Queries and Proposals 

December 17, 2001

LColeman: Welcome to the Inspirational Romance Workshop, tonight's guest is the wonderfully talented, Gail Martin. Tonight's topic Queries and Proposals Welcome Gail

Gail: Thanks, Lynn

LColeman: Gail please begin by sharing a little about your newest book and then begin with your presentation. ga

Gail: Okay. Right now a Barbour anthology is on the shelves - The English Garden. My story is set in the Victorian period- Apple of His Eye based on some family genealogy. But look for my romantic suspense - A LOVE FOR SAFEKEEPING out in January - with Steeple Hill - Mid January, I should say.

Tonight we're talking about queries and proposals. I'll give you some info and suggestions
and then perhaps you'll have lots of questions. First off - what is a query? A query is a letter of introduction - to introduce yourself and the story to a publishing house:

In a query - Don't try to be cutesy or unusual Introduce yourself and what makes you a good impression. and then let them know what makes your writing special. Tell them what you've had published and what experiences you've had that makes you able to write this story. Tell them if the story is completed or not. Tell them the length of the novel, and then tell them about your story - include a brief synopsis - only the gist of the information. Why you think the novel works for their house. Why you think your story should be told - how it differs and is better than others.

Gail: That's a query - a simple letter - but one very difficult to write since it is your first introduction to a publishing house and so important.

Gail: Now - what is a proposal? It has three parts - - cover letter, synopsis, and three chapters. 

The cover letter differs if you've queried and been asked to send a proposal or if it's your first contact with them. If you've queried - remind them they requested the book and tell them a little about yourself.

Gail: If not following a query, introduce yourself - who you are and what you've written. Tell why you chose their house and some info about the novel. Is it completed? What is the word count? Give a paragraph blurb to your story - especially the hook. Thank them for their consideration of your work.

Gail: Now - the hardest part - the synopsis. I'll tell you how I write a synopsis since I find it works so well for me. As you know I've sold 13 novels and 5 novellas in less than 4 years. Now I can't take all the credit - because that belongs to God - but he is blessing my synopses so I'll give you some tips I use.

Gail: I begin with the title and the Bible verse I use to focus my story first. Next, I write a brief blurb. Like a back cover blurb. This is the blurb from my January Steeple Hill novel, A LOVE FOR SAFEKEEPING

Gail: Jane Conroy returns to her home town to settle her mother's estate. Though haunted by recollections of her angry father, a tough police officer, Jane has fond memories of the town and stays to reside in the family home. When her classroom is vandalized, the unrelated incident, shadows the horrors to come. As handsome police officer, Kyle Manning, follows the trail of the unknown assailant, Jane and Kyle follow their hearts and fall in love.

Gail: Now, I hope you can see the hook - something that will attract the reader and something that will give them a general idea of the plot. It's obvious to see this is both a romance and a suspense story.

Gail: Once I write the blurb, then I do character sketches of each character. I title it The Characters - and I use this to give the editor an idea about the back story that motivates the characters. Weaving back story into the synopsis is tough and distracting, so I prefer to do it this way. Gail: Here’s an example from the same novel - A Love for Safekeeping. - The Characters.

Gail: Petite, red-haired, Jane Conroy, twenty-nine, leaves a ‘go-nowhere' teaching position in northern Michigan, for her home-town of Redmond to take over the family home and a teaching position at Jackson Elementary. Jane's police officer father, killed in the line of duty, leaves her with emotional scars. A volatile man, he took his job frustrations out on the family, and as Jane defended her gentle mother, she dishonored her father. Feeling that God has given believers an impossible task of following His commandments, necessitating breaking one to keep another, Jane drifts from her active childhood faith. She is not close to God and loathes police careers.

Gail: That's the end of her description. Now to the hero. Strapping, good-looking, Kyle Manning, thirty-two, works as a police officer in Redmond, without his father's blessing. Kyle's father, pastor of Redmond Community Church, has lost his oldest son during an army training accident and does not want his youngest son involved in a career that perpetrates danger and killing. Though wanting to be a good son, Kyle follows his heart, despite the guilt it creates. He is a gentle man and sees the positive side of his career, protecting people in danger and distress.

Gail: As you look over these descriptions, I hope you see that I've sent up obvious conflicts between the H & H. Her father was an abusive police officer and the hero is a police officer. You'll see other conflicts too as the story progresses.

Gail: The next part of the synopsis is to tell the story. Let me give you some important tips on what to put in and what to leave out. First of all the editor is most interested in motivation, goals, and conflict.
The old GMC we all know so much about. The editor mainly wants to know about the H & H and not all the secondary characters - so here are some tips:

Gail: Open with the hook. Tell only necessary details to give the major events of the story (Weeks pass as they fall in love) Keep the story focused only on the H & H. Avoid secondary characters if possible and avoid names - (brother in law, mother, etc) With each conflict, show how the characters change. Stress growing relationship between H & H, and their growing relationship with God. Highlight the dark moment and its solution. Pull all loose ends together. Give a rounded closing summary. That's it for the synopsis. It works so well for me.

