Layers of the Past Guest Post

- August 14, 2014

#LAYERSOFTHEPAST @wnlbooktours

Book Title: Layers of the Past (Age recommended 18 +)

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Paperback: 310 pages

Publisher: Al Tonya Washington (July 3, 2014)

ISBN-10: 0991181409

ISBN-13: 978-0991181407

Guest Post

FIVE MISTAKES WRITERS OFTEN MAKE WHEN QUERYING PUBLISHERS

ALTONYA WASHINGTON

While a perfect query doesn’t necessarily guarantee a call back from a publisher much less a book deal, it does pay to send ones best work every time. The more of a habit an aspiring author makes out of sending quality work, the better prepared the author will be each time thus increasing the chances of receiving the call they most want to take. The following are five mistakes eager authors tend to make when querying publishers.

1. Calling- Chances are you won’t have a direct line to your would-be editor at the querying stage, but in case you do. Don’t use it. Editors don’t much care for receiving calls. Making one could turn them off your work especially if it has yet to make it from the slush pile to their desk. If they are giving it a read, you want to give them the chance to do so uninterrupted.

2. Emailing- Advice here runs parallel to my suggestions about calling. Although email is a little less intrusive, an editor doesn’t want their inbox filled with messages from you asking whether the work has been read yet. My suggestion here is to wait until after the publisher’s specified response time. Then wait about two weeks after that and then send an email to thank the editor for reviewing your work. If there is no response after a week to that message, an email to inquire about the status of the work is reasonable.

3. Incomplete Manuscript- Complete your book before sending a query. The last thing you want is for an editor to fall in love with your three chapter submission, request the full story and then have to wait until it’s complete. They will lose interest-quick!

4. Sloppy Work- Be sure you are sending in your BEST work! Grammatical errors, misspellings, bent or stained pages (if sending in a print copy) will turn an editor off your work, no matter how good the story is.

5. Not Following Submission Guidelines- Get acquainted with publisher’s tips. You can usually find this on a publisher’s website. When I was an aspiring author, I found these tips in the publisher’s listings inside the Writer’s Market books- very helpful, wherever you happen to find them. You want to be sure you send exactly what the publisher requires. Sending a Word doc when the publisher requires a PDF or sending your work in print when the publisher wants it electronically will NOT get your work reviewed.

Adhering to publisher’s guidelines and other unspoken rules of etiquette will give you a better chance at getting your work read. It may even increase your chances of going from aspiring author to published author!

About The Author

AlTonya Washington has been a published romance novelist for 10 years. In 2013, her Harlequin Kimani novel "His Texas Touch" won the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Series Romance of 2012. In addition to being an author, AlTonya also works as a college Reference Librarian. Writing as T. Onyx, AlTonya released her latest erotica "Ravenous: Ruler of Perfection II" in 2013. Her newest title with Harlequin Kimani is "Provocative Passion" nominated for an AMB Ovation Award for Outstanding Interracial Romance and the sequel to the January 2013 release "Provocative Territory". In November she will release "A Lover's Debt", the 17th title in the Ramsey Tesano saga.

About The Book

Huron Base has a name synonymous with power and intimidation. He’s made no apologies for doing what’s been necessary to survive a life rooted in poverty and pain. Endeavors drenched in blood and marked with bone have become his trademark in spite of his desire to be more-to be better. When he meets troubleshooter, Kamari Grade that desire receives the spark it’s been waiting on. It’s the spark that motivates Huron to once again strive to rise above his circumstances and at last become the better man he wants to be. Change however, has its consequences...and its dangers. Many of Huron’s associates aren’t so supportive of his new found...desires. They are especially wary of his new found love. Kamari is a recognizable force in her field-one that keeps her too enmeshed in the circles of law enforcement that Huron’s associates strive to avoid. Huron knows that Kam doesn’t care who he was, only who he is- the man she loves. Still, he won’t allow that to blind him to what has to be done-the steps that must be taken to keep the woman he loves from becoming a casualty in a war between new enemies.

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