letters from the query wars 9/17/2010
# of queries responded to last week: 133
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 0
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: n/a
# of queries responded to this week: 161
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 1
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: paranormal thriller
From the comments on an earlier entry:
what do you do when you _have_ submitted a query, and then due to something or another, you realize your submission contained a mistake, or worse, a missing piece? Is it at all reasonable to say, "I'm sorry, could you please discard what I sent and look at this instead?" or is it best to just write off the submission and try again in the future with a completely different project?
As with many questions of this type, the answer is: "It depends."
I find with submissions where the change is a single sentence or something minor along those lines, that it just makes my inbox feel even more full than it already is. Of course, I always appreciate a carefully vetted and proofread submission.
In the case of neglecting to include what submission guidelines ask for (for example, according to my guidelines, the first five pages), I can understand a replacement submission. However. It is very helpful if it includes all of the material including the text of the original query. Otherwise they end up far apart in the inbox and might get missed.
What I would not encourage are frivolous additional submissions, tiny tweaks, etc. Given the number that comes in every week, this can end up becoming quite an issue. Take the time to read and re-read the query before hitting send. You can always sleep on it and give it fresh eyes in the morning.
Hope that helps.
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 0
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: n/a
# of queries responded to this week: 161
# of partials/manuscripts requested: 1
genre of partials/manuscripts requested: paranormal thriller
From the comments on an earlier entry:
what do you do when you _have_ submitted a query, and then due to something or another, you realize your submission contained a mistake, or worse, a missing piece? Is it at all reasonable to say, "I'm sorry, could you please discard what I sent and look at this instead?" or is it best to just write off the submission and try again in the future with a completely different project?
As with many questions of this type, the answer is: "It depends."
I find with submissions where the change is a single sentence or something minor along those lines, that it just makes my inbox feel even more full than it already is. Of course, I always appreciate a carefully vetted and proofread submission.
In the case of neglecting to include what submission guidelines ask for (for example, according to my guidelines, the first five pages), I can understand a replacement submission. However. It is very helpful if it includes all of the material including the text of the original query. Otherwise they end up far apart in the inbox and might get missed.
What I would not encourage are frivolous additional submissions, tiny tweaks, etc. Given the number that comes in every week, this can end up becoming quite an issue. Take the time to read and re-read the query before hitting send. You can always sleep on it and give it fresh eyes in the morning.
Hope that helps.