My first novel, Whiskey Sour, was released in hardcover, May of 2004. It’s a thriller featuring Chicago Violent Crime Lt. Jack Daniels. My publisher, Hyperion, will also put out the next two books in the series.

My agent landed this deal for me, and it was a significant deal; six-figures for worldwide hard/soft rights. It was also my very first deal. I hadn’t published a thing prior to Whiskey Sour. No short stories, no articles, not so much as a letter to the editor in a magazine.

How did a guy with no publishing record get both an agent and a big book deal? Was I a Cinderella Story, being at the right place at the right time? Did I know some industry big shot who made a few phone calls? Did I use blackmail, bribery, or extortion?

No, no, and no-no-no. I’m actually a slush-pile success–a guy who got noticed by writing unsolicited queries. But much as I’d like to say that my very query letter catapulted me to success, that’s not the case.

The truth is, I’d written nine previous novels, and garnered over four hundred rejections, before getting my big break. Throughout twelve years of writing and marketing, I’ve made every mistake a writer could make. Because of this, I’ve learned quite a bit about the New York publishing business first-hand, and have assembled some hard-won tips based on my own experience.

Getting an agent as an amateur isn’t easy. After receiving enough form-letter rejections to wallpaper my house, I began to wonder if my queries were even getting read. I’d heard rumors about agents and editors hiring college students to do nothing put open submissions and mail back rejections. These rumors, it turned out, were true.
The how-to books all stated that the way to approach agents is with a one page query letter and the first three chapters of the novel. I’d followed that route many times and failed. It was time to try something different.

The plan I devised was similar to the same plan used by publishing houses to sell books. Namely, I marketed myself.

The result was this four page query package:

Page Number One was back jacket copy. The backs of paperback books always condense the story down into a few juicy sentences. Pick up a few bestsellers and read the back. They always make the book sound like a blockbuster. I decided to do the same for my book, and after writing a pithy, catchy description, played with the font and layout until it mimicked the real thing.

Page Number Two was an author bio and photograph. Hardcovers always have this, and because I wanted to be treated like a professional, I included this as well. My wife took a black and white picture of me in a snooty author pose, and I added a few sentences about who I was. I couldn’t include any publishing experience because I didn’t have any, but I tried to make myself sound interesting.

Page Number Three was a one page excerpt from the novel. It was a moment of high tension and reveal, loaded with conflict, and formatted to look like an actual book page.

Page Number Four was a very brief letter describing the project, and giving my email address and phone number.

No SASE. No sample chapters. Not even a return address–if they wanted to contact me, they could call.

I found 125 NY agents that represented fiction through various resource books and www.aar-online.org. Each got a photocopy of my four page submission package, mailed in a plain white legal-sized envelope. I addressed the envelopes to specific agents’ names, but the actual letters weren’t personalized.

Then I sat back and waited, wondering if my little experiment would work. Normal response time from an agent took anywhere from three weeks to ten months, but I was hoping this innocuous-looking letter would avoid the slush pile and be opened right away. I turned out to be correct.

I sent them out on a Thursday.

By the following Tuesday, five agents had called me up.

Within two weeks, I’d gotten a total of twelve agents interested. I picked the one who was the most enthusiastic, who also had some great ideas for marketing me and my novel.

Unfortunately, that novel didn’t sell. Neither did the next two.

But my agency believed in me, I continued to hone my craft, and novel number ten went up for auction and became the first thing I ever sold.

So after twelve years and over a million written words, I’m an overnight success.
The turning point in my career can directly be traced to one event: my change in attitude. When I stopped thinking of writing as a dream, and began thinking about it as a business, I landed my agent.

By marketing myself in a catchy, original way, and treating myself like a professional, I got agents to treat me like a pro as well. Rather than break into publishing from a position of weakness and taking whatever is offered, I was able to pick and choose among agents, and ultimately publishers, because I gave them something they could sell.

If you’d like to see my original, four page submission package, it’s on my website, www.jakonrath.com, as part of a free 28 page download called How To Find an Agent and $ell Your Writing..

It worked for me. It can work for you, too.

A Writer’s Mantra

1. There have been books published that aren't very good. I'm positive I can write better than some of the published books I've read.

2. It is inevitable, if I keep trying, that someday I'll be published. A professional is an amateur who didn’t quit.

3. I won't take rejection personally. Each rejection is one step closer to publication. Most rejections have nothing to do with how good the writing is.

4. I will always remain open to suggestion and change.

5. I will keep writing, keep marketing, and never surrender. Ultimately, getting published rests squarely on one person’s shoulders–mine.

