New Services, Prizes and Discounts

Wednesday, September 7th, 2016

To celebrate the launch of our wonderful new website, we are offering discount to new clients on all our services throughout September.

The acclaimed author and writing coach Tim Lott will be joining our mentoring team.

We are also offering several new services and ventures:

• An annual Crime in Oxford prize of £1,000 for an unpublished crime novel

• A new self-publishing service

• A media-pack service that will range from advice on marketing to a six-month publicity campaign

• The launch of our independent publishing company in 2017. Cherry Mosteshar, our creative director, is actively seeking manuscripts. Please send a query letter and first three chapters to info@theoxfordeditors.co.uk

There has never been a better time to let us help you through the writing process. Just email info@theoxfordeditors.co.uk for details, or phone and talk to one of our staff

Please sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with news about us and great articles on writing. You can also follow us on Twitter @TheOxfordEditor or on Facebook on The Oxford Editors page

 

The perfect Query Letter

Thursday, July 7th, 2016

by Sara-Jayne Slack, managing the not-for-profit publishing house Inspired Quill

How To Craft A Perfect Query Letter: Standing Out (Positively!) In The Age Of Slush.

Query Letters: two simple words that strike terror into the hearts of fiction and non-fiction authors alike. And no wonder! The age of email has ushered in an even bigger struggle to be heard among all the other digital noise, to stand above the crowd and wave your arms in an attempt to be noticed and, yes, liked by those elusive ‘Gatekeepers’. (Quotation marks my own, but I may get to that in another post).

In reality, Query Letters are rather simple (once you get over the fear of first impressions and the information overload). And to prove it, I’m going to walk you through one right now in a way that you can actually use, instead of just adding to your information overload. But first, a couple of high-level notes.

Note 1: My experience with Query Letters comes from my position as the MD of Inspired Quill Publishing, and liaising with other small publishers. This means I have no experience with what individual Agents like/don’t like.

Note 2: This should not be taken as absolute gospel – as mentioned above, everyone has their own quirks and requirements for Query letters, so it’s important you read through the submissions page of any website very carefully. Consider the items below as ‘best practices’, rather than ‘do these or never get published ever’.

 

The Handy Step-by-Step (or Paragraph-by-Paragraph) guide to writing a Query Letter for Small Publishers.

Okay, so here goes.

Paragraph 1 – This Time, It’s Personal

Here’s a secret: publishers are people too! And small publishers, especially, tend to be very ‘front-facing’, rather than the walled halls of the bigger players in the industry. Being treated like a human rather than an acquisitions minion will go a long way. You can start off strong by answering the following questions within this first paragraph.

  • Why are you contacting THEM specifically?
    • Recommendation – Did you see someone singing their praises online somewhere? Where? Or maybe you met one of their authors at an event and they said good things about them?
    • Ethos / Work Ethic – Do they have a mission statement that really resonates? Have you read a title (or two..or three) of theirs and appreciated their attention to quality in terms of editing, artwork etc?

This paragraph shows that you’ve done your homework, and that you’re already engaged with what they do. It helps to build a rapport with the people you’re hoping will publish your title. (And rapport building is, after all, one of the most important aspects of any sales pitch).

 

 

Paragraph 2 – Hook, Line, (No) Sinker

Remember that saying, “The first sentence of your book should make the readers want to get to the second. The first paragraph to the second. The first page to the second…” and so on? The same needs to happen here. I affectionately call this ‘Hook’ line the ‘Bare Bones Blurb’. That is, you need to sum up why your manuscript is awesome in 1-3 lines.

  • Example 1: What does your character want? Why? What’s stopping them?
  • Example 2: What’s the problem? Who has to deal with it? How?

 

Paragraph 3 – Boil It Down!

Ugh. Synopsis. In more than half a decade I have yet to meet an author who writes one of these things with a smile. And for good reason. After all the blood, sweat and tears that went into your book, it’s tough to boil it down into a short, snappy couple of paragraphs. Here are some tips:

  • Start long! Write to your heart’s content about all the amazing twists and turns and characters and sub-plots, etc.
  • Look at how many words you’ve just written.
  • Half it.
    • Highlight the absolute most important bits and prioritise them. Cut the rest. Then do so again until the word count has been halved.
  • Look at how you’ve written the synopsis.
    • Are there any parts that can be tightened? Have you used 10 words where 2 will do? Tighten the language used.
  • Half it.
    • Continue in this way until you’ve managed to cut down your synopsis to no more than 2 short paragraphs (approx 150-250 words).

Remember: The aim of a Query Letter is to get the publisher interested enough to ask to see the full manuscript. If they’re impressed by your synopsis, imagine how their minds are going to be blown when they read through all the subtle twists and turns and amazing characterization in your work!

 

Paragraph 4 – Time for Technicalities

This is where you get a bit of a mental breather. Make sure you include the word count and genre of your work. You could even mention whether it’s a standalone, part of a series, and any interesting themes associated with it.

  • Example: My Awesome Book is a 67,000 word, Dystopian novel that deals with themes of Awesomeness, Journeys, and Writing. It’s currently standalone, but has an open possibility to become part of a series set in that world.

Simples!

Paragraph 5 – Who Am I? (Le Mis Lyrics Not Included)

 

Note that this is an optional paragraph, but recommended. Remember earlier, when I said that Publishers are people too? This is your chance to show ‘em that you’re also a real human being.

 

In priority order, here’s a list of the things you could add. (But remember, keep it brief!)

  • Publication Credits – Be specific! Instead of saying ‘a number of magazines’, list the most relevant 2 or 3, then say ‘amongst others’ (or similar). This is where you can also list any significant writing awards received.
  • Education/Career – Where relevant! Degrees are good to list, as are well-known workshops or summer schools with a creative writing lean.
  • About you – Add one or two sentences (max!) about yourself in a way that lends weight to your pitch. If your book is action/adventure and you’ve spent a year learning Parkour, or if you have another way of showing a piece of your personality, go for it!

 

 

Paragraph 6 – That’s All Folks

 

Once you’ve written the previous paragraphs, it’s time to wrap up and stop!

 

  • Thank them for their time, then say you look forward to their response, then sign off.

Also, there’s no need to be creepy with your thanks.

 

Good Example: “I appreciate you taking the time to read this query, and I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, Mr Spock.”

 

Bad Example: “Thank you so, so much for reading this query. I only hope that you feel it was worth your time and that you will be able to get back to me whenever you can. I know you must be super busy, so please feel free to take your time. With all the very best wishes in the world, Mr. Creep.”

 

 

Not so confusing now, right?

 

Hopefully this post has helped calm your nerves regarding writing your Query Letter. All you need to do now is get someone to proof read it for you so that any typos get oblitorea…obliturrat…deleted, before you press ‘send’.

 

 

 

BONUS!

 

Because there are absolutely pitfalls that can trip up enthusiastic writers at the last hurdle, here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of things to be very careful of while proofing your letter.

 

DO NOT:

  • Write more than an A4 page (approx 400 – 500 words)
  • Say that your book is “like X mixed with Y” a far more subtle way to show thematic and genre similarity would be to say “inspired by X and Y”.
  • Send without having a fresh pair of eyes proof read for typos, etc
  • Forget to include your contact details. Use your Email and Phone Number for emails. Your address is only needed when sending out physical letters – if you do this, also send a Self Addressed, Stamped Envelope!
  • Follow up after 2 weeks. Leave it at least a month, unless a time is specified on the publisher’s website
  • Say that your mother/husband/Neighbour/Goldfish read the book and loved it
  • Mention this is your 23rd attempt at querying (including mentions of ‘almost accepted’)
  • Mention your very detailed marketing plan. (You can mention your online activity/platform if you think it’s relevant)
  • Set out your query letter to read like a press release. It loses any individuality (remember item 1?) and comes across as incredibly arrogant.
  • Tell them that the novel ‘really gets going around halfway through chapter 2’. If that’s the case, why on earth haven’t you deleted the first 2.49 chapters?

 

 

Sara-Jayne is a social entrepreneur, convention panelist, (very) amateur actress and lover of all things tea related. She splits her time between her Day Job™ as a Focus Mentor, managing the not-for-profit publishing house Inspired Quill, and thinking up excuses not to exercise. She’s also scarily comfortable talking about herself in the third person, and holds the belief that ‘To Do’ lists breed when your back is turned.

