there to agents…maybe one of them will be the one. If not, there are many more to send to, and believe me, I’m not ready to give up fighting.

Class of 2k10 Accepting Aplications

FYI from the Class of 2k10

We're looking for a few good authors…

The class of 2K10 is accepting application for its upcoming year. 2K10 is a group of first-time middle grade and young adult authors. The group was first founded in 2007 and has seen great success. We've come together to help promote each other's books through, a group website, blog, newsletter, author chats and much more. Our debut authors hail from both the United States and Canada and write a variety of genres for middle grade and young adults.

Check out this year's current class.

If you are interested in joining our "class" we'd love to hear from you. Please email our class liaison, Janet Jox for more details at: jfoxtx@aol.com.

Please note: Your publisher must be listed in CWIM and you must be a debut author in MG or YA, for the year 2010. For more details please email Janet.

Thank you, Co-Presidents
Kitty Keswick & Judith Graves
Class of 2K10

YA Edge Featured Author: Laurie J. Edwards

A former teacher and librarian, Laurie J. Edwards is the author of more than 850 magazine and educational articles. Her work has appeared in national magazines, textbooks, testing materials, and online. In addition, she is a freelance writer and editor for several publishers, has ghostwritten books, and also writes under other pseudonyms. Find out more about her at her blog and the Climbing Rose blog.

Here are two titles from Laurie that debuted this month.

A short story compilation:

SUMMER LOVIN’ is a collection of love stories by six Climbing Rose authors about life on a ranch, summer jobs, sandcastle competitions, the tragedy of a flood, and falling in love with a rock star.

Laurie's story is "Summer Storms":

Sixteen-year-old Paige nearly drowns trying to rescue a Pomeranian trapped in floodwaters that sweep through her town. Chase, the hottie who saves her, wants to help her and her mother, but Paige won’t accept charity. And can she risk him unmasking the family secret she’s kept hidden?

And a non-fiction title:

RIHANNA (PEOPLE IN THE NEWS): The R&B singer of Music of the Sun, A Girl like Me, Good Girl Gone Bad, and Good Girl Gone Bad Reloaded loved to sing as a child, but had a rough homelife with a cocaine-addicted father. Discovered at age 15, Rihanna auditioned for Jay-Z and rose to stardom. Read about Rihanna’s childhood, her rise to fame, her Grammy win, and her charity work. Get some behind the scenes peeks at celebs Shia LaBeouf, Timbaland, Maroon 5, and Chris Brown.

Congrats on the multiple releases Laurie!

YAedge Featured Author: Cheryl Renee Herbsman

Today we have the pleasure of chatting with Cheryl about her debut release, Breathing, published by Viking.

Here’s the blurb:

What if the guy who took your breath away was the only one who could help you breathe?

Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels and working at the library. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she’s convinced he’s the one—her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama’s strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he’s called away to help his family—and seems uncertain about returning—Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.

This debut novel has it all—an endearing, funny, hopelessly romantic main character, lots of down-home Southern charm, and a sunny, salty beach setting that will transport you to the Carolina coast.

A brief excerpt:

Oh Lord, I got a prickling on the back of my neck. Either somebody
walked over my grave or else I’m being watched.
I turn to look and there he is staring right at me from up by the snack
shack. Some kind of crazy zingy feeling goes shooting right on up my
chest. I should have brung my inhaler, all the sudden my breathing is
clunky. Hell ‘n high water, he’s headed this way. And he’s got that big
ol’ smile plastered on his face like I’m his long lost best friend. And
I haven’t a clue what his long lost best friend would say. I drop my
bike down in the sand beside me.
“Hey,” he says, just like last time.
Ah, hell. “Hey,” I reply, promising myself that no matter what happens
I will not run off like a baby.
“We met behind the libary,” he says.
“I remember you,” I say, all shy-like. “I’m Savannah, you know, as in
Georgia.” Hells bells, I should have kept my mouth shut. But he smiles
at me with those sparkly sea-green eyes. “Jackson,” he says, “as in
Mississippi.”

