After checking my logs, I see it’s been more than nine months since I last queried literary agents to be my partner in launching my novel. So much has changed in that time that I find it hard to keep it all straight. The most apparent change is splitting my over-long first novel into two and then adding a new end to the first half plus a new beginning to the second half.
I have had an editor review the new first novel, Defender of Vosj, and some beta readers read it. I have made many suggested changes, and it’s ready to go out again. What have I learned in those last nine months? Well, let me list the highlights:
1. Keep the novel to under 120,000 words (it costs more to print oversized books, so why take that risk on an unknown author).
2. Work on the dialogs; they are the window to the novel’s soul. And when you have them right, work on them some more.
3. Write a query letter that grabs the agent. It is the most critical communication until they read your manuscript.
4. Research the agents, find ones that should have a concept for your project. Whatever your vision is, the agent should have a similar one.
With fifty literary agents identified, it is time to open my portfolio again to see if any agents are interested in partnering with me to bring the story of Brodia Raffun to life. My pitch is ready…
Brodia must escape her abusive father’s plans to sell her. When the visiting wizard seeks an apprentice, Brodia schemes to have him pick her friend so that she can escape with him. But the wizard buys her marriage contract. Now, she can escape her father’s trap. But what of the wizard’s Bone Crusher nickname; how did he earn it?