You’ve finally finished your script and even crafted your synopsis.
Muy Bueno! (Very Good!).
Now you are seriously ready to start shopping your work to literary agents, book publishers and movie prod-co execs.
Hold your horses!
The first thing that you MUST do before you send your valuable work anywhere is...PROTECT IT! Google-search the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS in Washington DC. When you get to the homepage, look for the link marked COPYRIGHT FORMS.
FORM TX will be in PDF-format with usage instructions attached...I suggest you download it onto a memory-stick
for future reference.
Print Form TX and fill-out all of the pertinent data.
Mail Form TX to the Library of Congress along with the $45.00 registration fee and a complete copy of your script.
It will take some time to get a confirmation letter...but
at least you’ll know that your work is protected.
Don’t get me wrong...I’m not suggesting that agents, publishers and production-company executives are unscrupulous...it’s just better to be safe than sorry.
Can You Dig It?
Back to the subject at hand.
As quiet as it is kept...you will need to spend just a little bit more time caressing your keyboard before you contact FedEx for their (small package) shipping rates.
If you have paid attention over the last few weeks then
you know that I demand things to be Awesome! And the document that we are going to discuss today must be exactly that... AWESOME!
The industry term for this document is a QUERY LETTER.
A formal one-page instrument of introduction requesting consideration for representation or publishing.
You will need to do some research before you send your
Query Letter to (let’s say) a Literary Agency. I’m sure you’ve heard of some of the big agencies in the industry: ICM, CAA, UTA
and William Morris just to name a few.
It may be a good idea to search for start-up agencies or a new agent at an established agency...we’ll discuss this in detail later.
Google-search LITERARY AGENCIES
- or be more precise and type in -
LITERARY AGENTS ACTIVELY SEEKING NEW CLIENTS.
You should come up with a ton of websites!
Read carefully and follow instructions when gathering information.
You need to be GENRE SPECIFIC when targeting agents who
may be willing to represent you.
(Supreme...You know I’m a new-jack writer...
What the H#ll does Genre Specific mean??)
Relax...I’m getting to that!
It’s elementary...what kind of stuff do you write?
Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Maybe you’re a Poet or a Self-Help guru. Science Fiction
may be your thing or Children’s Stories or Chick-Lit.
Whatever you write - only search for agents who are
looking for what you do.
At the agency website...
There are usually biographies of all the agents in residence.
Feel free to read-up and chose the right one for you.
Click the link marked SUBMISSION GUIDELINES.
Here you will find out everything you need to know about what to submit.
Agents differ as to what they want to see from new writers ...but basically it will be your Query Letter (of course), your Synopsis and possibly a few chapters of your work.
Be sure to include an SASE (self addresses stamped envelope)
with your package...so that you can receive a reply.
Follow the submission guidelines to the letter! Only send what they ask for...I Repeat...if they don’t ask for it, DON’T SEND IT!
Oh...I almost forgot...this may be a good time to discuss the difference between Solicited and Unsolicited submissions.
Most big name literary agencies Do Not accept
unsolicited submissions.
An Unsolicited submission would come from someone like YOU:
1) New Author
2) Never Published
3) Not A Celebrity (Yet)
4) No Bankable Body-Of-Work
5) No Representation
Don’t be discouraged...There are still hundreds of agents
(out there) who need to build there client lists.
A Solicited submission comes from someone who already has representation: either an agent or an entertainment lawyer.
This is why I said earlier that it may be a good idea to search
for an agency that has recently opened or a new agent at an existing agency.
Literary Agents are in the business of representing Artists.
They make their money off of commissions from book deals with publishers and film companies.
And if your screenplay gets made into a movie - we could be talking about even more dough!
But it’s all based on the Artist’s income...they get a percentage
of what YOU make (15 to 20 percent).
Literary agents can’t succeed in the business without clients.
New agents and agencies are going to be looking to build their client lists.
