Michelle Hauck's Blog, page 42

GRUDGING GAME

So I'm a little bored waiting for Query Kombat submissions to roll in on Monday and I thought why not try a game. I haven't done any promotion for my books in a while, why not get on that? I have this tweet pinned to my twitter profile about Grudging.

Warrior/Soldier Dreamer Politician Philosopher Conscience Which will live to become Saint?

Each of the labels in the tweet describe one of the characters from Grudging. I wondered if anyone could match the correct character name to the label. This will be very tricky because, first, you have to have read Grudging and, second, some things don't become 100 percent apparent until the next book, Faithful (which nobody has read but me and my CP). I mean a few of the labels don't go in the obvious directions you'd expect, but some of them do. If no one gets the answer by Monday, I'll give a hint to help.  

Just comment with who you think goes with the labels and the first correct guess will win a prize. You can have a query critique from me, a signed copy of Grudging, or you can be a Query Kombat slush reader. Your choice. 

Hint: In Grudging there are only four point of view characters. In Faithful another woman gets added. Teresa is the philosopher.

Good luck!

Picture Book Party in July

We are doing it again! (And yes I recycled this post. So much to do. No time for fresh material.) Spunky. Adorable. Heartwarming.



Those are some of the words that describe picture/chapter books. I'm happy to join with Sharon Chriscoe to do a little something for a group that is left out of most contests. This mini-contest is for you!

Tell your friends who write PB and please post on twitter. Also the twitter party will be for everyone, so I hope to see you there under the hashtag #PBParty. There will be daily topics that apply to all writers during the submission week.

So far there are seven agents on board.  The agent round will be July 20 - 22nd. The submission day is July 10th at noon Eastern time. Then Sharon and I will go through the entries and pick our favorites. I'm not sure how many entries will be chosen, but the number will be around 20. Sharon is my expert on this as I don't know much about picture books, except I enjoy reading them.

The Rules:

Please be a follower of this blog. You can click the "Join this Site" button in the left sidebar. Please follow myself on twitter. I imagine I will be tweeting hints as well as partying!

You may send two entries for different manuscripts. That's two and only two, whether you have multiple pen names or multiple email addresses. Please be honest and not send more. Only one entry will be chosen per person. If you send two, still only one will be picked. Any attempt to cheat will result in entries thrown out (and sadly it has happened in the past.) 

On July 10th at noon Eastern the submission window opens. Do not send early or your entry will be deleted. You may resend at the correct time if this happens. I'm recycling an email address as I already have too many. Please send your entry to SunversusSnow at yahoo dot com. 

You should receive a confirmation email. If you do not, please contact me on twitter before resending. The window will stay open until we get 250 entries. However long that takes. It could be minutes or it could be days. I'm really not sure on this one.

This contest is only for finished and polished manuscripts. It has to be ready to go out to agents.

The Format:

Subject Line of your Email: PBParty: Title

Example:  PBParty: Hot Tub Santa

Inside the email please bold where bolded in my example. Single space with spaces between paragraphs. Use Times New Roman or equivalent font and the size should be 12. 

(Here's a trick to keep your paragraph spacing: copy and paste your entry into your email and then put in the line spaces. They seem to get lost when you copy and paste. It may look right but sending scrambles the spacing.)

Name: Sharon Chriscoe
Twitter Handle: @schriscoe_
Title: HOT TUB SANTA
Genre: (Here please tell us what type of picture book this is) Example: Board Book, Bedtime Rhyme, Nonfiction, Biography, etc. or List Chapter Book
Word Count: xxx (round to nearest ten, hundred for chapter books)

Query:

Your entire query letter here. Include your comps, bio, greeting, closing. (You may use whatever you want for a greeting. Dear Agent. Dear Michelle and Sharon.) 

Here is your chance to make your entry shine and make the agent fall in love with your words. 

First 50 Words:

Include your first 50 words for a picture book, 100 words for chapter books. Do not stop in the middle of a sentence. You may go over by one or two words to finish a sentence but not more than five. Single space and put spaces in between paragraphs. You may center or tab if appropriate.

Edit: For short picture books, less than 50 words may be submitted. Any count under 50 is allowed.

Also I will delete parts of entries after the contest ends, if requested. For those writers uncomfortable with their work being out there for all to see.  


Bonus: You may attach one illustration to your email to show an example of your artwork. If you don't have artwork, don't worry. 




I would like to thank Mel Stephenson for creating our logo artwork! Be sure to follow her at@paintandwords. 

That should cover about everything, but you may leave questions in the comments or on twitter. Don't forget the #PBParty hashtag.

We can't wait to see all the cuteness on July 10th! 

Judge Nicknames for Query Kombat 2016 and a Chat Reminder

Since the kontestants get to invent amazing nicknames, naturally the judges want one, too! Plus it lets them vote with more freedom. To recognize our wonderful judges and know the vote is legit, here is a list of the nicknames they have chosen:

Barn owlSpitfireAppleCordelia ChaseBob ThompsteinTim RigginsTrinityThe KrakenLa DuendecillaMaggieSolarpunk GodessKatherine PiercePoddy FriesCaptain JanewayIrene AdlerJudgeDReadBernadine HarrisStrawberry ShortcakeApple SlicesMallory PikeButtercupDana ScullyDorothy GaleJellyfishGingerScowling Discontented JudgeGadgetCatWranglerScarlettTextual CoutureAlice QuinnMonstersRComingLatteGalBellaThe MartianCookie MonsterBagheera
It's fantastically fun to be silly sometimes and our judges had a blast choosing these names. We hope you'll have fun choosing an inventive nickname for your story!
And speaking of fun!
The chance to chat with our judges is today!


