Dani ALpert recently signed with agent Karen Gerwin of The Creative Culture Congratulations Dani, and thank you for agreeing to our little interview.
Query Tracker: How long have you been writing?
Dani Alpert: 15 years
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?
DA: When haven't I felt like giving up? Surrounding myself with friends who understand the creative process have helped me tremendously and they've talked me off the ledge many times.
QT: Is this your first book?
DA: Yes.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?
DA: It's based on emails that I wrote in the summer of 2005 but I didn't start shaping it until Spring 2007. I'm still writing the proposal since it's nonfiction and my agent wants two more sample chapters. I'm hoping that it'll be done be the time I qualify for Medicaid.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?
DA: I was in the film school at NYU and I took several screenplay writing classes. I've taken many individual writing classes through the years but I still don't know the difference between a preposition and a dangling participle.
QT: Do you follow a writing "routine" or schedule?
DA: I try to. I force myself to write every day but I am not one of those writers that can sit on my ass for 8 hours writing. I find writing first thing in the morning and then again early evening works for me.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your novel?
DA: It's not a novel, so...
QT: Did you have beta readers for your novel?
DA: Again, it's not a novel. I did have a handful of trustworthy friends read a rough first draft and then the proposal. I also hired a couple of ghost editors who actually know the difference between a preposition and a dangling particple.
QT: Did you outline your novel, or do you write from the hip?
DA: I outlined my proposal. I can't see doing it any other way. I'm an organization freak and even though it's my story (and I know what happens) structure was key for me. It was by far the hardest part, thus far, and was like pulling out my own teeth with rusty pliers.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?
DA: I started querying in April 2008 but it was premature because the proposal wasn't close to being ready. I didn't expect to hear back so quickly from agents. When I started to get requests for the proposal I panicked and worked on the proposal for another 2 months until I felt it was ready. So, in June I started querying again.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?
DA: I made sure that they represented humor, memoirs, and took a look at the books that they currently represented.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?
DA: Yes. This was very time consuming but I felt it was worth it. I made sure that I made some specific reference to a book that they repped and how I thought mine would fit nicely next to it, or I tried to get a personal referral. I mined every contact I had in every address book I owed and was not afraid to ask acquaintances for referrals.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?
DA: It ony takes one and there are hundreds of agents out there. I knew that I wouldn't stop querying until I got an agent. If you believe in your work, don't let the stack of rejection letters and emails (which I now posess) deter you.
QT: Here is your chance to plug your book. Tell us a little about it.
An American Broad, Abroad: A Rite of Passage Gone Wrong (working title) is the tragically hilarious tale of my escape from Hollywood, (and myself) after 20 years of working as a writer and performer, only to realize that I couldn't run away from either. It's a humorous memoir about the roads I should've taken and the choices I should've made, but didn't. Think of it as the anti "Eat, Pray, Love".
QT: Thank you Dani, and best of luck with your book.
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