The Pros and Cons of Writing a Series By Rob Hart

Jim: Today we welcome Rob Hart to 7 Criminal Minds. Rob is the author of the terrific five-book Ash McKenna series of PI novels. As great as those books were, Rob wanted to reach a larger audience via a Big Five publisher. (Wouldn’t we all?) He certainly accomplished that—and how—with his breakout hit, The Warehouse. I’ll let him tell us about the challenges and rewards of writing a series. His latest release, Three Hitmen and a Baby, is the third of Assassins Anonymous series. Three Hitmen and a Baby hits bookstores next Tuesday, June 16. 

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My first novel came out in 2015. New Yorked was a punk-rock hardboiled novel following an amateur private investigator named Ash McKenna. It was an origin story, about the kind of person who might become a PI later in life.

It was received pretty well for a small press book, and I wrote four more in the series, closing out with Potter’s Field in 2018. I had sent Ash around the country, and then the world, before bringing him back home.

It was immensely rewarding, and I loved telling his story.

And when I was done, I never wanted to write a series again.

My next two books, The Warehouse and The Paradox Hotel, were standalones. They were bigger swings, and got me into the Big Five league of publishing.

The thing about writing a series is: unless you’re picked up as a TV show or a movie, or you really explode with readers for some unknowable reason, then there’s a degree of diminishing returns. You’ll watch your sales dip slowly, release after release, because it’s harder to get a new reader to tune into the third book in a series. They feel overwhelmed at the idea that they might need to read two other books just to understand what’s happening.

And given that we’re all currently being crushed under the heel of relentless late-stage capitalism, who even has time to read anymore? Every series book you write should work as a standalone, and I’m sure some people picked up the second or third or fourth book, not knowing about the others, and probably had a good time.

But it can eventually feel like you’re inviting people to a Tupperware party.

Plus, it’s hard to remember stuff over the course of five books! By the time I got to the fifth, I could barely remember what I put in the first. So it was nice, with The Warehouse and The Paradox Hotel, to build a sandbox, blow it up, and walk away.

Then came Assassins Anonymous.

It’s probably the best elevator pitch I’ve ever come up with: a John Wick-level assassins gets into a 12-step recovery program for killers. I wrote the book the same way I always do, assuming it would be the last book I ever write because why in the world does anyone let me do this for a living? 

But Putnam had signed me to a two-book deal, so when it came time to discuss that second book, the word “sequel” was floated. And that’s the thing about the Assassins concept; it supports a series. You’ve got multiple killers from different walks of life, you’ve got the 12 steps to work, and the container created by the program and the no-killing vow.

It didn’t hurt that when Steven Spielberg and Amblin optioned it, they were envisioning a series of films, and were keen for me to build out more of the world.

So last year we got The Medusa Protocol, still featuring Mark, the narrator of the first book, but shifting the camera a bit to include another member, and her POV.

Come June 16, the third book hits: Three Hitmen and a Baby. And I’ve already filed the fourth, called City of Killers, due to come out, most likely, next June. 

There’s something really comforting about writing a series. It’s like slipping on a well-worn pair of shoes. I know these voices, I know these characters. I enjoy digging deeper into who they are, and looking for new aspects of their lives—and their recovery—to explore.

I got lucky, too: when the first book in the series came out in paperback last year, Barnes & Noble picked it as their June mystery and thriller pick. We moved an enormous amount of copies, and it’s still selling pretty well, a year later.

Had that not happened, I’m not sure we would have made it to a third and fourth book.

The Medusa Protocol did not sell as many copies. Again, second book in a series. But we’re hopeful that since so many people picked up the first, it’s going to be a slow burn, and it’ll continue to do steady sales.

Now my contract with Putnam is up, and I’m at a crossroads. I like working with them, and I love my editor Daphne, so it’d be nice to stick around. I could write more Assassins books. I also wrote an ending for the fourth book that, if we decided to move on, or even hit pause for a bit, I think it would be satisfying to readers who’ve stuck with the characters.

