tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post3531687426442156624..comments2023-12-31T20:43:08.499-05:00Comments on THE STILETTO GANG: Writing the Query LetterUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-33834180968665293822009-03-24T10:25:00.000-04:002009-03-24T10:25:00.000-04:00Thanks for having me!Susan, please tell your fello...Thanks for having me!<BR/>Susan, please tell your fellow authors from the Gang to email me so I can feature them on my blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-29797647670095393852009-03-20T16:20:00.000-04:002009-03-20T16:20:00.000-04:00Wendy, I'd be happy to tell him you're awesome (th...Wendy, I'd be happy to tell him you're awesome (though I have a feeling he already knows it). ;-) As for Jerrilyn's latest book, yep, it's a mystery she wrote with/for Joan Rivers. It's called MURDER AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS, and it's doing really well. When Jerrilyn was in town awhile back, we had dinner and she told me all about how Joan's agent had talked to a bunch of mystery authors before her; but she and Joan just hit it off. She got to spend time with Joan in NYC getting her ideas for the book. Then Jerrilyn sat down and wrote. I think she's had fun with the collaboration after her Madeline Bean series with Morrow/Avon, and I'm happy she's doing so well! Just goes to show how being flexible as an author and open to different projects can really pay off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-74637276763955292292009-03-20T15:54:00.000-04:002009-03-20T15:54:00.000-04:00And Susan,Thank you for calling me "awesome" on th...And Susan,<BR/>Thank you for calling me "awesome" on the Ning.com site. Would you mind telling my husband? He thinks I sit around and play online Scrabble all day....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-60359174838153653632009-03-20T15:52:00.000-04:002009-03-20T15:52:00.000-04:00Well, the .5 was an agent that pretty much agreed ...Well, the .5 was an agent that pretty much agreed to represent me then wanted me to completely change the focus of my book. I did not agree. We hadn't signed a contract yet so I found another agent.<BR/><BR/>....and what's this about a mystery with Joan Rivers??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-66679104785728198522009-03-20T12:50:00.000-04:002009-03-20T12:50:00.000-04:00Wendy, I'm wondering about that .5 agent you had. ...Wendy, I'm wondering about that .5 agent you had. Was she just really skinny? (Kidding!) Jerrily Farmer, who has a mystery out now with Joan Rivers, once told me that signing with an agent is like getting married. You have to have faith and you never know if it'll work out until you take the leap. So true!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-75715701221097966122009-03-20T12:02:00.000-04:002009-03-20T12:02:00.000-04:00I definitely agree that the reality is not that ev...I definitely agree that the reality is not that everyone finds a perfect match with their first agent. I've had 3 agents (more like 3.5 - but that's another story) and although my first was great (I never actually met her in person) for the first two books, she started focusing on romance later. Romance is definitely not my genre so we parted ways. Sometimes, however, it's just a personality clash. I've heard some horror stories from fellow authors!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-84545141023795716702009-03-20T10:56:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:56:00.000-04:00Marilyn, like you, I broke in without an agent (no...Marilyn, like you, I broke in without an agent (not that I didn't have several representing projects for me before that--just never worked out!). AND THEN SHE WAS GONE was published in 1999 (and reprinted in 2000) after I won a small press contest. After that, I got busy promoting and making friends in the mystery world, which led to my signing with the agent who sold BLUE BLOOD to Avon (plus two more titles in that series). That relationship wasn't what I'd imagined, so I signed with another agent who's the perfect fit! She's helped my career move in a direction that I've wanted to go for a long time. I so envy authors who find their perfect agent from the start, but that's definitely not a reality for everyone, for sure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-72920657509552181182009-03-20T10:31:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:31:00.000-04:00Great post.One comment about agents--I've had seve...Great post.<BR/><BR/>One comment about agents--I've had seven over the years--yes, seven. My first book was sold to a New York publisher without one.<BR/><BR/>They with all the agents I never could break in again. All the publishers I've had for the last twenty plus books have been small independents which means no advance, just royalties.<BR/><BR/>If an author can get an agent to really work for them that's great--and for a new author, I agree that's the way to begin.<BR/><BR/>Marilyn<BR/>a.k.a. F. M. MeredithMarilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04179984154939161530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-87471250926697814642009-03-20T10:20:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:20:00.000-04:00Susan,I wish I had these tips when I was first sen...Susan,<BR/>I wish I had these tips when I was first sending out queries! When I think about how many trees I wasted....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1025201337316610324.post-26308640225632762802009-03-20T10:13:00.000-04:002009-03-20T10:13:00.000-04:00Wendy, thanks again so much for dropping in on the...Wendy, thanks again so much for dropping in on the Stiletto Gang. You offer so much great advice! Wish I'd had all these tips when I was sending out queries. ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com