Join us on the hashtag #QKChat at 3:00 pm EST and 9:00 pm EST to ask questions about the contest and writing in general. You can ask writers who are further along on their journey what submission is like or how they promo or what they said during their call. Just don't ask them to reveal their secret nickname. :-) 
Remember submission for Query Kombat is just a few days away on Monday, May 16th. 

Query Questions with Rebecca Scherer

Writers have copious amounts of imagination. It's what makes their stories so fantastic. But there's a darker side to so much out of the box thinking. When a writer is in the query trenches, their worries go into overdrive. They start pulling out their hair and imagine every possible disaster.

 

Here to relieve some of that endless worrying is a new series of posts called Query Questions. I'll ask the questions which prey on every writer's mind, and hopefully take some of the pain out of querying. These are questions that I've seen tossed around on twitter and writing sites like Agent Query Connect. They are the type of questions that you need answers for the real expert--agents!

If you have your own specific query question, please leave it in the comments and it might show up in future editions of Query Questions as I plan to rotate the questions.
It's been a while between interviews, but Query Questions is back! Rebecca Scherer of the Jane Rotrosen Agency is here with answers to your query slush questions. 

 Is there a better or worse time of year to query? Yes, but that time of year may be different for every agent. In general, we often say that publishing is the slowest in August, so that can be a good time. It’s often a time of year that I catch-up on my queries. But at the same time, I’ve certainly had some crazy Augusts. And every agent’s schedule (both personal and professional) is different, and some may have lots of publications or deals happening in August. Of course these are all factors you’re never going to know and shouldn’t go crazy agonizing over. The best advice is just to submit when you’re ready and when your book is ready.
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query? Everyone is human, though it doesn’t set the best tone for reading the rest of someone’s letter if they make a glaring error early on. It depends on the type of typo and where it is. If a writer uses the wrong form of their/they’re/there in the first line of his or her query, it makes it hard to take the rest of the query seriously. That said, samples are long and I’m not put-off by a questionable comma or spelling in the first few chapters. Best to have at least a second set of eyes read your query letter over before sending.
Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong? If the query is in the genres/parameters I’m looking for, I will look at the sample pages. I rarely finish the full sample if I’m not hooked by the 5 page mark, but I do read them.
Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them? I usually do my own, but sometimes have a trusted intern go through queries for me and pick out the promising ones.  
Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look? No. If it was really a near-miss with an author, I’ll write the author a nice-no and leave the door open for future projects.
If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages? Yes! A prologue has a purpose; it’s how the author chooses to open the book and I want to see that. Otherwise, how will I know how the chapters play with the actual opening of the book? I always want to see the first pages of a book. Occasionally I’ll get queries that include three random chapters that jump around the book, but that’s never a good way to convey your writing style—though it is a good way to confuse prospective readers.
How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query? Comp titles are very important in that they’re a quick way to get an agent’s attention. When I hear a good pitch with great comps (like “this is X meets Y”), it makes me sit up a little straighter in my chair and makes me want to move that query up in my pile. Of course, then the book really has to live up to that comparison to hold someone’s attention.
Some agencies mention querying only one agent at a time and some say query only one agent period. How often do you pass a query along to a fellow agent who might be more interested? Jane Rotrosen Agency is very much a team. If I see a promising query that’s not quite right for me, I will definitely send it out to  my colleagues. That’s why we always say prospective writers should research our agents and then try to decide who they think would be the best match and only send it to that agent.
Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript? The big thing for me is the hook. What’s the commercial conceit? What are the comps? And how does the writer situate the book in the market? That said background and biographical information can be very important and the basics (including relevant writing or publishing experience) should be somewhere in the query letter, though not in the lead.
Most agents have said they don’t care whether the word count/genre sentence comes first or last. But is it a red flag if one component is not included? It makes it harder to situate the book. Agents get a truly overwhelming amount of queries, so being able to scan a query for these things before reading is a helpful way to filter quickly for the projects that are in our wheelhouse.


Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers? A good title for a query is memorable, so that it sticks in an agent’s brain. Often, I’ll get promising-sounding queries in but not have time to read them right away and then things can get pushed to the back-burner. But if it’s a title that easily comes to mind, I’ll be more likely to revisit it sooner. I don’t think character names are worth worrying over. Name your children as you please!

Some writers have asked about including links to their blogs or manuscript-related artwork. I’m sure it’s not appropriate to add those links in a query, but are links in an email signature offensive? I don’t think links in the signature are at all offensive. An agent worth his or her salt is going to google a perspective client before taking them on anyway, so it is helpful to include relevant resources you want the agent to see. And if you’ve got an impressive blog or other web presence, that can only help. Cover art is less helpful to include since it’s not author-controlled in the event of publication (thinking of the adult market here, if you are a children’s author/illustrator, this could be different).
If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested? Only resend material to an agent if requested. Many agents are hesitant to give feedback in rejections at all for fear of being bombarded with many unsolicited re-worked manuscripts. If you had a true near-miss with an agent, she would make it clear that the door was open to resubmit new or edited material. And that definitely does happen. Several times I’ve looooved someone’s voice and style, but didn’t feel the premise was commercial enough or I just didn’t feel like I could sell that particular book at that particular time. Then if an author comes back with something new (and sends my original response back with it), I’ll remember that there was something great in this writer and then be happy to take a look at the new work.
 What bio should an author with no publishing credits include? Anything else relevant to the writing, like if your book is a historical novel set during WWII, what’s your connection to the era? How have you done your research? What makes you uniquely qualified to pen a story in a particular world or on a particular topic?
What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you? At its heart, this common but true phrase in a rejection just means that the agent doesn’t feel that they are the best advocate for this manuscript at this time. That could be for a million different reasons (too similar to another manuscript they’re working on; voice didn’t do it for them; they don’t have a strong vision for who in publishing to sell the book to; they just didn’t get that got-to-have-it feeling from reading). And all of that is to say, that if an agent doesn’t feel strongly enough that he or she would be your best advocate, you don’t want that person as your agent. You need someone enthusiastic who is going to be your loudest voice and number one champion to sell your book effectively.

Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent? Definitely. Reading is the best part of this job and playing an active role in helping an author find the best expression of their book is the most gratifying part of the job.
What’s the strangest/funniest thing you’ve seen in a query? I once received a query letter addressed as:  ‘Yo Becky,’ even though we’d never met and I’ve never been a Becky.
What three things are at the top of your submission wish list? Well-done psychological suspense is at the top of everyone’s list right now. But it has to say something unique and the writing has to be sharp enough to make it stand out in a crowded but well-selling field. Women’s fiction for the book club reader that leans up-market. And I am always on the lookout for recently-set historical books—70s, 80s, 90s, particularly works with gritty New York settings. That’s the nostalgic New Yorker in me.
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes? So, so, many—hence why I’m in this business! I guess the favorites that say the most about my submission taste would be anything Dennis Lehane, The Godfather (or any Mario Puzo book, since I’m a sucker for a well-done mafia book)—also love the movie, but the book is well-worth reading no matter how many times you’ve seen the movie. Patti Smith’s Just Kids is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Its ethos is poetically beautiful, but I love it for its loyalty to New York. Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is definitely a childhood favorite I still love and go back to. Anything by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I’d read a phone book if she re-arranged the names in it. And I grew up reading Agatha Christie books, so as many in publishing do, I probably owe my love of mystery to her. No one knew how to keep a reader hooked better than Elmore Leonard. Also anything Kurt Vonnegut. Other movies:  Dead Poets Society or anything set at a prep school; Almost Famous because it’s a love letter to music; 12 Angry Men is why courtroom drama will never go out of style. I’m also a big James Bond fan—both the books and movies.
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When Rebecca Scherer first walked into the JRA townhouse, she thought the parlor looked like something out of her favorite Edith Wharton novels and couldn’t believe how lucky she was. She dove in whole-heartedly and had the good fortune to apprentice with the some of the best agents in the industry. Having worked her way through each department of the agency, Rebecca enjoys all aspects of the business and has a comprehensive perspective on the type of career management that JRA is known for. Now an Associate Agent, Rebecca works closely with Meg Ruley and Andrea Cirillo on their client lists while actively building her own. A lifelong New Yorker, Rebecca holds a BA in English Literature, Political Science, and German from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. She is particularly interested in works of women’s fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller, romance, and upmarket/literary-leaning fiction.

Frequent Query Mistakes

Before the submission window for Query Kombat, I wanted to list a few of the frequent "big picture" sort of problems I see in query letters. (The feedback I did recently in the Spring Query Extravaganza highlighted some of them also. You might take a look at those posts.) Maybe this will help you avoid some of the problems. They will ruin a query a lot faster than a couple of typos.

This is my subjective opinion and I don't claim to be an agent, but I have read thousands of query letters. So here goes:


Themes: Every contest I see a few entries that spend too much space in their query letter talking about their themes. Maybe they want to help kids thinking of suicide. Or perhaps they want to talk about bullying. Or maybe they want people to consider setting aside their screens and spending face-to-face time with family. Themes are wonderful. Even noble! You do need them in your stories. But it's not really what I want to hear about in your query letter--or at least not for the majority of the letter. Limit listing the themes to one or two sentences, please, or less.

Why?

Because when your are detailing the story--the plot, the characters, the stakes, and obstacles--that should SHOW me your themes. So keep the theme discussion short and show me the story in about three paragraphs! Spending paragraphs on the themes means I don't get to hear about the plot.

I want to know about your characters and your plot, not what you are trying to teach readers. That I should be able to infer.


Synopsis: A synopsis is different from the query letter. For instance, it reveals the ending of your book. Most people know not to put the ending in a query letter, but there are always a few queries that sound more like a synopsis than a query.

This happens sometimes when the author writes too many step-by-step sentences going "first this happened, then this, then this" and trying to give a whole sequence of the events with nothing else in between. The query letter becomes a list of what the characters did. And that's usually not very interesting. 

Or another way the query can feel like a synopsis is when there are too many details given. For most stories we probably don't need to know the city and state it takes place, nor all the names of all the characters, or just a lot of details that don't reveal something about the characters or relate to the main plot. You want to add personality while not filling the query with facts that don't matter. It's a delicate balancing act, but getting other eyes on your query can help--so ask a friend.

We encourage you to polish your entry before entering Query Kombat.


Sub-Plots: Having smaller plots within the main plot is essential to making a story interesting. Characters should have many goals and things that motivate them. But the query letter is not the place to delve into them. You have a limited space of 250 to 300 words. Adding in those subplots takes up valuable room. Plus, it usually makes things confusing, and suddenly your query has too much going on. 

Say your main character has to save the world from zombies. We don't also need to know their cousin wants to become the next president and there's a whole part about how they depose the current president and paint the White House blue--unless the cousin is the antagonist. So, yeah, it can be hard to tell whether something is a subplot. 

Here again, more eyes on your query can help. And if you don't have critique partners, ask yourself if you took that part out of the story would the entire book fall apart or would there still be a basic plot? Keep subplots out of the query letter will make your letter more easy to follow and less cluttered. 


Keeping it secret: This is the query problem that irks me the most because it leaves me to guess at what is happening! And I see it in every contest! If your query is full of "dark secrets" and "family problems" and "troubling circumstances" and other generic phrases, then you are most likely leaving me in the dark.

I NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING!

A query letter's job is to entice. If there are no specific details, then it's not going to entice. When I see a main character who has a dark secret and they need to solve a troubling problem to save the situation, I have no idea WHAT THAT MEANS! (And yes, I'm yelling. It's for your own good.)

Maybe writers don't want to reveal too much in their query of the story. But that's not a good idea. If an agent is not enticed by specific details, they aren't going to read on and get to end of the manuscript to find out those details because they won't ask for pages. 

The last story paragraph of the query should set out the CHOICE the main character must make. Which way the character will decide IS the part you shouldn't give away (the part you keep hidden), not what they are fighting.

Will they decide to save the world from zombies and give up their friend's life, or will they save their friend and let the world get eaten? That's sort of what I mean by the mc choice.

The reader needs to know what the secret is they are fighting against. Without that the reader isn't going to care.

I'm not sure I'm being clear on that, so feel free to ask questions in the comments. You can probably get away with one generic phrase, but don't hide all the unique points of your story from the reader. If you have a lot of cliche phrases in your query, then I would do a rethink and probably a rewrite.


So those are some of the big picture mistakes I see in every contest. #QueryKombat on twitter is a great place to ask others to take a look at your query and get some feedback. Mix. Mingle. Help each other get ready!

See you on May 16th with some awesome queries! 

Query Kombat 2016 Agents/Editors and Twitter Party Dates

The big reveal is HERE.




Want to know what agents and editors we have for Query Kombat? WE HAVE TWENTY-EIGHT, AND COUNTING!! There are so many publishing professionals participating, we can’t fit them all on one blog! View one-third of them below, then click on over to Michael’s and Laura's blogs to see the rest. We’ve got both well-established agents/editors and some newer professionals who are actively seeking to build their lists. Query Kombat 2016 is going to be an AWESOME Kontest. 

Don't miss the submission window from May 16 - May 20, 2016!! We’re giving you the whole week to get your entries in! 
And here's a sneak peek at the upcoming twitter party:
May 15th    Before the big days arrives tweet your category and genre. Ask questions about genre if you’re unsure where your manuscript fits.
May 16th  After 8:30AM tweet when you’ve submitted your entry to our QK email. Nerves and jitters can be calmed by sharing with others. All day long tweet out what your entry Nickname is and why you chose it.
May 17th   Day 2 of submissions! Judges get fun secret names. Entrants get to create nicknames. Your poor hosts are left out. Create nicknames for Laura, Michael and Michelle!  (Keep it clean. We blush easily.) And tweet your favorite comp title.
May 18th   Submission Hump Day! Tweet your main character’s name and a special tidbit about them. See what sorts of names are popular and if anyone else shares MC’s names with you.
May 19th    Tweet what you find the hardest about writing. Is it keeping out telling? Writing action scenes? What’s hard for you? Anyone have tips for making them easier?May 20th   Last day to submit! Say hi to an entrant you’ve never talked to. Wish them luck in the slush round. If you need to let out some nerves, see if your new friend will lend an ear.
May 21st     Tweet something about how you write. Do you use music or prefer silence? Morning or late at night? We celebrate our differences.
May 22nd     Tweet us your villain’s name and something evil about them.
May 23rd      If you’re looking for some beta readers or CP, now is the time to tweet about it.
May 24th     Tweet us your favorite line from your novel. If you read any you like, favorite it. Have any favorite lines from a novel that’s not yours? Tweet those too!
May 25th     Tweet your thanks to the agents, editors, and judges of Query Kombat 2016. They’re dedicating a lot of time to help out. The least we can do is take a day to celebrate them!
May 26th      The big reveal is tomorrow! Tweet the title of a soothing song that is helping you get through the day before the picks are revealed. Hold hands and sing Kumbaya lyrics like the band of friends you’ve become. (We’ll be running around like crazy gerbils getting everything ready.)


For more information on how to enter when the window opens, please click here. Otherwise, scroll down to meet the agents and editors!





Lydia MoëdLydia Moëd came to Canada from the UK, where she worked as a foreign rights executive for UK publishers including Usborne Publishing and Elwin Street Productions. She has also worked as a freelance literary translator and editor, and as a bookseller at Foyles in London. In addition to handling foreign rights for The Rights Factory's children's and YA list, she is building her own list of clients for representation.For fiction, she is most interested in acquiring science fiction and fantasy, though she also enjoys magic realism, historical fiction and stories inspired by folklore from around the world. For non-fiction, she is interested in narrative non-fiction on a wide variety of topics, including history, popular science, biography and memoir. She would love to bring more translated literature into English, and particularly welcomes queries by authors from marginalized groups.Website|Twitter

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Rena Rossner

Rena is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University’s Writing Seminars Program, where she double-majored in poetry and non-fiction writing. She studied at Trinity College, Dublin and holds an MA in History from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She worked at bookstores in four countries, has written extensively for The Jerusalem Report and The Jerusalem Post, and worked in PR, grant-writing, and website development at The Jerusalem Foundation. She is a writer of both fiction and poetry as well as the author of the cookbook EATING THE BIBLE, which has been translated into five languages.
Rena is interested in representing Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculative Fiction in all genres, Adult Literary and Contemporary Fiction especially Upmarket Women’s Fiction, Historical Fiction and Thrillers. She is also actively seeking Young Adult, Middle Grade and Picture Books.
Website|Twitter

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Victoria Lowes
Victoria Lowes was born and raised in Queens, New York and graduated from the City University of New York, Queens College. Before joining the Bent Agency, she completed internships at Serendipity Literary and the Carol Mann Agency. She now lives on Long Island and in her spare time she can be found teaching dance classes for young students or watching re-runs of The Office.I’m looking for both commercial and literary fiction as well as young adult titles. My favorite genres are historical fiction, suspense, mysteries, upmarket women’s fiction, and romance.Website|Twitter
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Penelope Burns

Penelope Burns is the newest member of Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners. She came to the agency as an intern after graduating from Colgate University in 2012. Currently, as an agency assistant, Penelope is looking to a build a list of her own. She is interested in Literary and Commercial fiction and non-fiction, as well as a variety of Young Adult and Middle Grade. 