I’m not tired of writing them, but we need to look at what the market will support, and how the movie is developing. Plus, I’ve got a lot of ideas. It’d be nice to mix in a standalone or two. Blow up some sandboxes. Try out some new stuff.

Who knows. I’ll figure it out. I’ve got time.

Now, this is where we bring it back to being somewhat instructional, because as a freelance editor and a mentor in Seton Hill’s MFA program, that’s just how I roll…

A lot of aspiring authors envision their first book to be the start of a series, and I get asked this all the time: should I pitch it as a series, write multiple books, etc?

And the answer is no. The chances of selling a series straight out of the gate is pretty low—especially if you’re a debut. Most publishers don’t want to commit to the second book in a series until they see how the first one does… or if you can even sell books in the first place.

You can write that sequel or trilogy or quadilogy or whatever. But that first book needs to work as a standalone. It needs to feel satisfying if it ends up being the only part of the story. No cliffhangers. No prologues.

When you’re querying agents or talking to editors, it’s okay to say a book has series potential, or that you’re working on a second one in case there’s interest in more. But don’t expect anyone to pick it up sight-unseen.

Thems the breaks. Publishing is a business, not a meritocracy.

And you need to go into it knowing that while writing a series is fun, you might not get lucky enough to finish it.

That all sounds very discouraging. I don’t mean it to. Go out there, have fun, leave your heart on the field. Because while writing a series can be a little challenging, and there are things to keep in mind about the reality, it can also be a hell of a lot of fun.

Oh, one final note: the Ash books are currently out of print. Bummer! When Polis closed I decided to hold onto my rights, because there’s been some movement on the TV side—some very cool people are attached to a brilliant pilot script. So I’m waiting to see how that works out before seeing if someone will bring them back into print.

Say a little prayer, cross your fingers, or just send some good vibes…

XX

Rob Hart is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Assassins Anonymous series. The latest entry, Three Hitmen and a Baby, comes out June 16. He also wrote The Warehouse, which was translated into more than 20 languages, and The Paradox Hotel, which was nominated for both a Lambda Literary Award and Japan's Seiun Award. He co-wrote Scott Free with James Patterson, the novel Dark Space with Alex Segura, the comic book Blood Oath, also with Segura, and the novel Detour with Jeff Rake, creator and showrunner of TV's Manifest. He currently teaches in Seton Hill's Writing Popular Fiction MFA, and lives in Jersey City. Find him at www.robwhart.com.

 

Keep the glow-up

After your book launches and the big publicity wave dies down, how do you keep it happily alive when the spotlight moves on?

by Dietrich

You did it! Your new release made its grand entrance. The launch party was a blast, the champagne flutes are cleared away, and just like that…

Crickets.

Welcome to the afterparty—that phase after you’ve sat there grinning, waiting for the chirp to be replaced by the roar of soaring sales. It’s when your book steps out without a full entourage of publicists holding up its train, and you accept that the spotlight has wandered over to someone else’s shiny new release.

And you know what? That’s okay.

Sure, you’d love to keep the buzz going, but deep down, you knew the fireworks were never meant to last. At this point, you settle in, roll up your sleeves and get to work. You post fresh content on your website and socials — glowing reviews, behind-the-scenes rabbit holes from your research, deleted scenes that still have some life in them, and silly extras like “If My Book Were a Cocktail” (because readers oddly love that kinda stuff). Every new post is another little spark, another reason for readers and algorithms to rediscover your book.

You know happy accidents only happen when you stay in the game. So, you rack your brain for promo ideas because you know your book has legs, and you’re determined to help it along. You’ll gladly send copies to book clubs, jump on Zoom calls as a guest author, say yes to podcasts, and cheerfully haunt local bookstores for signings. You team up with fellow authors, join panels, and pray that your book gets passed around like the literary hot potato it deserves to be.

And when you’ve done all you can, you get to do the best thing of all: sit at your desk and start writing the next book. Because nothing breathes fresh life into your backlist like a new frontlist title. Readers who loved your last book will suddenly remember you, and your older stories get to come out and play again.

You picture someone handing their well-loved copy of your debut to a friend, saying, “You’ve got to read this.”

