Day 92 & 93

Yesterday I had a headache. Now I'm better.

Day 92:
"Write a brief synopsis — one paragraph, no more — of your novel. Make it strong and lively. This is an important sales tool."

Day 93:
"Make a photocopy or print out the first fifty pages or so of your novel. Try to leave off at a point where the reader will want to know more of the story."

Regarding the guide for day 92, in day 84 we did one paragraph description of the story already. What's the difference b/w this and "synopsis?"

I checked the dictionary for the word "synopsis" and it came out 3 definitions:

1. A brief or condensed statement giving a general view of some subject.
2. A compendium of heads or short paragraphs giving a view of the whole.
3. A brief summary of the plot of a novel, motion picture, play, etc.

I can't really tell the difference...

For the guide in day 93, I kind of did a similar thing on my "Prince Vingo" by emailing the first half to 2 people and waited for their reactions. Not really a word. Sigh.

One more week.

Day 91: In seeking an agent...

"...remember that you’re an unknown quantity and the top agents are loaded with clients. Aim at those in the middle of any listing of agents. And be sure they actually represent the genre of novel you have written."

Good advice. But how do I know which agents are top and which are in the middle?

9 days.

Day 90: Select a few agents...

"and send each a letter which begins — as appropriate:

I recently read ____, which is a wonderful book, and saw that you are ____’s agent.

Or:

My friend/acquaintance______, who is represented by you, suggested you as a possible agent for my book.

Or:

I read your article in______ about the book business, and was hoping that you might consider me as a future client.

Add the paragraph you’ve written about yourself, and then the paragraph about your novel."

Great practical advice! That's what I need. When I finish the story I'll surely do it.

10 days.

Day 89: To begin the agent search:

• Check the acknowledgement pages of books similar to yours to look for the names of the author’s agent.
• Ask other writers for recommendations.
• Use the “Friendly Agents” list in the Resources of this newsletter .
• Use the Internet and key in such words as “writer,” “author representation,” “agent.”

Wow, I googled "author representation" and I got some good info. There seem to have some agents accept email submission. But many of them are non-fiction. I wonder what non-fiction exactly means. I thought I knew, but now I probably don't. Maybe I'm good at non-fiction?

11 days.

Day 88: Don’t mail your novel yet.

"It is now time to research and find the right agent to represent you."

I hate this part, but I guess it's a necessary evil.

Why can't I just directly contact the publishers? Everything has an agent in this culture, like everything has to be insured. And the money paid to the insurance company is way exceeding the value the things being insured. Doesn't make sense.

Yea, I'm stretching too far. Just like to complain.

12 days.

Day 87: Print out your novel.

Not finish yet, but sure will do when it's finished.

But why can't we use email? If we can do that that will save so many trees.

13 days.

Day 86: Presenting your book.

"Follow these instructions closely:
• Printed on 8 1/2-by-11, standard 20-pound bond white (not high-gloss) paper.
• No three-hole-punched paper.
• Pages not bound in any way.
• Printed on a laser or ink-jet printer — no dot-matrix.
• 12-point-type font.
• Double-spaced, with one-inch margins..
• Number the pages consecutively from title page to last page of text.
• All new chapters start halfway down a new page.
• No mention of rights or “copyright.” Mentioning “copyright” labels you as an amateur."

Gee, I didn't know all new chapters start halfway down a new page. What's the purpose?

And printing this will kill a lot of trees...

Good to know all these though.

14 days.