Michelle Hauck's Blog, page 56
October 15, 2015
Nightmare on Query Street 2015 Submission Time
CLOSED!
The submission window opens at 4:00 pm (EST) on October 15th. Don't send too soon or your entry will be deleted. There will be email confirmation. The window will close when we receive 250 entries.
Michelle and Mike will make twenty picks each, and those twenty picks will go up on our blogs from October 29th through the 30th. Before this, there will be a mentor round to whip that entry into shape. We've already got amazing mentors lined up, so know that your entries will be polished for the agents.
We are accepting all age categories and genres, excluding picture books and erotica. But be sure to check our list of agents to see if they represent your book's genre.
If you plan on participating in the contest, you have to be following all our blogs (Michelle, Mike). And you'll want to be on twitter for the party.
ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. DO NOT TRY USING MULTIPLE EMAIL ADDRESSES. THIS DOES NOT MEAN ONE PER WRITING PEN NAME. ONE AND ONE ONLY.
It's pretty simple, actually.
But there's a catch.
Along with your query and 250, you must write a SHORT paragraph (no more than 100 words) about your main character. This is the question you must answer:
What is your main character's most fearsome obsession?
The Format:
Send all your submission to nightmareonquerystreet (at) yahoo (dot) com. Only one submission per email address AND person is allowed.
Here's how it should be formatted (yes, include the bolded and everything!). Please use Times New Roman (or equivalent), 12 pt font, and put spaces between paragraphs. No indents or tabs are needed.
Subject Line: NoQS: TITLE, Age Category + Genre
(example: NoQS: GRUDGING, Adult Epic Fantasy)
INSIDE THE EMAIL:
Name: Michelle Hauck
Twitter Handle: @Michelle4Laughs
Title: GRUDGING (yes, caps!)
Genre: Adult Epic Fantasy (Age category and genre. YA/MG is not a genre.)
Word Count: XX,XXX
Note: Twitter handle is not required, just useful in finding you.
My Main Character's Most Fearsome Obsession is:
My MC's most fearsome obsession is potatoes. He can't stop eating those suckers--fried, mashed, frenched--gotta have them. (Please, spend some time on this! We will be looking at this to make up for gaps in the query and 250. It gives us a chance to know your characters better. It doesn't have to be horror-scary. It can be more subtle. Remember 100 words or less.)
Query:
Here is my fantastic query! DO NOT INCLUDE BIO OR COMPS PARAGRAPH.Try to stay in the 250-300 word range. Please put spaces between paragraphs and don't indent.
First 250 words:
Here are the first 250 words of my manuscript, and I will not end in the middle of a sentence, even if I hit 255 words. Do not abuse and send 260. Keep it fair for all by staying close to 250.
Entries will be disqualified at our discretion for rule violation.
And that's it! Send in that email during the submission window and you're ready to go. There will be a confirmation email.
We're Tweeting under the hashtag #NoQS.
Topics for the twitter party are as follows:
October 15: All day, shout out the genre and age category you're sending. After 4:00 shout out if you got in.
October 16: What costume would your MC character wear for Halloween?
October 17: What's the most fearsome thing about querying?
October 18: Where do you hail from? It's kinda neat to find other writers near you. Shout out your approximate location and make new friends.
October 19: What's your favorite part about contests? What benefits you the most? Help us make the next one better by telling us.
October 20: Picks released. Tell us how you deal with stress as a writer. What helps while you wait on query letters?
October 14, 2015
Query Questions with Beth Campbell
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.
The interview today comes from Beth Campbell at Bookends Literary. And watch for Beth coming up in Nightmare on Query Street!
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query?
Definitely not. Of course a typo-free query is always preferable, but everyone makes mistakes and publishing professionals understand that. If a query letter is riddled with typos, that might result in a rejection, but one misspelled word or incorrect use of punctuation isn’t a death sentence. Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them?
Everyone at BookEnds reads all of their own queries! The only case in which we bring in interns is for snail mail queries. We don’t actually accept snail mail submissions and haven’t for years, but we still get a handful every month. Letting our interns look through them gives them experience with queries while still making sure that we look at all of our own properly submitted letters.
Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look?
Not consistently, but yes. If I’m really torn I’ll set aside a query or two for the next day when I can look at them again with fresh eyes. If I’m particularly ahead on queries, I’ll set up a small pile of maybes to come back to later, before the agency response deadline. How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query?
I don’t think comp titles are vital. A lot of queries nowadays don’t have them, and that’s fine. Sometimes I’ll get a query with comp titles that are all really big-name books and I feel that the author is just throwing out well known names—especially because those books often don’t really fit the manuscript being queried. If you’re going to use a comp, make sure it fits and remember that it doesn’t need to be a big book to work. Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript?
I like a little chit-chat, but the key word is “little.” Mostly I like to hear about personalized information that is somehow reflected in their manuscripts since it’s relevant and gives me a little peek into their lives. I also always smile when authors mention how they found me or what hobbies we have in common. One sentence usually does the trick. Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers?
Publishers (and Agents!) change titles and character names whenever they feel necessary, and it happens fairly often. A truly terrible title might color an evaluator’s opinion of your query, but 99% of the time titles aren’t something you should worry about so long as you have one.
How many queries do you receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those?
Queries received varies pretty widely based on the season. NaNoWriMo always causes a giant flood of queries. So do the “I’ll write a book” new years resolutions. Whenever I get posted to a new website or do a new interview, I get people coming into my inbox from those places. In any given week, I might get around 100 queries.
In terms of how many requests I might make? That also varies widely. Sometimes authors are more on point than average. Sometimes I’m feeling generous and I request more “on the fence” queries than I usually do. And on the flip side, sometimes I’m a little more critical than average. All of this also depends on how hungry I am for new clients. If I’m really wanting to sign a bunch of new people, I’ll be requesting more. Right now I’m in that hungry mindset, and I’d say I’m requesting maybe around 10% of the queries in my inbox (though math is not my strong suit so… no quoting me on that).
Many agents say they don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign to start one?
Having an online presence doesn’t tip the scale for me personally unless it’s really significant. If I like your book I’m going to offer on it regardless. If I’m on the fence and you have a blog with 60,000 followers, I’m going to pay closer attention.
I have found, however, that Internet presence can sway publishers. Sometimes if they see a debut author who’s involved with writer groups and has a blog or website for their writing, it will help their decision. If an author seems capable of doing a lot of marketing through their platform, that’s always appealing. What does ‘just not right for me’ mean to you?
This is such a vague phrase, and it can mean a number of different things. Sometimes it means that your submission doesn’t fit my guidelines—I’ll have authors querying me with genres that I haven’t represented in over a year, and some querying with genres I’ve neverrepresented. Some send me short stories or novellas even though I don’t accept them.
On the other hand, sometimes it means that it doesn’t fit what I’m looking for in a more broad sense. For example: I love stories where characters have close friends or families to bond with, grow with, and lean on. Stories with great standalone stoic characters may be wonderful, but unless they really grab me I often have difficulty connecting to those characters. In those cases, the author may be better off going with another agent because their work is “just not right for me”. Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent?
I do, but only to the extent that my authors need me to be. Everyone at our agency edits wherever we feel it is needed, and we will also look at WIPs and proposals when our authors request. Some of my clients are very self-sufficient and need very little editing. Others need very little editing but like to brainstorm when they’re in the writing phase. And other either need or want editing at various stages in their writing. I like to say that I’m hands-on without being a helicopter. If they don’t need or want me, I won’t hover. What three things are at the top of your submission wish list?
YA Sci-fi manuscripts are at the very top. I tend towards soft science fiction rather than hard, so that’s my ultimate preference. I also want a darker urban fantasy YA. And I’d love to be completely pulled in by a thrilling romantic suspense.
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes?
Tamora Pierce is my end-all and be-all of YA fantasy (well, at least the kind set in fantastical historical worlds). For urban fantasies my tastes skew a little darker a la Holly Black and Scott Westerfeld. Scott Westerfeld is also my go-to for sci-fi, though honestly who doesn’t love The 5th Wave?
---------------------
After an academic career filled with publishing internships, Beth joined BookEnds as a literary assistant in September 2012 and was promoted to Assistant Literary Agent in 2015. She's diligently building her client list and is always excited to meet an author with an excellent story. She's also spent years as the company's rights coordinator and now works alongside Moe to continue selling foreign and audio rights.
Beth's obsession with books began with a distinct fantasy/sci-fi flavor, and she's happily never kicked the addiction. She is primarily interested in signing clients within those genres, YA, romantic suspense, and mystery. She loves seeing diverse characters (sexuality, gender, race, you name it!) and strong friendships across all genres.
Beth currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and their cat. Outside of reading, her personal hobbies include drawing, cooking, gaming, and spending far too much time on the Internet.
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.
The interview today comes from Beth Campbell at Bookends Literary. And watch for Beth coming up in Nightmare on Query Street!
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query?
Definitely not. Of course a typo-free query is always preferable, but everyone makes mistakes and publishing professionals understand that. If a query letter is riddled with typos, that might result in a rejection, but one misspelled word or incorrect use of punctuation isn’t a death sentence. Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them?
Everyone at BookEnds reads all of their own queries! The only case in which we bring in interns is for snail mail queries. We don’t actually accept snail mail submissions and haven’t for years, but we still get a handful every month. Letting our interns look through them gives them experience with queries while still making sure that we look at all of our own properly submitted letters.
Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look?
Not consistently, but yes. If I’m really torn I’ll set aside a query or two for the next day when I can look at them again with fresh eyes. If I’m particularly ahead on queries, I’ll set up a small pile of maybes to come back to later, before the agency response deadline. How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query?
I don’t think comp titles are vital. A lot of queries nowadays don’t have them, and that’s fine. Sometimes I’ll get a query with comp titles that are all really big-name books and I feel that the author is just throwing out well known names—especially because those books often don’t really fit the manuscript being queried. If you’re going to use a comp, make sure it fits and remember that it doesn’t need to be a big book to work. Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript?