And one day soon… you’ll do it all over again. New book. New launch party. Champagne flowing. Publicity wave cresting…

And yes — probably more crickets.

But you’re in the game, and you love it because nothing beats it.

Part coming-of-age story and part family drama, set against the harsh backdrop of World War II Ukraine and Germany.

In the winter of 1945, a German village deep inside Ukraine burns under Russian assault. Young Jakob Fritsch, torn from his family, is forced onto a cattle car bound for a work camp where death looms. When a Stuka’s bomb derails the train, Jakob escapes the smoking wreckage alongside two untrustworthy survivors. They forge through snow-laden wilderness, hunted by soldiers and partisans.

A tragic turn forces Jakob to go on alone. Starving and freezing, he braves the perilous countryside of Poland en route to Berlin — the only place he can go — which is being torn apart from all sides.

Far away in the shattered outskirts of Berlin, Frida Beckmann lives amid relentless bombing raids and encroaching Soviet forces. With her father in a prison camp and her mother broken by grief, Frida shoulders the weight of her family’s survival. Tested by hardship, betrayal, and loss, she is pushed well beyond her years.

Jakob and Frida navigate their war-torn paths, struggling to survive in a time stripped of mercy — seeking refuge when all the world’s gone mad.

After The Party

 

Terry here, with our question of the week: After your book is released and the publicity campaign for its grand entrance nears completion, how do you keep your book on the red carpet and in the spotlight? 

 If there was ever a topic I know nothing about, this is it! I see ads for books published months ago and their authors are regaled as if their books just came out. How do they do it? First, by writing a good book. But second, by using every available means to keep their names out there. And I'm not even sure what that means. What are the available means? Do they hire publicists to help them, or do they do the publicity work themselves? Have they had success with ads keepint their name our there or is there some other magic at work. For sure, it takes persistence.

 High-volume, high-recognition authors can go for long spells between books without losing momentum. I’m thinking of someone like Deborah Crombie, whose books come out sporadically, and yet they are snapped up immediately when they are published. (That’s because they are so damn good!) She’s not the target of my questions about keeping books in the spotlight. 

 I’m talking about the many mid-list authors whose books I think write amazing books, and who publish only once in a while, and whose books languish. They have to fight for every inch of review space, for every inch of bookstore shelf space, for every dollar they earn. How can they keep their books front and center? 

 I fall in a similar category: authors who come out with two books a year, and yet in between the roll-out, the books go into that never-land where mid-list authors flail. For the first eight books of my Samuel Craddock series, I consistently got positive reviews, bookstore signings, and invitations for speaking events. But gradually the reviews have disappeared, I can’t interest bookstores in hosting me for signings, and the speaking events are few and far between. I still get great fan mail, and have a good, consistent base of readers, but the advertising dollars I spend don’t seem to move the needle on sales. I know I'm not alone in this. And it's happening at the same time that most publishers seem to spend resources only on their top-tier authors. 

 A couple of years ago, I started a new series, the Jessie Madison thriller series featuring a scuba diver. Although I’ve had great response from readers, and I sell enough so my publisher contracts for another book, but reviews, signings and speaking events haven’t materialized. I suspect it’s because my talent for self-promotion is low-grade. I’d rather be writing. 

But… There are authors I admire who seem to have unlimited energy for self-promotion (and I do not mean that in a negative sense). I’m dazzled at their ability to come up with snappy tag lines, clever ways of displaying their books, and interacting with their readers. For their ability to entice bookstores to host them. And for their unrelenting persistence. Plus, they still have time to write books! 

 I’ve spent money putting ads in crime fiction magazines, in social media, and in websites designed to boost authors. And I honestly can’t say any of it ever seems to do any good. I recently had an idea for a promo, and I mentioned it to a fellow author. She was highly enthusiastic and said, “Just slap it out there on Amazon for x$.” I knew she would have done that in a heartbeat, but it made me tired just thinking of what had to be done to “just slap it out there.” 

It’s possible, just possible, that I am a throwback, who should have been writing in the days when publishers said, “Just bring me a good book, we’ll do the rest.” But more likely, I’m like many, many mid-list authors who have no talent for and no energy for self-promotion. And no unlimited budget to pay for someone to do it for me. 

