ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!

I just got an e-mail from the agent I'd sent Firestar to last April: he couldn't find the envelope and the chapters contained therein. Could I please send it to him again!

Okay, deep breath, and then spend a few minutes copying files to my jump drive. Off to Office Depot (they'll print from your jump drive stick). Into the main envelope go the required pages: 3 chapters, 12 point, Courier, single-sided, 20# paper with 1" margins; synopsis of the novel; outline of the novel; cover letter; and stamped, self-addressed envelope. Then try to teach the USPS Postal Clerk what this is all about. "But nobody puts postage on an envelope and then seals it up inside another envelope!" Fortunately a more experienced clerk was there to practice good customer service ("It's called a Stamped, Self-Addressed Envelope."). "But this looks like a book, shouldn't it go Book Rate?" (Book rate is less expensive, but takes forever to get to New York). "No, books are bound. This is a manuscript to a Literary Agent. Handle it as he requests." "But...." "May I help you, sir?" he says, gently ushering her to one side.

Partial manuscripts should go standard rate (a.k.a. First Class - the USPS changed terminology a couple of years back). You'll pay $2 more for Priority Delivery. That's your call. If I did send it Priority Delivery I would not have the SASE as Priority Delivery. While I want to know the outcome, I'm not going to fork over for it if it is bad. But seriously, $2 gets it there two days earlier, which is a pretty good deal.

Let's look at the components of this envelope.

The synopsis is just that, tell your story in one page and use active voice. It is okay to fudge (use 11 point font and Times New Roman) a little. Use a serif font (like this blog is written in); san serif fonts do not have the little footers at the top and bottom of characters. A typical san serif font is Arial, which for some totally obscure reason lost in depths of Microsoft, is the default font for Word. Personally, when I was in the business world, I would use 12 point Bookman or 12 point New Century Schoolbook. Big and easy to read. Note also that the default font size is 10 point. I have no idea why. I would prefer not to have to squint to read documents.

The outline is a chapter by chapter breakdown of what happens. Agents want to see this to see if the ending matches the set-up. You can either adapt your working outline, or make a new one when you're done. One writer I know writes a one line description in Excel for each scene in a chapter giving who does what. I belong to a writer's group that meets once a month, and I found it necessary to do a "what has happened" to hand out at the beginning of the session. This morphed into the outline I submit. Why not use your working outline? Some writers do not outline (Anne McCaffrey); others write 70+ page outlines (John Saul). Do not do one like you learned in school; you remember, with I.a.1 and so on.

A cover letter. This is usually 3-4 short paragraphs on one page. The first paragraph is a personal one to remind the agent who you are and where you met "We met at the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association Summer Conference in Seattle in July where we discussed my novel Firestar." If this is the first time you have contacted the agent, include why you are sending it to this agent in particular; recommendations are very good here (one I heard: "John Saul, whom I have known for years, suggested you might be looking for a novel like this." That will get opened quickly. The second paragraph is what makes your novel unique and why you might be qualified to write it. This is where you brag a little and show your familiarity with the genre. Don't tell the agent that all of your friends loved it. Do tell the agent if you attended Clarion or Clarion West, that it won a prize in a literary contest, and things like that. The third is the pitch. This is your story in 1-2 sentences, active voice. Generally try to keep it to 25 words or less (see below).

The fourth is the business part where you tell the agent how many chapters/pages you are including, the presence of the synopsis, outline, and SASE. Be brief, be courteous, and be professional. This is a business, after all, and this is a business letter. By the way, do make sure you spell the name of the agent and agency correctly. And know if the recipient is a man or woman.

The manuscript. Traditionally agents will want 3 chapters or about 50 pages. This is more than enough for them to decide if they like your style and story. This means you can't start slow. Get the problem the character faces in the first few pages, also known as "shoot the sheriff in the first paragraph". There are arguments about whether to start 'en media res' (in the middle of the action) or by setting the scene. My personal preference is to have something going on so I can hook the reader into the story. Pick up books at random at the bookstore and read the first 5 pages and you'll see what I mean. By the way, the manuscript format is written in stone: 12 point Courier, single-sided, 1" margins all around, no-hole 20# paper. I know Courier is ugly, but deal. If you spent your entire day (and evening) reading, you would want something that's easy to read. Courier is also a fixed-pitch font, and that helps when estimating word count and line count.

Now back to the pitch. I think some examples are in order. Here are a couple that should help. "A CIA analyst helps a Soviet naval officer commanding a guided missile sub defect, with his submarine." (Hunt for Red October). "Roots, the Next Generation meets Enron" (not published yet). "A black militant discovers the white supremacist she has decided to kill is her father" (not published yet, but I understand it has been bought). "A young girl lands in a surreal world, kills the first person she meets, and then unites with three others to kill again" (The Wizard of Oz).

In each case part of the conflict shows through, the problem in the story is laid out, and there's a hint of the character. All in 25 words or less. It's harder than it looks. By the way, those who've gone to the Maui Writer's Retreat and Conference will recognize this as being "Sack and Sauled" for Mike Sack and John Saul, who run a very agonizing session doing this very thing.

Now you can decide not to do any of these things. But if you pick up any book on submitting to an Agent (or publisher) you'll see them suggest exactly the same thing. And at writer's conferences there will be at least one session somewhere about how to submit. There may even be "Pitch Practice" sessions where you can hone your precious 10-15 minutes with an agent, which can be time well spent.

So, hopefully it'll show up in New York in a couple of days. And hopefully he'll want to see more and request it. That will require printing the whole thing out (4-600 pages of manuscript). But that's a hoped for trouble/expense.

Maybe next time I'll talk about that all-important interview with an agent/editor. It's 10 minutes that just might change your life...nothing to get scared about.

Right.