[aldo betancourt]

Is there any literary fiction agents out there who want a good client

[Wondergirl]

Why would you be a good client?

[aldo betancourt]

Wonder girl, I have over 35 years of inside experience about this fictional book I am willing to have an agent make some money for himself or herself while I also make some.This would be a qualified reason to seek a reputable agent whom can see pass his or her nose.

[Wondergirl]

wonder girl, I have over 35 years of inside experience about this fictional book I am willing to have an agent make some money for himself or herself while I also make some.This would be a qualified reason to seek a reputable agent whom can see pass his or her nose.

Has anyone proofread it for you, so that it is ready for an agent to see? Has anyone read it for content and flow and to make sure it has consistency? Has anyone else read it to say it definitely needs a wider audience?

You see, everyone in the world wants to write a bestselling novel or autobiography or thinks what he has written will sell like wildfire. You want to be well-prepared and have a nearly flawless product before you approach an agent.

[aldo betancourt]

Wonder girl, you seem to have a real picture on what it takes to get an idea or even maybe the next Godfather out to the wider audience and that is what I do like about your ability to answer these questions with such ease. Were you or are you a literary teacher, professor, agent, or just a wonder girl? The answers to your questions are being solved as I search out, for this lucky agent. It is not for my gain that I write this fictional book based on true events. It is for my young family who may never have the chance to become an American and have the opportunity that we in America each have. FREEDOM! You never know anything in life until God gives it to you and my God has allowed me to survive a life style that most others are now dead and they are still dying in the streets in our country along with many others around the world because of the contents described in this book. So I am not sure if the audience would be able to understand this simple complexed matter that does effect all of us. I am only seeking to give the audience the "real inside story." With this said, I leave you to ponder your next thought and thanks so much for your time and responses.

[Wondergirl]

Aldo, I have had my own writings published, and so have dealt with editors, but never agents. Also, I am a former teacher and have been a librarian for years; I am familiar with both good and poor writing.

It sounds like your book would be either an autobiography or a memoir. (What would make it fiction?)

What is a "simple complexed matter"? That makes no sense. And you already have no confidence in your readers' being able to appreciate something you write?

[aldo betancourt]

Drug use amongst our children has risen since the early sixties and this in turn makes a simple solution complexed. I do not expect someone of your intellectual background to understand if you have never actually been there in the midst of this destruction that we all are facing today. We have an American government that brags about its war on drugs when in fact they have not made progress in over 40 years. I am not an expert but I do believe we can win this war when we change the approach. The reason I call it fiction, is I had to use some vivid imagination to enhance certain characters or it would have been a Bio or memior. I do not know what the reader will enjoy but I do know the success of the other books and films of this caliber and the impact they had on the reader audience which I intend to capture. Also since you have a similar background to all the professors whom I had written for in my college years and each of them inspired me to someday try and write, so here I am.

[Wondergirl]

Again, you make an assumption: "I do not expect someone of your intellectual background to understand if you have never actually been there." Most of your readers will never have "been there."

My advice to you is to make sure your manuscript has been carefully proofread before you send it to a publisher or an agent. Why do you think you need an agent? Why not send it directly to a publisher? (Has the manuscript been written yet?)

[aldo betancourt]

Sorry, if I may be a little confusing. I am finished with the written process and I think most people who haven't experienced the Mafia and the Colombia drug cartels just might not be able to understand this world wide empire and its destructive impact it has on us all. It is through this book that I want to show this evil empire to the uninformed people of our world. Again, I do not know anything about the process of publishing, agenting or editing. Then I found this site and decided to write and now have found a wonderful girl who has given to me more info than any of the other sites that I have been searching the last two months. Please do not take offense to my awkward style of communication but as you can tell, I do need some guidance. I am very appreciative of your responses and hope that through these correspondences we are able to polish want I believe will sell to a worldwide audience that enjoys this genre. With my inside experiences, I am planning on giving the most truthful accounts conceivably possible without incriminating anyone. I only want to shed light on an ongoing global epidemic that is stoppable when approached in the right form. If you know of an alternative entrance into this publishing world or market, then of course, I could use your expertise, if you choose to offer but just this little bit of conversation has help tremendously. Thank you and God Bless your constructive criticism.

[Wondergirl]

You could approach a publisher that has published similar books and send an introductory letter that includes a synopsis of your book. If the publisher is interested, he will request the entire manuscript or perhaps several chapters.

Are you ready for this step? (The same procedure would be followed if you wish to approach an agent.)

[aldo betancourt]

Thank you, Wonder girl or should I say WONDERFULGIRL. Yes, I believe I am at this stage. So I am very pleased with your time and energy to assist me with this seemingly difficult process. Thanks so much! Just one more question, how do you get to the publisher W/O an agent? I have been searching for a long time for this answer.