I like a little chit-chat, but the key word is “little.” Mostly I like to hear about personalized information that is somehow reflected in their manuscripts since it’s relevant and gives me a little peek into their lives. I also always smile when authors mention how they found me or what hobbies we have in common. One sentence usually does the trick. Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers?
Publishers (and Agents!) change titles and character names whenever they feel necessary, and it happens fairly often. A truly terrible title might color an evaluator’s opinion of your query, but 99% of the time titles aren’t something you should worry about so long as you have one.
How many queries do you receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those?
Queries received varies pretty widely based on the season. NaNoWriMo always causes a giant flood of queries. So do the “I’ll write a book” new years resolutions. Whenever I get posted to a new website or do a new interview, I get people coming into my inbox from those places. In any given week, I might get around 100 queries.
In terms of how many requests I might make? That also varies widely. Sometimes authors are more on point than average. Sometimes I’m feeling generous and I request more “on the fence” queries than I usually do. And on the flip side, sometimes I’m a little more critical than average. All of this also depends on how hungry I am for new clients. If I’m really wanting to sign a bunch of new people, I’ll be requesting more. Right now I’m in that hungry mindset, and I’d say I’m requesting maybe around 10% of the queries in my inbox (though math is not my strong suit so… no quoting me on that).
Many agents say they don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign to start one?
Having an online presence doesn’t tip the scale for me personally unless it’s really significant. If I like your book I’m going to offer on it regardless. If I’m on the fence and you have a blog with 60,000 followers, I’m going to pay closer attention.
I have found, however, that Internet presence can sway publishers. Sometimes if they see a debut author who’s involved with writer groups and has a blog or website for their writing, it will help their decision. If an author seems capable of doing a lot of marketing through their platform, that’s always appealing. What does ‘just not right for me’ mean to you?
This is such a vague phrase, and it can mean a number of different things. Sometimes it means that your submission doesn’t fit my guidelines—I’ll have authors querying me with genres that I haven’t represented in over a year, and some querying with genres I’ve neverrepresented. Some send me short stories or novellas even though I don’t accept them.
On the other hand, sometimes it means that it doesn’t fit what I’m looking for in a more broad sense. For example: I love stories where characters have close friends or families to bond with, grow with, and lean on. Stories with great standalone stoic characters may be wonderful, but unless they really grab me I often have difficulty connecting to those characters. In those cases, the author may be better off going with another agent because their work is “just not right for me”. Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent?
I do, but only to the extent that my authors need me to be. Everyone at our agency edits wherever we feel it is needed, and we will also look at WIPs and proposals when our authors request. Some of my clients are very self-sufficient and need very little editing. Others need very little editing but like to brainstorm when they’re in the writing phase. And other either need or want editing at various stages in their writing. I like to say that I’m hands-on without being a helicopter. If they don’t need or want me, I won’t hover. What three things are at the top of your submission wish list?
YA Sci-fi manuscripts are at the very top. I tend towards soft science fiction rather than hard, so that’s my ultimate preference. I also want a darker urban fantasy YA. And I’d love to be completely pulled in by a thrilling romantic suspense.
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes?
Tamora Pierce is my end-all and be-all of YA fantasy (well, at least the kind set in fantastical historical worlds). For urban fantasies my tastes skew a little darker a la Holly Black and Scott Westerfeld. Scott Westerfeld is also my go-to for sci-fi, though honestly who doesn’t love The 5th Wave?
---------------------
After an academic career filled with publishing internships, Beth joined BookEnds as a literary assistant in September 2012 and was promoted to Assistant Literary Agent in 2015. She's diligently building her client list and is always excited to meet an author with an excellent story. She's also spent years as the company's rights coordinator and now works alongside Moe to continue selling foreign and audio rights.Beth's obsession with books began with a distinct fantasy/sci-fi flavor, and she's happily never kicked the addiction. She is primarily interested in signing clients within those genres, YA, romantic suspense, and mystery. She loves seeing diverse characters (sexuality, gender, race, you name it!) and strong friendships across all genres.
Beth currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and their cat. Outside of reading, her personal hobbies include drawing, cooking, gaming, and spending far too much time on the Internet.
October 13, 2015
Book Blogger Conversation with Jasmine Pearl
I'm excited to start a new series of posts with a group that is under appreciated--book bloggers!
Book bloggers are obviously so important to authors. They give consistent reviews. They open their blogs to us. They are readers and fans! I think we should honor them more.
So this series of interviews was born! Hopefully it will help authors find bloggers and give everyone else a better appreciation of them.
Again we have another teen blogger. It's great to get the perspective of someone actually in the YA category!
What types of books do you review?I usually review YA books because they're really close to my heart. :)
Do you have any guidelines for authors to follow in contacting you? A link will work.Yup, I do have some guidelines. Here's the link: https://jasminepearlreads.wordpress.com/contact-me/
Do you post anything besides reviews—such as cover art or giveaways?I also post author Q&As, blog tours, giveaways, bookish stuff, and bookish talks (I love to interact with other bookworms!).
How do you find books to review or do they come to you?Sometimes, I request for them. Sometimes, they magically appear on my doorstep.
What got you into blogging about books?The main reason why I started blogging is to meet new bookish friends. I didn't actually know that I'd make it this far.
What elements go into a good review and how long does it take to write one?I love realistic stories. I also highlight quotes/lines that made me curious about life. It usually takes me an hour or more to write reviews. I need a pen and a notebook too!
How often do you post reviews?I usually post reviews at least 4 times a month. What types of things make for an extra special book? The kind you don’t forget?As what I've said, realistic stories are really close to my heart.
Any marketing tips you’ve noticed work really well for authors?Their friendliness and their love for their readers!
Favorite books you’ve reviewed.Alive by Scott Sigler. Solitaire by Alice Oseman. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.
Books you are looking forward to in the next year.I still haven't browsed for next year's upcoming books. *hides*
Do you prefer kindle or actual books when reading?ACTUAL books, ftw!
If you could only purchase one book, what would it be?I prefer not to purchase a book. It will make my heart broken if I'll only choose one.
What’s your favorite spot to read?On the sofa or at the library.
Give us your best advice for a beginning book blogger. Feel free to approach other book bloggers. Everyone in the bookish community is sweet and fab! :)
-----------------------------
Jasmine Pearl is a 17 year old college student who loves blogging about YA books. She blogs at Jasmine Pearl Reads. She also post bookish photos on instagram. The main reason why she started book blogging is to meet new bookish friends in the internet. "Feel free to approach me, guys!" :)
Book Blog: jasminepearlreads.wordpress.comInstagram: instagram.com/jasminereadsTwitter: twitter.com/JasmineRaymundoGoodreads: goodreads.com/jasminepearlreadsBloglovin: bloglovin.com/jasminepearlreads
Book bloggers are obviously so important to authors. They give consistent reviews. They open their blogs to us. They are readers and fans! I think we should honor them more.
So this series of interviews was born! Hopefully it will help authors find bloggers and give everyone else a better appreciation of them.
Again we have another teen blogger. It's great to get the perspective of someone actually in the YA category!
What types of books do you review?I usually review YA books because they're really close to my heart. :)
Do you have any guidelines for authors to follow in contacting you? A link will work.Yup, I do have some guidelines. Here's the link: https://jasminepearlreads.wordpress.com/contact-me/
Do you post anything besides reviews—such as cover art or giveaways?I also post author Q&As, blog tours, giveaways, bookish stuff, and bookish talks (I love to interact with other bookworms!).
How do you find books to review or do they come to you?Sometimes, I request for them. Sometimes, they magically appear on my doorstep.
What got you into blogging about books?The main reason why I started blogging is to meet new bookish friends. I didn't actually know that I'd make it this far.
What elements go into a good review and how long does it take to write one?I love realistic stories. I also highlight quotes/lines that made me curious about life. It usually takes me an hour or more to write reviews. I need a pen and a notebook too!
How often do you post reviews?I usually post reviews at least 4 times a month. What types of things make for an extra special book? The kind you don’t forget?As what I've said, realistic stories are really close to my heart.
Any marketing tips you’ve noticed work really well for authors?Their friendliness and their love for their readers!
Favorite books you’ve reviewed.Alive by Scott Sigler. Solitaire by Alice Oseman. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.
Books you are looking forward to in the next year.I still haven't browsed for next year's upcoming books. *hides*
Do you prefer kindle or actual books when reading?ACTUAL books, ftw!
If you could only purchase one book, what would it be?I prefer not to purchase a book. It will make my heart broken if I'll only choose one.
What’s your favorite spot to read?On the sofa or at the library.
Give us your best advice for a beginning book blogger. Feel free to approach other book bloggers. Everyone in the bookish community is sweet and fab! :)
-----------------------------
Jasmine Pearl is a 17 year old college student who loves blogging about YA books. She blogs at Jasmine Pearl Reads. She also post bookish photos on instagram. The main reason why she started book blogging is to meet new bookish friends in the internet. "Feel free to approach me, guys!" :)Book Blog: jasminepearlreads.wordpress.comInstagram: instagram.com/jasminereadsTwitter: twitter.com/JasmineRaymundoGoodreads: goodreads.com/jasminepearlreadsBloglovin: bloglovin.com/jasminepearlreads
October 12, 2015
Agents/Editors for Nightmare on Query Street 2015 (partial list)
It's getting close to time. The submission windows opens this Thursday! For all the details, check this post.
These are but half of the list of our fantastic agents! For the other half, go to Mike's blog.
We hope to see your entry on Thursday!
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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Clelia Gore
Clelia Gore runs the kid lit division of the Seattle-based agency, Martin Literary Management. Clelia acquires just about everything under the children's book umbrella -- picture books, middle grade and YA, with a particular interest in nonfiction across all genres. Clelia's most recently published client is teen scientist Jack Andraka, author of the YA memoir BREAKTHROUGH: HOW ONE TEEN INNOVATOR IS CHANGING THE WORLD (HarperCollins).
