Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews Beth Cato

Success Story Interview - Beth Cato

An Interview with Beth Cato (ladybesu on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Rebecca Strauss of DeFiore and Company.

03/11/2011

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: Beth Cato:
Sure! My novel is an urban fantasy about a goody-two-shoes superpowered healer. Her skill vanishes overnight, and she discovers she's been an unwilling test subject in a government program along with a bunch of serial killers. The inspiration came to me in a dream just over three years ago.
QT: How long have you been writing?: Beth Cato:
I was making my own books from age four, but I've been seriously working on novels and short stories for about five years now.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: Beth Cato:
Too long! I started on my first draft for NaNoWriMo in 2008.
QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?: Beth Cato:
Yes. Last summer I had a reader inform me, quite politely, that my book sucked. She was right. I had already been working on the book for a year and a half, but I needed to make it work. I had to know I tried. I cried for a day, felt sorry for myself, then broke out the index cards to reform my plot.
QT: Is this your first book?: Beth Cato:
No. I have two previous novels that are trunked.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: Beth Cato:
Yes. My son is in kindergarten now, so I write/edit like crazy while he's in school! I'm trying not to think about summer break.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: Beth Cato:
The 8th draft is the one that worked. After being told my book sucked, I set about combining NORMAL with the sequel I had started during the previous NaNoWriMo.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: Beth Cato:
Yes! I'm a participant of The Online Writing Workshop (http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/index.html). I have a great circle of friends on there. It's a wonderful place for critiquing scifi/fantasy short stories and chapters.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: Beth Cato:
I always write with a chapter outline and a time line of events, but I'm very flexible.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: Beth Cato:
I started querying in late January. My snail mail query for Rebecca Strauss was among the first I sent out.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: Beth Cato:
22
QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?: Beth Cato:
I looked for agents with an interest in urban fantasy.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: Beth Cato:
Sometimes I would mention where I saw the agent listed--like on Guide to Literary Agents--but I had a good response to my plain query, too.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: Beth Cato:
Keep the faith. I had a personalized rejection on a partial a few weeks ago that left me feeling down. They described my book as "rough." I stopped sending queries for a few weeks because I wasn't sure if she was right, or what I could do. Then I ended up having two agent offers, and both said my book was smooth and required minimal edits. This whole process is subjective. Don't be like me and "what if" yourself into paralysis. Unless you see a negative trend in your feedback, keep sending those queries!

Success Story Interview - Beth Cato

Query Letter: