Tuesday 16 November 2010

Query Sushi.

Yesterday I had lunch at Yo! Sushi.

For anyone who hasn't been before the idea is you sit in front of a conveyor belt and choose what you like from a selection of dishes. Each dish is colour/price coded. And you can order off a menu if you want something in particular.



(Image: Voucher Mum)

So I'm sat watching all the yummy dishes going round, waiting to be chosen and enjoyed, and I realised that this is the same as querying.

I imagine an agent is pretty much sat at the table looking at all these dishes going around. We know they have a huge number to choose from depending on their preferences, but they only have a short moment to make up their mind before they pass. What they choose could be different on any given day.

Just like what you pick from the sushi bar.

Some days all you see are California roll/urban fantasy and you want Katsu curry/dystopian YA.

But the agent could still pick your California roll query out if it looks appetising.

The job of the chef/writer is to make our dish/query stand out from all the others on offer.

So next time that 'I'm afraid this isn't a good fit for me' email pings in your inbox it just means the agent wanted a different dish that day.

One day an agent will pick your yummy California Roll/query off the conveyor belt.

It's just a matter of appetite.

*No sushi was harmed during the writing of this post. It did make me hungry though. :)

16 comments:

Matthew MacNish said...

Nippon (that's Japan in Japanese) means the land of the Gods. Sushi means the food of the Gods (actually it doesn't, but I can pretend, since it's so good).

Anyway great point Lindsay! I love this analogy.

Renae said...

Okay this post made me super hungry for Sushi! Even at seven in the morning! I love, love, love the way you compare things to writing. Great post!

Talli Roland said...

Great analogy!

I've never been to Yo! Sushi despite seeing them all over the place. I can just imagine an agent sitting there, watching the manuscripts go round and round...

Sarah Ahiers said...

i've never heard of Yo! Sushi. All our sushi places are individual little restaurants.

And now i want sushi.

Also, that analogy was genius!

Laurel Garver said...

Great analogy. Once you've revised like crazy and made your manuscript the best it can be, then it really is a matter of finding a good fit/person hungry for your variety of sushi.

Lisa_Gibson said...

Great analogy! Now I'm hungry too. :) I've used a ice cream sundae analogy in the past. I'm looking for the agent who likes the same toppings and flavors of ice cream of the sundae (ms) I've created.
Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover

Colene Murphy said...

Ha! awesome revelation! I will definitely keep that close at heart when I start querying. (We really need a restaurant like that. YUM!)

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Mmm, sushi! I've never been to a place that served food on a conveyor belt, and now I feel a little sad about that. Time to start saving for a trip to the UK, methinks.

Brilliant analogy, as always! Makes me feel a bit better about the letters that say, "not for me" and also the ones that say, "I just had that yesterday." :)

wordver: zatatate- ancient ritual involving a large wooden staff and repeated raps on the initiate's skull. (yes, my imagination is crazy)

Shallee said...

I love sushi! And I love this post. :) It kind of puts querying in perspective.

Vicki Rocho said...

Great analogy! How many times have we been told not to take rejection personally, and yet we still do. There really are so many other factors coming into play that have nothing to do with our abilities as writers.

Anonymous said...

LOVE this analogy!!!!

Emy Shin said...

I have always wanted to eat conveyor belt sushi -- and this is such an apt analogy. :)

Shannon said...

Great analogy! =) And now you've gone and made me want sushi!

Creepy Query Girl said...

that is a fantastic analogy. I feel just like a big sushi most days:)

Christina Lee said...

hahaha what a great analogy!

Regina said...

Never really had sushi, but love the analogy. It is wonderful.