Website|Twitter
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Jordy Albert
Jordy Albert is a Literary Agent and co-founder of The Booker Albert Literary Agency. She holds a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University, and a M.A. from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She has worked with Marisa Corvisiero during her time at the L. Perkins Agency and the Corvisiero Literary Agency. She enjoys studying languages (French/Japanese), spends time teaching herself how to knit, is a HUGE fan of Doctor Who, Sherlock and Supernatural (#Superwholock)!!! And loves dogs.
She is looking for stories that sink their teeth in, leave the reader wanting more, and gives her all the feels. She loves books that make her laugh out loud or tear up (or in some cases wanting to throw the book). She is interested in Middle Grade contemporary or action/adventure (think awesome 80s movies). In YA and New Adult, she is looking for sci-fi/fantasy (romance), contemporary romance. She’s also always looking for characters with strong, authentic/realistic voices. Jordy loves an awesome kick butt hero/heroine, especially when they have to work their way out of a tight spot. While it isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, she tends to shy away from novels with trigger topics, such as suicide and any type of abuse. As for adult works, Jordy is looking for smart, sexy contemporary romances that leave her breathless, and where the chemistry between the characters sizzles right off the pages. She is also looking for Historical Romances (she definitely has a soft spot for a fantastic Regency). Like Brittany, Jordy is a sucker for a HEA (please, no sad endings)!
Website|Twitter
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Mark Gottlieb
Mark Gottlieb’s focus on publishing began at Emerson College, where he was a founding member of the Publishing Club, later its President, overseeing its first publication and establishing the Wilde Press.
After graduating with a degree in writing, literature and publishing, Mark began his career with the Vice President of Berkley Books (Penguin), working with leading editors.
His first position at the Trident Media Group literary agency was in foreign rights, selling the books of clients around the world. Mark later worked as Executive Assistant to Robert Gottlieb, Chairman of Trident, with responsibility for organizing/managing diverse authors and their complex business transactions. He next assumed the position of audio rights agent. Since Mark has managed the audio rights business, the annual sales volume has more than doubled. Mark showed great initiative and insight in identifying talented writers.
In passing the Audio Department's torch, Mark is building his own client list of writers. He is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources that are available to Trident.
Website|Twitter
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Sara Sciuto
Sara Sciuto is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and also completed literature coursework at NYU. Her first industry experience was working on film and foreign rights with Taryn Fagerness Agency. From there she joined Full Circle Literary where she specialized in children’s literature and was there for over threeyears before joining Fuse Literary.
Sara is actively building her list with a focus on middle grade and young adult fiction; in particular, contemporary, historical, gothic/thriller/horror, sci-fi, mystery/suspense, fantasy and other speculative fiction. For YA she’s especially drawn to literary voices with commercial appeal (i.e. no chick-lit, please). For MG, her tastes are broader and she seeks everything from provoking historical to fun/silly adventure projects. She has a particular soft spot for gritty narratives, anything with international or regional locales, period settings, and anything with artistic themes.
Sara is also looking for standout picture books, especially those with a quirky or humorous narrative; and welcomes author/illustrators, as well as conceptual or art-driven projects. She’s also considering select adult nonfiction in the areas of craft, design, how-to, lifestyle, and pop culture. For children’s nonfiction, she’s open to a wider range of both narrative and prescriptive projects. Currently, she is NOT considering any adult fiction (all genres).
Website|Twitter
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Whitley Abell
Whitley Abell joined Inklings Literary Agency in 2013. Before joining Inklings, she completed successful internships with Carol Mann Agency and P.S. Literary Agency. She is based in St. Louis, MO, where she daylights writing proposals of the entirely unromantic variety. She graduated in 2011with a BA in English and Creative Writing, and again in 2012 with a MAT in Secondary English Education, which basically means she can tell you anything there is to know about feminist literary theory and the Common Core Standards.
Whitley is currently building her list and is primarily interested in Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Women’s Fiction. She is open to almost anything within those arenas, be it contemporary or historical, romance or thriller, realistic or supernatural, tragic or quirky. She has a soft spot for the goofy guys, awkward ducks, April Ludgates, and devout fan girls of the world. Manic pixie dream girls will be turned away at the door.
Please, NO picture books, poetry, non-fiction, or genre romance, crime/mystery, or sci-fi/fantasy for the adult market.
Website|Twitter
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Mallory Brown
Literary Agent Assistant Mallory C. Brown of TriadaUS is seeking young adult, new adult, women’s fiction, and non-fiction. She is especially drawn to pieces with strong character-driven plots and witty humor. She loves contemporary fiction, low fantasy, and romance. Mallory also appreciates a well-placed comma and hopes you do, too.
Some of Mallory’s favorites at the moment are: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Gone Girl,Outlander, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
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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Alex Barba
Alex Barba is an agent and the foreign rights contact at Inklings Literary Agency.
Alex has a background in publishing and entertainment. She came to Inklings after a stint as a literary consultant in New York City, having scouted the U.S. book market for film and TV clients and foreign publishers. Prior to that, she spent time in Los Angeles as an editor at a digital magazine, and doing story development on scripts with a literary management company.
In her own words, what she wants:
I represent YA fiction (because I am still a 16-year-old girl at heart). I'm looking for grounded contemporary YA, but an extremely well-done contemporary with fantasy or sci-fi elements will occasionally grab me. And a clever retelling/re-spin of an old classic is always thrilling (think Ella Enchanted, one of my favorite books ever). Cinematic elements draw my eye, but ultimately I believe truly great stories are built on the backs of multi-faceted, compelling characters. Some other things I particularly love: stories about self-discovery, awesome action sequences, interesting friendships, smart girls making bad choices, a good love story, and darkly humorous writing with wacky plot twists.
Website|Twitter
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Erin Latimer for Amy Jameson
Amy began her career in New York with esteemed literary agency Janklow & Nesbit Associates, where she launched Shannon Hale’s career. She currently represents New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George and a select crop of new authors. Amy loves children’s literature, and is actively seeking Middle Grade and Young Adult projects.
Website|Twitter
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Mary Seymour
Mary Sue Seymour is listed by Publishers Marketplace as one of the top dealmakers in the country. Mary Sue founded The Seymour Agency in 1992.
Mary Sue Seymour is a member of the Author's Guild, the AAR, ACFW, WGA, and RWA.
Mary Sue accepts queries in the following genres: Christian, Inspirational, Romance (including category), and Non-Fiction.
Website|Twitter
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Nicole Resciniti
Nicole has been listed by Publisher's Marketplace as a top dealmaker in the country, and named ACFW's 2012 Agent of the Year.
She loves discovering new talent and helping established authors to take their career to the next level. Do you have the next project to feed her book addiction? A smart, tight read shewon’t be able to put down? A signature voice she’ll fight to represent?
HEA’s are a must for romance. Mainstream suspense, thrillers, mysteries, YA and inspirational novels are welcome. A consummate science geek and card-carrying Mensa member, Nicole would love to find the next great science fiction/fantasy novel or action/adventure masterpiece.
Currently on her wish list high concept middle grade, any kind of romance, and really fresh voices in YA.
Nicole is a member of AAR, ACFW, RWA, and Mensa. She holds degrees in biology, psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. Like Mary Sue, Nicole taught in the public school system and has worn many hats before heeding her calling to become a literary agent--for which she will forever be indebted to Mary Sue Seymour.
Website|Twitter
These are but half of the list of our fantastic agents! For the other half, go to Mike's blog.
We hope to see your entry on Thursday!
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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Clelia Gore
Clelia Gore runs the kid lit division of the Seattle-based agency, Martin Literary Management. Clelia acquires just about everything under the children's book umbrella -- picture books, middle grade and YA, with a particular interest in nonfiction across all genres. Clelia's most recently published client is teen scientist Jack Andraka, author of the YA memoir BREAKTHROUGH: HOW ONE TEEN INNOVATOR IS CHANGING THE WORLD (HarperCollins).
Website|Twitter
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Jordy Albert
Jordy Albert is a Literary Agent and co-founder of The Booker Albert Literary Agency. She holds a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University, and a M.A. from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She has worked with Marisa Corvisiero during her time at the L. Perkins Agency and the Corvisiero Literary Agency. She enjoys studying languages (French/Japanese), spends time teaching herself how to knit, is a HUGE fan of Doctor Who, Sherlock and Supernatural (#Superwholock)!!! And loves dogs.
She is looking for stories that sink their teeth in, leave the reader wanting more, and gives her all the feels. She loves books that make her laugh out loud or tear up (or in some cases wanting to throw the book). She is interested in Middle Grade contemporary or action/adventure (think awesome 80s movies). In YA and New Adult, she is looking for sci-fi/fantasy (romance), contemporary romance. She’s also always looking for characters with strong, authentic/realistic voices. Jordy loves an awesome kick butt hero/heroine, especially when they have to work their way out of a tight spot. While it isn’t necessarily a deal breaker, she tends to shy away from novels with trigger topics, such as suicide and any type of abuse. As for adult works, Jordy is looking for smart, sexy contemporary romances that leave her breathless, and where the chemistry between the characters sizzles right off the pages. She is also looking for Historical Romances (she definitely has a soft spot for a fantastic Regency). Like Brittany, Jordy is a sucker for a HEA (please, no sad endings)!
Website|Twitter
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Mark Gottlieb
Mark Gottlieb’s focus on publishing began at Emerson College, where he was a founding member of the Publishing Club, later its President, overseeing its first publication and establishing the Wilde Press.
After graduating with a degree in writing, literature and publishing, Mark began his career with the Vice President of Berkley Books (Penguin), working with leading editors.
His first position at the Trident Media Group literary agency was in foreign rights, selling the books of clients around the world. Mark later worked as Executive Assistant to Robert Gottlieb, Chairman of Trident, with responsibility for organizing/managing diverse authors and their complex business transactions. He next assumed the position of audio rights agent. Since Mark has managed the audio rights business, the annual sales volume has more than doubled. Mark showed great initiative and insight in identifying talented writers.
In passing the Audio Department's torch, Mark is building his own client list of writers. He is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources that are available to Trident.
Website|Twitter
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Sara Sciuto
Sara Sciuto is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and also completed literature coursework at NYU. Her first industry experience was working on film and foreign rights with Taryn Fagerness Agency. From there she joined Full Circle Literary where she specialized in children’s literature and was there for over threeyears before joining Fuse Literary.
