Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Dear…. There is no love triangle. And in this dystopian story Rosa doesn’t meet a boy, fall in love and change her ideas about her totalitarian society. I wouldn't start with what your story is not about. She’s already there. Rosa is a lash-lipped, troublemaker who doesn’t buy the whole, the war wa...

Hmm, to me they look like pulp noir or gritty comic book covers. I am not getting a real supernatural or fantasy vibe from the images-- though the titles do imply urban fantasy. With guns so prominent, it makes me think that they might appeal more to male readers than female. I like them and think t...

Great, very helpful post! Thanks for sharing.

Great article. Thank you!

Sommer Leigh wrote: "You wasted my time."

Dude, that is mean! Who would write that? In a critique group???

The worst feedback I've gotten is no feedback at all. I don't understand why friends and family practically beg me to read my novel and then behave as follows. No word for 2 months. I'm agonizing that they read it, hated it, and now they are avoiding me. I finally ask them up front what they thought...

Thank you, Krista! Good to know that agents won't get annoyed by asking for a confirmation. It has been exciting getting some requests.

And congrats on getting an agent! I saw it on your blog. Hope to see your book out soon!

I just read your first attempt, and actually that one was a lot more clear. I'd go back to that one and work from there. The problem with the first attempt is that it's all backstory and not enough about the MC and what she has to do. I also liked the first line in the first attempt much better.

It sounds interesting but I think you need to go back to the drawing board in terms of explaining the rules of your world. Only then can we understand what's at stake. Hope this helps! Here's the revised version! Again, I'm so grateful for any help. Dear (Agent) Twelve-year old Tory Fletcher is not ...

Hi, I was wondering, when an agent requests a partial or full, do you change your subject line from QUERY: TITLE to something else? Will it make it easier or harder for them to keep track of you? Secondly, do you ever ask for confirmation that an agent received the full, or do you just wait a month ...

Ooh...did you say cupcakes??!!

Hehe, thanks that sounds like a good one!

My answer is also Too Long!!

It took me about 2 years to finish my latest project and get it in a querying state. There were periods when I got almost nothing done, and periods when I wrote like crazy, depending on what was going on with the rest of my life, esp. my day job.

Thanks Amanda! Will check it out.

I'm heading to New York in a couple of weeks and I was wondering if there was any way to take advantage of being at the center of so much publishing. Of course, I don't want to stalk the agents I'm querying or show up unprofessionally. :D But does anyone know of any public events where I might hear ...

Hi, I think you may have a cool premise but it's kind of getting buried in your query. I think you should be a lot more clear about what the contact lenses are, what Timmins saw, and who is coming to get them. How does this affect the fate of the world? If you want to mention the school bits, then y...