Seven Tips for Breaking into Print

1. Always listen to industry pros; even if they wind up being wrong, you’ll learn from the experience.

2. Seek criticism, not praise. Knowing what’s wrong will help you improve.

3. Be ready and willing to rewrite and edit, a lot.

4. Read what’s currently selling, and come up with comparable ideas

5. Don’t take rejection personally. This is a business, so be businesslike.

6. Make sure the Work is free from typos, spelling errors, and formatting problems.

7. NEVER GIVE UP.

Four Rewriting Secrets

1. Read your Work out loud--it helps you catch errors.

2. Put the Work away for a month before editing.

3. Cut up the Work with scissors–this allows you to rearrange scenes, and to see how the story works without them.

4. Take advice and try new things. Nothing will be lost; you can always revert back to the original. But everything can be gained.

What Agents Want

1. A book they can sell.

2. A writer who is easy to work with.

3. A writer who can accept advice and criticism.

4. A writer who understands the market.

5. A writer who can meet deadlines.

6. A writer who is in it for the long haul.

7. A writer who doesn't call and pester them constantly.

8. A writer who is grateful.

Six things you should never put in a query:

1. Don’t be needy. Pros don’t mope and moan about how hard the publishing biz is, or beg to be read. I once started a query, “I’ve had forty rejections on this book so far, but I’m not giving up yet.” Do you think the editor even bothered to look at the manuscript?

2. Don’t be cocky. Telling the editor or agent how rich you’ll make them, or how brilliant your idea is, always backfires. For my fourth unpublished novel, I send out a query that stated, “Here’s your next blockbuster.” Among the form letter rejections I received, one had a hand-written note that said, “Guess again.”

3. Don’t use fancy paper. There are many wonderful colors and patterns of paper available at the office supply store. I’ve used pink, blue with white clouds, intricate Aztec borders, and paper that appeared to be stained with blood. The rejections I got back were on plain, white, 20# bond, because that’s what professionals use.

4. Don’t use fancy font. Stick with Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier, 12 pt and double spaced. I tried sending a query once using an exotic, calligraphy font, because I thought it made me stand out and appear intelligent. The agent returned it asking, “Next time, submit in English.”

5. Don’t include a SASE. Everyone in NY requests that you send a self addressed stamped envelope for a reply. In fairness to the publishing biz, they get a ton of unsolicited manuscripts every day, and couldn’t afford to send rejection letters to everyone out of their own pocket. Keep in mind that SASEs are for rejections. In fact, it makes it even easier for them to reject you. If they want your work, they’ll gladly spring for the stamp, or call on the phone. Do you think Tom Clancy sends SASEs?

6. Don’t address is to unknowns. Dear Editor and Dear Sir letters get thrown away. Find out who the editor is, and then call up and make sure that editor still works there. Publishing is a turbulent business, and editors are constantly moving from house to house. Make sure you’ve addressed you package to a real person who still works there.

Five Ways to Look Like a Pro

1. Have your own website. The publishing business is becoming increasingly internet dependant. Editors spend a lot of time online. A good looking homepage, with a bio, writing samples, and contact information, is a cheap and easy way to get noticed.

2. Roll with the punches. If an editor suggests changing something, go with it. Always. This is a business, and should be treated like one. Pros don’t let their egos interfere with their work.

3. Be personable. Editors and agents don’t want to work with someone who isn’t enjoyable to be around. Writers who are easily upset, depressed, anxious, or overly enthusiastic don’t last very long in this business.

4. Make deadlines. Always. No excuses. If you’re always early, you’ll be loved for it.

5. Cloak yourself in the trappings of professionalism. Have business cards and letterhead, a fax machine, an email address, and an office phone. I answer my phone, “J.A. Konrath.” It’s much more effective than “Hello?”

Copyright 2004 by J.A. Konrath

Author J.A. KONRATH

J.A. Konrath recently signed a three book deal with Hyperion Books. His first novel, WHISKEY SOUR, introduces series heroine Lt. Jacqueline Daniels of the Chicago Police Department.

Joe graduated from Columbia College in Chicago in 1992. He’s written for corporate and cable television, assisted the brewmeister at a local micro brewery, performed improv comedy on stage, and regularly speaks at mystery and horror conventions.

Recent short story sales include "On the Rocks: A Lt. Jack Daniels Novella" and “Street Music” to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, "Finicky Eater" to Horror Garage Magazine, "The Screaming" to The Many Faces of Van Helsing anthology edited by Jeanne Cavelos, “Forgiveness” to Cemetery Dance Magazine, and “Redux” to the Spooks anthology edited by Tina Jens, coming from Twilight Tales. He’s also written articles for Writer’s Digest and Novel Writing Magazine.

Joe has one wife, three kids (that he knows of), a dog, and a house in the suburbs, where he’s recently finished BLOODY MARY, the second book in the Lt. Jacqueline Daniels thriller series. Visit him at www.jakonrath.com.

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