I'm actively looking for YA/MG novels with a unique voice or an unreliable narrator, or an interesting and unique premise. I'd also love to see a YA contemporary romance, or a clever MG with a lot of humor. I am not seeking adult thrillers. 
Website|Twitter


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Alison WeissAlison Weiss is an Editor at Sky Pony Press, after six-and-half years at Egmont. As a kid, it was not unusual to find her huddled under the covers on a Saturday morning with a stack of books rather than downstairs watching cartoons. Reading and writing have always been passions, but sharing that passion with others wasn’t always as easy. That is until she found the children’s publishing world.
Her focus is chapter books through YA, and she loves everything from heartwarming middle grade to edge-of-your seat thrillers to swoony romance. She has worked with New York Times best-selling author Jessica Verday (Of Monsters and Madness), multi-Agatha Award winner Penny Warner (The Code Busters Club series), YALSA-award winning Sarah Cross (Kill Me Softly and Tear You Apart), J&P Voelkel (The Jaguar Stones), Micol Ostow (Amity), Kristen Lippert-Martin (Tabula Rasa), Sasha Dawn (Oblivion), and Sarah McGuire (Valiant), among others. She also assisted on Christopher Myers's H.O.R.S.E., which won a 2013 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award and the 2014 Odyssey Award. Follow her on Twitter @alioop7.
Website|Twitter



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Jennifer Azantian
Founder Jennifer Azantian graduated with a B.S. in clinical and developmental psychology from the University of California, San Diego where she was an executive editor for the Trition Psychology Report. In 2011, she began her agenting career, first as an intern and then as an assistant and associate, at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. In 2014, while working with senior agent and entertainment lawyer Paul Levine, Jennifer opened her own agency specializing in speculative fiction. 
Website|Twitter

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Stacey Donaghy
Stacey Donaghy is a strong advocate for her writers.  She believes in helping to build the careers of her clients, with long term goals in mind.

Stacey began her career with the Corvisiero Literary Agency in New York, where she wore many hats from team manager and trainer, to intern, to agent.   This coupled with her  experience and formal education and training in the areas of  Management, Social Services and Adult Education, Stacey brings a wealth of technical and professional experience to the literary world.  As a manager in the field of Education & Training, her roles have included people management, curriculum development, academic editing, marketing, creative design, publishing, proposal writing, contract negotiations and public speaking.  Her training also includes Principled Negotiation Techniques as it applies to relationships and contracts.

Stacey represents NY Times, USA Today, and Amazon Bestselling Authors, as well as Authors who have been nominated or have won awards for various works.
Website|Twitter

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Caitlin Rubino-Bradway
I joined the LKG Agency in 2008, thereby disproving the theory that no English major ever does anything with their degree.  Before that I worked at another literary agency, Don Congdon Associates, where I had the behind-the-scenes thrill of seeing Kathryn Stockett’s The Help first come in (and getting one of the first reads). And before that I was getting my Masters in English and Publishing from Rosemont College. I have enjoyed my apprenticeship under Lauren very much, and I am now actively looking to build my own list, which includes (after a surprisingly minimal amount of begging and pleading on my part), securing Lauren’s agreement to open the agency to considering middle grade and young adult fiction.

In my spare time, I am an author in my own right (or is that write?).  My first book, Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, which I co-wrote with my mother, was released by Crown in 2009.  We also contributed to Jane Austen Made Me Do It, published by Ballantine in 2011.  My first middle grade novel, Ordinary Magic, was published by Bloomsbury Children’s in 2012.
Website|Twitter

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Jackie Lindert
Jackie earned her B.A. in English in her home state of Wisconsin before trekking to Colorado to attend the Denver Publishing Institute. Her first job in publishing was as a Subsidiary Rights assistant at Penguin Random House, following an internship at none other than New Leaf Literary. After spending two years back at New Leaf as a literary assistant, Jackie now directly assists Joanna Volpe.

Fun Facts: She grew up in the Water Park Capital of the World and has a cat named Humphrey Bogart.
Website|Twitter

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Leon Husock
Before he joined the L. Perkins Agency, Leon was an associate agent at Anderson Literary Management.  He graduated from Bard College with a BA in Literature and from there went on to attend the well-known Columbia Publishing Course, where he decided he wanted to be an agent.
He has a particular interest in science-fiction and fantasy, especially fantasy with non-Western European inspired settings and cultures (e.g. Leigh Bardugo’s Russian-inspired fantasy).  He also loves young adult and upper middle-grade of all stripes, as well as genre mashups (e.g. fantasy westerns, noir + almost anything else, etc).  Strong characters are, of course, a must.
Website|Twitter

Query Kombat 2016 Free Pass

The free pass post got buried, so I thought I'd boot it back to the top. To enter the free pass, click this link and it will take you back to the original post. 

And don't miss Laura's free pass.

Query Kombat 2016 Judges

Time for our AMAZING lineup of judges for this year's Query Kombat tournament. Many of them were contestants in prior contests. We've worked hard to find authors that form a diverse group of opinions, talents, and specialties from all categories and genres.


