Hello, dreamers. I had a busy week, and I have another one coming. This week marks the start of April, and for me that means beginning my querying journey with Pioneers, releasing The Envoy, and working to complete Turn of the Century. I have a lot going on, so let’s get to it.

Pioneers

This month, I’ll be starting the querying process for Pioneers. First and foremost, that means getting together my querying materials. That includes a query letter, synopses, sample pages, and of course a completed manuscript. The good news is that I have the last two already. The bad news: that’s the easy part.

First and foremost I need to write a query letter. I have struggled mightily with this over the years, and I have to admit it’s part of the reason I stat on Pioneers for so long. But my recent experience listening to “The Shit Nobody Tells You About Writing” has been invaluable.

Writing a query letter is arguably the hardest part of seeking traditional publication (and I’m including the process of writing an entire novel). It’s difficult for a few reasons: first of all, it requires a writer to speak very highly of their work. I’ve always had a hard time with that; I always feel it ends up coming across as painfully corny. “Here’s my book. A lot of people have told me it’s very good. You should read it,” should be enough, if you ask me.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, there’s a lot of information out there on what a good query letter should look like, and it’s A) often changing, and B) frequently contradictory. It’s easy to find an article telling you exactly how you should write a query letter, then another telling you everything the first article said is wrong. And BOTH are written by published authors, which obviously means both of their approaches worked.

But, THNTYAW has been very helpful. The show’s hosts include two active literary agents, which tells me their information on what should and should not be in a query letter is much more accurate. In just the past few weeks, I’ve learned a lot about what agents are currently looking for in a query letter. So, this week I’m going to start the process with what I believe is an innovative approach: each day for the next two weeks, I’m going to write a query letter. At the end of two weeks, I’m going to assess, and combine the best parts of these attempts into the query I’ll be using. Wish me luck. I’m gonna hate it.

Upcoming Releases

For the first time, I have two book releases coming. The Envoy is currently available for pre-order, while Endurance will be available for pre-order at the end of this month. Luckily, both books are complete, edited, formatted, and ready to go. That leaves me to move on to my next projects.

As I’ve said, the series that begins with Endurance will ultimately consist of five books, releasing every two months starting at the end of May and stretching into next March. This has evolved into a major project, which I plan to accompany with a completely new page here on Writing Tomorrow devoted to all things Dotiverse. But my main focus this week will be the next two books in the series: Ganymede and Fantoms. Unlike the previous books, Endurance and MERIT 19, I believe both are already very good as they are. That leaves me to expand the stories significantly without heavily editing the existing text, or (god help me) starting from scratch.

My goal for this week is to have Ganymede finished by Friday. Given everything else I’m working on right now, that may be ambitious.

Upcoming Content

I have numerous modifications planned for this site. Most notable of these is the aforementioned Dotiverse page, which I’m still working on (having trouble deciding on the layout). But I intend to launch the page sometime this month.

In the meantime, here’s what to watch for here on Writing Tomorrow this week:

Tuesday 4/2: “Teaser Tuesday”

It’s a new month, and that means a new book for Teaser Tuesday! This week, enjoy your first sneak peek at my upcoming novella, The Envoy!

Wednesday 4/3: “WIP Wednesday”

As I turn my attention to Ganymede, learn about how I handle realizing there’s more to the story, and finally having the space to stretch it out.

Thursday 4/4: “Sci-Fi Reviewed – Star Trek: Discovery“

Before you watch the season premiere, read my review of the show that gave new life to Star Trek.

Friday 4/5: “Flash Fiction Friday: Hope“

When a ship is stranded in deep space, one member of its crew is ready to accept the inevitable. But his crewmate refuses to believe all is lost.

Saturday 4/6: “Into the Dotiverse: Part One”

In addition to my weekly ICYMI post, take a look at the first in a new series of weekly posts about my ever-expanding fictional future, the Dotiverse.

Sunday 4/7: “Self-Pub Sunday”

With The Envoy available for pre-order, I turn my attention to Turn of the Century. Learn more about the first book in this new series, and what lies ahead.

It’s going to be a big week here on Writing Tomorrow, so keep reading, and dare to dream. – MK