And that’s good for You, Me and every other Unrepresented Writer on the face of this Planet!
I need to make a point here...you don’t necessarily need a literary agent to submit your work to publishers and prod-co execs. (For a fee) an entertainment lawyer can also perform this function.
Okay...you’ve located an agent and you think she may be the
one for you.
THE QUERY LETTER
Always address your query to a specific person - never
to dear sir or to whom it may concern. Agents like the “personalized” touch.
(Example)
Ms. Xaviera Riverbank
Night Writers Literary Agency
5700 Avenue of the Americas
Suite 630
New York, NY 10020
Start your query letter with a Standard Greeting -
Dear Ms. Riverbank,
Next, give the title of your work (CAPITALIZED), word count
and genre. Make sure you add that it is complete.
(Example)
NEW YORK INTERRUPTED is a completed 90,000 word science fiction set in near future New York City.
Next you’ll want to write a paragraph that give the basic plot
or theme of the story.
(Example)
Simon Kenyatta is an award-winning photographer/writer for Time Magazine. A red-eye flight brings him home from a week-long assignment in Amsterdam. He gets a cell phone call from his editor (Jules Fineart) the moment his plane lands at JFK International Airport. A space-shuttle is returning to Earth (from a furtive trip to the far side of the moon) and request emergency-clearance to land at JFK. Kenyatta is still on the clock and Fineart wants a picture for the magazine cover. Kenyatta arrives at the runway in time to see the space shuttle end its voyage in a somersaulting ball of flames. The cargo on board (an extraterrestrial) escapes into the night. Months pass before anyone realizes that Earth has been invaded. The extraterrestrial constructs a nest underneath Big Allis - an automated nuclear power plant on the shore of the East River. To save the city (the world), celebrity mayor Derek Jeter must bring together two entities on opposite sides of the law...NYPD and the Mafia.
Next is the paragraph where you write something about yourself.
It’s not a bad idea to start off with something like -
I am an unpublished author seeking representation.
Maybe you are a technical writer...Now is the time to list your qualifications relating to why you are “qualified” to write your book. Or you’re a poet and you’ve written a lot of poems and some of them have appeared in your social club’s newsletters. Maybe you’ve written your first book of children’s stories - and you and your spouse have 3 kids, a cat, a dog and a fish tank...your indisputable “life-experience” is totally tantamount to “qualifications”.
Now is the time to mention those things.
Do you get it?
Next, you will end your query letter with a heartfelt -
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Signature
followed by:
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State and Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address
Congratulations! Now you can call FedEx (LOL)!
Most agents reply in as little as a few weeks to as much as a few months. (Find an agent that accepts email queries... you could get an answer in one day). During that time seek out other agents who may be willing to read your work.
Literary Agents are very busy. They get thousands of script submissions per year. Some agencies don’t mind if you call to follow up on your submission...be nice to the person who answers the phone (probably the literary agent’s Assistant).
In some instances (because of their workload) it is not the agent who actually reads your script...IT’S THE ASSISTANT!
So be VERY nice!
Just so you know...This will probably be an on-going process.
Although some of you might get lucky and land an agent
on the first try. Most of you will probably compile an
impressive stack of rejection letters before you locate
someone to represent you.
DON’T GIVE UP! Pray or chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo or whatever it is that you do spiritually...and keep sending out those queries!
Use those rejection letters as motivation to keep writing excellent scripts!
Maintain a peaceful and positive attitude and the Entire Universe will be energized to make your dreams come true!
can you dig it?
If you have questions or comments - send me an email
nightwriterblog@yahoo.com
Write On!
A. SUPREME
Author of: THE TIMECODE RAILROAD
“The American Civil War Like It’s Never Been Told Before ”
Genre: Historical Science Fiction
Available at:
www.amazon.com/Timecode-Railroad-SUPREME/dp/1413714285
BUY A COPY TODAY...THANK YOU!