Sara is actively building her list with a focus on middle grade and young adult fiction; in particular, contemporary, historical, gothic/thriller/horror, sci-fi, mystery/suspense, fantasy and other speculative fiction. For YA she’s especially drawn to literary voices with commercial appeal (i.e. no chick-lit, please). For MG, her tastes are broader and she seeks everything from provoking historical to fun/silly adventure projects. She has a particular soft spot for gritty narratives, anything with international or regional locales, period settings, and anything with artistic themes.
Sara is also looking for standout picture books, especially those with a quirky or humorous narrative; and welcomes author/illustrators, as well as conceptual or art-driven projects. She’s also considering select adult nonfiction in the areas of craft, design, how-to, lifestyle, and pop culture. For children’s nonfiction, she’s open to a wider range of both narrative and prescriptive projects. Currently, she is NOT considering any adult fiction (all genres).
Website|Twitter
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Whitley Abell
Whitley Abell joined Inklings Literary Agency in 2013. Before joining Inklings, she completed successful internships with Carol Mann Agency and P.S. Literary Agency. She is based in St. Louis, MO, where she daylights writing proposals of the entirely unromantic variety. She graduated in 2011with a BA in English and Creative Writing, and again in 2012 with a MAT in Secondary English Education, which basically means she can tell you anything there is to know about feminist literary theory and the Common Core Standards.
Whitley is currently building her list and is primarily interested in Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Women’s Fiction. She is open to almost anything within those arenas, be it contemporary or historical, romance or thriller, realistic or supernatural, tragic or quirky. She has a soft spot for the goofy guys, awkward ducks, April Ludgates, and devout fan girls of the world. Manic pixie dream girls will be turned away at the door.
Please, NO picture books, poetry, non-fiction, or genre romance, crime/mystery, or sci-fi/fantasy for the adult market.
Website|Twitter
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Mallory Brown
Literary Agent Assistant Mallory C. Brown of TriadaUS is seeking young adult, new adult, women’s fiction, and non-fiction. She is especially drawn to pieces with strong character-driven plots and witty humor. She loves contemporary fiction, low fantasy, and romance. Mallory also appreciates a well-placed comma and hopes you do, too.
Some of Mallory’s favorites at the moment are: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Gone Girl,Outlander, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
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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Alex Barba
Alex Barba is an agent and the foreign rights contact at Inklings Literary Agency.
Alex has a background in publishing and entertainment. She came to Inklings after a stint as a literary consultant in New York City, having scouted the U.S. book market for film and TV clients and foreign publishers. Prior to that, she spent time in Los Angeles as an editor at a digital magazine, and doing story development on scripts with a literary management company.
In her own words, what she wants:
I represent YA fiction (because I am still a 16-year-old girl at heart). I'm looking for grounded contemporary YA, but an extremely well-done contemporary with fantasy or sci-fi elements will occasionally grab me. And a clever retelling/re-spin of an old classic is always thrilling (think Ella Enchanted, one of my favorite books ever). Cinematic elements draw my eye, but ultimately I believe truly great stories are built on the backs of multi-faceted, compelling characters. Some other things I particularly love: stories about self-discovery, awesome action sequences, interesting friendships, smart girls making bad choices, a good love story, and darkly humorous writing with wacky plot twists.
Website|Twitter
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Erin Latimer for Amy Jameson
Amy began her career in New York with esteemed literary agency Janklow & Nesbit Associates, where she launched Shannon Hale’s career. She currently represents New York Times bestselling author Jessica Day George and a select crop of new authors. Amy loves children’s literature, and is actively seeking Middle Grade and Young Adult projects.
Website|Twitter
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Mary Seymour
Mary Sue Seymour is listed by Publishers Marketplace as one of the top dealmakers in the country. Mary Sue founded The Seymour Agency in 1992.
Mary Sue Seymour is a member of the Author's Guild, the AAR, ACFW, WGA, and RWA.
Mary Sue accepts queries in the following genres: Christian, Inspirational, Romance (including category), and Non-Fiction.
Website|Twitter
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Nicole Resciniti
Nicole has been listed by Publisher's Marketplace as a top dealmaker in the country, and named ACFW's 2012 Agent of the Year.
She loves discovering new talent and helping established authors to take their career to the next level. Do you have the next project to feed her book addiction? A smart, tight read shewon’t be able to put down? A signature voice she’ll fight to represent?
HEA’s are a must for romance. Mainstream suspense, thrillers, mysteries, YA and inspirational novels are welcome. A consummate science geek and card-carrying Mensa member, Nicole would love to find the next great science fiction/fantasy novel or action/adventure masterpiece.
Currently on her wish list high concept middle grade, any kind of romance, and really fresh voices in YA.
Nicole is a member of AAR, ACFW, RWA, and Mensa. She holds degrees in biology, psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. Like Mary Sue, Nicole taught in the public school system and has worn many hats before heeding her calling to become a literary agent--for which she will forever be indebted to Mary Sue Seymour.
Website|Twitter
October 11, 2015
Query Advice: Query Critique
As you are getting ready to submit your query for Nightmare on Query Street, I thought it might be helpful to do a few critiques to give the point of view of one of the hosts.
I'm not an agent, but I've read an awful lot of queries. I'd guess I've seen thousands in the three years I've been hosting contests. After that amount of time, you get a good feel of what stands out from the crowd. Still, this is one person's opinion.
A few writers have volunteered to offer up their queries for me to point out a few things. So here is the query without comments, so you can form your own opinion:
Qemassen's high-priest, Samelqo, is convinced the path to salvation is paved with the bodies of dead children. When he threatens to burn Prince Aurelius in offering, the prince's companion, Dashel, knows he must be stopped. Aurelius is more than Dashel's reponsibility; he's his closest friend. But though Aurelius is saved through Dashel's political maneuvering, the choice means death for the prince's newborn sister.
When Samelqo's sacrifice fails to exorcise the spectre of war, Qemassen's court begins to question whether the right child died that night, and Dashel is once again caught in a web of political intrigue that threatens to tear both Qemassen and the royal family apart. Dashel would die a thousand times for his prince, but theirs aren't the only lives at stake, and the unlikely alliances that could save them cast Dashel in the role of traitor, pitting him against the family he's sworn to protect.
Complete at 119, 000 words, THE COINS OF MAMMON is an epic fantasy told from multiple perspectives, and with series potential. It draws on my own experiences as a member of the LBGT community, as well as my academic background in Semitic demonology and North African history.
And with my comments:
(No tabs in a query letter.)Qemassen's hHigh-priest, Samelqo (That’s two names. I doubt you need the place name.), is convinced the path to salvation (for who? Just him or everyone?) is paved with the bodies of dead children. When he threatens(threatens seems weak. He may do it. But maybe not.) decides to burn Prince Aurelius the young prince in as an offering, the prince's companion (protector?) , Dashel, knows (Again a weak and dull verb.)he must be stopped vows to stop it. Aurelius The prince is more than Dashel's reponsibility; he's his closest friend. But though Aurelius is saved throughDashel's political maneuvering is successful, the choice means death for the prince's newborn sister. (Problem here. I’m not seeing an obstacle yet.)
When Samelqo's her sacrifice fails to exorcise the spectre of war (I thought it was for their salvation, like their souls type of salvation.) , Qemassen's the court begins to(There is no begins or starts, there is only do, padawan.) questions whether the right child died that night, and Dashel is once again caught in a web of political intrigue that threatens to tearing both Qemassen the country and the royal family apart. (I’ve yet to see a reason why I care. There’s not enough to make me care for Dashel yet. Not enough about him and what motivates him. He likes his friend a lot. Is it about honor? Does he have no other family? Give us something about Dashel’s personality. Also what bad thing will befall everyone if the country and family are destroyed/wounded?) Dashel would die a thousand times for his prince (why? Are they in romantic love?) , but theirs aren't the only lives at stake.and the unlikely alliances (vague. What sort of alliances? With the rival country? With a prostitute? With another priest?) that could save them cast Dashel in the role of traitor, pitting him against the family he's sworn to protect. (Dashel’s only choice may be a traitorous alliance with a prostitute and one of the priests killing the children, pitting him against the very family he’s sworn to protect.)
Complete at 119, 000 words, Set in an African-type world, THE COINS OF MAMMON is an 119,000 word epic fantasy told from multiple perspectives, and with series potential. It draws on my own experiences as a member of the LBGT community, as well as my academic background in Semitic demonology and North African history. (Is it set in an African-like world? You should get that up front! In the first paragraph can you add some world building that makes it more apparent. Agents are looking for non-European epic fantasy.)
This query isn't quite there yet, though it's got a solid base. It suffers from weak verbs and some extra wordage. Also it lacks a reason for me to care what happens. I would suggest attacking that problem in two ways: make us care more about Dashel and tell us what bad thing will happen if he fails.
On the plus side, this appears that it might have diversity going for it. An African-inspired epic fantasy would be sweet. Try to bring out some details that would make this obvious in the section about the story. That's your unique component and you should rely on it to a point. If their relationship is LGBT, make that apparent, too.
Also you fail to capitalize on the guilt Dashel must be feeling for getting the baby sister killed. Does that set the family against him?
In every query it's important that you highlight the unique qualities of your story. What makes the plot different?
I hope this helps.
I'm not an agent, but I've read an awful lot of queries. I'd guess I've seen thousands in the three years I've been hosting contests. After that amount of time, you get a good feel of what stands out from the crowd. Still, this is one person's opinion.
A few writers have volunteered to offer up their queries for me to point out a few things. So here is the query without comments, so you can form your own opinion:
Qemassen's high-priest, Samelqo, is convinced the path to salvation is paved with the bodies of dead children. When he threatens to burn Prince Aurelius in offering, the prince's companion, Dashel, knows he must be stopped. Aurelius is more than Dashel's reponsibility; he's his closest friend. But though Aurelius is saved through Dashel's political maneuvering, the choice means death for the prince's newborn sister.