 

(Posted by Cherry Mosteshar)

Follow Cherry Mosteshar on Twitter at @mostesharcherry

 

Read about our favourite Seagull

Monday, June 20th, 2016

So grateful for this review from Caz Greenham, one of our very first authors. I loved reading her book and the series should be read by every child (and grown-ups) Eric is my very favourite Seagull. (Cherry Mosteshar).

http://www.cazgreenham.com
I found Cherry (Cherry Mosteshar), at The Oxford Editors, to be extremely professional and helpful at all times. Nothing was too much trouble. I’m going back a few years now to a time before I became a published author. A time when I knew very little about writing and how to present my manuscript. Cherry Mosteshar was a huge help and I would recommend their services to any writer just starting out and with little knowledge. I was that person back then, and I learnt so much. Hard work pays off, and to succeed we need to never give up our dream. My reward is that I’m no longer that novice who knew very little about the writing world…I accepted and took on board all the advice and help Cherry gave. I recommend The Oxford Editors to any would be writer starting out –

Caz Greenham author of The Adventures of Eric Seagull ‘Storyteller’ series.

You must watch her video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSFMBvPZKeg. This is how authors need to promote their books. Don’t be sky to get the book out there by every means possible.

Reviews from our great clients

Monday, June 20th, 2016

Stephanie Markham

I used the Oxford Editors for a manuscript assessment. I had to borrow the funds for this on a credit card so I prayed I was in good hands, and not wasting my money. The report I received back from the company was really good. Not good in being complimentary, but more in honesty which is what I wanted. Though they did give me some positive feedback also. Initially I had thought my book was ready for the next stages, but the assessment made me rethink the book in general. It pointed out a few things that needed clarification that I had not done. I have since relooked over the whole manuscript, and taken the advice the company gave me. I now feel a lot more confident about pushing my book to the next stage. Therefore I feel that the report was worth every penny. The communications between myself and Cherry Mosteshar were also very helpful. I cannot give a comparison of their services against other companies but I can say I was happy with the service they provided me with.

Comment from Cherry Mosteshar

I loved Stephanie’s book and she was a pleasure to work with,

A reason to write

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

By Charlotte Green

In his essay Why I write, George Orwell tells his readers that inside each writer there are four motivating factors. Every writer possesses all factors concurrently but to varying degrees. The factors are:

Sheer egoism

The desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death.

Aesthetic enthusiasm

The perception of beauty. Either of the external world or of the written word. A desire to share that beauty with others.

Historical impulse

A need to find and present the truth to leave it for posterity.

Political purpose

Here Orwell uses the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. For him it is the desire or need to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.

For Orwell the reason these factors vary lies not in the temperament or character of the author, but in the time in which he or she lives. Offering himself as an example, Orwell tells his reader that his own background forced his writing in the direction of politics, despite the first three factors affecting him more deeply. He writes:

Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it. It seems to me nonsense, in a period like our own, to think that one can avoid writing of such subjects.

Orwell goes on to say that for him, political writing became an art form in itself. He combined his need for aesthetic beauty, his desire to leave something of his current age to history, and his compulsion to speak out against totalitarianism, in order to enlighten society and force entire nations towards democracy. He writes:

What I have most wanted to do throughout the past ten years is to make political writing into an art. My starting point is always a feeling of partisanship, a sense of injustice. When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art’. I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing. But I could not do the work of writing a book, or even a long magazine article, if it were not also an aesthetic experience.

For me, the key sentence here is if it were not also an aesthetic experience. It is Orwell’s desire to combine politics and art that makes his books last. I doubt that pamphlets on the latest EU referendum will make it into libraries or onto GCSE reading lists for years to come, but Orwell’s books will. In this age of digital publishing where it is so easy to get your views heard, is the aesthetic nature of writing still of importance? Or have ego and political purpose won out? In a time when every man, woman, or child with access to the internet can write a blog or tweet about current events instantly, has writing lost its creativity in favour of reporting news?

American short story writer Flannery O’Connor once wrote that the “financial rewards for sorry writing are much greater than those for good writing” and to be fair, she has a point. The nature of writing these days seems to be instant gratification rather than lasting beauty. I heard an author speak yesterday at my local library who told his audience with glee that he published six books a year and had sold over 2 million copies of his 61 books. Is that a good thing? Up until the year before her death, Harper Lee had only ever published one book and had remained silent on that fact her entire life, rarely consenting to give interviews. I imagine the man I met yesterday could only dream of her sales.

At the end of the day it is the world in which we live that dictates who and what we appreciate. It is a rare author indeed who can live by his pen, writing no longer paying what it did. But, for those few who have that rare quality, talent, I beg of you keep writing, and write beautifully, so that art may continue to breathe within your words.