Re the first commenter saying they can’t afford a beta reader: PSA that you don’t need to pay a beta reader! The Beta Reader subreddit can help you find them for free. Bianca Marais from The Shit No One Tells You About Writing also does a beta reader match up event
@cjpreach Based on my experience, I would say so long as you don't have to pay anything, it's worth a shot. Not all beta readers are created equal, but that's why it's a good idea to get multiple opinions.
Hello, Ms. Matesic! Just want to say this series you do is genius and has filled uncountable gaps I didn't even know existed in my understanding of book writing and publishing. Thank you so much for everything you do! I've done a ton of research on this topic, but, since I can't find answers anywhere, I'm wondering what you'd have to say on the topic. There are many published books out there that began as fan fiction, 50 Shades of Grey being the obvious one everyone thinks of first. However, since fan fiction often has a negative reputation in traditional bookish communities, I was shocked to discover how many of these stories were both successful and even critically acclaimed. This begs the question: beyond obvious copyright rules, how do you turn fan fiction into a publishable work? Where is the line between source inspiration and source stealing? How much of the rewriting should you do yourself before querying? If the story should be completely original before querying, should you even mention that the book began as fan fiction or divorce from that identity entirely?
As far as beta readers go, I find them invaluable for the purpose of detecting _boring_ bits, and detecting _nonsensical_ bits. First and foremost, the beta reader getting bored is the last thing I want, so I need that pointed out to me urgently. Then, there's stuff that just doesn't make sense. I need to know that too, because if my my beta reader is engaged with the story but still can't make sense of something, I've got to focus on fixing that. Just detecting those two things alone is why I really, really, find beta readers so valuable. Asside from detecting boredom and nonsense, it's a bit unfair to expect more than that from a beta reader, but if I actually can get more useful stuff from them, then that's fantastic. 😁
40K authors? Holy Crow! No wonder it takes so long to hear back from agents to whom I submitted my novels! Doubling up? Then I've been doing the right thing with my query letter and Query Manager all this time. I always felt that I would be gutting my query letter if I removed that stuff from it for the QM boxes and left it out of the letter. I've wondered about this myself. I'm glad someone asked this question.
Good question about being ready. Made huge changes on an older book, beta read and even developmental edited, and for some reason, agents very quickly reject them in less than 24 hours. Sadly generic responses. Still few more to hear back from but makes me wonder why they so suddenly can reject it.
Question for the next #ASKMEANYTHING: Could you give some guidance to foreign language writers, who are looking for representation for their translated works? Smaller publishers of less spoken languages more often then not will not be able to do this for their writers - maybe for their top writers after 5 years and a finished series :) - and so it would be nice to see what it would actually take for a writer to take matters into their own hands and try to find representation for their translation in the US/UK. Assuming of course they have the rights.
To the first question, here are some ways to get free beta readers: 1. Tell everyone you know that you want to be a writer and have written a novel. You're bound to have at least one relative/friend/mentor who can be trusted to give honest, objective feedback. 2. Search for local writers workshops in your area. I found some in my hometown just by Google. Conventions and conferences cost money, but local writers groups are often free. 3. If you've befriended other writers on social media, you can check who is willing to do a beta read exchange. Also, I can tell you as someone with a degree in English that many writers improved their writing through critique partners and their colleauges. I can't name an author in any era who got there by paying someone.
Thanks Alyssa Matesic for answering my question last week. I have another question for you for the next week can you have lets say two pov for a novel my book is written in third person limited but then I had a few chapters written in third person omniscient pov. Can I use both povs or do I've to use one or the other?
Hello Alyssa. Real quick, i wanted to know which websites are safe to use when reaching out to legit literary agents. Also, if there are any links to one of your videos that explains more about how i should write a query, what goes in it, and how many pages it should be. Thank you and congrats on how far you've come!
Hi there! Here is a video where I talk about some legit ways to find a literary agent (including some websites you can use to find reputable agents): ruclips.net/video/kP-zWzugpUE/видео.html And this video will walk you through how to write the query letter: ruclips.net/video/SSBcasOsRCs/видео.html Good luck with the querying process!
Hi, Alyssa! Thanks so much for answering my question. There’s actually one more I've been wanting to ask: Where is the line between banter in a romance novel that can stay in a manuscript and banter that is unnecessary and should be cut? I feel like it's much clearer in genres like fantasy and sci-fi, and I've only recently transitioned to reading and writing romance. I've written a couple banter scenes in my last book that I really like, but my word count is too high and I'm not sure which scenes to cut and which ones should stay...