When Samelqo's sacrifice fails to exorcise the spectre of war, Qemassen's court begins to question whether the right child died that night, and Dashel is once again caught in a web of political intrigue that threatens to tear both Qemassen and the royal family apart. Dashel would die a thousand times for his prince, but theirs aren't the only lives at stake, and the unlikely alliances that could save them cast Dashel in the role of traitor, pitting him against the family he's sworn to protect.
Complete at 119, 000 words, THE COINS OF MAMMON is an epic fantasy told from multiple perspectives, and with series potential. It draws on my own experiences as a member of the LBGT community, as well as my academic background in Semitic demonology and North African history.
And with my comments:
(No tabs in a query letter.)
This query isn't quite there yet, though it's got a solid base. It suffers from weak verbs and some extra wordage. Also it lacks a reason for me to care what happens. I would suggest attacking that problem in two ways: make us care more about Dashel and tell us what bad thing will happen if he fails.
On the plus side, this appears that it might have diversity going for it. An African-inspired epic fantasy would be sweet. Try to bring out some details that would make this obvious in the section about the story. That's your unique component and you should rely on it to a point. If their relationship is LGBT, make that apparent, too.
Also you fail to capitalize on the guilt Dashel must be feeling for getting the baby sister killed. Does that set the family against him?
In every query it's important that you highlight the unique qualities of your story. What makes the plot different?
I hope this helps.
Contest Prep: Query Critique
As you are getting ready to submit your query for Nightmare on Query Street, I thought it might be helpful to do a few critiques to give the point of view of one of the hosts.
I'm not an agent, but I've read an awful lot of queries. I'd guess I've seen thousands in the three years I've been hosting contests. After that amount of time, you get a good feel of what stands out from the crowd.
A few writers have volunteered to offer up their queries for me to point out a few things. So here is the query without comments, so you can form your own opinion:
Lavie Streaver has many identities: castle troublemaker, reluctant bride, knight. When the war she started ends with her enemy’s unexpected surrender, Lavie obtains a new role: Hero.
But while the kingdom is at peace, Lavie struggles. She panics in crowds, she sleeps on the floor rather than a bed, and every day brings her closer to losing her temper and drawing her sword on someone who doesn’t deserve it. The only person who understands her is her friend, Harry, but he has his own troubles. The new king’s love affair with Harry puts him in conflict with his duties to the throne, and Lavie is caught between supporting the stability of the kingdom, and standing up for her closest friend.
Lavie finds herself questioning more and more of the king’s decisions. And like a scab she can’t stop picking, she returns again and again to the usurper she defeated, trying to understand his motivation for surrender. When raiders attack the coast and assassins threaten the king, Lavie knows the battle isn’t over yet, but must decide what it is she’s fighting for: king and kingdom, Harry, or her place in the new world. Because if she picks the wrong cause to champion, she could end up losing all three.
Beginning where most fantasy novels would end, HAPPILY EVER AFTER is an adult fantasy of 99,000 words featuring a strong LGBT+ cast, including an asexual lead.
Now here we go again with my comments:
Lavie Streaver has many identities: castle troublemaker, reluctant bride, knight (I don’t know that this list gives me as much personality as a descriptive sentence would. It feels rather flat to me. Here’s a guess at filling it out: Lavie Streaver started out as the castle prankster, turned into the reluctant bride of the century, and ended leading a rebellion to throw off an upstart throne usurper.) When the war she started ends with her enemy’s unexpected surrender, Lavie obtains a new role: Hero.
But while the kingdom is at peace, Lavie struggles. She panics in crowds,she sleeps on the floor rather than a bed, and every day brings her closer to losing her temper(Something snappier in tone. blowing up?) and drawing her sword on an innocent. someone who doesn’t deserve it. The only person who understandsher is her friend(Trust the reader to get this, plus you say it below.), is Harry, but he has his own troubles. The new king’s love affair with Harry puts him in conflict with his duties to the throne, and Lavie is caught between supporting the stability of the kingdom, and standing up for her closest friend.
Laviefinds herself questioningquestions more and more of the king’s decisions. And like a scab she can’t stop picking, she returns again and again revisits (Really picky and subjective but I don’t care for the repeat echo of this structure.) to the usurper she defeated, trying to understand his motivation for surrender. (I like this. This is what gets my attention. She's the hero and defeated this guy, but maybe it was the wrong way to go. Also, here’s the spot for her own troubles. Why was it possibly wrong to put the king back on the throne? And I say go with a question. Could it be …) When raiders attack the coast and assassins threaten the king, Lavie knows the battle isn’t over. yet, but She must decide what it is whether she’s fighting for: king and kingdom, Harry, or her place in the new world (I think the weak spot is we don’t have enough information about this new world. Add that above.). Because if she picks the wrong cause to champion, she could end up losing all three.
Beginning where most fantasy novels (That throws a slight twist on a tired subject, making the concept somewhat unique.) would end, HAPPILY EVER AFTER is an adult fantasy of 99,000 words featuring a strong LGBT+ cast, including an asexual lead. (Nice and concise and clean!)
What caught my eye here is that she might have initially made the wrong choice. Maybe the king wasn't her guy after all. (And hey, that phrase has a lot of personality. You might want to steal it.) But the thing I think is missing is why.
I love that this query has diversity. Right away that will attract my notice. But, I would also recommend trying to fit in some slang phrases to give this more personality. You want to stay within the mood of the manuscript, but I'd like to know more about the MC and word choice can provide that.
Seems like to me this query is very close. It would either be a yes or a maybe for me.
I'm not an agent, but I've read an awful lot of queries. I'd guess I've seen thousands in the three years I've been hosting contests. After that amount of time, you get a good feel of what stands out from the crowd.
A few writers have volunteered to offer up their queries for me to point out a few things. So here is the query without comments, so you can form your own opinion:
Lavie Streaver has many identities: castle troublemaker, reluctant bride, knight. When the war she started ends with her enemy’s unexpected surrender, Lavie obtains a new role: Hero.
But while the kingdom is at peace, Lavie struggles. She panics in crowds, she sleeps on the floor rather than a bed, and every day brings her closer to losing her temper and drawing her sword on someone who doesn’t deserve it. The only person who understands her is her friend, Harry, but he has his own troubles. The new king’s love affair with Harry puts him in conflict with his duties to the throne, and Lavie is caught between supporting the stability of the kingdom, and standing up for her closest friend.
Lavie finds herself questioning more and more of the king’s decisions. And like a scab she can’t stop picking, she returns again and again to the usurper she defeated, trying to understand his motivation for surrender. When raiders attack the coast and assassins threaten the king, Lavie knows the battle isn’t over yet, but must decide what it is she’s fighting for: king and kingdom, Harry, or her place in the new world. Because if she picks the wrong cause to champion, she could end up losing all three.
Beginning where most fantasy novels would end, HAPPILY EVER AFTER is an adult fantasy of 99,000 words featuring a strong LGBT+ cast, including an asexual lead.
Now here we go again with my comments:
Lavie Streaver has many identities: castle troublemaker, reluctant bride, knight (I don’t know that this list gives me as much personality as a descriptive sentence would. It feels rather flat to me. Here’s a guess at filling it out: Lavie Streaver started out as the castle prankster, turned into the reluctant bride of the century, and ended leading a rebellion to throw off an upstart throne usurper.) When the war she started ends with her enemy’s unexpected surrender, Lavie obtains a new role: Hero.
But while the kingdom is at peace, Lavie struggles. She panics in crowds,
Lavie
Beginning where most fantasy novels (That throws a slight twist on a tired subject, making the concept somewhat unique.) would end, HAPPILY EVER AFTER is an adult fantasy of 99,000 words featuring a strong LGBT+ cast, including an asexual lead. (Nice and concise and clean!)
What caught my eye here is that she might have initially made the wrong choice. Maybe the king wasn't her guy after all. (And hey, that phrase has a lot of personality. You might want to steal it.) But the thing I think is missing is why.
I love that this query has diversity. Right away that will attract my notice. But, I would also recommend trying to fit in some slang phrases to give this more personality. You want to stay within the mood of the manuscript, but I'd like to know more about the MC and word choice can provide that.
Seems like to me this query is very close. It would either be a yes or a maybe for me.
October 9, 2015
Query Advice-- Bio Tips
So what do you include about yourself in the dreaded query letter? There's a lot of advice out there about making it personal. Also in the opposite direction, there's warnings about not giving too much information. If you don't have any publishing credits then what can you include?
I tried to put all of it together in this post.
First off, the main focus of a query letter should be to describe and show your story and its plot. Who are your main characters? What do they want? What obstacle is stopping them? How does it get worse? What choice do they face? Most of your query paragraphs should be devoted to the story. That gives you a few sentences to highlight a few words about yourself.
One place you might look for inspiration is my Query Questions interviews with agents. I have over thirty of them. I ask this exact question and received a variety of answers. Check out what the experts say. In my experience with contests, I tend to skim over the bios. That's not to say it isn't important. It just means that you have to hook the agent with your story, and a bio might be a factor after they request. Agents do want to know you will be a good client, that you will work hard, and behave and be a credit to them. A bio can help with that aspect.
Also if an agent is on the fence about requesting, a pimped-out bio might tip them in your favor. So let's look at some things you might want to include. I'll list them in order of importance.
-Publishing credits If you have other books published with small/big publishers be sure to include that. (My YA fantasy Kindar's Cure is published with Divertir Publishing.) The same goes for short stories in anthologies or journals. (Several of my short stories are in anthologies from The Elephants Bookshelf Press.) If you've self-published another book, you might want to mention that. If you have some non-fiction work/articles published, there's no harm in including that. It shows you've worked with people, even though it wasn't on a novel.
-Organizations If you belong to a romance writers' organization or SCBWI for children's writers or other professional writer organizations, that's useful information. It shows you are in for the long haul. You've spent money to join an organization, network, and learn more about your craft. (Sorry SFF writers that you can't get into our professional origination without earning some money first. I'm not there either, so don't feel alone. No advance = no SFWA.)
-Real World Experience in Your Topic/Setting If you're writing about an autistic teen and you work in special education, mention it. If you have a story set in India and you've lived there currently or in the past, mention it. If you're a doctor writing a medical thriller include that. Any real life experience that plays a big part of your novel you'll want to put in your bio. I work in an elementary school and know how schools work and how children behave. I put that in my bio for my middle grade.
If you write YA/MG and you're a teen, I would make that apparent in your query letter. It can only help you.
-Work in Publishing If you've interned for an agent or done editing for a small press or something else along those lines, that's a great tidbit to include in your bio. It shows agents you know your way around.
-Critique Groups This one is my own devising. If you belong to a critique group and have gotten other opinions on your manuscript then you might state that. (I'm part of the Speculative Fiction critiquing group from Agent Query Connect.) It's not a great recommendation, but it won't hurt. It might count as experience and knowing what you're doing. (You can skip this one if you have plenty of other facts to include.)
-Personal Information If your bio is full of information from the other categories, then I would skip this step also. But if not, then it's perfectly fine to include a sentence about yourself in a query bio. (I'm the mother of two and am an accountant in my day job. I'm a student at XXXX college and love to write in my spare time.) Keep this short and sweet as an agent is unlikely to spend a lot of time here. You're just giving a quick "hi, howdy", "this is me" with this information.
If this is your first manuscript, there seems to be two opinions on whether to include that in your query letter. Many agents don't want to know. It may influence them against you as they are looking for writers with experience. On the other side, some agents absolutely want to know. They enjoy working with new writers and don't have a problem possibly having to do more editing. So, this is a fact you may want to include in some query letters you send and cut at other times. There's really no reason you have to send the same information to each agent. It's okay to tailor your query letter to the agent's tastes.
I prefer to include the bio in the paragraph with genre and word count information at the bottom of the query letter. That's a matter of personal taste, but it's also the way I see most query letters formatted in contests. Unless you have some super, standout bio, I'd put it at the end.
So there's some tips about what to include in your bio. Any other ideas or questions? Share them in the comments.
Or feel free to share you bio for others to feedback. Give to get. If you share you bio in the comments for feedback please return the favor for someone else.
I tried to put all of it together in this post.
First off, the main focus of a query letter should be to describe and show your story and its plot. Who are your main characters? What do they want? What obstacle is stopping them? How does it get worse? What choice do they face? Most of your query paragraphs should be devoted to the story. That gives you a few sentences to highlight a few words about yourself.
One place you might look for inspiration is my Query Questions interviews with agents. I have over thirty of them. I ask this exact question and received a variety of answers. Check out what the experts say. In my experience with contests, I tend to skim over the bios. That's not to say it isn't important. It just means that you have to hook the agent with your story, and a bio might be a factor after they request. Agents do want to know you will be a good client, that you will work hard, and behave and be a credit to them. A bio can help with that aspect.
Also if an agent is on the fence about requesting, a pimped-out bio might tip them in your favor. So let's look at some things you might want to include. I'll list them in order of importance.
-Publishing credits If you have other books published with small/big publishers be sure to include that. (My YA fantasy Kindar's Cure is published with Divertir Publishing.) The same goes for short stories in anthologies or journals. (Several of my short stories are in anthologies from The Elephants Bookshelf Press.) If you've self-published another book, you might want to mention that. If you have some non-fiction work/articles published, there's no harm in including that. It shows you've worked with people, even though it wasn't on a novel.
-Organizations If you belong to a romance writers' organization or SCBWI for children's writers or other professional writer organizations, that's useful information. It shows you are in for the long haul. You've spent money to join an organization, network, and learn more about your craft. (Sorry SFF writers that you can't get into our professional origination without earning some money first. I'm not there either, so don't feel alone. No advance = no SFWA.)
-Real World Experience in Your Topic/Setting If you're writing about an autistic teen and you work in special education, mention it. If you have a story set in India and you've lived there currently or in the past, mention it. If you're a doctor writing a medical thriller include that. Any real life experience that plays a big part of your novel you'll want to put in your bio. I work in an elementary school and know how schools work and how children behave. I put that in my bio for my middle grade.
If you write YA/MG and you're a teen, I would make that apparent in your query letter. It can only help you.
-Work in Publishing If you've interned for an agent or done editing for a small press or something else along those lines, that's a great tidbit to include in your bio. It shows agents you know your way around.
-Critique Groups This one is my own devising. If you belong to a critique group and have gotten other opinions on your manuscript then you might state that. (I'm part of the Speculative Fiction critiquing group from Agent Query Connect.) It's not a great recommendation, but it won't hurt. It might count as experience and knowing what you're doing. (You can skip this one if you have plenty of other facts to include.)
-Personal Information If your bio is full of information from the other categories, then I would skip this step also. But if not, then it's perfectly fine to include a sentence about yourself in a query bio. (I'm the mother of two and am an accountant in my day job. I'm a student at XXXX college and love to write in my spare time.) Keep this short and sweet as an agent is unlikely to spend a lot of time here. You're just giving a quick "hi, howdy", "this is me" with this information.
If this is your first manuscript, there seems to be two opinions on whether to include that in your query letter. Many agents don't want to know. It may influence them against you as they are looking for writers with experience. On the other side, some agents absolutely want to know. They enjoy working with new writers and don't have a problem possibly having to do more editing. So, this is a fact you may want to include in some query letters you send and cut at other times. There's really no reason you have to send the same information to each agent. It's okay to tailor your query letter to the agent's tastes.
I prefer to include the bio in the paragraph with genre and word count information at the bottom of the query letter. That's a matter of personal taste, but it's also the way I see most query letters formatted in contests. Unless you have some super, standout bio, I'd put it at the end.
So there's some tips about what to include in your bio. Any other ideas or questions? Share them in the comments.
Or feel free to share you bio for others to feedback. Give to get. If you share you bio in the comments for feedback please return the favor for someone else.
October 8, 2015
Query Questions with Sharon Pelletier
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.
I can never get enough of these interview and I hope you feel the same! Now we have Sharon Pelletier from Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
Is there a better or worse time of year to query?
Not for me, no! In general I look at queries twice a week and read requested material on my commute and on weekends. My response time slow down a little around the winter holidays when I’m out of the office for a stretch – but I imagine that’s true of all agents.
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query?
No. But you only get one. Kidding! Kind of. When you work hard and pay attention to detail, it shows in your work, and outweighs one or two oopsies. If your query has a ton of typos or is rife with poor punctuation, it suggests that you haven’t worked on your craft enough to be ready for an agent. Or worse – that you didn’t take the time to proofread your query. How then can I assume that you took even more time to edit your manuscript, study your market, and research agents? If your work isn’t worth your time to you, it certainly won’t be to me.
Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong?
If anything at all in the query catches my eye, I’ll look at the sample pages...if I see a great story idea in a poorly constructed query, I’ll still look at the sample; if the story doesn’t seem fresh or interesting but the writer’s query is really smart and professional or they have great credentials, I’ll take a look. Or even if I love the voice in the query itself! (You might be surprised how much we can tell about your voice as a writer from those three paragraphs!).
Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them?
I read all my own queries for the most part – on rare occasions if I’m really backed up I’ll ask our heroic interns to help me catch up.
Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look?
I try to decide on first read and either send a friendly “no, thanks” or request the manuscript and move it right into the To Read pile. On occasion if I really love the story idea in the query but can’t get into the sample, I’ll come back to it another day in case it was just my mood or caffeine level at first look.
If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages?
Yes – though I am not a huge fan of prologues. If I could go right into the story without needing the prologue, why do you have it at all? If the prologue is necessary for setting up the story, why is it separated from the first chapter? On occasion it makes sense, if you have some sort of frame tale, for example, but if you have to wonder whether or not you should send me your prologue, you might need to rework the opening of your book.
How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query?
They’re helpful if they’re specific and focused and recent. They’re pointless if you mention three blockbusters from six years ago. Good comps are also a tip-off that you’ve done your research...and it’s hard to come up with effective comps if your story has flat characters or insufficient stakes, so good comps can be a hint that there’s something special waiting for me in the full. Comps are not a necessity though! They’re a bonus – like when you get an onion ring in your fries at Burger King.
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?
DGLM requests that you query only one of us, period – we’re a tight team and we share projects with each other all the time.
Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript?
If you actually have something interesting and personal to say, feel free! If we have a mutual friend, or if you noticed from my bio or Twitter (or this interview!!) that we have something in common, for example. Otherwise, skip the chit-chat and get to the point: your work.
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?
For me, the real red flag is if the word count or genre sentence you include suggests you don’t understand your market or haven’t done your homework. A 40K-word literary novel or a 190K-word mystery would be cause for alarm. (Unless you are Donna Tartt or Lydia Davis and, let’s face it, you probably aren’t.) Your biographical erotic comedy fiction novel will probably get a pretty quick pass.
Writers hear a lot about limiting the number of named characters in a query. Do you feel keeping named characters to a certain number makes for a clearer query?
If your story is unclear in your query, you likely need to work on how you’re presenting your conflict and stakes – adding or removing named characters won’t help with that!
Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers?
Pick the best title you can come up with, and run it by your critique partners, but don’t sweat it! If I don’t like your title that won’t stop me from loving your book – I change titles all the time – and the publisher may change it yet again. So pick a good title but don’t get married to it.
How many queries do you receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those?
Probably around 25-30 a week at this point, though it can be anywhere from 10-100, really. (Don’t ask me to do any more precise math, let’s just pretend that’s how averages work, okay?!) As a newer agent, I’m still building my list, and I’m a very fast reader, so I tend to request a lot – maybe 2-4 manuscripts a week, depending on how much client work I’m reading and if anything good came my way from a colleague.
Many agents say they don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign to start one?
Depends on whether you’re talking about fiction or nonfiction. In fiction, it can help tip the scales if you’re active online in an engaged, authentic, personable way, but the lack of an online presence isn’t a deal-breaker (though an unpleasant online presence certainly could be!).
