Dear Madeleine O'Shea/Head of Zeus,
I was so thrilled to discover your work via Instagram, after you kindly began to follow me mid-my pursuit of seeking the right agent/publishing company for my book-in-the-works, Anachrome.
I admit it's 3:40 in the morning, and that these last weeks have been a manic process of readying the first portions of my book, Anachrome, for you. To be honest, even in the most heartfelt query letter, I find it a bit difficult to convey my enthusiasm for this project. I would so prefer to dance or sing my passion for this book-in-the-making, especially considering my long history as a performing composer. I also want to keep my introduction here succinct.
Can I bullet my points?
• I am sending this to you because, after years of indie-label style and self-releasing much of my creative work, which includes 10 records of lyrical music, hundreds of illustrations, 3(secret) novels/visual narratives/collection of poems, plus decades of coaching voices and performing in 300+ venues around the world, I am vying for the opposite of a DIY approach in publishing this book. I want, instead, to DIWY (Do It With You).
• Throughout this season of writing, I've supported myself as a composer/voice-coach in lower Manhattan while writing (somehow) for hours each day, and discovered an unrelenting delight through composing the following (hopefully) readable work. During this process, I also fell in love with Ptolemy (as in the uniquely professionally-titled Astronomer-Astrologer). Since he lived in 100 AD it's been a little bit of an inconvenient time-travel for us, but poetically perfectly aligned.
• Why you: While in my adult years my rebel spirt has significantly about-faced, and now prefers fitting cleanly within structured formalities, this book cannot easily fall into one sellable genre, and yet– I know I'm onto something here. I believe you might equally thrill, along with me, in the journey of getting this book palpably (like a perfectly paper-wrapped deli sandwich) into the hands of curious readers.
• Lastly, I admit now it's only 4:23 am, and while most writers whittling submission letters would take days to craft their wooing hopefulness, sleeping on querying cantos, revising Emmy-worthy script, I literally have to A. find a new apartment in one week and B. freelance like a Mo-Fo to afford such, so--- I'm going to have to settle on this manic middle of the night "hit send" approach that almost everybody advices to not do. But, it's off the cuff, filled with deep, earnest love and most importantly, fruited from the naturally proliferative seed of Pleasure, that saving, saving grace.
Thank you so much for your work in the world. I'm obviously delighted by the possibility of making your acquaintance.
Warmly,
Leslie Helpert
Gramercy Park, May 6th, 2019
dynamicvoicetraining.com
www.HelpertTheAgency.com
www.music.lesliehelpert.com
lesliehelpert@gmail.com
718 753 6034
I was so thrilled to discover your work via Instagram, after you kindly began to follow me mid-my pursuit of seeking the right agent/publishing company for my book-in-the-works, Anachrome.
I admit it's 3:40 in the morning, and that these last weeks have been a manic process of readying the first portions of my book, Anachrome, for you. To be honest, even in the most heartfelt query letter, I find it a bit difficult to convey my enthusiasm for this project. I would so prefer to dance or sing my passion for this book-in-the-making, especially considering my long history as a performing composer. I also want to keep my introduction here succinct.
Can I bullet my points?
• I am sending this to you because, after years of indie-label style and self-releasing much of my creative work, which includes 10 records of lyrical music, hundreds of illustrations, 3(secret) novels/visual narratives/collection of poems, plus decades of coaching voices and performing in 300+ venues around the world, I am vying for the opposite of a DIY approach in publishing this book. I want, instead, to DIWY (Do It With You).
• Throughout this season of writing, I've supported myself as a composer/voice-coach in lower Manhattan while writing (somehow) for hours each day, and discovered an unrelenting delight through composing the following (hopefully) readable work. During this process, I also fell in love with Ptolemy (as in the uniquely professionally-titled Astronomer-Astrologer). Since he lived in 100 AD it's been a little bit of an inconvenient time-travel for us, but poetically perfectly aligned.
• Why you: While in my adult years my rebel spirt has significantly about-faced, and now prefers fitting cleanly within structured formalities, this book cannot easily fall into one sellable genre, and yet– I know I'm onto something here. I believe you might equally thrill, along with me, in the journey of getting this book palpably (like a perfectly paper-wrapped deli sandwich) into the hands of curious readers.
• Lastly, I admit now it's only 4:23 am, and while most writers whittling submission letters would take days to craft their wooing hopefulness, sleeping on querying cantos, revising Emmy-worthy script, I literally have to A. find a new apartment in one week and B. freelance like a Mo-Fo to afford such, so--- I'm going to have to settle on this manic middle of the night "hit send" approach that almost everybody advices to not do. But, it's off the cuff, filled with deep, earnest love and most importantly, fruited from the naturally proliferative seed of Pleasure, that saving, saving grace.
Thank you so much for your work in the world. I'm obviously delighted by the possibility of making your acquaintance.
Warmly,
Leslie Helpert
Gramercy Park, May 6th, 2019
dynamicvoicetraining.com
www.HelpertTheAgency.com
www.music.lesliehelpert.com
lesliehelpert@gmail.com
718 753 6034