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Michael Goins has recently signed with agent April Eberhardt of April Eberhardt Literary. Michael, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Congratulations and good luck.
QueryTracker: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?
Michael Goins: It started out as a single novel that reached 1200 pages before I had the story told. Rather than edit it down to one book and 350-400 pages, I decided to revamp it as a trilogy. It actually is based upon a "filler" that was in the Houston newspaper – those little items they drop in when they have holes to fill in the pages. It was a one-inch wide, two inches long news item about a Civil War soldier's skeleton found in Georgia when a county there was grading a road. I started playing "what if" with who it could be, why would there only be the one guy out there, what happened to him, etc., and 1200 pages later, I had what is now NOVEMBER RAIN (and LOOKING FOR SHOES and TRINITY).
It's the story of several families and how they intertwine from then until now. NR is set just before the war, LFS is just as it's ending, and T is now. It's about the shadows we all cast during our lives and how what we do shapes those who come behind us. It's also about how we may look different, we are all more alike than not.
QT: How long have you been writing?
MG: Started writing poetry in college a long time ago, and then moved on to writing short stories. I was so slow setting up my short stories that I switched to flash fiction (250-500 word stories) and wrote them for a while to get better at openings and settings. Once I felt better about handling that part of the process, I wrote short stories and then my first novel (Aberdeen) which is safely in a desk drawer. It was a good learning experience, and I plan to resurrect it later.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?
MG: This trilogy is something like 7-8 years in the making from concept to finished manuscript.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?
MG: Not really. I got discouraged and struggled with where I was as a writer – being aware of at what level I actually write, but I ran a professional writes group for some years and the other four members helped me with the confidence part. I write because I need to tell a story.
QT: Is this your first book?
MG: No, there's the aforementioned book in the desk drawer. And I wrote a YA novel for my master's thesis. It's all leather bound and cool looking and in the library at Antioch University's graduate school.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?
MG: About a quadrillion hours behind a keyboard and I've owned most books ever written about writing and the writing process, followed by a masters degree in Creative Writing.
QT: Do you follow a writing "routine" or schedule?
MG: I try to, but I'm not terribly successful at it the moment. I teach, so my semesters change dramatically from one to another. Some allow more writing time than others – some don't allow anything but early mornings or late night sessions. I've gotten better the last couple of years and try to write between 4-6 pages a day, at least five days a week. It helps me to have multiple projects, and I have a play underway, a nonfiction book, a MG series (one written, eleven in 3-5 chapter status), a collection of short stories and a couple of new projects that I just started and that are in the 2-5 chapter state at the moment.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?
MG: Wow. Tough question. The entire book – at least 7-8 times. The first chapter – which is critical – I'm sure I wrote closer to 20-25 times. Maybe more.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?
MG: I did early on, with the group I ran. We read each other's work and I respect their opinions. My wife has really helped as a reader although I have to watch her closely or she will try to edit/rewrite for me.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?
MG: NOVEMBER RAIN was written from a rough idea and no outline. I had some general idea where I was going, but I let the characters take me there as they developed. Books two and three are more structured as they all work from information in the first book, so they are much better plotted. Not much on anything but the loosest of outlines. Just don't work that way.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?
MG: About five months in all. I planned to start immediately working on the MG series queries, but my agent can also handle the series, so all is good here.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?
MG: On QT, I sent 361 queries out and had 349 rejections, and there was probably another 30 or so that were off lists I created as I researched agents and agencies.
At the time I clicked with April, I had 5 fulls out and 10 partials, yet no one was moving on anything. I decided to compile another list of agents I had researched and wanted to query, so I sat down and emailed the first one (to April Eberhardt).
Before I could send the second out, she emailed me back and requested a full and an exclusive two-week look. I immediately sent her the full, but explained that I had manuscripts out. I did agree to wait until I heard from her before I accepted any offer that might come in.
An hour later, she called me, said she had read the manuscript and loved it, and offered me representation. I could hear in her voice she was as excited about NOVEMBER RAIN as I am, so, after some important questions, I agreed. After five months or so of querying and some incredibly long waits on agent responses, I found the perfect agent for me in one hour and eighteen minutes from query to full to contract.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?
MG: General quality, time in the business, successful book sales.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?
MG: A few times, but not for the most part. I had really good response from the query/synopsis/first couple of chapters, but this is a very literary novel and not many agents seem to be looking for truly literary work.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?
MG: Research the agents you decide to query carefully and know that the right agent is much more important than "an agent." I turned down three very good top-tier agents because I wasn't happy with their level of excitement about my manuscript. When I found the right person, it was obvious that she loves the manuscript as much as I do - and that kind of excitement from my agent was what I was after. She can also represent anything I write and she is more interested in career-building quality literary works that the latest hot whatever project is selling.
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?
MG:
Dear Ms. Eberhardt,
I realize you receive many, many queries, but this manuscript really is different than most and it is serious literary fiction.
While meant as a stand-alone, it is part of a literary trilogy, and it is much more old world literary than most of what is on the market now. It is an important story, told in the way novels were written in years past - to tell a story that needs to be told - in more of a To Kill a Mockingbird than a Twilight way.
NOVEMBER RAIN (124,000 words) is about struggle, the value of freedom, family, love, friendship, and hope. It is about the decisions the characters make, their consequences as they develop, the people of this first in this trilogy and how they affect the people in books two and three. Briefly, it is as follows:
-------I described the feel of the book here, mentioning the other two books in the trilogy by name.
I am looking for an agency that can support my whole career - one that understands that, as a serious writer, in addition to this trilogy, I have a number of other projects that will also need representing, not just one book, one time.
Please let me know if I might send you additional chapters or the entire manuscript.
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