Breaking into the publishing field is a hard endeavor.
Writing a book is difficult. Giving that book a polish edit is tough too. Add producing the query letter, which I always find to be the hardest thing to write, and it is starting to become a complicated process. That's not all though. Not only that, but your query letter has to be so good that it elicits a response from the agent or editor; it needs to be so good that they ask for at least a partial if not a full manuscript. If you can get that far, you are doing damn good.
It takes years for most writers to make it that far in their writing career. Some people out there, however, work hard at trying to make it a little easier. Patrick Rothfuss is one of them. Pat is the New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, and he had to run that same gambit once upon a time.
Now he tries to give back as much as possible—and for an exceedingly important charity cause! Pat has founded Worldbuilders, an organization that raises money for Heifer International. Heifer helps create food and water sustainability in impoverished countries.
With Worldbuilders, Pat has a vehicle to give aid where it is needed and to give back to the publishing industry that has been so good to him. He asks many of the authors he knows to donate signed books that are auctioned off, the proceeds going to Worldbuilders. That might be cool for some of you but it gets better for the writers out there trying to break into the industry. Pat has also asked editors and agents to donate their time and skill, setting up auctions for partial and full manuscript critiques!
That means if you are the winning bidder, your book is undoubtedly going to be looked at by a professional. No query letter fuss; no waiting for a letter in the mail. The professional critique could lead to a much better written book; it could lead to a publishing contract!
Here are some of the agents and editors that are working with Pat to make a better world:
- Matt Bialer - Agent
- Jennifer Brozek - Editor: Edits for DAW Books
- Kat Howard - Writer & Teacher
- David Pomerico - Editor: Edits for Del Rey Books
- Adrienne Lombardo - Agent
- Bradley P. Beaulieu - Author
- Gerald Ward - Bookbinder
- Patrick Rothfuss - Author