In nonfiction, platform is tremendously significant, and I’m a lot more hesitant to sign up a fantastic proposal if the author doesn’t have anywhere near the kind of platform a publisher would want to see to support the book and/or the author’s expertise.
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?
Piggybacking on my above answer, links in a query are very appropriate if you’re querying a nonfiction project and have, say, a huge blog following or a lot of articles published. If it’s just a personal, chatty, life-of-a-writer blog, a link in your sig is fine (especially if I would find the blog anyway if I google you!). Pictures of Ryan Gosling and/or hilarious Beyonce gifs are always welcome, though perhaps not appropriate...
If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested?
This is a tough question – I hate to make hard and fast “do this never that” pronouncements about this because there’s always an exception, but sending an agent a revised MS can also present a lot of problems, so I’ll answer at length. My general warning is that this can often give the impression that you queried before your manuscript was ready, or that you rushed to act on the first feedback you received instead of thinking through what was right for your story and rewriting thoughtfully. (Or waiting for opinions from all of the hard-working agents you so carefully researched and selectively queried...!)
If you queried me several weeks ago and didn’t hear anything yet, feel free to requery with the new MS and note in the query that you revised.
If I’ve requested your manuscript and you’ve gone on to revise while I have a previous version, please check in with me to see where I am with it! It’s tricky to switch versions halfway through, but hard to justify the time spent starting over and re-reading. But if I’m really loving your project and already thinking about the editorial work it needs, I will be interested to hear more about what you revised and why.
What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you?
Any of the following:
-Loved your story idea but the writing wasn’t good enough.
-Loved your story idea but you just didn’t quite pull it off.
-Loved your writing but the story didn’t keep me interested.
-Liked your story and writing but there are a lot of problems with the book and I don’t have an editorial vision to fix them
-Liked your story and your writing and couldn’t pinpoint a problem with the book but also don’t care about it enough to read it again ever, let alone the seven or eleven times I’ll read it before it’s published
What themes are you sick of seeing?
The second I put something here, someone will send me an absolutely brilliant book on exactly that theme. But I can’t imagine myself getting inspired about yet another well-educated and/or artistically gifted male protagonist becoming disillusioned with his path in life/being cheating on/traveling the world etc. Those stories have been told and told and told. I want new ones.
Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent?
Yes. I love editing. It’s so much fun to dissect the point at which a plot isn’t quite holding up, or the story starts to lose momentum, and brainstorm how to fix it with the author. And I get a big kick out of seeing the little changes authors make to my vague notes like “this doesn’t sound like real conversation” or “not quite the right word”—authors can pack so much power into even a small tweak, and it’s creatively satisfying to be a tiny part of that process.
What’s the strangest/funniest thing you’ve seen in a query?
Oh man, I’ve seen a lot of wild things...I hesitate to share anything specific because, as crazy as some queries can be, I have a lot of respect for the writers who write a whole manuscript – that’s hard work! And send it off for a stranger to evaluate – that’s brave! Even the weirdest querier deserves to be treated with respect and professionalism.
What three things are at the top of your submission wish list?
-Smart, twisty thrillers and mysteries like In A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware or Tana French’s Dublin series
-Engrossing, thoughtful women’s fiction like Beatriz Williams’s and J. Courtney Sullivan’s books.
-Narrative nonfiction with rigor and heart like Irritable Hearts by Mac McClelland or Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes?
Hate this question! Impossible to pick! I’ll stick to just a few books I’ve loved recently: Home is Burning by Dan Marshall, Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting, The Shore by Sara Taylor, Born with Teeth by Kate Mulgrew.
-----------------------------
Sharon Pelletier joined DGLM after working for Europa Editions, Vantage Press, and Barnes & Noble. Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, Sharon moved to New York in 2009 to work with books in the city of skyscrapers and brunch. She is interested in smart commercial fiction, from upmarket women’s fiction to domestic suspense to literary thrillers, and also would love to see more strong contemporary romance novels. On the nonfiction side she is looking for compelling nonfiction projects that blend personal narrative and thoughtful reporting, and is especially interested in feminism and religion. Sharon lives in Astoria and visits Astoria Bookshop as often as possible.
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.
I can never get enough of these interview and I hope you feel the same! Now we have Sharon Pelletier from Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
Is there a better or worse time of year to query?
Not for me, no! In general I look at queries twice a week and read requested material on my commute and on weekends. My response time slow down a little around the winter holidays when I’m out of the office for a stretch – but I imagine that’s true of all agents.
Does one typo or misplaced comma shoot down the entire query?
No. But you only get one. Kidding! Kind of. When you work hard and pay attention to detail, it shows in your work, and outweighs one or two oopsies. If your query has a ton of typos or is rife with poor punctuation, it suggests that you haven’t worked on your craft enough to be ready for an agent. Or worse – that you didn’t take the time to proofread your query. How then can I assume that you took even more time to edit your manuscript, study your market, and research agents? If your work isn’t worth your time to you, it certainly won’t be to me.
Do you look at sample pages without fail or only if the query is strong?
If anything at all in the query catches my eye, I’ll look at the sample pages...if I see a great story idea in a poorly constructed query, I’ll still look at the sample; if the story doesn’t seem fresh or interesting but the writer’s query is really smart and professional or they have great credentials, I’ll take a look. Or even if I love the voice in the query itself! (You might be surprised how much we can tell about your voice as a writer from those three paragraphs!).
Do you have an assistant or intern go through your queries first or do you check all of them?
I read all my own queries for the most part – on rare occasions if I’m really backed up I’ll ask our heroic interns to help me catch up.
Do you keep a maybe pile of queries and go back to them for a second look?
I try to decide on first read and either send a friendly “no, thanks” or request the manuscript and move it right into the To Read pile. On occasion if I really love the story idea in the query but can’t get into the sample, I’ll come back to it another day in case it was just my mood or caffeine level at first look.
If the manuscript has a prologue, do you want it included with the sample pages?
Yes – though I am not a huge fan of prologues. If I could go right into the story without needing the prologue, why do you have it at all? If the prologue is necessary for setting up the story, why is it separated from the first chapter? On occasion it makes sense, if you have some sort of frame tale, for example, but if you have to wonder whether or not you should send me your prologue, you might need to rework the opening of your book.
How important are comp titles? Is it something you want to see in a query?
They’re helpful if they’re specific and focused and recent. They’re pointless if you mention three blockbusters from six years ago. Good comps are also a tip-off that you’ve done your research...and it’s hard to come up with effective comps if your story has flat characters or insufficient stakes, so good comps can be a hint that there’s something special waiting for me in the full. Comps are not a necessity though! They’re a bonus – like when you get an onion ring in your fries at Burger King.
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?
DGLM requests that you query only one of us, period – we’re a tight team and we share projects with each other all the time.
Do you prefer a little personalized chit-chat in a query letter, or would you rather hear about the manuscript?
If you actually have something interesting and personal to say, feel free! If we have a mutual friend, or if you noticed from my bio or Twitter (or this interview!!) that we have something in common, for example. Otherwise, skip the chit-chat and get to the point: your work.
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?
For me, the real red flag is if the word count or genre sentence you include suggests you don’t understand your market or haven’t done your homework. A 40K-word literary novel or a 190K-word mystery would be cause for alarm. (Unless you are Donna Tartt or Lydia Davis and, let’s face it, you probably aren’t.) Your biographical erotic comedy fiction novel will probably get a pretty quick pass.
Writers hear a lot about limiting the number of named characters in a query. Do you feel keeping named characters to a certain number makes for a clearer query?
If your story is unclear in your query, you likely need to work on how you’re presenting your conflict and stakes – adding or removing named characters won’t help with that!
Should writers sweat the title of their book (and character names) or is that something that is often changed by publishers?
Pick the best title you can come up with, and run it by your critique partners, but don’t sweat it! If I don’t like your title that won’t stop me from loving your book – I change titles all the time – and the publisher may change it yet again. So pick a good title but don’t get married to it.
How many queries do you receive in a week? How many requests might you make out of those?
Probably around 25-30 a week at this point, though it can be anywhere from 10-100, really. (Don’t ask me to do any more precise math, let’s just pretend that’s how averages work, okay?!) As a newer agent, I’m still building my list, and I’m a very fast reader, so I tend to request a lot – maybe 2-4 manuscripts a week, depending on how much client work I’m reading and if anything good came my way from a colleague.
Many agents say they don't care if writers are active online. Could a twitter account or blog presence by a writer tip the scales in getting a request or offer? And do you require writers you sign to start one?
Depends on whether you’re talking about fiction or nonfiction. In fiction, it can help tip the scales if you’re active online in an engaged, authentic, personable way, but the lack of an online presence isn’t a deal-breaker (though an unpleasant online presence certainly could be!).
In nonfiction, platform is tremendously significant, and I’m a lot more hesitant to sign up a fantastic proposal if the author doesn’t have anywhere near the kind of platform a publisher would want to see to support the book and/or the author’s expertise.
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?
Piggybacking on my above answer, links in a query are very appropriate if you’re querying a nonfiction project and have, say, a huge blog following or a lot of articles published. If it’s just a personal, chatty, life-of-a-writer blog, a link in your sig is fine (especially if I would find the blog anyway if I google you!). Pictures of Ryan Gosling and/or hilarious Beyonce gifs are always welcome, though perhaps not appropriate...
If a writer makes changes to their manuscript due to feedback should they resend the query or only if material was requested?
This is a tough question – I hate to make hard and fast “do this never that” pronouncements about this because there’s always an exception, but sending an agent a revised MS can also present a lot of problems, so I’ll answer at length. My general warning is that this can often give the impression that you queried before your manuscript was ready, or that you rushed to act on the first feedback you received instead of thinking through what was right for your story and rewriting thoughtfully. (Or waiting for opinions from all of the hard-working agents you so carefully researched and selectively queried...!)
If you queried me several weeks ago and didn’t hear anything yet, feel free to requery with the new MS and note in the query that you revised.
If I’ve requested your manuscript and you’ve gone on to revise while I have a previous version, please check in with me to see where I am with it! It’s tricky to switch versions halfway through, but hard to justify the time spent starting over and re-reading. But if I’m really loving your project and already thinking about the editorial work it needs, I will be interested to hear more about what you revised and why.
