So you've written your book, you’ve revised and edited until you’re crossed-eyed, and your gut is telling you that you’re ready to send your book out into the world! If you’re looking to publish your book traditionally, you’ll need to first query agents and find representation.
Here are five great websites you should be familiar with as you dive into the query trenches:
QueryTracker.com
If you’re asking yourself who you should query and how, it’s time to stop stress-googling and create a free account on QueryTracker.com. You’ll be able to compile of list of available agents from agencies across the world. You’ll also find details about how these agents preferred to be queried and, if you pay for the upgraded account, you’ll see statistics and details on their pending queries. But even without a paid account, this will be an invaluable resource for you.
ManuscriptWishlist.com
Once you’ve found a list of agents you may want to query, you’ll need to figure out what exactly they want to see. An agent’s wishlist can be as simple as “Looking for great Young Adult Fantasy novels” or as complex as “Looking for a Gothic Fantasy novel involving horse owners.” Manuscript Wishlist is a great place to figure out what the agents on your list want and how to sell your book to them.
PublishersMarketplace.com
So you have your “top tier” list of agents, you know exactly what they’re looking for and maybe you already know that they’re interested in your book. How can you find out more about their current clients and sales? Publisher’s Marketplace has that data ready for you. You will have to pay to access it, but it’s a monthly subscription so you can easily cancel when you’re done. You won’t be able to find the data on this site anywhere else (at least not without a LOT of time and research).
SavvyAuthors.com
Don’t be discouraged if your first batch of queries don’t go the way you planned. You may just need to reevaluate your query letter, summary or first pages. Websites like Savvy Authors offer lots of workshops to refine and get second eyes on your query materials. Plus, they offer their “Sweetheart Pitchfest” multiple times during the year, where you can directly pitch agents and get a leg up on the “slush pile”.
Pitchwars.org
If you’ve done much research about querying you probably already know about the #PitMad events on Twitter and maybe even the annual Pitch Wars competition. Even if you’re not interested in these events, though, the Pitch Wars website is a great resource. They frequently host author and agent interviews and offer querying tips and tricks. You can learn more about a potential agent you want to query or see if a previous Pitch Wars winner has a project similar to yours coming out soon.
We’re at the end of 2021, the year that felt like three. It’s been a great year for sarahfoil.com with amazing guest posts, interviews and new content. I hope you all have enjoyed my blog. Here are the 5 most popular posts from 2021:
As we count down the days to Christmas, you may be stuck finding the perfect gift for your favorite reader or writer. So I’m here to help with 5 gift ideas for the writer in your life:
One of the most common questions I get asked is how to get started writing book reviews. I absolutely love that a big part of my job is getting to read stories and help readers find the best of them. And it’s definitely something I recommend to writers looking to stay involved in their genre while they work on publishing their own work. So here are five simple steps to get started:
I have a confession to make… I’m obsessed with subscription boxes. There’s nothing like getting a special surprise every month or two with goodies that are perfect for you. Here are 5 great subscription boxes curated just for writers!
If you’re an aspiring author, you need to stay up to date on the latest publishing news and trends. But if you’re like me and spend your day chasing your children/animals, working your day job, and keeping up with your sanity, in your free time you want to actually work on your book instead of researching publishing updates. Podcasts are a great way to listen to news and interviews while doing your other daily work. Here are five great podcasts for aspiring published writers.
We’re not even halfway through the year and my blog has already hosted some amazing guest posts, accomplished author interviews, and awesome new releases. In case you’ve missed out, here are the most popular posts this year:
A believable and well-developed world is important for any story, but for Fantasy and Science Fiction writers, their world can make or break their story. But, for new authors, it can be hard to know exactly how to build their setting. Here are 5 resources that I hope will help you with this process:
I am always open to thoughtful and unique guest posts and guest authors for my blog. There is no cost for you to be featured, and I’d love for you to reach out.
So you've written your book, you’ve revised and edited until you’re crossed-eyed, and your gut is telling you that you’re ready to send your book out into the world! If you’re looking to publish your book traditionally, you’ll need to first query agents and find representation.
Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida. Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.
Every avid reader dreams about having their own personal reading nook. So, if you’re one of them, you’re at the right place since we’ll now discuss some of the amazing ways how to design it and incorporate it into the rest of your home design. Feel free to take a look at our ideas and add your personal touch to them as well.
While you can always count on your laptop or any regular old notebook to get your ideas down when you really need to write, there's tons of gadgets out there to make your writing even easier!
Recently, my husband and I watched The Truman Show on Netflix. I had first watched this movie in middle school as a part of my language arts class. It had a huge impact on me and when I found out Daniel had never seen it before, I was excited to show it to him. The movie lived up to my memory and, in talking to Daniel about it, it also gave me a writing epiphany!
Pacing in fiction has always been one of my great struggles because I get excited about a scene idea and rush to get there. It’s finally sinking in though that I need to slow down in order to get the interiority I want for my narrator and protagonist. But how do you slow down the pace of a scene? The trick is knowing when to show versus tell.
Last week we got the chance to talk about some of the faux-pas writers have encountered with their friends in the past. It probably left you with some questions about what exactly could you do if you didn't want to offend your friends? Here's some ideas!
NaNoWriMo starts in exactly two days and every writer on twitter is either jumping with excitement or trying not to cry with despair. It's the most exhilarating and terrifying month of the year. If you're not in the know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and is hosted by the Non-Profit Group NaNoWriMo. It's a challenge to write 50,000 words in one month, which is roughly 1667 words per day. So let's get down to it, what exactly are you going to write?
As I'm getting ready to start this grand experiment into running my author's website and blog, after managing other business' pages for over three years, I'm reminded of an open mic night or any reading, actually. I'm standing at the podium (or in my undergraduate days, standing in the middle of the smoker's patio with a security light shining behind me on a semi-frigid night right before mid-terms) and all eyes are on me. I've been practicing my reading for a week straight, nipped and tucked to fit a scene into a five-minute time slot, and have decided this is as good as it's going to get.
We’re at the very end of 2021 and it’s been an important year for me. I’m raising a toddler, working on a few new book projects, advancing my career, and thinking hard about what I want in the future.