 So, if you are looking to me for advice about keeping a book in the spotlight, my advice is to ask someone else!

All the things I wish I did... - by Matthew Greene

After your book is released and the publicity campaign for its grand entrance nears completion, how do you keep your book on the red carpet and in the spotlight?

I'll be honest. This prompt was tricky.

Not because it's a bad question. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's something I've grappled with for years. Because, if I'm being honest, I didn't do a great job keeping my book in the spotlight after its "grand entrance."

And I can't blame anyone but myself. I heard over and over again: "Even with a traditional publisher, marketing falls to the author." And I thought I'd done what I needed to do. I set up social media pages, I made friends at conferences, I put together bookstore events in the first couple weeks to peddle my book from coast to coast! 

But it never seemed to be enough. I earned out my advance, but sales numbers never exploded the way I hoped. I got good reviews, but the buzz wasn't strong enough to make the book a hit. I saw the book resonate with readers, but I still kept being told it wasn't resonating enough. Wasn't reviewed enough. Wasn't selling enough. 

I'll pause for a moment, because I'm starting to sound like a bit of "sad sack," which isn't my intention. Sure, I had plenty of frustrating days. There were plenty of times when I wondered what magic I could do to sell a book whose marketing I didn't control, whose price I didn't get a say in, whose destiny rested solely in my hands after so many decisions had been made for me. 

Well, let me try and answer those questions for young(er) Matthew. Because, the truth is, there is plenty I could have done differently. Plenty I will do differently the next time around. Allow me to name a few...

I would have started sooner. A few months before my book release, Barnes & Noble ran a pre-order promo, and it was the first time I heard from the marketing team at the publisher. They encouraged me to get the word out to my "network." And I truly didn't know what they meant. I had my social media followers, of course, but those were mostly friends and family who had already ordered the book if they felt so inclined. There was an assumption, I realized, that I'd done the work to build a community of readers. (Of course, you might ask, what readers are going to follow a writer before he has a book out that they can read? But I digress...) I realized with a sinking sensation that I was already too late to feed the marketing machine. No one was coming to save me, as they say, and I had a very small community to sell to. Maybe I should have built a brand somehow, maybe I should have started a podcast, maybe I should have paid to boost posts on Instagram...but whatever path I chose, I should have started as soon as the book deal was signed.

I would have focused more on individuals, less on institutions. There's a temptation to think too big as a first-time author. I had it in my head that if I got the right high-profile press coverage, the right sexy book launch event, the right the right endorsement...everything will work out. In fact I did get some good coverage (humble brag alert: Library Journal Starred Review) and a launch event at the Drama Book Shop where I was interviewed by a famous actress (more humble brags, maybe). But none of that mattered nearly as much as the personal connections I forged one-on-one with readers who connected with the book. These were the people creating positive word of mouth. These were the people requesting the book in libraries and bookstores. These, ultimately, were the people I was writing for. For every one influencer, publication, or gatekeeper I'd tried to get to pay attention to my book, I wish I'd taken the time to personally connect with ten (or one hundred!) real readers. Because that's what it's all about.

I would have built a following around me, not just the book. As a writer, I want nothing more than to hide behind my work. My god, if I wanted to be front-and-center, I would have become an actor! But I chose a path that I thought would allow me to fade into the background and let my work shine. Wrong! In today's creative economy, personal brand rules all. My catchphrase for the months leading up to and following the release of my first novel was, "Read the book!" But the invitation—the call-to-action, as the real marketers say—should have been based about investment in me. I needed to give readers something to support and follow after they'd read and (hopefully) enjoyed There's No Murder Like Show Murder. In a world where I don't get to control the when or the how of the second book in this series, I ceded too much control to the publisher. I needed to figure out my own answer to the question I'd inevitably get: "Okay, I liked the book. Now what?" The good news is, I'm currently working on an answer to that question. Watch this space.

