Not long ago, someone tweeted at me “Every writer has seen a thousand rejections. Why don’t you show us an acceptance?” It was a bit of hyperbole–I hope–but I understand what he was trying to say. This was in response to my #1000queries thread on Twitter which, by necessity, has more passes than requests. I could break out some statistics on that, but that might just prove that writer’s point.
But let’s turn to “acceptances”, success stories, queries that led to requests for a full manuscript and then to an offer of representation. My newest client is one I met at a conference in December. She had a pitch for women’s fiction that made me perk up with interest. She knew her audience, comparison titles were on point, and it just sounded FUN. I asked for the full manuscript and she had created rich characters, a really vivid sense of place, and a sense of drama that kept me turning the page. And I could imagine this being published at Publisher X, Y, or Z. So I offered representation and we had a great phone call–well actually, two–where she asked the questions she needed to ask to be sure we were a good fit.
Another client came to me unsolicited, I think prompted by something he’d seen in Writer’s Digest or on a blog. It’s a mystery, set in Baltimore (where I lived for five years, though he didn’t know that when he queried). I’m also a HUGE fan of The Wire and gritty crime fiction. But he summarized his plot in a tight, gripping paragraph that let me know just what to expect and made me want to dip in to the sample pages. When I read a query and say “Oooh!”, that always turns out better than when I say “Whaaat?!” (Yes, I do speak to my computer sometimes.) It certainly didn’t hurt that his supporting characters were just as compelling as his main character and that the plot kept me spinning more than the Baltimore Beltway. His writing feels cinematic to me, like my favorite crime TV show.. So again, I offered rep and we had a call to make sure our personalities and goals for his future were aligned.
I look for writing that I LOVE and a personality that I click with. This is acceptance.
Happy queries and keep writing!