When it comes to always seeing new things to revise or edit or feeling that we are missing something. Even bestsellers and classics have things that could have been worked on. Tolkien was asked about why the eagles couldn't have flown the heroes to Mordor and told the questioner to shut up. In high school I had a teacher whom asked us how the ending of The Lord of the Flies would have been if the part were the boys are rescued were removed, and so on. No book is perfect. In a book on editing I am reading the author edits works like The Great Gatsby.
While I’m still drafting my devbut for self CB publishing(or a small press), I would like an agent & go trad pub eventually. Is there a kind of site or video that shows examples of bad query letters( for ficton(my genre’s romance.).
I have a question, Alyssa: I've sent my story to beta readers and have since hired an editor. Now, with that being said, the beta readers say they like the story. They say it keeps them turning the pages and the dialogue is true to nature. The editor hasn't really made a lot of changes, just the usual; however, when I've queried the book I am met with utter silence every time. No response from anyone. At this point in time I would welcome a flat-out rejection. What am I doing wrong?
Welcome to my world. Both my beta reader and editor, say my story is really good and fleshed out as much as it can be, but agents seem to have not the same concept. Very frustrating.
@@rowan7929 Thank you for letting me know this is common practice. When they don't respond I don't know how to change whatever they perceive to be wrong. At this point, I'd rather have a "Wow, that was horrible" instead of all the silence.
@@InvestigatingDavidCrowley I know what you mean. I had only one agent who actually gave me a personal feedback and I could work with it. Stated how she loved the concept, characters, etc, but rejected because it wasn't too direct with the character. So then when I addressed her issues of my opening chapters, she then responded that the story didn't drew her in, but appreciated the changes I have made. I was really devastated as I really thought I had a breakthrough. Unlike other agents who always give me a generic response.
@@rowan7929 Oh my! I'm so sorry! Ugh! I went to a writer's conference and pitched my book. The authors who I practiced pitched to all loved the concept. They were saying I was for sure going to get an agent. The agent I was assigned to give a pitch didn't want any books that were a series and she only wanted to do something like e-books. I'd been that route with my first book and this book was part of a series...and needless to say, she scrunched her face, said no and I haven't had one response since. Argh!
@@InvestigatingDavidCrowley That does suck and sorry to hear too. Sadly, here in Australia, there aren't any agents that do fantasy. Found one, but they have such a weird concept with query that they only accept them if you met them, or were referred to. Well, all I can do it keep trying. I know I've learned a lot since then how to make a better blurb, pitch and what to focus on with writing. So years ago I can understand agents for rejecting me because I wrote really bad letters and didn't had the right help to flesh it all out.
ask me anything question: If you have two different endings but can't decide on which one to use, can you query with both endings and, if so, is it ok if the two different endings change the genre of the book?
I'm sorry, but if you can't handle some adult themes without a trigger warning, you should not be a literary agent. Art is going to deal with traumatic punches, such is the nature of its beauty.
@@absolutelycitron1580 Lol I am not remotely triggered, I'm just pointing out a discrepancy. Of course PTSD is real, but all I'm saying is that if you are a literary agent you should be prepared to handle stories without the expectation of a disclaimer every time there might be something uncomfortable. That's just what art is.
Trigger warnings aren't about being offended but about setting expectations of what you're reading. Think of it as part of the blurb. If you include them the people who like those ideas will pick up the book, and those who don't won't and you'll get a higher rating for your book because you set the expectation.
@@cladesmIf the novel deals with the aftereffects of a sexual assault or whatever, then that will presumably appear in the blurb without a separate trigger warning. There is a vast body of research on content and trigger warnings. It shows that they are, at best, absolutely worthless. Some psychologists suggest that they can be actively counterproductive. A meta-analysis I read concluded that their sole impact was... to increase support for the use of trigger warnings. Seriously. Check out the peer-reviewed literature on Google Scholar or Consensus. The only positive "research" I've found was conducted by educators or lawyers and did not concern itself with the psychological/behavioral impacts.
Re the first commenter saying they can’t afford a beta reader: PSA that you don’t need to pay a beta reader! The Beta Reader subreddit can help you find them for free. Bianca Marais from The Shit No One Tells You About Writing also does a beta reader match up event
I wonder just how effective and helpful the use of Beta Readers actually is.
@cjpreach Based on my experience, I would say so long as you don't have to pay anything, it's worth a shot. Not all beta readers are created equal, but that's why it's a good idea to get multiple opinions.
@@TheEccentricRaven Makes sense.