Sometimes I want to go back in time a couple years and shake the clueless version of me that let so many opportunities slip through his fingers. But there were wins, as well, Triumphs I have to remind myself to celebrate. Without forgetting the hard-won truths that will make my next go-round even more successful.

I hope something in here might prompt someone else to avoid a mistake I made. But I hope that "someone," whoever they are, is kind to themselves about the myriad unique mistakes they will make. It's all a learning process, after all. 

And next time will be better.

And finally, a palate cleanser (above). The morning of my book launch, giddy with possibility, brimming with pride. May we all feel that way again. And soon.

Writer's Odyssey by Poppy Gee

How do you know when your book is complete and ready to be sent to the publisher for its final journey to the bookstore shelf? 

This is such a good question, and I have two answers. 1. You need to give yourself permission to decide your novel is finished. 2. Don't ever send it off before its ready.

I once met a woman who had been working on her art history PhD for eleven years. A PhD usually takes four years full time. The woman kept changing bits, editing and tweaking. She was not a happy person - she'd spent all her twenties working on this one project, and not doing anything else. No job. Nothing. She seemed haunted, dissatisfied, anxious and worried. Her doctorial thesis haunted her friends and family, too, who privately told me that the unfinished work was a terrible cloud that hung over every interaction with her. This woman talked about her thesis all the time, not in a positive way, but like it was a ball and chain she dragged around with her. 

Not many projects are worth this time and misery. Unless you're Michelangelo who, spent four years and up to eighteen hours a day standing on scaffold to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Vatican City. The key question to ask is, are you enjoying your work? If so, keep tinkering. Otherwise, turn it in. 

I wrote my first published novel while I was doing a Creative Writing Masters in Philosphy at University of Queensland. My supervisor, award winning literary fiction writer Venero Armanno, gave me excellent advice. I'd finished my manuscript, we had workshopped it in the classes and critique groups. I won a coveted spot to show the first twenty pages to a publisher via a local writers festival. Afterward, I reported back to my supervisor.

"The editor gave me encouraging feedback, including some tips to make changes," I told Venero. "But she didn't offer me a book deal. Should I make the changes before I start submitting it?"

"No," he said, vehemently. "If you make changes based on what every different person tells you, you'll drive yourself mad. Wait until someone loves it so much they want to publish it, then make the changes they suggest."

You, and only you, need to decide when it's finished. It's your project, you must trust your gut instinct when you feel you've put everything into it. However, there are some things you must consider before you send it to a publisher. 1. Ask some appropriate people to read it and give feedback. 2. Make sure you've done the appropriate research or consultation, particularly if you're writing outside your lived experience. 3. Proof read it. 

The 1966 surf documentary Endless Summer by Bruce Brown follows two professional surfers as they travel the globe, chasing the perfect wave. They surf the symmetrical right-hand point breaks in Cape St. Francis, South Africa, the reef breaks in Tahita, the legendary barrels of Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, and remote coasts in Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria where they teach the locals to surf. The point of their odyssey is the joy and the pleasure. There is no end point. They'll never find the perfect wave, and it doesn't matter. It's the journey, not the destination, that matters. 

How Do You Know When Your Book Is Done

   

How do you know when your book is complete and ready to be sent to the publisher for its final journey to the bookstore shelf?

You don’t.

That’s the comforting news I bring to you today.

Because language is imprecise and malleable, I don't believe a manuscript is ever truly done. At some point, you simply have to stop revising and release the thing into the wild where strangers may love it, ignore it, or use it to prop up a wobbly coffee table.

Perfectionism is the problem, and it is a vicious little carnival ride.

You find something wrong. You fix it.

You feel satisfied for approximately fourteen minutes, then revisit the manuscript and revise it again because suddenly your detective “would never say that” and chapter twelve feels “emotionally dishonest.”

You fuss with the manuscript until you can no longer tell whether you are improving it or simply exhausting yourself.

Just when you think you finally have it right, your beta readers tell you it is wonderful. Your inner critic immediately informs you they are merely being polite. They want you to stop texting them paragraphs that begin with, “Be honest, though…”

Because writers, especially crime writers, are suspicious by nature. We spend our days inventing lies, hiding clues, and imagining terrible outcomes. Of course we assume everyone secretly hates our manuscript.

