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Be An Agent for a Day II: A Sort of Scientific Test of the Query Process

April 26, 2010 by Nathan Bransford 95 Comments

On Thursday we discussed the query process and whether or not queries adequately reflect a underlying work’s quality. Can someone really make an assessment of a book project based on a query? Really really?

Let’s test it out. Here’s how this is going to work.

Today I will be soliciting queries from you, the esteemed readership of this blog. I will semi-randomly select five of them. (I say semi-randomly because I’m going to choose one genre from which to select the five queries, which should eliminate any possible Internet genre bias.)

Tomorrow I will post the five queries on the blog. There will be a poll and everyone will have an opportunity to vote on which one they would request if they were an agent.

On Wednesday I will post links to the first thirty pages of these novels so that everyone will have an opportunity to take a look and vote on which partial they think is the most likely to sell to a publisher (and like any busy agent, you need only read as much of each as you need to make a decision).

On Thursday we shall compare notes, see if the most-requested queries corresponded with the most-liked pages, and discuss What We Think and What We Have Learned.

On Friday we dance!!! (Just kidding, on Friday we recap This Week in Publishing).

If you’d like to volunteer your query and first 30 pages for public consumption/semi-competition, please e-mail said query and pages to [redacted]. UPDATE 9:22 PM PDT: ENTRIES ARE CLOSED! THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ENTERING! It would be great if we could leave the sample pages up as long as possible so that people can continue to check out this sort-of-scientific experiment, but after the contest concludes if you need/want me to take your pages down for any reason I shall do so, and of course all rights belong to you. If you are chosen, please keep your identity/participation top secret while the experiment is going on so as not to compromise the voting.

In case you missed last year’s Be an Agent for a Day event, the posts can be found here.

SCIENCE!!

Well, sort of…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Be An Agent for a Day II

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Josin L. McQuein says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    DangerMouse is better than Pinky & the Brain any day. He had an eye patch!

    Are you getting many entries, Nathan?

    Reply
  2. WriterGirl says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:45 pm

    Very exciting! Can't wait to read the queries and pages.

    Reply
  3. Emily Anderson says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:46 pm

    After reading a few blog posts about putting your work online, I'm leery of submitting myself (maybe I'll change my mind as the day progresses). Either way, I can't wait to see what you pick and come back and vote.
    I love Pinky & The Brain.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:51 pm

    I'm guessing the genre will be YA.

    Reply
  5. Flint Ory says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:54 pm

    My only regret is that I missed this last year! What a great idea for a contest!

    Reply
  6. Rick Daley says

    April 26, 2010 at 7:57 pm

    This should be fun, I'm eager to read the entries.

    Narf.

    Reply
  7. Jaycee Adams says

    April 26, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    I know what the genre will be. I'm not saying, so as not to jinx it. I think it'll be obvious once it's revealed and you'll all kick yourselves.

    Wow, two early comments for me!

    Reply
  8. Ee Leen Lee says

    April 26, 2010 at 8:23 pm

    I love Pinky and the Brain
    let's take over the world!

    Reply
  9. Cynthia Reese says

    April 26, 2010 at 8:34 pm

    The Husband and I adored Pinky and The Brain … thanks for the reminder!

    And bless you, all good agents everywhere, for your job is a hard one and so under-appreciated!

    Reply
  10. Fawn Neun says

    April 26, 2010 at 8:34 pm

    Interesting idea… can't wait to see how these come out.

    Reply
  11. Sarah says

    April 26, 2010 at 8:48 pm

    Guess what I'll be humming the rest of the day?

    Reply
  12. Elaine AM Smith says

    April 26, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    Oh, yeah! Learning Day, again? Er…
    maybe not 😉

    WV: primp? It took a bit more work than that.

    Reply
  13. Caledonia Lass says

    April 26, 2010 at 9:11 pm

    Jaycee… My beginning is intolerable as well. Just send it, it is an experiment after all, right?
    I sent mine. I must be the insane to have sent it.

    Reply
  14. Kelly says

    April 26, 2010 at 9:15 pm

    Can't wait to see the queries! This should be a lot of fun.

    Reply
  15. Yat-Yee says

    April 26, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    Sounds like a great plan! Can't wait to compare notes.

