Attention please... what happens when the writing is done

This is a first for me. Querying. This is what authors do when they want to submit their work to an agent or a publisher. Sound simple? It's not.

First one must draft a query letter. This should include a concise overview of your work (if your work is fiction, for non-fiction a proposal is accepted) that is short and sweet. Much like a movie trailer. Your novel may be 65,000 words but what it really says needs to be condensed in a paragraph, two at most, that will hook the interest and attention of the recipient. Wow.

About the recipient. If you've done your research he/she or it (publishing house, not creature from another planet) belongs to AAR, Association of Author Representatives. If they do they have been vetted, they are legitimate, they are not shysters who ask you to pay them money, steal your work, then make a mint signing a big fat book contract for your hard work! This research can be done online by going to the official AAR website, or by the old fashioned way -- through books such as Writer's Marketplace. You'll want to research several of those hes, shes or its since unless you've written the next Pulitzer Prize winner, your work is going to be sent off to more than one. Here's where technology comes in handy. Less and less folks require hard copy, so you won't be paying a fortune in postage sending out packets of printed material. In most cases, but not all (another area in which to pay strict attention) email will do.

Back to the query letter. Pay attention to what the recipient is looking for. Don't pitch your children's book to a publishing house that looks for poetry and poetry only. Don't pitch your non-fiction piece to an agent who only handles Young Adult fiction. If you've written a straight romance don't pitch to erotica. And for goodness sakes if you've written erotica don't pitch to Christian Lit. Please. You're wasting your time and theirs. Simply put, know what genre, or sub-genre your work fits in, lay a good foundation by investigating who or where your work will ultimately land, then add those bits of personal information to the query. Definitely include your body of work, any awards you've received, past publication, if any, and writers groups, associations, etc. you belong to. Be honest. Then polish it, polish it, polish it and send it off with a measure of cautious optimism.

What next? We wait.

I've known some authors who've received requests for a full manuscript within a couple weeks. Others who receive a polite "no thank you" with personal notes. And then there is the dreaded standard rejection which gives you no clue as to why your work is not wanted, leaving you to draw your own conclusion. One that may not be pretty. Or necessarily true.

I have the utmost respect for writers who have submitted work, received a rejection, and keep plugging away until they find someone who wants their book. It may take years. Did you know that Stephanie Meyer, who penned the Twilight series that spun off into merchandise and movies, was rejected 11 times before she found a publisher willing to take her on? Perseverance pays.

While I await responses, if any, to my queries I've got several ideas floating in my head, on paper and on my computer and flash drive (back up is important). Waiting.

Hopefully I've paid close enough attention and my research will pay off. Wish me luck, huh?