Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  Here is hoping that 2014 is an awesome year. 

I'm slowly learning how to use Twitter. 

So, an update on my writing...

I've now queried 96 Literary Agents and 8 Publishers. 

I've recently received interest. So, here is hoping I receive that exciting phone call or email. 

On going dilemma...try my hardest for traditional publishing or self-publish. Great question. 

Now, back to writing.... 

OMG I Can't Believe It's Happening!!

Copyright by GM Kern 2013©

Created: 7 November 2013

Updated: 7 November 2013

OMG.  I dreamed it might happen.  But, I never really believed.  So, it's NOT a publishing Contract yet.  But I'm on my way.  One of the publishers I've recently queried Requested my Full Manuscript.  How awesome is that.

Hope to have an exciting update soon.

Wish me luck!

The Query Tracker I Created

Copyright by GM Kern 2013©

Created: 7 November 2013

Updated: 7 November 2013

Hi, so I thought I'd post pictures of the Query Tracker I created in Microsoft Excel.  I wasn't too difficult to create and it has a lot of information without being too cumbersome.  I used the same setup for the Publisher Query Tracker that I just recently created.

The pictures you are seeing are actually Print-Screen shots of the PDF file that I created first.  I didn't think you needed to know who I queried, just the format.  The redaction - where you can BLACK OUT images and texts was done in Adobe Acrobat Professional.  Another great tool.

Hope this helps.  Good luck.

I used Different Colors to help.  Red for Rejections, No Color for still waiting a response, Green because I'm about to turn them Red as I wait for a response or they have a No response means No, Different Colors for Personalized Rejection, Request for Partial Manuscript and Request for Full Manuscript

Then the last spreadsheet tab goes into more detail for the ones that Requested either Partial or Full Manuscripts.

FYI - The first page is actually the last screen shot, I'm still learning how to navigate this program. 

THE STATS SO FAR...

Copyright by GM Kern 2013©

Created: 7 November 2013

Updated: 7 November 2013

 

Okay, so my friend said I should write about my experience of writing and publishing my first novel ARCANUM.

So, here we go...

The Stats so far:

ARCANUM

Total# of Agents Queried	84
Rejections	72
Pending Answer	12
No response window -NO	6
Personalized Rejection Letters	2
Request for Partial Manuscript	1
Request for Full Manuscript	5
Rejected Full Manuscripts	3
2012	23
2013	61

ARCANUM Timeline
Started writing	July 2009
Finished story	Dec 2011
Pitched to Literary Agents - Thrillerfest 2012	July 2012	NYC - AgentFest 2012
Thrillerfest Agents Interested	7	Including 1 referral
Completed Major Edits	Nov 2012
First Query	5-Dec-12
Days w/o Representation	337.7	days
Weeks w/o Representation	48.2	weeks
Months w/o Representation	11.3	months
2012 Agents Queried	23
2013 Agents Queried	61
Total# of Agents Queried	84
Rejections	72
Personalized Rejection Letters	3
Request for Partial Manuscript	1
Request for Full Manuscript	5
Rejected Full Manuscripts	5
Submitted to First Publisher	10/30/2013

First Draft of ARCANUM was 68,000 words (give or take)

Second Draft of ARCANUM was 77,000 words

Third Draft of ARCANUM was 73,000 words (this one I'd like to forget all about)

Final Draft of ARCANUM is currently 75,000 words

So far I've submitted directly to 3 Publishers, and there are about another 10 I'm thinking of submitting to.

All I need is 1 Publisher to say yes.  Hopefully the odds are in my favor.  Otherwise, this blog will turn from trying to get published to self-publishing 101 which I'd prefer not to have to do.

BOOKS, BOOKS, EVERYWHERE...NOW WHAT SHOULD I READ?



Copyright by GM Kern 2013©

Created: 7 November 2013

Updated: 7 November 2013

Okay, so I should first start by saying that I enjoy reading real paper books and even now in this age of Electronic Gadgets, Apps, Websites, Blogs...I would much rather read a paper book then the electrons that get thrown into the Electronic Ether that makes up the digital world.

But, I will admit that I do have a Kindle App on my I-pad (which I am addicted to and will hopefully be attending the "I-pad anonymous support group someday next century).  The books I download for my Kindle are more quick reads.

Okay, so for right now to start things going, here are my all-time favorites, and then below that are the books I'm currently reading...later on I'll give you my all-time favorite series, and expand on why I love those books and authors I do.

Just in case – Sci-Fi means Science Fiction and YA means Young Adult

All Time Favorite Books are those books that even after all these years later, when you read it again, it knocks you off your ass again just like it did the first time you read it.

	11 All Time Favorite Books	Genre
1	The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum	Thriller
2	Cat series by Joan D. Vinge	Sci-Fi
3	Lightning by Dean Koontz	Horror
4	Star Rebel - Bran Tregare series by FM Busby	Sci-Fi
5	Last Legionary series by Douglas Hill	YA (sci-fi)
6	The Truth Trap - Matt McKendrick series by Francis A. Miller	YA
7	Midshipman's Hope - Seaford Saga series by David Feintuch	Sci-Fi
8	Dune by Frank Herbert	Sci-Fi
9	Cold Harbour by Jack Higgins	Thriller
10	Star of the Guardians series by Margaret Weis	Sci-Fi
11	Omni Astro Pilots by Laura J. Mixon	YA (sci-fi)

Favorite Authors are those writers who you wait, and wait and wait for their next novel to come out and as you're reading their current book, you can't get enough and are counting down again for their next novel.  And, for a lot of my favorites it is sometimes a year or more for that next book...but you wait anyway because when you open their book for the first time it's everything you hope it would be, it transports you to another plane of existence and immerses you into their world.

	Top 10 Favorite Authors	genre
1	Robert Ludlum	Spy/International Thriller
2	David Hagberg	Spy/International Thriller
3	Joan D. Vinge	Sci-Fi
4	Francis A. Miller	YA Contemporary
5	Jack Higgins	Historical Thriller/Spy/International Thriller
6	Clive Cussler	Action-Adventure
7	FM Busby	Sci-Fi
8	Dean Koontz	Thriller/Horror
9	David Feintuch	Sci-Fi Military/Space Opera
10	Douglas Hill	YA Sci-Fi

This list above is just a snippet of the authors I love and can't wait to read the next book.  I'll expand later on.

The next list are books I'm either currently reading or have just finished reading. 

Books in Bold are either part of series and/or an author that I will read their next book for sure.

The list below is a really really small list of books I've just read.  I'll add to it soon. 

List of Last 10 Novels	genre
Cadets by Edward Miller (currently reading)	YA (Sci-Fi)
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga	YA
Game by Barry Lyga (Currently reading)	YA
The White Cat - Curse Workers Series by Holly Black	YA
Red Glove- Curse Workers Series by Holly Black	YA
The Last Thing I Remember (The Homelanders #1) by Andrew Klavan	YA
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan	YA
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan	YA
The Maze Runner by James Dashner	YA
Covert One - The Utopia Experiment by Kyle Mills	Thriller

Don't worry these lists will and are growing every minute...hope you hang around for the next update.