I’ve been reading a lot of blogs lately and the word “query” keeps coming up in posts. As in: “I’m sick and tired of getting boilerplate rejections from my query letters. Did they even read the sample I sent them?”
Sigh.
What are you doing? Why are you still stuck in an ancient universe where you seek the approval of a traditional publisher? The only thing you’re going to get from that is free parking — you will park your writing career at the curb while waiting for the validation from a literary agent. And it will probably stay parked there forever!
Answer me this one question: Are you convinced you have a good story? Yes?
Then go write! Go edit! Go market! But do not waste time on query letters.
Most authors don’t realize they are living in the greatest time in history to be a writer. The start-up costs to your writing career have never been lower. You don’t need to worry about printing up copies of your book and then figuring out how to get them into hundreds of bookstores.
Here’s all you need:
• Good friends to help you polish the story. These are the people who aren’t afraid to tell you if a pair of pants makes you look fat.
• Another good friend to help with editing. (You can hire this person, too.)
• Someone to design a good-looking cover. (Ditto.)
Now if you are smart enough to write a book, you are smart enough to learn how to format it for the Kindle and Nook. (Tip: Go to the Writers Cafe board at KindleBoards.com and do a search. You are not re-inventing the wheel!)
With the help of friends and your fellow authors, it’s possible to publish a book for the Kindle and Nook for nothing. Even if you hire out most of the non-writing tasks, you can do it for a few hundred dollars.
Most importantly, you will have not wasted months — even years — waiting for a validation that you no longer need. If you are really successful, the literary agents and publishers will find you … and you can send a rejection letter to them.
alexadena 