[Wondergirl]

You first do your homework. Figure out which publisher(s) might be interested, because they have published similar books. Then Google those publishers or read about them at the public library. Find out the name of the person who accepts submissions, then send your enquiry to him or her. Make note of the date you sent the letter, and keep track of the time. (You would already know from your research how quickly a publisher responds.) Follow up with another short letter (or e-mail, if possible) if you receive no response within the alloted time.

Even if the publisher is not interested, he usually has the courtesy to reply with a rejection letter, so at least you know, and can approach another publisher.

Do not send in simultaneous submissions (to more than one publisher at a time)!

[aldo betancourt]

You are very good with your explanations because I have been doing exactly that for two months and I have had some progress and positive replies along with the typical rejection form letters. I will keep doing whatever it will take to hopefully become a published author and again, I express my gratitude. The biggest problem is most all say they only accept through an agency or agent. I have been at this computer for hours upon hours in search an answer for this dilemma and this is how I found you.

[Wondergirl]

There are 22 books in WorldCat on the Colombian drug wars. Here are 10 of them. Note the publishers --

1. Code of honor /
Author: Coyle, Harold, 1952-
Publication: New York : Simon & Schuster, 1994
Fiction

2. Death beat : a Colombian journalist's life inside the cocaine wars /
Author: Duzán, María Jimena.; Eisner, Peter.
Publication: New York : Harper Collins, 1994

3. Drugs, oil, and war : the United States in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Indochina /
Author: Scott, Peter Dale.
Publication: Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2003

4. Drug trafficking /
Author: Bauder, Julia.
Publication: New York : Greenhaven Press ; Thomson/Gale, 2008

5. Drug politics : dirty money and democracies /
Author: Jordan, David C.
Publication: Norman [Okla.] : University of Oklahoma Press, 1999

6. Drug wars and coffeehouses : the political economy of the international drug trade /
Author: Mares, David R. Publication: Washington, D.C. : CQ Press, 2006

7. Transnational crime in the Americas : an inter-American dialogue book /
Author: Farer, Tom J.
Publication: New York : Routledge, 1999

8. Operation Pseudo Miranda : a veteran of the CIA drug wars tells all /
Author: Bucchi, Kenneth C.
Publication: Granite Bay, Calif. : Penmarin Books, 2000

9. The politics of heroin : CIA complicity in the global drug trade : Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, Central America, Colombia /
Author: McCoy, Alfred W.
Publication: Chicago : Lawrence Hill Books : Distributed by Independent Publishers Group, 2003

10. Hot spot : Latin America /
Author: Dent, David W.
Publication: Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2008

[Wondergirl]

most all say they only accept through an agency or agent.

Then you are approaching too-big publishing houses. Contact smaller ones. Contact those connected to organizations that are involved in fighting drug wars and world chaos.

Another possible reason the publishers you have contacted have told you to work through an agent is because your manuscript is difficult to read. Have you gotten it proofread? That's what agents do before they send out a manuscript to a publisher. Also, an agent will tell you the bare truth about your book, if it will sell or not and if it needs rewriting. A publisher will just reject the manuscript with no details.

[aldo betancourt]

Wondergirl, thanks for the info but I haven't sent it out yet to a publisher and only have sent it to three agents who requested the first three chapters so I do not know if it is hard to read from my POV.l feal as though it reads fluently and keeps your attention from start to end. The reason I say this, is I don't read if the material can't keep me occupied so I wrote this with in my mind for ever page. KEEEP THE STORY INTERESTING. Again it is my first attempt at a large word count and it wasn't easy as I had thought it would be but it did work out.

[Wondergirl]

I do not know if it is hard to read from my POV.l feal as though it reads fluently and keeps your attention from start to end.

Every author believes his writings are easy to read and understand and keep the reader's attention. Would you be willing to post a couple of paragraphs here so that I can get an idea of your writing style and if there are obvious problems?

Have you finished writing your book? If not, how much have you written (word count)?

[aldo betancourt]

Wondergirl, Is it easier to post or e-mail to your address. I have been out in the Jungle of South America for the last 9 years and I do not know very much about the new age computer industry or even how to post to this site. I will send you whatever you think is appropriate but how? Also I have been searching the web for all Mafia related books and publishers as you suggested and found it to be very helpful, Thanks. Yes, the book has been finished written by hand, two years ago, while I was in Italy, but it has been untouched here in America until I got home recently and started writing it to Microsoft Word format and now have 35 pages with 19,000 words and still have over 10 chapters to complete in this format. I believe it will finish out around 45,000-50,000 if not more. Is this good or bad? You probably now have a better picture of who I am, maybe? A college graduate who happened to disappear into the other side of the world,which is where I am going back to soon.

[Wondergirl]

Finish typing it into Word. The manuscript should be double-spaced with 1" margins all around. A total of 50,000 words sounds short to me, but an agent can make that decision and might tell you to add more.

I don't have more to tell you, but will answer any questions you still have.

[aldo betancourt]

Thanks for your info and may God bless you.