Then your editor blesses it, and you think all is right on God’s green earth. You line up blurbs. You approach that writer you deeply admire and try to sound casual. You begin to picture your finished novel sitting proudly in stores.

And then it happens.

The typo.

Not a tiny typo hidden in the acknowledgments. A gigantic typo on page one that somehow survived you, your beta readers, your editor, and the copy editor.

You question everything.

How long have you been illiterate? Were you always illiterate?

This is the moment every writer faces eventually: the realization that no book is perfect because books are created by humans, and humans make mistakes.

So how do you know the manuscript is done?

Not when it is flawless. That day never comes.

It is done when the story works. When the characters breathe. When the pacing holds. When you have revised it enough that further tinkering is no longer improving the book but merely soothing your anxiety.

There comes a point where revision becomes procrastination wearing a fake mustache.

That’s when you let go.

You send it off despite the fear, despite the lingering doubts, despite the certainty that six hours later you will think of the perfect line you should have written in chapter three.

That lingering dissatisfaction may actually be a good sign. It means you are still growing as a writer. If you reread your old work and think, “Magnificent. A flawless achievement,” you may have bigger problems than typos.

Every novel teaches you something for the next one. Not perfection. Progress.

Your task was never to create a perfect manuscript.

Your task was to finish the thing.

How will I know when it is the end?

 

How do you know when your book is complete and ready to be sent to the publisher for its final journey to the store's bookshelf?

I wonder, is there a writer who ever feels their book is 100% complete? Or do we just eventually force ourselves to hit send because we understand, on some level, that there will always be one more tweak, one more scene to be rewritten or rearranged.

From what I’ve seen, writers tend to fall into two groups, the I hate everything about editing kill me now, group. And the I love editing so much, I have twenty years versions of the same novel that I’ve been working on for the last twenty-five years, group.  I tend to be a mix of the two. I’m in the I hate editing, but can’t seem to stop because I want my work to be perfect, group. Which is reason number one million and one that I feel writer’s groups are necessary and important. Sometimes, you just need someone to say, in their best Shrek voice, “that’ll do, donkey. That’ll do.” Or if that fails, rip the computer keyboard out of your hands and hit send. Whatever works, no judgement here.

My first three books were self-published. There was something wonderful about having the power to make every decision on my own, on my own timeline. But I found that that may have been too much power for this writer to handle. It took me years before I was satisfied enough to call my first book complete and send it from my computer out into the world. I did a little better for books two and three, but still significantly longer than my publisher allowed for my first traditionally published novel.

Good thing too, because without that deadline, I’d probably still be editing the life right out of that story. That’s not to imply that this is true for all writers. I know some writers who can, and do, write several books a year. Not first drafts, but final drafts ready for publishing. I salute their discipline and determination and hope to join them one day. But for now, I’ll be completely done at 11:59pm the night of my publisher’s deadline.

Don't be like Ralphie | Good Query Letters

 What tips do you have to get your query letter noticed and pulled from the slush pile?

This week’s question reminds me of the scene in the movie A Christmas Story where Miss Shields, a 4th grade teacher, is going through a pile of horrible essays written by her students. Ralphie, the protagonist, believes his essay is so good that when Miss Shields reads it, she will pause, clutch her heart, and both her faith in humanity and the creative process will be restored.

No one told Ralphie that it just doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t work that way for class assignments, and definitely not with query letters. But we who have been through the querying process? We’ve made the mistakes, learned the lessons, and record them here so you won’t be required to follow in Ralphie’s footsteps.

I queried what felt like a hundred agents for my first book A Killing Fire. And occasionally, I’m invited to lecture university-level creative writing classes on pitfalls, best practices and resources to use when querying agents. Most of the advice I’ve given mirror previous blog posts answers to this week’s question, so be sure to read them. I also provide students with examples of good and bad query letters that might be helpful to you. I’ve shared them here. What follows is an example of a good query letter that I use in class. It's a version of the one I used to find an agent for A Killing Fire. After that is an example of a bad query letter. Read if you dare.

