Great post. Agree with the 1-2 sentence max, smart amount. Imo, any reference to an author’s why should be clear, succinct and memorable. Any more and it becomes truffle oil when a few truffle shavings would’ve been perfect.
Omg so true! When I teach aspiring authors one of the first things we discuss is the difference between an internal drive to write a book versus a market need/positioning. Until they can evolve to an external motivation, often authors aren’t ready.
This post is a treasure, Kate. In fact, I found myself trying to highlight noteworthy sentences (as I do on my Kindle for easy reference), which is prompting me to petition Substack to release this feature! 😅 Thank you for sharing!
Wait but I wrote my memoir to help process my trauma!
Naw, that's not actually why I wrote it. I wrote it as a guide for others who might need help navigating a difficult chapter of life. And also because I thought it would be a great love story. But in the process of writing, I found it a bit cathartic in a sense, to help me look back, see similarities, and tie up loose ends. I did after all lose my house, wife, and job basically in the same week.
I've finally self-published the book, and now thinking of marketing strategies - whether to direct message (do people still read emails?) friends/families or spend that time instead searching for an agent to do that work.
This is very smart. Unless why one wrote their book helps sell it by speaking to their authority or a media moment, who cares?
This to me is a variation on why academics often write books: because their topic is something "people need to know about"--I call them cod liver oil books, to date myself--when their topic should be framed as something their readers want to know about.
In both cases, the author hasn't stepped outside themselves to see things from the consumers' point of view. The book is important to them, so it must, naturally, be of importance to others.
I wonder if this attitude, which has always been around, is more prevalent in younger writers, many of whom seem to think how they feel should matter to others, and especially when identity plays a large role in a book's appeal and an author's authority.
Yes. It's the story that matters. As my little boy once told me with a hug, when I was making up bedtime stories for him each night, "THAT story was ABOUT something!"
You mentioned in the query letter an author might include a line or two about what compelled them to write the book. However, in every webinar I've taken about query writing that has included a review by an agent, my two sentences were struck for lack of relevance. I have the traditional "hook, the book, and the cook" information, but I wanted to include those sentences. Would it be a "turn-off" to prospective agents if I included it? And, yes, I have a compelling reason for writing this upmarket fiction and why I am the one who has the background experience and knowledge to be the one to write it. Again, not sure this would be relevant and that the agent could glean that from my bio. Thoughts?
It could be that your queries are on the long side (or feel long) and those two sentences are easy to cut. If so, it might be useful to keep them out. But a sentence here or there isn't going to make or break your query. I would say that *most* people have the background and experience to write their books, because that's what lead them to write it. Your personal experience might not be a specific selling point because it's likely expected. If you didn't have it and the book was still convincing, that's fine, but I would not be shocked to see that you did have that experience in a query letter.
Thanks Kate! Yes, my query was coming in at 410 words before the two sentences I would liked to have added. I did "customize" the first paragraph to the specific agent I am going to query so that the agent knows that I researched the authors they represent, recent sales, and their wish list. That ate up 48 words. :-)
Good to know! I am really excited about getting my debut into the hands of agents for their review for consideration for representation! I think adding those sentences at the end of my bio will help "sell" this even more!
Great post. Agree with the 1-2 sentence max, smart amount. Imo, any reference to an author’s why should be clear, succinct and memorable. Any more and it becomes truffle oil when a few truffle shavings would’ve been perfect.
Thank you so much! Helpful!
Wow, I actually (perhaps inadvertently) follow this advice all the time! Perhaps it’s the wannabe English teacher in me. Thanks for confirming!!
Omg so true! When I teach aspiring authors one of the first things we discuss is the difference between an internal drive to write a book versus a market need/positioning. Until they can evolve to an external motivation, often authors aren’t ready.
Thanks for this. I’m taking my ‘why I write this’ out of my foreword and putting it in the afterword!
This post is a treasure, Kate. In fact, I found myself trying to highlight noteworthy sentences (as I do on my Kindle for easy reference), which is prompting me to petition Substack to release this feature! 😅 Thank you for sharing!
The title of the post made me think of the old journalistic trope that "dog bites man is not news, but man bites dog" is. ;-)
Wait but I wrote my memoir to help process my trauma!
Naw, that's not actually why I wrote it. I wrote it as a guide for others who might need help navigating a difficult chapter of life. And also because I thought it would be a great love story. But in the process of writing, I found it a bit cathartic in a sense, to help me look back, see similarities, and tie up loose ends. I did after all lose my house, wife, and job basically in the same week.
I've finally self-published the book, and now thinking of marketing strategies - whether to direct message (do people still read emails?) friends/families or spend that time instead searching for an agent to do that work.
Congratulations! Can't wait to get the book!
A great reminder that publishing is a business and authors need to think like businesspeople.
Seriously, Kate, you should think about doing stand-up. I recommend your newsletter even to people who aren't writers!
SUCH a helpful lens, and so clearly explained. Thank you!
This is very smart. Unless why one wrote their book helps sell it by speaking to their authority or a media moment, who cares?
This to me is a variation on why academics often write books: because their topic is something "people need to know about"--I call them cod liver oil books, to date myself--when their topic should be framed as something their readers want to know about.
In both cases, the author hasn't stepped outside themselves to see things from the consumers' point of view. The book is important to them, so it must, naturally, be of importance to others.
I wonder if this attitude, which has always been around, is more prevalent in younger writers, many of whom seem to think how they feel should matter to others, and especially when identity plays a large role in a book's appeal and an author's authority.
Yes. It's the story that matters. As my little boy once told me with a hug, when I was making up bedtime stories for him each night, "THAT story was ABOUT something!"
You mentioned in the query letter an author might include a line or two about what compelled them to write the book. However, in every webinar I've taken about query writing that has included a review by an agent, my two sentences were struck for lack of relevance. I have the traditional "hook, the book, and the cook" information, but I wanted to include those sentences. Would it be a "turn-off" to prospective agents if I included it? And, yes, I have a compelling reason for writing this upmarket fiction and why I am the one who has the background experience and knowledge to be the one to write it. Again, not sure this would be relevant and that the agent could glean that from my bio. Thoughts?
It could be that your queries are on the long side (or feel long) and those two sentences are easy to cut. If so, it might be useful to keep them out. But a sentence here or there isn't going to make or break your query. I would say that *most* people have the background and experience to write their books, because that's what lead them to write it. Your personal experience might not be a specific selling point because it's likely expected. If you didn't have it and the book was still convincing, that's fine, but I would not be shocked to see that you did have that experience in a query letter.
Thanks Kate! Yes, my query was coming in at 410 words before the two sentences I would liked to have added. I did "customize" the first paragraph to the specific agent I am going to query so that the agent knows that I researched the authors they represent, recent sales, and their wish list. That ate up 48 words. :-)
That’s not in a the realm of “too long” imho. I wouldn’t worry about adding a few more sentences at that length.
Good to know! I am really excited about getting my debut into the hands of agents for their review for consideration for representation! I think adding those sentences at the end of my bio will help "sell" this even more!
This surprised me. Because why would a reader care about why you wrote your book? Does it make the book more readable? Interesting? How?
That's the thing. The reader doesn't normally care. but the author cares and wants to tell people.
yikes : ) Thanks Kate