Giving Thanks

As of this writing, tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the United States. It's a time for togetherness, a time for pause, and a time to reflect on the things that we're thankful for.

I'm thankful for many things. I'm thankful for my family, for my wonderful wife and our amazing two year-old son. I'm thankful for the friends who've lent us their support, and for the opportunities I've been given in both my personal and professional life.

But this year, I have something else to be thankful for. In the three short months that LitMatch has been online, it's become a success well beyond my expectations. I owe that success to the hard work of my colleagues (Cesar Puch and my wife, Kris). I also owe that success to the support of users like you. It is your participation, feedback and encouragement that have kept this site alive, and for that, I am truly grateful.

So, to all of you, wherever you may be this Thanksgiving, I say from the bottom of my heart,

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Chris Hawkins
LitMatch.net

Submission Basics: Make the Agent's Job Easier

When was the last time someone went out of his way to make your job easier? Think hard, because it doesn’t happen all that often. But when it happened, you took notice, didn’t you?

Now, consider the literary agent. His job is to find new writing talent, marketable writing talent in the form of a writer whom he can work with, perhaps for years to come. It’s not an easy job, but if you, while you’re submitting, can make that job easier, you have a much better chance of your query getting noticed.

Here are a few ways you can help yourself by helping your prospective agent:

Give them what they want, the way they want it. Most agents have their own submission guidelines, and it’s in your best interests to follow these guidelines to the letter. Those guidelines are there to make it easier for the agent to review your work, and the easier you can make that process, the more chance your work has to shine.

Don’t tell him how to do his job. It may be true that you’re the next Stephen King, or J.K. Rowling, and that any agent would be woefully short-sighted to pass up the manuscript you have to offer. You may have specific publishers in mind that you absolutely want to approach, cities picked out for the book tour, and a shortlist of directors for the movie adaptation but, at least for the moment, keep them to yourself.

Let the agent decide how best to represent your book, and how to help make it a success. If you become his client, he’ll get you the best deal possible if for no other reason than it’s in his best interest to do so. You should definitely suggest potential audiences for your book, and markets where you think it will succeed, but when it comes to the specifics, let the agent know you trust him enough to let him handle the details.

Be a model client from square one. This means being polite, professional, and gracious. When agents review submissions, they’re not just looking at the kind of book you’ve written, but also at the kind of client you’re likely to be. If you give the agent his dream submission, it suggests that you’re likely to be a dream client, too.

If you are one of the unfortunate multitudes who receives a rejection, don’t argue the point. At best, it won’t help. At worst, you’ll stick out in the agent’s mind as someone who’s difficult to work with, and it may damage your chance to approach that agent with another project. That’s the kind of attention you don’t need.

Now, get back to writing.

Christopher Hawkins
LitMatch.net

New Feature: Add Our Search to Your Website

We just launched a new feature which will be of particular interest to those of you who have websites and blogs of your own. Now you can add our powerful, full-content search directly to your own page. By cutting and pasting a single line of HTML code, you can allow your readers and friends to begin their search for representation right from your own site.

The search box comes in two varieties at present: button style and banner style, so it should fit nicely in almost any page layout. It’s a great way to help others find an agent while at the same time showing your support for our site.

For instructions on how to add this functionality to your site, as well as other ideas about how you can help spread the word about LitMatch, click here.

Christopher Hawkins
LitMatch.net