Comments (4)

By Galen, March 26, 2010 6:15 AM

Note:  This post about Query Tracker appeared Tuesday on Terry Odell’s very fine blog.  Not too many of the Imagineering Fiction “crowd” (Yes, I have a sense of humor) got to see it.  So, I thought I’d re-post it here.  Patricia and Elizabeth, bless your hearts, you have a fee pass, just click through. But thanks for stopping by…

So, you’ve written the great American novel. Congratulations. Now what? Oh, yes, you need to get it published. For that, you’re very likely gonna need an agent. This isn’t always true, of course; I’m published, but have no agent. Still, if you want to launch your writing career and get your work before larger publishers, an agent will be key.

Finding an agent, however, isn’t as easy as finding a lawyer or Dentist. Sadly, they pick you. But, before they can pick you, they have to know about you. That’s where your query plays a role–and where a very cool web tool can help.

You should consider, and I wholeheartedly recommend, joining the web site, Query Tracker. Query tracker is a 2008 and 2009 winner of the Writer’s Digest, 101 Best Web Sites for Writers award. Joining is free and opens the door to its regular features. Its premium features cost only $26 per YEAR. In my view, that’s a bargain at twice that price. For the curious, this link opens to the page that compares premium features with the regular or free features.

But, maybe you’re a skeptic. Before you join anything, free or not, you want to know what you’re gonna get. So, very reasonably you ask: “What makes Query Tracker so great?” Good question, thank you for asking. Here are a few things it can do for you…

• Provides key data (contact information, genre, web site) for 1276 agents and 127 Publishers. That’s right, no Googling for agents or buying books that are out of date before printed. That alone is worth $26 bucks.
• Allows you to search for agents by genre and other essential qualities–name, location, agency, etc.
• Allows you to save, sort, organize, and prioritize your specific list of agents. Note, please, you can construct a unique list for each book you’re working on.
• Provides a database of comments about agents from folks who have queried the agent…learn from what they encountered with their query. You can also use this feature to ask other members questions about specific agents.
• Provides a deep database of statistics for you to see exactly what your target agent has requested in terms of manuscripts, when, how long it took him or her to respond, and other interesting items to help determine if this is an agent with whom you might connect.
• Provides a spot for you to record who you queried, when, and a copy of what you wrote.
• Track (as the web site name implies) each query you send and store a copy of that query with the info for that specific agent.
• Record the results of your query.
• Join the forums for advice, counsel, and lots of crying on sympathetic shoulders.
• Post your query for advice and feedback from authors in the query forum.
• And, as they say on the Ginzu Knife commercials, much, much more.

This link opens the Query Tracker list of videos that explain in greater detail how the system works, what you can do with it, and what it can do for you. Query Tracker…at a minimum, it will help you bring order out of a chaotic process and provide a sense of structure to what can be a debilitating experience.

Comments (8)

By Galen, March 24, 2010 3:42 AM

I’m about as apolitical as one can get.  But, I am concerned about the growing national debt and its attendant problems.  Hence, this little story…

It’s a typically slow day in a small New Mexico border town. The heat is brutal. The streets are deserted. Times are tough; everybody is in debt; everybody lives on credit.

A tourist stops at the town’s only motel. In the lobby, he lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms before he commits to stay.

As soon as the man walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the hundred bucks and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill at feed store.

The guy at the Farmer’s Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute.

The hooker rushes to the motel and pays her by-the-hour room bill.

The motel proprietor places the $100 back on the counter.

The traveler returns to the lobby, picks up the $100 bill, opines that the rooms are not satisfactory, pockets the money, and leaves town.

No one produced anything. No one earned anything. However, the entire town is now debt free and looks to the future with renewed optimism.

This is the same economic model the United States government is using today. While it worked short term for this apocryphal small town, not so sure it will work longer term for the real life U.S. of A.  But then…what do I know.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you again on Friday.

Comments (9)

By Galen, March 22, 2010 6:07 AM

A smattering of different kinds of news…

• On The PrePub Front:  All processes are nearly complete. I have a cover…but not sure of it’s final form. Keeping my fingers crossed on that.  I’m in the last stages of galley proofing. Ugh.  Have you ever read your work so many times that you just can’t stand it?  I have to read it one…..more…..time.  It’s just painful.  At any rate, I should be done soon. Then, if there is a God, I’ll never have to read the blessed book again.

• Winners:  I have about ten book winners.  When the aforementioned galley proof is done, all the work necessary to send the thing to the printers should be done.  I’m hoping I’ll have copies in my hands about early to Mid-April.  I’ll send them out right away and post when I’ve done so.  Thanks to all those brave enough to take a leap of faith.

• Guest Posting Tuesday:  Terry Odell was kind enough to ask me to post on her site.  I’ll do that this Tuesday—that’s tomorrow–the 23rd.  When I post on another blogger’s site, I actually try to write something worthwhile instead of the drivel you’re forced to endure here.  Accordingly, you might want to drop over to see if there’s anything useful in my post. My topic is, Query Tracker.  A very good internet tool to…well…track queries—among other things  Get the full story over at Terry’s.

• Fly Fishing:  Gotta figure how to get some in.  Gonna do more this year than last…and that’s a PROMISE.  Maybe even get in a Montana trip…maybe.

Okay, that’s it for now.  Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you again Tuesday at Terry’s place, and on Wednesday back here.