Halfway point!

We’re halfway through the month of December and our month of open submisions at Dragon Moon Press.

No responses have been sent out yet, and none should be expected until the month of December is over.

Results have been interesting so far. Keep your submissions coming! But please read and follow the guidelines.

At some point I’ll do a roundup of the types of manuscripts I’ve seen, but for now here’s a partial roundup of some of the submission trends I’m seeing.

Queries:

I’ve seen synopses longer than the attached writing sample, when I really just want something very short. Under 250 words would be lovely. I want the elevator pitch, or the back-of-the-book blurb — just a general idea of what the book’s about, not a play-by-play.

I’ve seen queries with attachments, or queries with links to websites where I’m expected to register to read the story. I won’t.

I’ve seen queries that have been “blurbed” like a book cover would be blurbed, with quotes from “people who read this manuscript and loved it”. Their opinions don’t matter to me unless they gave you a publishing deal or an award. And if you’re going to include a blurb/review, at least make it a positive one. I’ve seen one query with the glowing(?) praise which can only be paraphrased as, “[name] says this manuscript needs work!”

Author Bios

I’ve said in the guidelines and in posts and discussions on the subject, that the query letter is not the place for a personal biography. Just include the relevant credits if you have any: previous publications, qualifications that lend to your credibility regarding some aspect of your manuscript. That’s all. If you don’t have any relevant credits, don’t point out to me that you don’t. Just leave the section out.

I’ve seen author bios that tug on my heartstrings with a deeply touching story of personal trauma, misfortune, or illness. Please don’t do this. It won’t influence my decision, it’ll just make me feel like a jerk if I have to turn you down.

I’ve also seen author bios that reference the work being queried, almost like it’s a practice run for the book cover. As in, the letter starts, “I would like to submit my novel, [This Book], for publication.” And continues further down with a bio that starts, “[Your name] is the acclaimed author of [This Book].”

first sentences

I have yet to see a gripping, intriguing first sentence out of these submissions. There have been a lot of “Our protagonist was bored, waiting for something to happen” and descriptions of the weather, and characters waking up, and the writer addressing the reader… Well, just read what JA Konrath says about how not to start a story. That stuff. A surprising lot of it.

I’ve seen first sentences with poor grammar, poor spelling, and/or multiple shifts of verb tense.

I’ve also seen beautifully over-crafted first sentences with too many big, flowery, impressive words. They make me want to shout, “Relax! You’re trying too hard!” at my screen. If the manuscript kept up that tone, I’d call it the author’s writing style, but when it immediately relaxes to something strikingly more casual, the big guns don’t impress me. They just feel overworked.

so…

That’s how things stand at the halfway mark. There’ve been some interesting plots and some likeable characters, and I can’t wait to see what else I’ll receive. It’s been a good experience for me so far, and I’ve enjoyed seeing what the mailbox holds. Spread the word if you haven’t, and keep the queries coming!