Video: Not-So-Frequently Asked Submission Questions

Posted on 01/11/2015 by Julie Sondra

In the same vein as my previous post about less frequently asked questions about querying, I’m now posting the follow-up: Not-So-Frequently Asked Questions about submission for agented authors.

In the video, I answer the following questions:

What if it doesn’t sell?
Should I research my editors? Should I interact with them?
How should I behave online while I’m on submission?
How is being on submission different from submitting to agents?
What if it DOES sell?
What information should the agent be sharing with me while I’m on submission?
What do I do to stay calm while I’m on submission?
Why does it take so long?
What’s the “Big Five”? What’s an imprint?
What should I do next if my book doesn’t sell?
What does it mean if an editor praises my book but still rejects it?
What if the publisher wants to change my title?
How do agents pitch books to publishers?
Everybody else is getting book deals and I’m not! Is it just never going to happen for me?
Can my agent dump me?
How important is luck?
What about direct submissions to publishers without an agent?
What can I expect in terms of an advance?
What’s the one piece of advice you would offer to someone who’s newly on submission?

Video: Not-So-Frequently Asked Querying Questions

Posted on 12/23/2014 by Julie Sondra

I’ve got a new video on querying literary agents . . . and this time, I’m addressing the not-so-frequently asked questions. If you’ve got the basics down but have some lingering concerns, check this out and ask your own!

In the video, I answer the following questions:

How many agents should I query at once?
How long is an average response time?
How do I respond if an agent wants to see part or all of my book?
Oh God, why am I so nervous? Why is this the hardest letter I’ve ever written?
What if all I’m getting are rejections?
What if I sent a partial or full manuscript a while ago but then I edited it and it’s better now? Should I send them my updated version?
How do I handle approaching remaining agents if one offers representation?
What if an agent wants me to make changes to my book and try again?
If I get a rejection from an agent, should I reply?
What if I get an offer from an agent I don’t want to represent me?
When can I list them as my agent on my blog and in my Twitter profile and stuff? I’m dying to tell everyone!
What if they seem interested but they refer me to an editor I have to pay for or promise representation for a reading fee?
What does it mean if the agent wants to call me?
Can I talk about my agent search online?
What’s your one piece of advice to an author newly querying agents?

New video: Common Querying Mistakes

Posted on 11/22/2014 by Julie Sondra

Here’s a new video for you in which I go over the mistakes I’ve seen many querying authors making in their query letters. This is based on a couple years’ worth of Pitch Wars mentoring, outlining the problems with the synopses and the bio section that I saw the most often.

New Video: Publishing Scams

Posted on 10/28/2014 by Julie Sondra

You really don’t want to fall for a publishing scam. But sometimes the world of getting published is a lot more complicated than it seems like it should be, so it’s easy to get swindled or tricked if you don’t know the red flags.

This video is about the red flags.

New Video: Writing Every Day?

Posted on 09/28/2014 by Julie Sondra

Some people love giving advice to new/young writers. Sometimes, that advice involves telling others how to do things exactly the way they do things, framing those how-to’s as the only options for becoming successful.

One of the ones I hear most often is “You MUST write EVERY DAY.”

This video is about why that’s not true and why it’s important to trust yourself to find your own rhythm and schedule for your writing.

Interview: Weekend Sunrise, “Attracted to No One”

Posted on 09/22/2014 by Julie Sondra

This weekend I was invited on an Australian morning news program called Weekend Sunrise. Happily, I did not have to travel to another continent for a less-than-five-minute interview. They piped me in from a TV studio in Tampa.

Here is the television piece:

New Video: Unboxing My Hardbacks

Posted on 08/23/2014 by Julie Sondra

I received my box of books from my publisher and I’m thrilled to finally see the finished product! If you want to see me opening the box and talking a little about the book (and how you can get it), check it out:

New Video: On Content Theft

Posted on 07/30/2014 by Julie Sondra

“What if someone steals my work??”

I’ve been getting that question a lot lately so I decided to do a video about why your work is not likely to get stolen–primarily because people who are too lazy to come up with their own ideas are VERY unlikely to steal yours just so they can go through the hard part of editing, pitching agents, and getting published. However, if you’re still unconvinced that getting your work stolen is unlikely, there is a suggestion in the video for how you can safeguard your content.

International Asexuality Conference, Toronto

Posted on 06/29/2014 by Julie Sondra

I had the pleasure of attending the International Asexuality Conference in Toronto, Ontario, at the end of June 2014. As a WorldPride-affiliated event, we got some pretty amazing coverage and attention, with something like 300 registered attendees!

I was on the Asexual Leadership Q&A panel with Sara Beth Brooks and David Jay. Video here!

And later I was on a Visibility and Content Creation panel. You can see video of it here.

But what’s also great is it was the first appearance I made with my book!

I asked attendees to enter their names to win advance reading copies. Around fifty people entered and I got to talk to quite a lot of amazing people who were really excited about the book coming out. And there were a few who treated me like a celebrity or excitedly told me how much they like my videos online. How nice!

And after attending sessions and sitting on panels all day, I rounded out the night by appearing on Canadian national television.

Click to watch the video!

So yeah, that was a good experience. Hanging out with new and old friends was also fun–I was staying with asexual friends in a hotel, some of whom I’d known on the Internet before and some of whom I was getting to know for the first time. I didn’t stay for the parade–just the conference–but I’m glad I got to go.

Hooray for visibility and connections!

New Video: Rejection

Posted on 06/22/2014 by Julie Sondra

Now for a video on one of the most universal subjects for authors: REJECTION.

In this video I discuss my personal rejection experiences, share my first rejection letter and laugh over my most condescending one, and give you an idea of how and in what capacity I’ve been rejected over the years–from the perspective of a person who did eventually get to “yes.”