From manuscript to published book: Part 2

 How to keep an agent happy by doing her job for her -- The Query Toolbox Homework

As discussed in Part 1 of From manuscript to published book, the first step to traditional publication (after writing an amazing manuscript!) is to find an agent looking for that type of story. No matter our compelling our romantic comedy is, it's unlikely to catch the eye of an agent who's only interested in books about gardening. But how do we find agents who love rom-coms, or whatever else our heart is into?

Luckily, agents are more than happy to tell us where their hearts lie -- on their (or their agency's) websites, at sites such as Manuscript Wish List, MSWishlist, Twitter #MSWL, Query Manager, and Agent Query. I'll add, also check the acknowledgement section of books we love. The writers will often use it to thank their agents and editors. And don't overlook other social media sites -- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. -- that are more frequently updated. And follow, follow, follow to get those updates.

To see what agents are selling to publishers right now, check out Publishers Marketplace, which is available by monthly subscription. (Agent Amy Collins suggested signing for a subscription, researching it like mad, and dropping it once we've picked all the fruit it has to offer. Not that she admits saying that!) There's also a shorter, totally free version, Publishers Lunch.

Now with our manuscript and a list of potentially interested agents, we're ready to do the hard work of assessing a book's market viability. This is the topic the agent will use to pique the interest of the person at the next level to publication -- a publishing house's acquisitions editor. For this, I'm using copyright-free material Amy Collins provided for attendees at her DFW Con workshop -- The Query Toolbox Homework.

Market viability has three components, all of which should be included in our queries to agents:

• Comp titles
• Readership
• Unique selling points

Our homework, Collins said, begins with a starter list of 12 comparable authors. Who writes the books we love to read, in our genre or a related one? And how much do other readers love them?

Her starting point is the free weekly bestseller list from USA Today. It's a list of sales searchable by genre and date of sale. (Please note, at this time the list is on hiatus, with most recent sales only listed as of December 1, 2022. I'll keep checking for updates.)

Another of Collins recommendations for author listings is What Should I Read Next. This is a subscription service, free for the first five days, and $39.95 a month thereafter. Again, as for Publishers Marketplace, consider researching the heck out of it during free, or initial subscription period.

Goodreads also lists books by authors we follow, and books similar to those we've read recently. Access to these requires a Goodreads account, but it's a free service.

Not mentioned by Collins, but also useful is Novelist, a searchable service free with many public library accounts. Check with your local library if you can't find it in your account. Or if you need to set up an account! 

We've got authors but what about those comparable titles?

Image by Davie Bicker from Pixabay

Having now compiled a list of 12 comparable authors -- who we're following, right? -- we only need to find three comp titles from their writings to titillate the agents we've chosen to query.

What exactly makes a previously published book "comparable" to our manuscript? How "comparable" does it have to be? According to Collins, the three comp titles should be similar in either voice, setting, or POV. No single comp title needs to be similar in all three. 

And they don't need to be similar in plot because, "who wants to read the same plot?" Collins asked.

However, comp titles must be books which have sold well in their categories recently. Collins recommended searching Amazon for titles from our authors that possess at least one of the necessary similarities to ours. If we're unsure of the genre of those titles (authors may write in more than one), Amazon also helpfully lists those in its sidebars. 

Now things get harder. Collins recommends only using as comp titles books that have garnered at least 5,000 reader reviews. This goes to the "readership" component of market viability. Books by best-selling authors are musts as comp titles for our own manuscript -- one of the reasons she recommended looking at best-seller lists.

On the other hand, those best-selling authors can't be too familiar. Not iconic, in Collins' words. Who's a best-selling author but not iconic? Collins' suggestion was to think Ken Follett as best-selling but not iconic. Lee Child, however, is iconic. My suggestion is, if the author is someone who's name you see on your grocery store's paperback rack, they're probably iconic.

Collins also turned thumbs-down to books made into movies or TV series. If it's just optioned but not yet released, she's still OK with using it as a possible comp. She's also OK with using the latest book in a series, provided it meets all the other criteria mentioned. Be warned, these are Amy Collins' recommendations. Other agents may differ. Again, check what your dream agents are saying.

And -- these 5,000+ reviewed comp titles should have been published within the past 18 months, tops, Collins said.

At this point, an audience member asked, what if your comparable author publishes a book no more frequently than every two years. Or so. What if your comparable author is, say, Jonatha Franzen? (OK, Collins said. For Franzen, two years. But don't push it any further!)

Now, looking back on the first two components of market viability -- comp titles and readership -- we can work that information into a query to an agent who we know from our research has shown interest in our genre. Examples include, "because I love your recently sold (comp title), I believe you'll love (my title)." Or "(My title) is great for people who just finished (comp title)." Note that reference to the agent's own sales can add extra credit. 

Having covered two of three tests for market viability, what's left is the selling point unique to our book. Think of what the twist would be. Collins noted that loglines are not the same as comp titles, but they can be helpful guides for capturing why our book is similar but different.

Is it "Pride and Prejudice" but in outer space? Or "Romeo and Juliet" but in the Old West? "The Three Musketeers" in modern warfare? (Caution -- all these titles are way too old to be actual comps!)

So, writers, there's the query toolbox -- comparable authors, comparable titles with extensive readership, plus our own secret sauce. 

Please note: this isn't the entire query. We also need to introduce ourselves to the agent, explain why we think they're a good fit to represent our book, give a brief overview of the plot (but not the end, unless the agent asks for it), and told the agent why we're the person to write this book. But we have done the hardest part -- next to writing the manuscript in the first place.

And for still more information about writing and publishing, note that the DFW Writers Conference 
returns this year, October 7-8. See the site for early-bird registration.

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Next up: Tales from the North Texas Teen Book Festival