Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Macy Beckett

Success Story Interview - Macy Beckett

An Interview with Macy Beckett (taylormillgirl on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.

05/15/2011

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Macy Beckett:
Sure! Nicole requested both of my manuscripts, a contemporary romance and a YA sci-fi, but it was the romance she really fell in love with—pun definitely intended!—so I'll focus on that one.

HOT AND HEAVENLY follows the misadventures of June Augustine, an Austin bar owner who's forced to return to her tiny hometown of Heavenly, Texas, for a month of community service…performed under the supervision of her first love, the devilishly sexy Luke Gallagher.

What inspired me to pen this novel? I've always been drawn to romances in which the hero and heroine share a past—we're talkin' all the way back to childhood. One morning, the characters appeared to me while I was showering—they're cheeky like that—and then the ideas began to flow.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Macy Beckett:
I have an English degree, so I've been writing longer than I care to remember, but I didn't start writing for pleasure until the 2009 NaNoWriMo.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Macy Beckett:
The romance: nine months, and it's now on sub. The YA sci-fi: eighteen months and I'm still revising.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Macy Beckett:
Yes and no. I wrote the YA first, and I made a lot of mistakes. After the third re-write, I began to doubt whether I'd write another book, but I never felt tempted to quit on the original. My philosophy was this: I've worked so hard on this book, why half-ass it now? (Pardon my French.) When I'd finished revising that book, I set it aside and then wrote the romance that eventually landed me an agent. I never felt temped to give up on that one, either, and I had an absolute blast writing it!
QT: Is this your first book?: Macy Beckett:
The YA is my first, and the romance is my second.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: Macy Beckett:
Other than one creative writing course I took as an undergraduate, no, I don't have formal writing training. My English program focused on analyzing literary themes as opposed to creating our own work.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Macy Beckett:
Well, I'm a stay-at-home mom with three kids, so they dictate my schedule right now. Once they're all in school full-time, my ideal routine would involve writing in the morning when I'm fresh and creative, and then handling marketing, blogging, and the business side of things in the afternoon.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Macy Beckett:
The romance was pretty clean—only two drafts—but after signing with Nicole, I added 20k words to bring it from category to single title length.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Macy Beckett:
Yes, I swapped manuscripts with a few fellow writers.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Macy Beckett:
Oh, I am SO not a pantser! My only attempt at writing from the hip resulted in manuscript death at 13k words. I follow the first seven steps of The Snowflake Method, which is just enough to outline the basics. The details and specifics come to me while I'm writing.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Macy Beckett:
I queried for six weeks before receiving an offer of representation.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Macy Beckett:
Hello, my name is Macy, and I'm a recovering query addict. I sent more than fifty. And because I didn't "nudge" outstanding queries when Nicole offered representation, the responses are still trickling in. It's funny—I still freak out for a second when I see a query response in my inbox.
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Macy Beckett:
I began with recommendations from writer friends, and then I researched newer agents, figuring they'd be more likely to take a chance on an unpublished writer. Integrity was an important factor, too. I crossed a couple agents off my "to-query" list after witnessing their mean-spirited tweets. Other crucial factors: open communication, strong editorial involvement, and honesty.

When I read Nicole's interview on the Mother.Write.Repeat blog, her agenting philosophy resonated with me so strongly that I dropped everything and queried her on the spot.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Macy Beckett:
I tried to personalize each query, but sometimes it wasn't possible. And you know what? I received just as many full requests from generic queries as the personalized ones. It's the blurb that counts.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Macy Beckett:
Test your query in batches of ten to see if it's effective. Anything less than a 50% request rate might need reworking. Show your letter to other writers and encourage them to SHRED it. Once you find a version that works, put those irons in the fire, and DON'T GIVE UP! I can't believe how many people quit after receiving an arbitrary number of rejections: 25, 50, 100. Don't stop!
QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?: Macy Beckett:
Absolutely! I'll share the romance, since that's the one ultimately responsible for my offer. Keep in mind I've since changed the title to HOT AND HEAVENLY, and the word count is now 82k.

Success Story Interview - Macy Beckett

Query Letter: