Let’s Talk with Jane Friedman
One of my favorite things to do is interview Jane Friedman about her upcoming events with MWW–I want a preview just like everyone else! Check out the course summary below, and then take a look at her thoughtful and in-depth responses in the Q&A to get an idea of what you can expect from this event on Saturday, February 22!
“Roadmap to Yes: Plotting Your Path to Publication”
Saturday, February 22*
In this masterclass, you’ll learn the mechanics of how traditional publishing works and how to prepare submissions materials for your novel, memoir, or nonfiction book. Learn what it takes to capture the attention of a New York publisher or literary agent, plus what expectations you should have so that you approach this (often frustrating) process with the right expectations and mindset.
*Can’t attend in person? No worries. All attendees receive a copy of the slides, Q&A, and have access to the recording for 90 days following the event.
REGISTER NOW
Early Bird Pricing Ends THIS FRIDAY, January 31
The Q&A
MWW: What is most likely to impress traditional publishers and literary agents about a writer’s submissions materials (queries, synopses proposals), assuming they’re done well?
JF: Let’s assume the materials are being targeted to an appropriate person, the writer has followed the guidelines or directions, and they are relatively error free. This is what I consider table stakes. You have to get this right to be taken seriously. If that’s in place, then: Agent and publishers are impressed by writers who don’t act as supplicants. And this is a tough thing, I know, but you have to see yourself as equal to the people you’re approaching, and not someone who’s only waiting to be selected. Your future, your identity as a writer, does not depend on their favor. Yes, they have a role to play in your career. But you are in the driver’s seat, you have agency. Even if you don’t believe this, then fake it ’til you make it. You want your submissions materials to show confidence and security in yourself and your work. Agents and publishers delight in working with writers who have this self-possession. They will also be more willing to tell you the truth—or to help you generally—if they sense you can help yourself.
MWW: You mention in your course description “problems that plague (and sabotage) writers” during the query process. What are the top tips you find yourself giving to authors to make this process smoother?
JF: First and foremost: I would not start sending out your novel query until the manuscript is as ready as you can make it. For nonfiction, that might mean a finished and polished book proposal instead of the manuscript.
What does “ready” mean? You don’t have any niggling feeling that problems still need to be worked out. You haven’t left outstanding weaknesses that someone else (agent or editor) will have to fix. Spoiler alert: They will not fix them! I also wouldn’t send out the query while you’re still revising, thinking it will save you some time because responses (often) take so long. It’s Murphy’s Law: as soon as you do that, you’ll get a request for the full manuscript overnight. Then what will you do? So please: only submit when you are truly ready.
I wouldn’t try to figure out the right timing for your submission, because it’s impossible to know when the right time is. I wouldn’t worry about identifying sales figures of comparable titles, because that information isn’t available to authors. I wouldn’t stress so much about the comparable titles, period—almost no agent or editor rejects based on comp titles alone. You can certainly make yourself look uninformed or naive with poorly chosen comps, don’t get me wrong, but if everything else in your query looks great, the agent or publisher will help you with comps. That’s part of their job.
Don’t stress too much about how to describe the genre or category of your work. You should know if it’s fiction or nonfiction (or poetry). You should know if it’s for adults or children (and if it is for children, which age group). And you should have a good sense of whether your work is commercial (that includes all genre fiction) or more literary. Beyond that, you don’t need to get so granular that you’re suddenly querying your “romantic horror suspense with speculative dragon elements.” No one knows what that is. Stick with how real people, at least readers, talk about books and you’re usually better off.
What matters most in the query is the story description. I have some formulas for how they work here, and I’ll discuss this much more in class: https://janefriedman.com/pitch-formula/
Nonfiction is a little different. We’ll cover that, too.
MWW: Why do you think writers dread the synopsis so much? What are some of the common mistakes you see writers make, and can you recommend any quick fixes?
JF: The synopsis is not a natural document to either write or read, and it’s not supposed to be like a piece of marketing copy (e.g., “in a thrilling turn of events!”). It’s meant to inform while also carrying the overall voice and tone of the novel. Because writers are so close to their work, they sometimes struggle to achieve the needed distance to understand what details and plot events truly merit inclusion. The other problem is that sometimes the novel has some serious structural problems, and that only gets highlighted and emphasized in the synopsis!
To start off properly, I recommend novelists write the synopsis in third-person, present tense. (Memoirists: use first person, past or present tense, just be consistent.) Establish the main character and setting in the first paragraph and give us a sense of what this character wants. With each new paragraph, connect us to the prior paragraph in some way, through cause-effect—e.g., use the words “But” or “Therefore.” Introduce new characters by connecting them to previous characters whenever possible. You’ll probably have to leave out some characters and subplots, and be a little bit reductive in your summaries. That’s OK. But always reveal the ending. You cannot keep it a secret. This is one of the big reasons that agents/publishers ask for the synopsis. They do not want to be surprised. They want to see how you put together a story.
MWW: From market research to crafting query letters/proposals to pitching…it’s high-stakes and can be nerve-wracking. Can you give a few quick words of wisdom to encourage our writers as they progress along their publication path? 
JF: Be patient with yourself and the process. There’s rarely one “make it or break it” moment or manuscript or meeting. When you succeed, it’s usually because you’ve been making progress, practicing, and improving over a long period of time—it rarely happens just by accident. The time that you’re now putting into writing, revising, packaging, and positioning is never wasted time. You’re increasing your experience and your professionalism, which over time puts you in a better position to achieve your publishing goals.
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Send your success stories to midwestwritersworkshop@gmail.com and we’ll post it on our website!
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