Query Kombat would not be possible without the wonderful people who donate their time to help. For this month-long contest, we've recruited thirty-six industry professionals to critique entries and vote for a winner of each matchup. Each and every one of these judges is participating out of the kindness of their heart, so please join the QK Crew in thanking them for volunteering.
THANK YOU!
Remember that the best way to thank judges for their time is to buy their books. Michelle has compiled a Goodreads list to make finding the judges' books easier, and they’ve written some great stuff. Also be sure to follow the judges on Twitter. On May 11, we'll be hosting a Twitter party where writers can reach out to the judges and ask questions about their entries, writing, querying, etc. Join us at 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST. The hashtag will be #QKChat
There are so many judges this year, we're breaking the bios down across all three host blogs. Go here to see them all: Mike, Laura, and Michelle. For a rule refresher, click here. To donate, click here.
Now, without further ado, I'd like to introduce one set of judges for Query Kombat 2016.




Heather Van Fleet is stay-at-home-mom turned book boyfriend connoisseur. She’s the wife of her high school sweetheart and the mother of three amazing little girls. In her spare time, she can be found with her head buried in her Kindle, guzzling down copious amounts of coffee or writing about unattainable, perfect men and the heroines that sweep them off their feet.
Heather has been working in the publishing industry for over five years, and she currently works for BookFish Books as a content editor. She’s represented by Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary, and her Embattled Hearts Series releases with Sourcebooks starting in February, 2017. 
Website: https://www.heathervanfleet.comTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/HLVanFleetInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/HVFwritesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorheatherpowell 
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Jamie Howard is a legal and compliance specialist by day, author by night, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art. When she’s not tapping away at the keyboard or capturing the world through her trusty Canon, you can find her binge-watching TV shows, devouring books, and perfecting her gaming skills. She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs in New Jersey, and is almost always awake early enough to see the sun rise, even on the
weekends.

Jamie is the author of Until We Break , Until It’s Right , and the upcoming All The Ways You Saved Me with St. Martin’s Press. She is represented by Jessica Watterson of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.


Twitter: https://twitter.com/JRHoward9
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiehowardauthor
Website: www.jamiehowardauthor.com____________________________________________________________________________________________

Jamie Zakian is a YA/NA writer and freelance editor. When not writing, she enjoys farming, archery, and blazing new trails on her 4wd quad with her rowdy family. Her debut NA novel Ashby Holler releases June 14th from Limitless Publishing and her YA sci-fi thriller is forthcoming from Month9Books. Check out her website Writer's Retreat or follow her on Twitter Jamie Zakian (@demoness333) | Twitter ____________________________________________________________________________________________


Kat Hinkel is a thriller writer living in Philadelphia. She is a Pitch Wars 2015 alum and is represented by Jaida Temperly at New Leaf. You can often find her drinking old fashioneds at costume parties, playing music, or (obviously) writing.Twitter: @kathinkel
Website: www.kathinkel.squarespace.com



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Aden Polydoros grew up in Long Grove, Illinois, and now lives in Arizona. He is a writer of young adult fiction, and represented by Mallory Brown of TriadaUS Literary Agency. When he isn’t writing, he enjoys reading and going on hikes in the mountains. Aden's first book, PANDORA FROM THE CLAY, is due for Summer 2017 from Entangled Publishing, and was one of the manuscripts entered in Query Kombat 2015. 
adenpolydoros.com@AdenPolydoroshttps://www.facebook.com/aden.polydoros



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Kelly deVos is a Young Adult writer living in Gilbert, Arizona, represented by Kathleen Rushall of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Kelly currently serves as an intern to Entangled Senior Editor, Kate Brauning, and is an arts administration intern for the Marooned Journal at Arizona State University. She is also a contributor to the YA Buccaneers and YAgabonds.
Blog: http://insanity.todayTwitter: https://twitter.com/KdeVosAuthorTumblr: http://kellydevosauthor.tumblr.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellydevos/

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Kimberly Ito writes many angsty things, lately in the form of YA contemporary fiction. When she isn’t writing, she works as a freelance editor, proofreader, and Japanese-English translator. Kimberly grew up in the US and has lived in Japan for roughly half of her life. She currently lives just outside Tokyo with her husband, children, a spoiled Shiba Inu, and an insufferable lap cat.
You can find Kimberly on Twitter: @kimberlyito, or at her website: kimberlyito.com.

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Lisa A. Koosis is a prize-winning short story writer, whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Family Circle, The Poughkeepsie Journal, and the Hugo-nominated Abyss & Apex.  Lisa is a member of the SCBWI, an ambassador for National Novel Writing Month, and an active member of her local writing community. She is hopelessly addicted to writing contests, anything seashore-related, and accessories (particularly feather earrings and anything with fringe). Although she will forever consider herself a Long Islander, currently Lisa lives in New York’s historic Hudson Valley with her family, both two- and four-legged.  Her debut YA sci-fi novel, Resurrecting Sunshine, will be released by Albert Whitman & Co in Fall 2016.
Website: www.lisakoosis.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/MidnightZooFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisaakoosis/Goodreads/Resurrecting Sunshine: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28796975-resurrecting-sunshine


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Marty Mayberry writes adult and young adult fiction. When she’s not dreaming up ways to mess with her character’s lives, she works as an RN/Clinical Documentation Specialist. She has a BA in International Affairs in German and an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. She lives in New England with her husband, children, and three neurotic cats. She’s a member of SCBWI, YARWA, and a PRO member of RWA, and a PitchWars Mentor. Her young adult sci-fi thriller, PHOENIX RISING, won the 2015 YARWA’s Rosemary Award for speculative fiction.
Twitter: @marty_mayberryMarty Mayberry


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Sarah Schauerte Reida is a writer, lawyer, and ugly animal advocate. Growing up in the Midwest (Illinois, to be precise), she read everything she could get her hands on, as well as watched many, many movies during her parents' "camping" trips involving electricity and s'mores in a microwave. A member of The Sweet Sixteens, Sarah's debut middle grade novel, Monstervile: A Lissa Black Production, is slated for release in September of 2016 from Sky Pony Press. 