Gail: Now the final step and that's the three chapters. I always send the first three. I want to show the editor how I can draw in the reader, how I set up things for later and how I move the story along. Sometimes people like to send scattered chapters - but I think the best thing is to look at the guidelines from each of the publishers and decide what they prefer.

AZAnnie: Gail, are these for proposals and queries to publishers only, or would you do the same for an agent? ga

Gail: Good questions - Yes, you can think of an agent the same as an editor. Though you are trying to "hire" them in a sense, they are as quick to reject as an editor. They want to know about you and your work - and they have to like your story too – just like an editor. Remember an agent is representing your book, not you exactly. I hope that makes sense.

Vickie: Is there anything an unpublished author can do to make them more appealing to a publisher - besides a great story?

Gail: A great story is the key - but I think other things are preparing your proposal or query in a professional way. Make sure your query/proposal is clean - free of errors, thoughtful margins. By that I mean these people are reading so many manuscripts, not trying to squish lines together to get more info on the page - that just makes it more difficult for them to read it. Be clear - don't put a lot of unnecessary things in your synopsis.

Gail: I have a question I ask myself as I write a synopsis. Is this info necessary for the editor to understand my story. Remember, little phrase like - - wearing her best dress, she went . . . The best dress is probably something you can cut. Only summarize the time the H & H spend together. Don't give details, just tell the info that's necessary - what happens that changes the plot, the brings them closer together or pushes them farther apart. Make sure you leave your black moment - that conflict that seems impossible to solve until close to the end of the story. Once that's solved the story should be ready to end. Those are the things an editor looks for in a good story.

Vickie: Thanks!

Gail: You're welcome.

LColeman: Kelly posted a question out of turn it was: 2What do you suggest for length of a synopsis?

KelleyZ: 2What do you suggest for length of a synopsis?

Gail: I usually write a synopsis of about 7 - 10 pages. I try not to write it any longer that is double spaced.

KelleyZ: 2Thanks!

Gail: A synopsis can be single spaced - but again, I think of the editors eyes. Double spaced is easier to read.

LColeman: For which size novel, Gail?

Gail: That's for a 75K

LColeman: Thanks.

Gail: For me it might also be a complex 55K.

Gail: Also remember what I said about trying to be cutesy. Avoid things like perfume, paper with little pictures on it, bordered paper - use a nice plain beige or soft toned color when writing your letter. Stick to a very business like look when you send your proposal. I usually separate the chapters from the synopsis with a piece of colored paper - a dark color to show the separation. I always put the synopsis below the 3 chapters.

KelleyZ: Is entering contests an effective way to get an editor to review your work, if you are unpublished?

Gail: I believe it is. I've known many people in my local RWA group who've won contests and are now published - often because of the contact with the editor. The editor that read their work might be interested in a different story - not necessarily the one in the contest. 

Vickie: Do you use letterhead paper?

Gail: Yes - I have my address, e-mails address, telephone number and organizations to which I belong on my letterhead.  It's a macro in my computer so I just hit it when I need it. 

LColeman: We have time for a few more questions.

LColeman: Gail what do you think is the biggest mistake new writers make in putting together a synopsis? ga

Gail: I think they try to include too much info. They think the editor won't understand if they don't tell them every little tidbit of info. But it just muddies the story. You have a major goal in each love story and that's really what the focus should be on - how they overcome these problems so that
they can fall in love.

Gail: I have another thought. Remember that a synopsis is in present tense not past tense. That's important. Also keep your writing active. You can also create a tone in your synopsis. If you're story is humorous - you can use humorous expressions to let the humor show - just don't overdo it and keep to the info that's important.

LeeHargusH: Why should it be present tense if story is 1800?

Gail: What I mean is the way you tell it should be in present tense - for example - Sara sits besides the manner house looking at the open window. You use sits rather than sat.  When Horace arrives in town, he looks for Sara, etc.

LeeHargusH: ok-I get it. Thanks

Gail: Great. ga

KelleyZ: I was wondering how to determine which contests to enter, given there are so many out there.

Gail: Look at the award at the end. If you have the opportunity for an editor to read your work, that's the one to go for. It's nice to get a medal or a monetary award, but that doesn't get you published.
You want an editor or agent to read your work - so look for that first. Some awards are better known than others - and make sure they are inspirational too, naturally if that's what you write.

KelleyZ: 2Thanks!

Gail: Welcome.

LColeman: Well Gail, I must say you're a trooper. Not only did you do a bang up job but you're persistence paid off. Thank you so much.

AZAnnie: Thanks so much, Gail. Great info.

Gail: Please visit my web site. www.gailmartin.com. I have lots of writer tips on my web site.

LeeHargusH: Please come again.

Chris_L: Thanks, Gail. Your info was wonderful! It gave me a whole new way to do a proposal.
Vickie: Thanks, Gail!

KelleyZ: Yes, thanks! And thanks for being patient. Have visited your site -- it is excellent!

Gail: You're so welcome.

LColeman: Gail also has previous workshops she's done at her web site, very helpful stuff.