• Café Life is the Colony's main hangout, watering hole and meeting point.

    This is a place where you'll meet and make writing friends, and indulge in stratospherically-elevated wit or barometrically low humour.

    Some Colonists pop in religiously every day before or after work. Others we see here less regularly, but all are equally welcome. Two important grounds rules…

    • Don't give offence
    • Don't take offence

    We now allow political discussion, but strongly suggest it takes place in the Steam Room, which is a private sub-forum within Café Life. It’s only accessible to Full Members.

    You can dismiss this notice by clicking the "x" box

Craft Chat Tool for Trending Genres

"Incredible, powerful information...." maybe, but based on an incredibly small and subjective sample of (mainly US) writers querying their manuscripts. And not even all of those, just the ones who can be bothered to notify the details.

I am a Query Tracker/Manager fan – I'm subscribed to one or two of their extras – but, sadly, I know the limitations.
 
"Incredible, powerful information...." maybe, but based on an incredibly small and subjective sample of (mainly US) writers querying their manuscripts. And not even all of those, just the ones who can be bothered to notify the details.

I am a Query Tracker/Manager fan – I'm subscribed to one or two of their extras – but, sadly, I know the limitations.

But like medical studies test a small sample of the population for indications of results, so is Querytracker a tool for writers to see a sample of what people are writing. Like @Hannah Faoileán says though, good concepts pop out from the crowd :)
 
But like medical studies test a small sample
The only medical studies that provide sufficient evidence to change clinical practice are large studies, preferably randomised controlled trials, which are statistically significant and peer reviewed. It doesn't follow that a small sample of QT users is statistically significant.
It may be a sort of barometer for general mood, but you couldn't base a critical decision on it.
And as you say, the intriguing concepts will always stand out regardless of trend.
I like Alyssa Matesic's videos, though. Enthusiasm as a general guide is helpful for writing where there are only fictional lives at stake ;)
 

Further Articles from the Author Platform

Latest Articles By Litopians

  • Christmas on the Equator
    I’m often asked, “Do you celebrate Christmas over there in Borneo?” The official answer is “ ...
  • After 65 Decembers
    . In August, he smiled at the memories of 65 Decembers, and put away his razor. . Throughout Septemb ...
  • Sunnyside: A Man Without a Country
    I had good reason to believe Poland was “my” country; cashiers in Polish grocery stores would sp ...
  • Hooks
    It’s the word I keep encountering again and again when listening to interviews with agents and pub ...
  • Not an Ode to Howl
    I am privileged to belong to the Thursday Ladies of Letters, a writers’ group in Kota Kinabalu. It ...
  • Still Singing Those Songs
    I caught a sad news item concerning one of my music icons: Jimmy Cliff, who died at the age of 81… ...
  • Livers, and Maybe Gizzards Too
    American street food keeps getting re-invented: oysters, tripe soup, and chicken gizzards get replac ...
What Goes Around
Comes Around!
Back
Top