Nathan Bransford - The Forums

It's all so very subjective that if I could underline "very" twice, I would. Before you even write a novel, here's what I'd do. Write a logline, i.e. the general gist of the story that's in your mind. I.e. Overweight baseball player clones famous golf player in a bid to rule the world and ...

Bingo, my friend! That's exactly what I'm going for because it's what *sells*. Nine books of every Ten I read are the same plot rehashed with different characters, timelines, and authors. In any case, you read the wrong version which is a couple of posts above this. Also: No. Thanks! GIT'M: Thanks f...

Well, so far no luck with my queries. I sent an earlier version to a small batch of agents last november. I sent the last version to a small batch over the last month. Neither version has gained requests for anything. I'm beginning to think my query and its predecessor don't go enough into the urban...

No shirt, no shoes, no service. In other words, businesses are generally able to conduct business and refuse service on their own terms unless it breaks the law. Her agency is a business. She's taking a calculated risk that she won't miss out on something great from someone who doesn't use email. On...

When twenty-year-old Jodie Belay kidnaps a young girl, she believes she is saving the child’s life. So does the FBI agent secretly watching Jodie. Jodie possesses an odd form of ESP. An eerie hum fills her ears and she is overcome by criminal urges. Two years ago, she smashed into another car at the...

Dear Agent, Lucinda d’Auvergne slept for twenty years. As a vampire, when the weight of a cursed existence had become too heavy it only seemed natural to let oblivion consume her mind. After waking in a strange yet familiar New York, she recounts her tormented past. Is this a frame? In other words, ...

Dear Great and Noble Agent of Oz, Hurled into the future twenty years, a young Bryzintan named Jakorus is confronted with a horrifying truth: the world has changed, and it’s his fault. His older self, surprisingly haggard for one so young, warns him about the dangers of trying to change what has ha...

After reading both versions, I think the one without the frame is better because it's the primary focus of the story from what I can understand. From what little I know of frame stories, you need to take the one that's most prevalent in the book, unless of course it's something like The Neverending ...

Alrighty, here's the latest version. Thanks so much to everyone who's commented. I more or less kept the initial blurb intact with a few minor tweaks. The 2nd paragraph I borrowed heavily from Ghost ITM, aka GIT'M and Yoshima. I'm still rather displeased with my third 'graf, i.e. the one in which th...

Alrighty, my turn, eh? When twenty-year-old Jodie Belay kidnaps a young girl, she believes she is saving the child’s life. So does the FBI agent watching Jodie. This hook is good, but it could be juiced up a bit. Does Jodie know she's being watched? After reading this Q 3 times, I can't decide if s...

I'm writing a very dark angsty murder mystery picture book for children.

Thanks for the suggestions! You all have definitely brought out some details that escaped my eye. I've written several versions of this query, so I'm curious to get your reactions from one of my other blurbs. If you think it works better, let me know. Since the murder of his parents a year ago, twen...

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I've taken a break from this query for a while. It's been through the wringer already, but I want to give it another thrashing before loosing it into the wild.

Thanks!