    And, Friday we will all dance.

    Reply
  16. Sage says

    April 26, 2010 at 10:20 pm

    I'd love to submit, but I think 30 pages is a LOT to be posting online. I'm not worried about people stealing the work, but I am worried about whether the work would be considered "published" at that point.

    Reply
  17. Chrystal says

    April 26, 2010 at 10:34 pm

    Well, I'm hoping to throw my query into the public consumption/semi-competition fire. This will be my first time out, when is the last day for submissions? and will there be an acknowledgment of receipt?

    Reply
  18. Nathan Bransford says

    April 26, 2010 at 10:37 pm

    chrystal-

    I'm going to choose them sometime tonight, and no, I'm afraid there won't be acknowledgment of receipt.

    Reply
  19. P.A.Brown says

    April 26, 2010 at 10:39 pm

    At first I was going to submit my query and pages then I realized my novel might be a little to raunchy noir with a lot of language and racist language (it's a historical 1929) So I'll just come around and check out the ones that get posted.

    Reply
  20. Chrystal says

    April 26, 2010 at 10:45 pm

    That's fine Nathan, I'll check back tomorrow or Wednesday to see how things are progressing. Good luck in your selection process.

    Reply
  21. Anonymous says

    April 26, 2010 at 11:03 pm

    Yeah, I do wonder if 30 pages is too much to post online?

    Reply
  22. Mary McDonald says

    April 26, 2010 at 11:33 pm

    Okay, so I'm trying to get my entry put together, and my nine year old daughter keeps talking to me. "Look, Mom! It's Justin Bieber! Can you find that youtube video of (insert some teen idol)?"

    I finally had to ask her to please let me finish, that I was trying to enter a contest. Her eyes got big as saucers. "What can you win?"

    "If I'm really lucky, maybe an agent."

    Her face fell. "Oh. I thought you might win a DS Lite." (I won one a few years ago and she got it.)

    So, sorry Nathan. You rank lower than a DS Lite in my daughter's eyes. 😉

    Reply
  23. Nathan Bransford says

    April 26, 2010 at 11:41 pm

    I don't feel that posting an excerpt is going to compromise anything you plan to do in the future, but everyone should make their own determination, and if you're concerned no need to enter as we have plenty of entries.

    Reply
  24. K. E. Carson says

    April 26, 2010 at 11:50 pm

    I'm really excited for this. I sent my query in. I really hope I'm picked. 🙂 If not, I still think this is a great experiment.

    Reply
  25. Kate Lacy says

    April 26, 2010 at 11:57 pm

    I'll volunteer to play agent this time around. We're hassled about playing on the computer with personal papers while we're supposed to be teaching America's youth to save the universe from humankind.

    Reply
  26. ryan field says

    April 26, 2010 at 11:58 pm

    I love observing these things. I always learn something I didn't know.

    Reply
  27. TiffanyD says

    April 27, 2010 at 12:10 am

    I have submitted my stuff but I'm fairly sure it won't be my genre that is picked. Nevertheless, just screwing up the courage to email all that junk to you, Nathan, has made me feel very daring and brave! 🙂

    Reply
  28. Emily White says

    April 27, 2010 at 12:13 am

    Excellent…excellent…

    *said in my best Mr. Burns voice*

    Reply
  29. William says

    April 27, 2010 at 12:52 am

    Yay, first time I commented on this blog!

    This sounds like fun. I'm going to submit my query, even though I'm not ready to really send it into an agent. Too bad my genre probably won't be picked.

    Go Pinky!!

    Reply
  30. Helen says

    April 27, 2010 at 1:27 am

    Writing a query is a different skill from writing the book. I look forward to seeing how other writers handle the challenge.

    Reply
  31. Amanda says

    April 27, 2010 at 1:27 am

    Okay, so I'm only posting on that Pinky and the Brain bit! HAHA! My cousins and I still quote Animaniacs!

    Reply
  32. Remus says

    April 27, 2010 at 2:35 am

    Darn it. Every time you have an open call like this, Nathan, I'm on travel and can only post through my iPhone.

    Love to join in, but I'll have to wait until next time…hopefully.