Good Query Letter Example:

Dear Ms. Shields-- Send to a Person

I am seeking representation for my completed southern gothic mystery A Killing Fire (95,200 words). In researching agent possibilities, I was encouraged to learn that you specialize in fiction with strong, diverse voices.  -- Tell them what you want them to represent. This is the ‘ask’. 

A Killing Fire features a strong African American protagonist, homicide Detective RAVEN BURNS, who believes she has finally outrun her father’s sins, notorious serial killer FLOYD “FIRE” BURNS. By the time he is executed, Raven has become a cop with the sole purpose of putting men like him away. To catch a killer, Raven must come to terms with who she is. And who she is not. -- Brief synopsis of the book 

A Killing Fire is the first in a series of mysteries based on the four elements-- fire, water, earth and air. Raven encounters them all on her journey to understanding her true character. In Fire, and in each subsequent book, she will cross lines and draw boundaries that will eventually define her soul. Let them know that you have other books. This isn’t a one and done.

I have three published mysteries with Kensington, Spiral of Guilt (1999), The Savior (2003, 2004) and Fatal Justice (2005, 2006). I have had short stories and poems published in various literary journals including the African American Review, Calliope, and Occam’s Razor, and have been awarded writing fellowships at Djerassi and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. I took a break from writing after Fatal Justice to pursue a master’s degree in English. I began A Killing Fire after completing that degree, and am now ready to renew my writing career. -- List writing credits; if you don’t have writing credits, say one or two things that make you particularly qualified to write this book

A Killing Fire will appeal to lovers of mysteries that have strong literary and psychological undertones, as well as to those who attracted to books featuring multicultural characters. I also have a robust marketing plan to ensure that this series receives vigorous promotion after publication.  Tell them who the book will appeal to, and how you might promote it. List comparative titles as well.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Faye Snowden

Bad Query Letter Example

To Whom it May Concern:

I am seeking representation for my completed novel A Killing Fire (95,200 words). In researching agent possibilities, I decided to query you even though you don’t represent my genre. I’m sure cookbooks are fun, but I’m convinced that my southern gothic mystery is so good that you will not be able to resist. Besides, I’m running out of agents to query.

A Killing Fire features a strong African American protagonist, homicide Detective RAVEN BURNS, who believes she has finally outrun her father’s sins, notorious serial killer FLOYD “FIRE” BURNS. By the time he is executed, Raven has become a cop with the sole purpose of putting men like him away. I would say more, but I’m concerned about someone stealing my idea, and I worked too hard for that to happen.

A Killing Fire is the first in a series of mysteries based on the four elements-- fire, water, earth and air. Raven encounters them all on her journey to understanding her true character. In Fire, and in each subsequent book, she will cross lines and draw boundaries that will eventually define her soul.  

I have published before but not in a very long time. I have been concentrating on my family and career, but am now ready to get back into writing and publishing.  

A Killing Fire will appeal to lovers of mysteries that have strong literary and psychology undertones, as well as to those who are attracted to books featuring multicultural characters. That may make it difficult to sell, but once it finds its audience, I’m sure it will be a success. Please make sure that any potential publishers know that I will expect that the book be aggressively publicized. It is no secret that the genre suffers from a lack of diverse voices, and they have a responsibility to make sure everyone is heard.

Let me know when I can send additional material. I know that you are busy, but I’d appreciate your response in ten business days. That should give you plenty of time to get back to me. 

Sincerely,

The Author 

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Final piece of advice? Don’t be like “The Author”. Treat your query letter as you would a cover letter for a job, because that’s exactly what it is. Oh, by the way, poor Ms. Shields.

Picasso and the Query Letter from James W. Ziskin

What tips do you have to get your query letter noticed and pulled from the slush pile?

Panning for gold in the slush pile

I’m no expert at this, and I worry that any advice I offer may be repeating what Dietrich and Terry put forth earlier this week. But since the gauntlet has been thrown…

My number one personal observation on queries is this: You can lose a lot of points by submitting them the wrong way. The sad truth, however, is that you don’t necessarily win any points for doing them the right way either. 