Or you just use friends and family. I don't know why this isn't being discussed lol
This is incredibly helpful. I'm in the process of querying, and the more I know about the process, and thinking about my novel, the better.
Thank you!
So glad it was helpful! Best of luck with querying!
Hello, Ms. Matesic! Just want to say this series you do is genius and has filled uncountable gaps I didn't even know existed in my understanding of book writing and publishing. Thank you so much for everything you do!
I've done a ton of research on this topic, but, since I can't find answers anywhere, I'm wondering what you'd have to say on the topic. There are many published books out there that began as fan fiction, 50 Shades of Grey being the obvious one everyone thinks of first. However, since fan fiction often has a negative reputation in traditional bookish communities, I was shocked to discover how many of these stories were both successful and even critically acclaimed. This begs the question: beyond obvious copyright rules, how do you turn fan fiction into a publishable work? Where is the line between source inspiration and source stealing? How much of the rewriting should you do yourself before querying? If the story should be completely original before querying, should you even mention that the book began as fan fiction or divorce from that identity entirely?
As far as beta readers go, I find them invaluable for the purpose of detecting _boring_ bits, and detecting _nonsensical_ bits.
First and foremost, the beta reader getting bored is the last thing I want, so I need that pointed out to me urgently.
Then, there's stuff that just doesn't make sense. I need to know that too, because if my my beta reader is engaged with the story but still can't make sense of something, I've got to focus on fixing that.
Just detecting those two things alone is why I really, really, find beta readers so valuable.
Asside from detecting boredom and nonsense, it's a bit unfair to expect more than that from a beta reader, but if I actually can get more useful stuff from them, then that's fantastic. 😁
40K authors?
Holy Crow!
No wonder it takes so long to hear back from agents to whom I submitted my novels!
Doubling up?
Then I've been doing the right thing with my query letter and Query Manager all this time. I always felt that I would be gutting my query letter if I removed that stuff from it for the QM boxes and left it out of the letter. I've wondered about this myself. I'm glad someone asked this question.
Thank you for answering that last querying-question, I was wondering the same!
Good question about being ready.
Made huge changes on an older book, beta read and even developmental edited, and for some reason, agents very quickly reject them in less than 24 hours. Sadly generic responses. Still few more to hear back from but makes me wonder why they so suddenly can reject it.
always always always appreciate your advice! also, HI LUCA!!
Question for the next #ASKMEANYTHING: Could you give some guidance to foreign language writers, who are looking for representation for their translated works? Smaller publishers of less spoken languages more often then not will not be able to do this for their writers - maybe for their top writers after 5 years and a finished series :) - and so it would be nice to see what it would actually take for a writer to take matters into their own hands and try to find representation for their translation in the US/UK. Assuming of course they have the rights.
hi! yay I'm excited for this one! ❤
To the first question, here are some ways to get free beta readers:
1. Tell everyone you know that you want to be a writer and have written a novel. You're bound to have at least one relative/friend/mentor who can be trusted to give honest, objective feedback.
2. Search for local writers workshops in your area. I found some in my hometown just by Google. Conventions and conferences cost money, but local writers groups are often free.
3. If you've befriended other writers on social media, you can check who is willing to do a beta read exchange.
Also, I can tell you as someone with a degree in English that many writers improved their writing through critique partners and their colleauges. I can't name an author in any era who got there by paying someone.
Thanks Alyssa Matesic for answering my question last week. I have another question for you for the next week can you have lets say two pov for a novel my book is written in third person limited but then I had a few chapters written in third person omniscient pov. Can I use both povs or do I've to use one or the other?
Hello Alyssa. Real quick, i wanted to know which websites are safe to use when reaching out to legit literary agents. Also, if there are any links to one of your videos that explains more about how i should write a query, what goes in it, and how many pages it should be. Thank you and congrats on how far you've come!
Hi there! Here is a video where I talk about some legit ways to find a literary agent (including some websites you can use to find reputable agents): ruclips.net/video/kP-zWzugpUE/видео.html And this video will walk you through how to write the query letter: ruclips.net/video/SSBcasOsRCs/видео.html Good luck with the querying process!
Hi, Alyssa! Thanks so much for answering my question. There’s actually one more I've been wanting to ask: Where is the line between banter in a romance novel that can stay in a manuscript and banter that is unnecessary and should be cut? I feel like it's much clearer in genres like fantasy and sci-fi, and I've only recently transitioned to reading and writing romance. I've written a couple banter scenes in my last book that I really like, but my word count is too high and I'm not sure which scenes to cut and which ones should stay...
