Dashboard Literary Agents Success Story Interviews William Stiteler

Success Story Interview - William Stiteler

An Interview with William Stiteler (wmstitel on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Paula Weiman of ASH Literary.

04/23/2025

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?: William Stiteler:
GEARS OF BONE is about a mechanic who spent her childhood in a secret society dedicated to watching and using eldritch creatures constructed with cable tendons and bone cogs. Now she just wants to be left alone, but is pulled back in when some of the things she did years ago, and a dangerous project her mother had worked on, come back to haunt her. I came up with a main character first, and basically just wanted to write a story around her.
QT: How long have you been writing?: William Stiteler:
For a very long time, and I wrote about a million words of prose that I'd call practice before I got to anything serious that I queried.
QT: How long have you been working on this book?: William Stiteler:
I've been working on this book for about ten years, but it was the first book I tried to sell, and the early drafts don't bear much resemblance to the current one because I was learning how to do this as I went.
QT: Do you have any formal writing training?: William Stiteler:
Apart from a creative writing course in college, just a few classes at writing conferences over the years.
QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?: William Stiteler:
I'm a creature of habit, so I try to write almost every day, even if I don't always get much done in a given session.
QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?: William Stiteler:
The manuscript currently with my agent is "version 13", though I'm not always that consistent in version control.
QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?: William Stiteler:
Yes, many. I need someone to point out places in my writing that doesn't work, and I learn a lot from beta reading the work of others, too.
QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?: William Stiteler:
I try to outline, and I wish I was better at it, but mainly I write to figure out what I need to change, and write outlines once a draft is done to help figure out the next draft.
QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?: William Stiteler:
I've been querying this book for about ten years, though I feel bad about inflicting the early drafts of both the manuscript and query letter on those first agents.
QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?: William Stiteler:
About 50.
QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?: William Stiteler:
Yes, if possible with some kind of personal connection, but failing that something based on recent deals or manuscript wishlists.
QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?: William Stiteler:
Don't take rejection personally, because there are so many factors other than quality that can determine whether an agent is interested in a manuscript when it happens to arrive. Luck won't do much without a good manuscript, but you do need it.