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| machievelli |
Author has written 17 stories for Star Wars, Animaniacs, Honor Harrington, You're Under Arrest, Starfire, Star Wars, and BloodRayne. My name is Nick, and I have been writing longer than most of you have been alive; try since I was 11 and I'm 59 as of July of 2012. But writing and selling are two different things; I have yet to find an agent, and I originally compared finding an agent to Catch 22; You can't find an agent because you are not professionally published, but most editors won't publish you without an agent. About ten years ago I got even more frustrated. Try sending out fifty query letters to agents, and only three bothered to answer; one to say they didn't do Sciencie Fiction, another to say they didn't do novelizations (Think; if you're writing an original Star Wars Story, how is it a novelization, implying something based on an already released movie?) the last that they were no longer accepting new representation. So I came up with this; Most agents these days no longer accept a fully printed novel, and most will not even accept the old 'send us the first 50 pages' idea. Instead they want a query letter. If you haven't tried this method, picture this: One page double spaced, or between 250 and 300 words depending on whether you use 10 or 12 point type; half on the story you are submitting, the other half about the author. This is the reverse of a word processing format; 10 point is what old typewriters used, and if you had the IBM Selectric, you had the option of Pica, which was 12 point compared to what a print shop did, so 10 point was larger than 12. So using 10 point printshop was 250 words and pica was 300. As someone who went through the Columbia School of broadcasting, I know the average speaker says 186 words a minute so look at a Query letter this way: You go into your local bar, and see the most attractive person in the world at the end of the bar. (Since I am a man, we go from there) Now your first impulse is to walk up to this woman. You are going to convince her that you are the man of her dreams. She is going to throw herself into your arms, marry you, and settle down to taking care of the household (Especially handling finances) while you are going out to earn the bacon, bread whaterver, and you are going to live happily ever after. Now here is the problem; 55 percent of communication when you listen is in the inflection and tone of the speaker. A good customer service person is the one who sounds knowledgeable and warm, who convinces you with their voice that they understand your problem, and can deal with it. However in this case (Written, no tone, inflection or gesture) Without a gesture, a tone in your voice, or facial expression, you have only about 45 seconds to convince her. So if any of you know an agent (Or someone who works in their office) that might help, I for one would be appreciative. | |||||||
1. Witch Maiden II: Journey to Hell » reviewsWith barely time to grieve, the ship and her crew is thrust back into the furnace on the forefront of the new warHonor Harrington - Rated: T - English - Sci-Fi/Adventure - Chapters: 14 - Words: 63,343 - Reviews: 33 - Updated: 5-21-13 - Published: 12-13-122. Blood Will Tell » reviewsDeep in the Cambodian jungle lies a secret, and I am going to find out what it is...BloodRayne - Rated: T - English - Fantasy/Horror - Chapters: 5 - Words: 16,588 - Reviews: 1 - Updated: 3-6-13 - Published: 10-31-12 - Rayne3. Wrath of the Witch Maiden » reviewsOn the brink of a new war, a ship and crew are given a deadly missionHonor Harrington - Rated: M - English - Sci-Fi/Drama - Chapters: 20 - Words: 83,195 - Reviews: 31 - Updated: 1-22-13 - Published: 1-24-12 - Complete4. Heart of Stone reviewsAs much as she hated therm, she loved them as well. So when her village is attacked, a young soon to be Jedi defends themStar Wars - Rated: T - English - Chapters: 1 - Words: 5,035 - Reviews: 1 - Published: 12-15-12 - Atton R. & Mira5. The Farce Is Strong In This OneAn hommage to Jiara's May the Farce Be With youStar Wars - Rated: K+ - English - Chapters: 1 - Words: 1,155 - Published: 10-14-12 - Complete6. Adventures in babysitting, Jedi Style »Take a Jedi Padawan assigned as a baby sitter, add one who has run away and four he can't leave alone, and what do you have? Read on to find out!Star Wars - Rated: T - English - Chapters: 8 - Words: 18,070 - Updated: 10-3-12 - Published: 9-5-12 - Complete7. Redemption »When the Rebellion chronicled in the Book Insurrection happened, some Officers refused to kill other humans. Now on the other side of the Federation they face another enemy, not to mention those who still call them traitor.Starfire - Rated: M - English - Sci-Fi - Chapters: 5 - Words: 9,722 - Updated: 9-7-12 - Published: 8-12-128. Sela Squared »When you look at a Bounty Hunter, what do you see? Well this is what I saw...Star Wars - Rated: T - English - Sci-Fi - Chapters: 4 - Words: 6,148 - Updated: 9-6-12 - Published: 9-2-12 - Complete9. Clan Terakian »The Planet Naboo calls upon the Mandalorians to defend them. But The Clan has other plans...Star Wars - Rated: K+ - English - Chapters: 6 - Words: 26,515 - Updated: 8-7-12 - Published: 7-26-12 - Complete10. Masada Shall not Fall reviewsA young Star Nation bites off more than it can chew, and new heroes dieHonor Harrington - Rated: T - English - Sci-Fi - Chapters: 1 - Words: 9,401 - Reviews: 1 - Published: 8-23-11 - Complete11. Honor's Path reviewsTesting weapons in an out of the way system causes problemsHonor Harrington - Rated: T - English - Chapters: 1 - Words: 7,515 - Reviews: 5 - Published: 4-3-11 - Complete12. Wedding Bells in Blue reviewsCarrying the anime on; two of the minor characters are wed for a good reasonYou're Under Arrest - Rated: K - English - Romance - Chapters: 1 - Words: 3,342 - Reviews: 1 - Published: 3-23-11 - Complete13. A Song of Two Wounded Hearts reviewsAn AU work, If Pritchart had gained a TreecatHonor Harrington - Rated: K - English - Sci-Fi/Drama - Chapters: 1 - Words: 4,655 - Reviews: 4 - Published: 12-26-10 - Complete14. Family of Choice reviewsA post KOTOR visit to Mando'yaimStar Wars - Rated: K - English - Sci-Fi - Chapters: 1 - Words: 28,993 - Reviews: 1 - Published: 5-8-10 - Canderous O. & Revan - Complete15. First ImpressionsOver at Lucasforums I created a monthly contest called Pratfalls. According to the rules as the one who suggested the topic, I was not allowed to participate, but I pictured the Family Solo, and this came outStar Wars - Rated: K - English - Humor/Family - Chapters: 1 - Words: 3,788 - Published: 4-29-10 - Complete16. The Ballad of Revan reviewsKOTOR according to the AnimaniacsCrossover - Animaniacs & Star Wars - Rated: K - English - Humor/Parody - Chapters: 1 - Words: 497 - Reviews: 3 - Published: 4-9-10 - Yakko W. & Revan - Complete17. Dxun Memories reviewsThe first battle led by the Jedi was not a pretty sight, and everyone is tested to their breaking point.Star Wars - Rated: K+ - English - Adventure/Sci-Fi - Chapters: 1 - Words: 12,200 - Reviews: 2 - Published: 4-3-10 - Revan & Carth O. - Complete
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