When it comes to always seeing new things to revise or edit or feeling that we are missing something. Even bestsellers and classics have things that could have been worked on. Tolkien was asked about why the eagles couldn't have flown the heroes to Mordor and told the questioner to shut up. In high school I had a teacher whom asked us how the ending of The Lord of the Flies would have been if the part were the boys are rescued were removed, and so on. No book is perfect. In a book on editing I am reading the author edits works like The Great Gatsby.
Um, about the eagles... * insert explanation that many people have already given here *
While I’m still drafting my devbut for self CB publishing(or a small press), I would like an agent & go trad pub eventually. Is there a kind of site or video that shows examples of bad query letters( for ficton(my genre’s romance.).
I have a question, Alyssa: I've sent my story to beta readers and have since hired an editor. Now, with that being said, the beta readers say they like the story. They say it keeps them turning the pages and the dialogue is true to nature. The editor hasn't really made a lot of changes, just the usual; however, when I've queried the book I am met with utter silence every time. No response from anyone. At this point in time I would welcome a flat-out rejection. What am I doing wrong?
Welcome to my world. Both my beta reader and editor, say my story is really good and fleshed out as much as it can be, but agents seem to have not the same concept. Very frustrating.
@@rowan7929 Thank you for letting me know this is common practice. When they don't respond I don't know how to change whatever they perceive to be wrong. At this point, I'd rather have a "Wow, that was horrible" instead of all the silence.
@@InvestigatingDavidCrowley I know what you mean. I had only one agent who actually gave me a personal feedback and I could work with it. Stated how she loved the concept, characters, etc, but rejected because it wasn't too direct with the character. So then when I addressed her issues of my opening chapters, she then responded that the story didn't drew her in, but appreciated the changes I have made. I was really devastated as I really thought I had a breakthrough.
Unlike other agents who always give me a generic response.
@@rowan7929 Oh my! I'm so sorry! Ugh! I went to a writer's conference and pitched my book. The authors who I practiced pitched to all loved the concept. They were saying I was for sure going to get an agent. The agent I was assigned to give a pitch didn't want any books that were a series and she only wanted to do something like e-books. I'd been that route with my first book and this book was part of a series...and needless to say, she scrunched her face, said no and I haven't had one response since. Argh!
@@InvestigatingDavidCrowley That does suck and sorry to hear too. Sadly, here in Australia, there aren't any agents that do fantasy. Found one, but they have such a weird concept with query that they only accept them if you met them, or were referred to.
Well, all I can do it keep trying. I know I've learned a lot since then how to make a better blurb, pitch and what to focus on with writing. So years ago I can understand agents for rejecting me because I wrote really bad letters and didn't had the right help to flesh it all out.
ask me anything question: If you have two different endings but can't decide on which one to use, can you query with both endings and, if so, is it ok if the two different endings change the genre of the book?
As a reader, I find trigger warnings patronising. They are often performative too. Very Californian.
We ain't got no ptsd here in Texas like you liberals!!!! Not none never no sir nope
I'm sorry, but if you can't handle some adult themes without a trigger warning, you should not be a literary agent. Art is going to deal with traumatic punches, such is the nature of its beauty.
Lol you are ironically triggered af by that question. Ptsd is real buddy, calm down
@@absolutelycitron1580 Lol I am not remotely triggered, I'm just pointing out a discrepancy. Of course PTSD is real, but all I'm saying is that if you are a literary agent you should be prepared to handle stories without the expectation of a disclaimer every time there might be something uncomfortable. That's just what art is.
Did someone seriously ask whether they should include trigger warnings? We can't read fiction now without being offended, it's pathetic
Trigger warnings aren't about being offended but about setting expectations of what you're reading. Think of it as part of the blurb. If you include them the people who like those ideas will pick up the book, and those who don't won't and you'll get a higher rating for your book because you set the expectation.
@@cladesmIf the novel deals with the aftereffects of a sexual assault or whatever, then that will presumably appear in the blurb without a separate trigger warning.
There is a vast body of research on content and trigger warnings. It shows that they are, at best, absolutely worthless. Some psychologists suggest that they can be actively counterproductive. A meta-analysis I read concluded that their sole impact was... to increase support for the use of trigger warnings.
Seriously. Check out the peer-reviewed literature on Google Scholar or Consensus. The only positive "research" I've found was conducted by educators or lawyers and did not concern itself with the psychological/behavioral impacts.
Chill out buddy. Some agents may be survivors of SA or were war veterans. Ptsd is real even if you don't have it
are you single 😂😂😂😂
She’s wearing a wedding ring