Dear Max: Tik-Tok, Editors, Query Letters, Dialect and Adaptations

Welcome to this month's edition of our "Dear Max" column, where writers can (anonymously) ask questions of a top editor from one of the "Big 5" publishing houses.

To learn more about Max and how to submit a question, read here.

Dear Max,

I’ve heard the Australian author is dying … at least in the genre I write in.

With numerous rejections under my belt the resounding feedback is that while my contemporary romances are “wonderfully written” and publishers “love the concept and characters” (among other praises), they simply can’t be published without a “massive audience” that I can bring over from social media. I have over 10,000 followers, and a mildly successful self-published series, but ultimately this isn’t enough.

What is the Australian publishing industry doing (if anything) to support local talent in a field of largely international stories?

Do you have any advice for an author who doesn’t have 100k+ followers on TikTok?

Kindest,
Not TikTok Famous Enough

Dear Not TikTok Famous Enough,

Personally, I think 10,000 followers is quite the resounding success! I can’t speak to Australia specifically, but honestly, traditional publishers are having a harder and harder time organically capturing new audiences, which is why they’re really hoping a new author is going to come with a built-in one.

I’m wondering if the issue isn’t so much you needing a bigger following, as working on making sure your existing followers are transforming into your readers.

I’d suggest making sure followers are engaging with your posts by asking questions and doing reveals. Try to make sure there’s a CTA (call to action) with each post (i.e. what do you want your readers to DO with the post?), and also start cultivating off social media content (like email newsletter where you can do freebies and longer content).

Good luck down under!
Max

Dear Max,

I often read conflicting opinions on whether a writer should seek a professional editor before querying agents or self-edit to the best of their ability. New authors lack the funds to hire the best editors and may end up hiring a subpar editor who uses A.I.. What are your thoughts on this?

Thank you,
Go Pro or Go Home

Dear Go Pro,

First, no one should be hiring a freelance editor who is using A.I. Not only can you do that yourself at much lower cost—not that you should—but most publishers (and readers) today will immediately reject a manuscript where anything beyond grammar or spellchecking has been touched by A.I.

And before you ask, let me tell you, we will find out.

Is it necessary to hire a freelance editor before querying an agent? No. However, if you have the means to do it, why not put forward the best manuscript humanly possible?

If you don’t have the means, do the best job you can. No one is expecting an absolutely perfect manuscript. That’s why publishers have editors and copyeditors. I would however reconsider if you notice you keep getting rejections or similar feedback from multiple agents. Then, it may help you get to the next level to work with a freelance developmental editor to work out the kinks.

Max

Dear Max,

I’ve read every book and Substack on how to query, taken a dozen online classes, and rewritten my query several hundred times. Here’s my question: Most advice is keep it short. But my mystery has twists. I keep to three paragraphs, but I’m told I should have mentioned the maid, the locked door, and the rainstorm (etc.)

We’re told to keep to the facts, but winning examples seem to read more like they were written by used car salesmen. Which works, literature with clarity, or catchy one liners?

Agent 1: Always include a personal introductory phrase.
Agent 2: Skip the introduction, just get to the story.

In other words, the more I learn, the less I know about writing a winning query letter.

Clueless in Queryland

Dear Clueless,

You’re absolutely right. There are as many “foolproof” methods of querying out there as there are stars in the sky. So, let me provide you with my patent-pending, trademarked, absolutely bulletproof method for writing a query letter. I’m not saying it’s the only way, but I am saying it’s a way that no one can find fault with.

Ready? Crash-course time.

Paragraph 1: Title, genre, word count, whether or not contemplated as part of series. Then a sentence-long hook. If there’s a specific reason you are contacting this person (someone gave you a referral, you met them at a conference, you admire their other clients) you can start this paragraph with a brief statement about that before getting into what you’re querying.

Paragraph 2 (and Paragraph 3, if necessary): Brief plot synopsis. Touch on only main characters and plot points, no secondary characters or issues (that can go in your synopsis). When you’re writing this focus on what makes your story different from all the others in this genre. How would you describe it to someone casually at a cocktail party? Start there and refine.

Final Paragraph: The “about me” paragraph. This is your bio which should touch on three things (not all may apply to you, and that’s okay). 1) what makes you a professional writer (MFA, publication credits—outside of genre is okay, work with a writers’ organization, etc.); 2) anything that makes you an “expert” on the topic of your book, or inspired you to write it; 3) anything that makes you a commodity (you have 1m followers on TikTok, you’re a celebrity chef, you hold 15 world records).

There you go! A sure-fire query!

You’ve got this,
Max

Dear Max,

A.I. weighs in on the use of dialect in the All-American novel by giving its use a thumbs up when used to add realism and authenticity to scenes involving action and/or tension between characters. I've found situations where characters from differing cultural backgrounds can help a reader identify the speaker through the use of linguistic phrasing as commonly used within that character's country of origin. My latest novel includes characters from the U.K. for example, wherein I'm able to add British flair to the conversation thereby minimizing the dogmatic use of "He said / She said." It's taken time and practice to achieve a realistic flow, but I'm comfortable with the results so far.

I ask you about this issue because I have reason to suspect that publishers whose job it is to "cull the herd" have pounced on this issue as a matter of convenience. It's also possible that some reviewers are perhaps unworldly enough to believe that they're doing the right thing by helping to stultify the end product in ways that are, shall we say, "So 19th Century."

Thank you for the time and consideration.
Patois My Bedtime

Dear Patois,

Expecting A.I. to weigh in accurately on matters of creativity is like expecting a player piano to spontaneously compose a sonata to rival Mozart, so I’m skipping over that part and getting to the meat of the question.

Basically, dialect should be used consciously, subtly, and sparingly. A little goes a long way, and having multiple characters with distinct patois can get over-the-top and old very fast. It can make it feel like, for example, your British character is channeling Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins before you finish typing your first “guv’nor."

I suggest introducing in prose that the character has a distinctive style of speaking, and using a word here or there, rather than trying to transcribe the dialogue into that accent. I do, however, applaud your attempt to minimize the “he said” dialogue tags. Honestly, if you’ve got only two people in a conversation, you really don’t need these. At all.

As with everything, my number one rule is: when in doubt, read it aloud. Does it sound like you’ve got a bad comedian trying and failing to do an accent? Do you say “he said” so much it makes you want to strangle someone? Your ear is the best judge.

Cheers, mate,
Max

Dear Max,

I wrote a memoir and self-published it almost 10 years ago. That said, I've no real public fame nor any following.

Crazy how many offers I'd gotten from questionable sources about my great potential movie material within.

So, if i write a successful script, is it possible the book could see "new life" after the feature?

Thanks,
Oscar-Bound

Dear Oscar-Bound,

You make it sound so easy! Have you ever written a screenplay? It’s not as simple as it looks. It’s an art form as distinct and difficult as a novel or a volume of poetry, so generally it’s not a next step to just knock out a “successful script” over the weekend.

It’s also about a billion (yes, this is an accurate number) times harder to sell a script than it is to get a book made into a movie. Just go back through the list of Oscar winners through the years, a large majority were based originally on books. But if you look at the writers for “Best Adapted Screenplay” category, it’s rarely, if ever, the original author of the work. And there’s a reason for that—they’re not screenwriters, they’re novelists. Not that some people aren’t crazy good at both.

It’s a long way of saying that if you want to give it a try, there’s no harm, but if the story spoke to you as a book, that’s how it needed to be written.

Obviously, people are seeing a certain something in your writing, so I’d either focus on boosting the profile of your memoir, or work on the next thing—you never know who is going to notice it, and when.

See you on the big screen,
Max