A graduate of Saint Louis University (B.A). and Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D.), Sarah makes a living helping veteran business owners compete for federal contracts. She and her husband Scott live in the Atlanta area with their dog and four cats. By the time this biography reaches print, they will probably have acquired another animal. 
Follow Sarah on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/SarahSchauerte. Also, you can access her writing website at: http://www.lissablackproductions.com.



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Wade Albert White is the author of the middle grade novel, The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes, (selected for the Middle Grade Author Buzz Panel at Book Expo America in 2016), and its sequel, The Adventurer’s Guide to Dragons (and Why They Keep Biting Me), forthcoming from Little Brown Books for Young Readers in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In addition to writing, he teaches part time (mostly to do with ancient languages), draws with his kids (usually robots fighting other robots), and tries to improve his time for running a 10K (sadly he seems to be getting slower rather than faster). Also, he owns one pretend cat and one real one, and they get along fabulously. He is represented by Elizabeth Kaplan of the Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency.

Twitter: @wadealbertwhiteWebsite: wadealbertwhite.com   

           

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When Wendy Nikel isn't traveling in time, exploring magical islands, or investigating mysterious phenomena, she enjoys a quiet life near Utah's Wasatch Mountains with her husband and sons. She has a degree in elementary education, a fondness for road trips, and a terrible habit of forgetting where she's left her cup of tea. Her short fiction has been published by AE,Daily Science Fiction, and elsewhere, and she is a member of the SFWA. She is represented by Richard Curtis.

www.wendynikel.comtwitter.com/wendynikelfacebook.com/wendynikel

Spring Query Extravaganza -- 7

Here we go with another query warm up for Query Kombat.

Please remember these are my thoughts only and I'm just one subjective opinion. Others may feel differently on how to shape a query. 

My next victim willing participant:


Dear [Ms./Mr.][Agent Last Name]:
[Personalize e.g. I understand you are looking for magical Middle Grade books with funny protagonists]. I’m excited to share MIRA AND THE MAGINS with you, which features a science-minded main character with two moms.
As the homeschooled only child of a U.S. patent attorney and an aerospace engineer, twelve-year-old Mira could have already completed her G.E.D. Instead, her moms decided she should spend the past year preparing to apply to Roebling’s Academy, an elite engineering prep-school in Austria. Mira would love nothing more than to study science at Roebling’s, but it’s hard to get her hopes up about admission when her success or failure to get into the Academy also determines whether her moms receive either much needed lab funding or notoriety.
 And then Mira is accidentally assigned an imaginary friend whom only she can see: Gimmer. Hailing from the Unseen Realm where all sorts of magical creatures like him apparently exist, Gimmer’s unique ability to teleport all over the place is driving Mira nuts. But Gimmer refuses to leave because he needs to meet one last quota of imagination magic to apply for a promotion in his world. After centuries of being looked down upon and ignored by his society just because his magical class is a Secondary color, rather than being a Primary or Tertiary color, Gimmer wants to prove to his world that Secondaries are good for more than just being ‘gofors.’
But, unbeknownst to Gimmer and Mira, the corrupt governing body of Gimmer’s world is close to completing a spell that would enable them to enslave all of humanity with their magic. The only missing piece? Gimmer’s teleport power. They’ve been trying to quietly obtain it for years with no success. More drastic measures must now be taken. To siphon his power—a process with a very high fatality rate—the Council captures Gimmer. Mira will have to decide whether to stay the course of her known, successful future that’s been planned for her entire life, or risk everything she believes in to try and save the life of an imaginary friend she didn’t make up.
MIRA AND THE MAGINS is a 68,000 word middle grade Contemporary Fantasy that can be described as Monsters, Inc. meets THE ART OF WISHING by Lindsay Ribar, sans the fur and romance.
As for me, I am a California video game attorney with a film production degree. I thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
With my crazy comments:
Dear [Ms./Mr.][Agent Last Name]:
[Personalize e.g. I understand you are looking for magical Middle Grade middle grade (Subjective, but to me it looks odd when capitalized.) books with funny protagonists]. I’m excited to share MIRA AND THE MAGINS with you, which features a science-minded main character with two moms.
 As the homeschooled only child of a U.S. patent attorney and an aerospace engineer, twelve-year-old Mira could have already completed her G.E.D. Instead, her moms decided she should spend the past year preparing to apply to Roebling’s Academy, an elite engineering prep-school in Austria. Mira would love nothing more than to study science at Roebling’s, but it’s hard to get her hopes up about admission when her success or failure to get into the Academy also determines whether her moms receive either much needed lab funding or notoriety. (This last sentence is rather long. Maybe it can be simplified. Mira would love to study science at Roebling's, but it's hard to get her hopes up--especially when her failure will cost her moms needed lab funding and clients.)
 And then Mira is accidentally assigned (We've taken an abrupt turn, but I'm flowing with it. Who assigned them together? That info might help ground the reader.)  an imaginary friend whom only she can see: Gimmer. Hailing from the Unseen Realm where all sorts of magical creatures like him apparently exist (this gives it a hint of voice), Gimmer’s unique ability to teleport all over the place is driving Mira nuts. (Tie it to the first paragraph.) How is she supposed to study? But Gimmer(I would rewrite this sentence from Mira's POV. Her attempts to give him the cold shoulder or trick him into leaving fall flat.) refuses to leave because he needs to meet one last quota of imagination magic to apply for a promotion in his world. After centuries of being looked down upon and ignored by his society just because his magical class is a Secondary color, rather than being a Primary or Tertiary color,  (Too much unnecessary detail. It's a subplot, not needed for the query.) Gimmer sees Mira as his chance to wants to prove to his world that Secondaries are he is good for more than just being a ‘gofors.’
But, unbeknownst to Gimmer and Mira, the corrupt governing body of Gimmer’s world is close to completing a spell that would enable them to enslave all of humanity with their magic. Their only missing piece? is Gimmer’s teleport power. They’ve been After trying to quietly obtain it for years with no success., Mmore drastic measures must now be taken. The Council captures Gimmer to siphon his power—a process with a very high fatality rate—the Council captures Gimmer. (End the sentence with the most punch-high fatality.) Mira will have to decide whether to stay the course of her known, successful planned out future that’s been planned for her entire life (I think known and successful says the same thing as planned. I liked planned better.), or risk everything she believes in to try and save the life of an imaginary friend she didn’t make up. (she didn't know she loved? the imaginary pain-in-the-bottom she didn't know she loved? The imaginary pain-in-the-bottom she can't live without? Play around with adding more voice to it.) 
MIRA AND THE MAGINS is a 68,000 (It's on the wordy side for MG, but I've seen ms longer sell.) word middle grade Contemporary Fantasy contemporary fantasy that can be described as Monsters, Inc. meets THE ART OF WISHING The Art of Wishing (Keep the comp titles smaller than your title.) by Lindsay Ribar, sans the fur and romance.
As for me, I am a California video game attorney with a film production degree. I thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,