Now for the questions!

1. Here’s a scary stat pulled from: http://www.asthma.ca/corp/newsroom/pdf/asthmastats.pdf

Between 100 and 150 million people around the globe suffer from asthma and this number is rising. World-wide, deaths from this condition have reached over 180,000 annually. In the United States, the number of asthmatics has leapt by over 60% since the early 1980s and deaths have doubled to 5,000 a year.

In light of these statistics, I’m sure you’ll have many readers who can relate to Savannah’s plight. What drew you to telling this story?

Great question. I came to the asthma in a round about way. Initially, I was using it as an explanation for Savannah’s visions or special feelings. I thought they would be more believable if they came when Savannah was in an altered state of oxygen-loss. As my process went on, that connection was dropped and the visions were scaled back. But by then, the asthma had become part of who Savannah is.

My husband and daughter both have mild asthma. So I have some experience seeing its role in people’s lives. I also worked in a pediatric unit in a hospital in college. There were kids and teens who I got to know there with asthma and other respiratory issues. My husband is a pediatrician, so medical issues are around here a lot. And I got to thinking that not that many stories include a child with a medical challenge without that being the main focus of the book. I wanted Savannah’s asthma to be something she has to deal with, but not the point of the story.


2. In your bio, you mention that like Savannah and Jackson, you and your husband met as teenagers and endured the trials of a long-distance relationship. Congrats on your twentieth anniversary! Did you make things easier or harder on your characters compared to your experience with long-distance love?

I made things much easier on Savannah and Jackson than they were on us. I don’t want to give away any details about the story, but our long-distance experience included a much greater distance and a much longer separation.

3. When I first read the excerpt for Breathing, I had to go back and re-read it a few times to get the rhythm of the language to flow in my head…if that makes sense…lol. Your bio says you grew up in Northern Carolina, so you must be very familiar with the dialect you’ve chosen for Breathing. Savannah’s voice is fabulous – but did you worry readers might have trouble with the style?

This is also a great question. When I wrote the first draft, I put the words down exactly the way I heard them in my head. Then, through many rounds of revisions, we chose very carefully when to leave the dialect in and when to take it out to make it easier for the reader. I’ve had a lot of readers tell me that it only seems challenging in the first few pages and that once they get the feel for it, they really enjoy what it adds to the story. I wanted the reader to know Savannah completely and I didn’t feel like that would be possible without including the way she talks and thinks.

4. Your website is impressive – who’s gonna fold all that laundry?! http://www.cherylreneeherbsman.com/ I especially enjoyed the Bonus Materials with your character sketches (interviews with your characters). Did you use these interviews when developing your characters?

Yes. Usually I start writing without doing character sketches. Then, once I know the character to some degree, I’ll have a little written chat with them to get to know them better. Then I go back to the story and weave in what I’ve learned and also use it in the remainder of the novel.

5. What’s your writing day like?

It varies so much. Life gets busy. But ideally, after I take my kids to school, I spend half an hour or so dealing with emails and Facebook and myspace and all that. I usually do that kind of work on my desktop computer. Then I leave the busy world behind and go into my bedroom. I light candles and sometimes incense. Some days I write with pen and paper, other days on my laptop, always on my bed, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I love when I have a three or four hour block of time to write. But that doesn’t happen as often as I’d like. I usually have other things I need to take care of. And before I know it, it’s time to pick the kids up from school.


6. Any announcements or promo ops you’d like to mention? Plug away!

I have a number of events coming up, which I’m really excited about. Many of them are in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I’ll also be in North Carolina. Starting in June, I’m going to be teaching a bunch of creative writing classes for teenagers. All the info can be found on my website http://www.cherylreneeherbsman.com


Thanks for hanging with us, Cheryl. We wish you many readers!