Today is the second in a series of posts by San-Diego-based writer named Thomas Shess who has decided to keep a journal on his journey to find a publisher for his novel. You can read the first installment here.
WEEK TWO/Monday, July 4, 2005

Suds & Guacamole. The second week of my search for a publisher or a literary agent for my novel was interrupted by the usual sunny Fourth of July weekend in San Diego. Taking a break from the computer keys and lounging pool side with the BBQ grill in full flame was all the fireworks needed to rekindle the Muse. And working with my grammar editor will keep me busy until the Del Mar horse racing season opens in August.

Pizza Marketing. My colleagues in PR tell me a good marketing plan is like a pizza. Each slice is a different approach. If it works to market condos why shouldn't it sell a novel to an agent?

Slice one is me sending E-mail queries one at a time to agencies after researching their websites and culling respected lists of literary agencies. So far, I've invested in mediabistro to obtain access to its literary agent roster and I use Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents.

Slice two is sending custom written queries letters packaged with 20 pages of the novel. So far, I've sent out two mailing early in the week and if/when I get a rejection I'll send out another. Mass mailing can be seen a mile away. It wastes everyone's time. I'm making the effort to customize the query by researching the agency.

Slice three is advertising locally. I discovered the classified sections of a new San Diego media/literary monthly magazine/website called WordSanDiego. It's a hardworking print version of Media Bistro. I decided to run a classified ad in the August issue. I figured it might generate some feedback from other writers, who might be willing to share agent leads. At 50 cents a word, it is a good investment. I will let you know what the response has been in a month. In the meanwhile here's where to find.

Slice four: About a mile from my home is Paras Newsstand (30th & University). It is a classic newsstand. If Paras doesn't have it-forget it. While looking to purchase a paperback, I noticed the New York Review of Books and decided to run a classified ad for the July 28 summer issue. I was told the NYRB would be on the newsstand for six weeks. I figured vacationing agents may ignore the dailies and just pick up the summer edition just to see what is hot. They might see a best seller that they let get away off the slush pile. Maybe not. My classified in The New York Review of Books may generate feedback? Who knows until you try and for the rate-what a deal. I'll share with you correspondence with the classified staffer:

...At the one time rate of $5.75 per word, your 15 word ad will cost
$86.25 to appear in the August 11 New York Review of Books Summer Issue, on sale for six weeks starting July 28.

I feel that your ad would be best suited under the Writer's Services or Books rubric (and not personals which refer to "Men Seeking...") Please confirm.

Please confirm this rate, issue date and category heading and submit
payment by July 1 and your ad will be all set. Payment with credit card can be received here via telephone, e-mail, or fax.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have, please feel free to
contact me.

Best,

Kristen Radecki

The New York Review of Books

On Jun 16, 2005, at 12:48 AM, TomShess@aol.com wrote:

Hi Kristen:

I would like to place the following classified ad in the July 28 edition. I hope this qualifies as a personal ad. I am an individual not a business placing this adv.

Text : Literary Agent sought. Newly completed suspense novel set in modern SF. Surprise yourself. TomShess@aol.com

Cold Dead Fingers. The only news story I paid much attention to was the thrashing journalism was taking in the higher courts of the land. The courts must weigh the spirit and the letter of the law. Obviously, that justice has chosen to uphold the letter. Taking away a journalist's right to protect his/her sources is a violation of the spirit of freedom and free speech. Cooler legal heads will prevail and the ruling will be overturned. In the meantime, my colleagues in city magazinedom are amazed by Time, Inc. being the first to throw in the towel? Prompting one wag (Ok it's me) to wonder would the NRA turn in its guns if a similar high court held that possessing individual firearms was a breach of national security? Possessing guns might lead to a national security crisis. Geez we can't have that.

So hat's off to those journalists who will be shouting "I'll turn my sources over to the court when they pry my cold dead fingers off my Dell." And, once again a woman is my heroine. God Bless you, Judith Miller of the New York Times. And, there is no truth to the rumor that I'm canceling my subscription to Time and switching to Cox Broadband instead of AOL. No knee jerks allowed.

I digress.

Let's move on to rejection.

Colleague Cold Shoulder. Most of my editorial career has been spent as an editor or managing editor of city, trade or inflight magazines. I spent a good deal of my day rejecting story ideas. Like all things there is a right way and a wrong way to toss pitches. As a brash young editor, I was very annoyed by most unsolicited mss. until a seasoned pro freelancer told me that an unsolicited mss. (no matter how bad) deserves a decent burial. It's part of the business. As magazine editors we are in the business of buying (as in cash) freelance material; thus an unsolicited mss. is a business proposal.

Yes, unsolicited mss.'s can be dreadful and I found it annoying that some writers didn't know how to pitch a magazine story. But that realization was determined after I read at least the first couple of pages of their submission or query letter. If it was a multiple submission I had or have no guilt in saying no via a form letter. Please hold that thought.

The other day I had lunch with a fellow unpublished author, who brought with her a ream of rejection slips from literary agents. This person today is held in high regard in San Diego broadcast journalism. She asked if I would take a look at his/her query letter to see if I could spot a flaw or perhaps suggest a better way of writing a query.

Being an author of an unpublished novel, I didn't feel like I was the expert on successful query letters. But, I did read his/her letters and I realized she did what most of the professional tipsters said to do. She provided a no-nonsense lead graph, a pithy synopsis and a paragraph of her expertise.

Now, if I ran across an unsolicited mss. from a colleague in print, broadcast or publishing, I would write a personal rejection "no" note as a professional courtesy. Just as I would never reject a book publicist, who was pitching an author with a form rejection slip. How tacky.

I consider literary agents to be media colleagues. Is that naïve of me? And, in this room (Media Bistro) we're all colleagues here so I ask: Is it so out of bounds to simply ask a "pitched" literary agent to respond to a fellow media colleague with a personal note no matter how bad the pitched book/idea might be? It can be done. Civility is its own reward. I have worked for a magazine publishing house that received hundreds of unsolicited mss. in a week. We assigned an assistant editor to give a quick read and to red flag any pitches from fellow journalists or marginal celebs. It was simply a professional courtesy. The point is literary agents should walk in the shoes of a book publicist even for a day. That publicist asks of me (the editor) for a civil answer to his/her proposal to "do" a piece on the touring author/client. Civility is something they always get from me even without this wonderful soap box.

* ...because it's a jungle out there.