A little trimming to take off some tangent side plot. A little rewording to shorten some sentences. A little added voice. And this query will be all set!

Just remember it's all subjective and change what works for you. I hope this helps. 

Spring Query Extravaganza -- 6

Here we go with another query warm up for Query Kombat.

Please remember these are my thoughts only and I'm just one subjective opinion. Others may feel differently on how to shape a query. 

My next victim willing participant:


Sherlock Holmes meets Fullmetal Alchemist when an ex-army doctor teams up with a fey magician to solve his patient's murder. WITCHMARK is a 76,000-word adult fantasy novel with romantic elements set in a world with magic and early 20th-century technology.
Dr. Miles Singer, a veteran returned from a recent war, has faked his death to work at a cash-strapped veteran's hospital. His quiet life hangs in jeopardy when a fatally poisoned patient begs him to find his murderer. Miles promises and the patient dies, but not before he exposes Miles's secret healing powers to a witness. Instead of reporting him as a witch, the witness wants to help Miles investigate.
Miles retraces the victim's last days in the company of Tristan Hunter, a fellow-magician he shouldn't be falling for. They pursue a murderer who steals or destroys evidence faster than they can find leads. When Miles and Tristan discover the secret Miles's patient was murdered to keep, they must choose between ignoring the suffering of the unseen few to live in comfort, or bringing down the technological advancements that millions depend on.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
With my crazy comments:
Dear : (I'm sure the writer just left this off when sending to me.)
Sherlock Holmes meets Fullmetal Alchemist when an ex-army doctor teams up with a fey magician to solve his patient's murder. WITCHMARK is a 76,000-word adult LGBT fantasy novel with romantic elements set in a world with magic and early 20th-century technology. (Intriguing. The word count might be a little low for adult. But I would spell out the type of technology by using examples, such as: airships and steam engines.)
Dr. Miles Singer, a veteran returned from a recent war, has faked his death to work at a cash-strapped veteran's hospital. (Why fake his death? Is there a reason he can't work where he wants? I think explaining this would clear up some questions and provide his motivation.) His quiet life hangs in jeopardy when a fatally poisoned patient begs him to find his murderer. Miles promises and the patient dies, but not before he exposes Miles's secret healing powers to a witness.(I hope the patient revealed him accidentally. But I'm confused. Is Miles the ex-army doctor? Is the witness the magician? That's why maybe it's better to put your genre/word count paragraph last so the reader doesn't form expectations of people they expect to see in the query.) Instead of reporting him as a witch, the witness wants to help Miles investigate.
Miles retraces the victim's last days in the company of Tristan Hunter, a fellow-magician he shouldn't be falling for. (So Tristan is the witness and the fey sorcerer? I would just use his name above and save some confusion. But this makes it sound like they both have magic. The opening paragraph implied only one did. Tristan and Miles. So would this be a LGBT story? That should for sure be in the genre paragraph.) They pursue a murderer who steals or destroys evidence faster than they can find leads. (This doesn't tell us much. I still feel in the dark about the main plot.) When Miles and Tristan discover the secret Miles's patient was murdered to keep (Too vague. You won't entice the reader by keeping them in the dark. What secret?) , they must choose between ignoring the suffering of the unseen few(What suffering?) to live in comfort, or bringing down the technological advancements (What sort of advancements?) that millions depend on.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
I think this query is suffering from vagueness and too few details. It could be that the author is trying so hard to leave something surprising in the manuscript that they are unintentionally hurting their chances. I am unsure of the larger plot beyond a patient being poisoned. I don't know what the antagonist is trying to accomplish or what Miles has to save the world from. There are mentions of technology in the query but not enough world building to show us what sort of technology.
The meat of the query is only two paragraphs. There is plenty of space to expand and gives us the heart of the story by rewriting the vague parts, providing the MC motivation and showing how the problem escalates. It sounds like a fantastic story if we had more details. I hope this helps.