Where Genres Collide Traci Dowe YA Author

Where I’m At

Traci Kenworth

I finished rewriting SH finally, now I’m double-checking words, grammar, and typos. Even with Spell & Grammar on Word, sometimes things are wrong and there’s no reason not to do a hands-on check. Besides which, an agent will thank you for paying attention to details and such. I should have this all ready to go out by the middle of next week. Still have to tweak synopsis, re-check query, and all that good stuff.

I am so, so, so happy to be at the subbing stage. I’ve done everything I possibly could to make this as good as I can. I want to, hopefully, do things right. I’ve been keeping my eyes on agents thanks to the help of twitter and their blogs, and hope I’ve gleaned the right facts & personality for each. Yes, personalization on a query is very important. It is your introduction to an agent, why not make it as friendly as a handshake?

Next up, is hoping and praying the agents on my list are still accepting submission during this Thanksgiving to New Years’ time when some close. So, it’s possible I won’t be able to do so until after January. What’s up next? The all-important follow-up book. Actually, I have one waiting in the wings but I don’t want to hurry with that one until SH takes flight. I’ve decided to write a third book in the meantime. It’s a work-in-progress, tentatively titled The Angel.

I don’t like to give out too much information about it at first, not only because the book changes as it “grows,” but I find it stifles my creativity when I talk too much about it. When it’s finished, that’s a different deal. Mostly because it’s time to get an agent/editor interested and if you “don’t” talk about it, you’re in trouble and wasting your and their time.

So, yeah, it’s time to get out there, trek through the forest, and pray to God to find my way out again, an agented writer. What are some of your secrets to getting ready to publish? Any advice on the sub process? I wish you all luck on getting your books ready for the same.