Know The Heart Of Your Novel

Happy conference season to all those who are submitting! During a writer's chat I took part in last week (#IndieChat on Tuesday at 6pm PT on Twitter) the question of how to pitch came up. Having landed two agents, the best answer I can give is that you must know what the heart of your novel is before you can pitch it or start submitting it. If you don't know, neither will the person you're trying to 'sell' it to, which means they won't buy off on the idea.

Knowing the heart of your novel is more than just saying it's about this character or that event. It's saying what is deep down, the idea that drove you to write the novel in the first place. Take one of my novel's for example, The Secret Of Spruce Knoll. At first glance it looks like a story about a girl who discovers she's a channeler after her parents are killed and she has to go live with her aunt in a strange little town. But that isn't the heart of the novel, not by a long shot. The heart of the novel is that Eren is part of an endangered species that is going extinct as the world slowly dies. See what I mean about the heart? The second description illicites a deeper response because it's about the big issue, what is outside of the character and drives them through the novel.

You have to get to the deep issue and bring it to the surface of your query or pitch. Only then will others see your novel and it's potential. You may have written an amazing novel but if you can't communicate what is so amazing about it then no one will ever know. It's all about that first impression. Those of you who are querying and getting no bites, take another look at your query. Does it get to the heart of things?

Best of luck!

~Heather

Author of The Secret Of Spruce Knoll, Born Of Fire, Channeler's Choice, and coming in May of 2012, To Ride A Puca. A short story of Heather's is also available in the free In His Eyes eBook anthology. 

Making Your Own Querying Luck

Sorry I'm late! I was celebrating the cover reveal (which I designed!) of my friend's book, A SPY LIKE ME by Laura Pauling. I can hardly wait to read it! On to today's post...

If you've had a novel out on submission for a while and haven't got any bites then it's probably time to take a closer look at it and re-evaluate it. Chances are it could just be a matter of timing and there may be nothing wrong with it. But it doesn't hurt to make sure. Here are a few tips that might help.

Polish: There are many reasons agents may not be warming up to your novel. Have you polished it as much as possible? Agents get thousands of submissions every month so your novel must shine in every way it can. They may not be willing to take on an author who's work is full of grammar issues.

Originality: Is the main theme of your novel a trending one? Does it contain an element that is currently clogging bookshelves? Though it makes sense that consumers will buy more of what they like, agents and editors are always looking to the future, not the present. If you've written a novel that is about vampires for example, it has to be very original and outstanding to get anyone's attention. It isn't enough to just write a good novel any more.

Intrigue: A certain level of mystery must be present to keep the reader turning pages. That's not to say you have to write a mystery, not at all. But you do have to keep the reader wanting to know what is going to happen next. If your plot is too predictable they won't care. Throw in those plot twists and surprises to keep them guessing and keep their interest piqued.

Pacing: How is your pacing? Does it rise and fall in a manner that keeps the reader interested and yet doesn't overwhelm them? Pacing is vital!

Querying: What is your querying process like? Do you send out dozens and dozens of queries that are almost identical and scarcely personalized? This is called blanket querying. Don't do it. If you want to have any chance in the query wars you have to educate yourself and approach the process with the caution and respect it deserves.

It's true that luck plays a huge part in landing an agent and getting a book deal. But if you follow these tips then you can make a bit of your own luck and hopefully tip the scales in your favor.

~Heather