    Reply
  33. pensees says

    April 27, 2010 at 3:23 am

    Looking forward to it. What a great way to get feedback on a query!

    Reply
  34. Anonymous says

    April 27, 2010 at 4:52 am

    Dang I missed the deadline.

    I guess the world shall never get to see my social commentary masterpiece with five strong female characters, blown to shreds by the winds of change: when one of their members, (pardon the pundit) has to adapt to life before during and after a sex change operation occurs among the small seaside town's group of five fellow travelers: its the best version of Freddy Kruger meets The Bronte sisters currently surfing the market. An explosive cliche ending of mass slaughter revealed on the first three pages and slowly resolved through flashbacks, diary readings and gritty black and white surveillance videotapes. Sheik modern disgusting. A must read for wackos everywhere.

    Ms. Writer Thang
    (Critic/Agent At Wily Hasben Agency)

    OK….

    I'm not a woman but I play one on TV and I'm sure you'll recognize the tagline "Mom its my birthday."
    Yikes I'm an agent.
    To much pressure, to much pressure,
    to much pressure: sedate me already!!!

    Reply
  35. Steppe says

    April 27, 2010 at 4:57 am

    Maybe you took the Brain and Pinky theme to serious Anon. The Zen of Critique is more in line with the task.

    Reply
  36. Kimber An says

    April 27, 2010 at 5:24 am

    I made the deadline!

    Unfortunately, I corrected a mistake just before I sent it, only to realize afterwards that I'd left a glaring mistake in its path. And it was only on page four. (bangs head on desk) Oh, I hate it when that happens.

    I sent Mr. Bransford an email about it, so maybe it won't be in the running after all. Oh, well.

    I won't be heartbroken. I'll just have a bruised forehead. (kidding!)

    It'll be fun for everyone and I'm sure we'll learn a lot too.

    Reply
  37. Ted Cross says

    April 27, 2010 at 6:20 am

    Darn, that was too quick. I would have entered if I had seen this faster. I would love to see what the community thought of my first 30.

    Reply
  38. Kate Evangelista says

    April 27, 2010 at 6:37 am

    Aww, I missed sending in mine. Oh well, I'll vote.

    Reply
  39. Anonymous says

    April 27, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    Nathan – any chance of having separate polls for "most liked" and "most likely to sell"?

    (I think there can be overlap, but the two are definitely not the same.)

    mpe

    Reply
  40. Jaycee Adams says

    April 27, 2010 at 12:52 pm

    Thanks Caledonia Lass, I probably should've done it anyway, but I really feel it's not ready for prime time. I might've driven someone to insanity. And then trying to compose a query letter on such short notice when I've barely been able to understand the Shark's teachings as of yet. No, I'll take my lumps and wait 'til the next one.

    I got the word out to one of my friends who IS ready for primetime, and I'll live vicariously through her. She promised me a steak dinner if she wins. She will. Or I'll dump a few tons of dihydrogen-monoxide on all of San Fran during the next rainy season and see how they like it. That stuff is dangerous if you breathe it in liquid form!

    Reply
  41. Diane F. says

    April 27, 2010 at 1:57 pm

    Very cool contest Nathan! I am new to the blog and happy to be here! My manuscript is not quite to the 30 page mark….but I sent you a query and attached it just the same. If it doesn't qualify for this contest, that's ok, I will happily read the ones that do, and patiently (well sort of : ) wait my turn!

    Reply
  42. Claire Dawn says

    April 27, 2010 at 2:48 pm

    Contests just keep getting better!

    Reply
  43. Kathleen MacIver says

    April 27, 2010 at 4:55 pm

    Neat idea! Make sure you adjust the meta tags to keep the google bots from indexing those 30×5 pages, though, or their first 30 will be permanently floating in cyberspace, retrievable through quite a few different methods.

    Reply
  44. Harbinger of Truth says

    April 27, 2010 at 10:45 pm

    "Crystal Blue" is a novel worthy of your time. I sent you a sample chapter and summary as part of the contest.

    Reply
  45. ms.gail says

    April 28, 2010 at 12:48 am

    Been busy as a long-tailed cat on a porch full of rocking chairs. Missed the deadline uhmmmm…..
    ms.gail

    Reply
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Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

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