But at least you don’t lose any.

So what can/should you do to increase your odds of getting an agent or editor to Bite and ask for a partial or complete manuscript?

For starters, DON’T USE A STUPID FONT LIKE THIS ONE!

Try something safe. Maybe Times New Roman or Arial, depending on whether you prefer your text avec or sans serif.

Next…

• Give the reader a reason to read on. If nothing else, your query must compelling.
• To that end, find a hook. A snappy, irresistible opening might intrigue the reader. Sometimes it’s risky to…well…take a risk. But it just might pay dividends. 
• Get to the point right away. The finger is hovering over the delete button... Don’t waste time.
• Be concise. Bauhaus it.
• Be professional and confident. You’re a writer. Show that you’re a professional one. No one ever said, “Oh, this is just too professional. I think I’ll pass.” But one certainly might say, “This is amateurish. I’ll pass.”
• Do your research. Would you send your erotica to an editor who publishes YA?
• Personalize your pitch. Find an agent who likes books like yours and let them know you’ve done your homework.
• Chek yore speling

Now, the best advice I can offer for getting an agent:

If possible, BE RECOMMENDED BY AN EXISTING CLIENT. This won’t guarantee an offer of representation, but it’s almost like getting a private audience. The agent will shut out other distractions—at least for a few moments—and consider your query a touch more receptively. The rest is up to you and your writing.

And, of course, there are some obvious DON’Ts:

• Don’t predict great sales and awards. You’ll sound arrogant or uninformed. Or both.
• By the way, don’t be arrogant. The same goes for entitled and obnoxious. 
• Don’t present yourself with a chip on your shoulder. The writing biz is hard to break into. You’re not the only one swimming upstream, and agents/editors don’t owe you anything.
• Don’t send a form letter. That’s the quickest and surest way to get a rejection.
• Don’t use AI. That’s lazy. And it’s not you besides, is it?
• Don’t try to be cute. (Unless you REALLY are.) Which you’re not.

In sum, don’t lose points by taking chances!

Unless… your pitch is soooo irresistible and breaks all the rules in the right way. I like to use the example below. The two paintings are by the same artist, Picasso. What’s more—believe it or not—they show the same model, his first wife, Olga. The lesson, of course, is that Picasso knew how to draw and paint before he decided to break the rules and create something daring and different. Writers should do the same. (By the way, I believe he and Olga separated shortly after the second painting… Make of that what you will.)

Finally, to echo Terry’s nod to the late Janet Reid earlier this week, I propose you visit Janet’s Query Shark website immediately and often. It constitutes a veritable post-graduate course on query writing. And it’s absolutely free. Janet was a tough teacher, but one who truly wanted to help writers. She was never my agent, but she was someone I always enjoyed meeting and chatting with at conferences. She was generous with her support and advice. I considered her a friend and I miss her.

Here’s the address: https://queryshark.blogspot.com/

Until we meet again, happy querying! (With a normal font and color, of course.)

 *****************

THE PRANK…enigmatic and unnerving. The pace never flags for a second. This is some masterly plotting. I loved it.”

—Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

 

THE PRANK. A picture clipped from Playboy magazine, a missing Swiss Army Knife, and a prank gone terribly wrong conspire to make Christmas 1968 a deadly holiday to remember.

 

“The Holdovers meets The Bad Seed,” THE PRANK features a charming but volatile thirteen-year-old named Jimmy Steuben. He befriends his seventh-grade English teacher, Patti Finch, just days after her boyfriend is killed in an electrocution accident while hanging Christmas lights on his roof. Patti desperately needs respite from her grief, and a chance encounter with Jimmy provides just that. Ignoring the dangers of a potential scandal, the mismatched pair begins spending time together over Christmas break. Patti finds solace in Jimmy’s company; Jimmy discovers desire and infatuation. But what Patti doesn’t know is that it was Jimmy who caused the tragic accident that killed her lover.

From two-time Edgar Award finalist, Anthony, Barry, and Macavity award-winner James W. Ziskin, THE PRANK releases July 2026.

PLACEHOLDER—NOT THE OFFICIAL COVER

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