What does ‘just not right mean for me’ mean to you?
Any of the following:
-Loved your story idea but the writing wasn’t good enough.
-Loved your story idea but you just didn’t quite pull it off.
-Loved your writing but the story didn’t keep me interested.
-Liked your story and writing but there are a lot of problems with the book and I don’t have an editorial vision to fix them
-Liked your story and your writing and couldn’t pinpoint a problem with the book but also don’t care about it enough to read it again ever, let alone the seven or eleven times I’ll read it before it’s published
What themes are you sick of seeing?
The second I put something here, someone will send me an absolutely brilliant book on exactly that theme. But I can’t imagine myself getting inspired about yet another well-educated and/or artistically gifted male protagonist becoming disillusioned with his path in life/being cheating on/traveling the world etc. Those stories have been told and told and told. I want new ones.
Do you consider yourself a hands-on, editorial type of agent?
Yes. I love editing. It’s so much fun to dissect the point at which a plot isn’t quite holding up, or the story starts to lose momentum, and brainstorm how to fix it with the author. And I get a big kick out of seeing the little changes authors make to my vague notes like “this doesn’t sound like real conversation” or “not quite the right word”—authors can pack so much power into even a small tweak, and it’s creatively satisfying to be a tiny part of that process.
What’s the strangest/funniest thing you’ve seen in a query?
Oh man, I’ve seen a lot of wild things...I hesitate to share anything specific because, as crazy as some queries can be, I have a lot of respect for the writers who write a whole manuscript – that’s hard work! And send it off for a stranger to evaluate – that’s brave! Even the weirdest querier deserves to be treated with respect and professionalism.
What three things are at the top of your submission wish list?
-Smart, twisty thrillers and mysteries like In A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware or Tana French’s Dublin series
-Engrossing, thoughtful women’s fiction like Beatriz Williams’s and J. Courtney Sullivan’s books.
-Narrative nonfiction with rigor and heart like Irritable Hearts by Mac McClelland or Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink
What are some of your favorite movies or books to give us an idea of your tastes?
Hate this question! Impossible to pick! I’ll stick to just a few books I’ve loved recently: Home is Burning by Dan Marshall, Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting, The Shore by Sara Taylor, Born with Teeth by Kate Mulgrew.
-----------------------------
Sharon Pelletier joined DGLM after working for Europa Editions, Vantage Press, and Barnes & Noble. Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, Sharon moved to New York in 2009 to work with books in the city of skyscrapers and brunch. She is interested in smart commercial fiction, from upmarket women’s fiction to domestic suspense to literary thrillers, and also would love to see more strong contemporary romance novels. On the nonfiction side she is looking for compelling nonfiction projects that blend personal narrative and thoughtful reporting, and is especially interested in feminism and religion. Sharon lives in Astoria and visits Astoria Bookshop as often as possible.
October 7, 2015
Mentors for Nightmare on Query Street
I know you'll want to get to know the mentors who will be helping the finalists perfect their query letter and first 250 words. But first a few dates for Nightmare on Query Street:
Submission Window Opens: October 15th 4:00 pm EST
Final Picks are Announced: October 20th undecided time
Mentors Go to Work: October 21th - 26th
Revised Entries Due Back: October 26th at 8 pm
Agent round: October 29th - 30th
Half of the list of amazing mentors is here. To see the other half of the list, visit Mike's blog. Some of the mentors have been helping our contests for ages and some are brand new. Please give all of them a big welcome!
Colleen McCoy
I'm an Irish dancer and former military officer living in the Great White North. Though I'm B.S.'d in chemical engineering and German, I'm far happier writing stories involving Alaska and a body bag (with an awkward kiss in the mix.) While working 911 dispatch for Alaska State Troopers, I learned to speak in 10-codes, which I still do...but only to annoy my family. In the writerly world, I'm the PR Manager at Inklings Literary Agency. My debut novel, EERIE, is due out in December through Omnific Publishing/Simon and Schuster. My memoir is out on sub through Martin Literary Agency, and my fiction is represented by Michelle Johnson.
Website: www.cmmccoy.com/EERIE Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPx4FELVxH4Twitter: https://twitter.com/EERIE_OFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/eeriesaga and https://www.facebook.com/colleen.shipmanoefelein
Kathleen Allen
Kathleen has published two murder mysteries If It’s Monday, It Must be Murder and If It’s Tuesday, It Must be Trouble, along with a young adult contemporary, How To Be Almost Famous in Ten Days with Gypsy Shadow Publishing and two young adult fantasy novels, Lore of Fei and War of Fei with Muse It Up Publishing. She has a Master’s in Children’s Literature with an emphasis in creative writing for young adults. She has taught at universities as an adjunct English professor and is currently a literary assistant for The Seymour Agency.
Being brought up in an urban setting means not much scares her. She prefers dark to light, carries salt, a vial of dead man's blood and one of holy water in her messenger bag, Mr. Pointy, a sonic screwdriver, a floral bonnet, a box of Twinkies, a wand made out of faerie dust and dragon's blood and a dog-eared copy of Frankenstein/ She lives on coffee and words and the occasional cuppa. She has a blank space in her Book of Shadows and she'd love to write your name. Her favorite saying is, "Welcome to the desert of the real."
Twitter: @kathleea
Tumblr: kathleea.tumblr.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/kathleeaInstagram: instagram.com/kathleeaWebsite: kathleensallen.weebly.com
Blog: kathleensallen.wordpress.com
Jamie Zakian
Jamie Zakian is a YA/NA writer and acquiring editor at Evernight / Evernight Teen Publishing. When not writing, she enjoys farming, archery, and blazing new trails on her 4wd quad with her husband and rowdy family. Her debut YA sci-fi thriller EMERGENCE is forthcoming from Month9Books. Check out her website or follow her on twitter @demoness333.
Rena Olsen
Daughter of a wandering pastor, Rena Olsen never knew the answer to the question, “Where are you from?” While attending her third school by fourth grade, she found familiarity and comfort in reading, and when she figured out she could create her own stories, that was it. She hasn’t stopped writing since her first story, about an anthropomorphic tooth going on an adventure through a school, won the state of Iowa contest for her age group.
Now Rena is a writer of adult fiction who believes in healthy amounts of pizza and sarcasm. When she’s not saving the world as a therapist, she’s exploring alternate realities on the page, filling the cheering section for friends, and pretending to be an adult. Her debut novel, THE GIRL BEFORE, will be released by Putnam (Penguin/Random House) Summer 2016. Rena is represented by Sharon Pelletier of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management..
Website: renaolsen.comTwitter: @originallyrenaFacebook: www.facebook.com/RenaOlsenWriter
Amy Trueblood
A devotee of reading and writing from a very young age, Amy Trueblood grew up surrounded by books. Her love of words led her to the University of Arizona where she graduated with a degree in Journalism. After stints working in entertainment and advertising, she began writing her first manuscript and has never looked back. She lives in Arizona where she is currently working on several young adult projects. Her work is represented by Roseanne Wells of The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.Links:
Blog: www.chasingthecrazies.wordpress.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/atrueblood5Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/atruebloodwritesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyTruebloodAuthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6571327.Amy_Trueblood
Tracy Townsend
Tracy Townsend lives in Bolingbrook, Illinois and teaches English at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. She has studied at DePauw University, the National University of Ireland (Galway), and DePaul University, where she obtained degrees in English, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric. She is a member of the Science Fiction Research Association and other academic organizations, which allows her to write very long things and read them aloud to people who are obliged to behave politely. Her sf/f writing draws on her experience as a lapsed Catholic, an assistant martial arts instructor, a comic book fangirl (Make Mine Marvel!), a tabletop role-player, and an obsessive hound for obscure mythology. Inexplicably, other uses for that resume have yet to present themselves. She is represented by the strikingly elegant and classy Bridget Smith of Dunham Lit.
Tracy devotes time she doesn’t have to cooking, gardening, writing, and seriously pondering the treadmill in her basement. She is married to her high school sweetheart, with whom she shares two remarkable children. They are – naturally – named after characters from books.
You can find Tracy on Twitter (@TheStorymatic) more often than she really ought to be.
Wade Albert White
Wade Albert White is the author of the middle grade novel, The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes, 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.ca
Ashley Hearn
Ashley is YA author of all things magical and creep-tastic. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (On Wisconsin!) and currently works as a producer for The Badger Sports Report. She is an addictive coffee drinker, Gilmore Girls fanatic, conqueror of the Water Temple, and a proud Gryffindor. When she ferrets away enough gas money, she can be found scouring the Georgia and South Carolina Sea Islands for ruined plantations, folk magic, and a fresh story.
She is an intern for Kate Brauning at Entangled Teen and a member of SCBWI and RWA. She is represented by Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis Literary. You can check out her website and follow her on Twitter @AshleyHearn.
Jessica Kapp
Jessica Kapp is obsessed with the “What ifs” of life and writes Young Adult novels to create twisted answers to her own questions. Her SpecFic stories are grounded in the real world and are represented by Whitley Abellwith Inklings Literary. Jessica lives on the side of Washington that sees little rain (truly, it exists). She spends her time alternating between the library and the soccer field.
Connect with her on Twitter @JessKapp or her blog: jhwritesblog.wordpress.com
Melissa Caruso
Melissa Caruso was born on the summer solstice and went to school in an old mansion with a secret door, but despite this auspicious beginning has yet to develop any superpowers. She wrote her first books in crayon at age four and hasn’t stopped telling stories since.
Melissa lives in Massachusetts with her video game designer husband, two superlative daughters, a Labrador, and a pair of cats. She graduated with honors in Creative Writing from Brown University and has an MFA in Fiction from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. She writes YA fantasy, and is represented by Naomi Davis of Inklings Literary.
Website: melissacaruso.netTwitter: twitter.com/melisscaru
Judi Lauren
Judi was born in the Midwest and misses those winters. She now resides in an area where there are way too many bugs and green leaves during December.
She’s a survivor and fighter of many things and, most importantly, is a Gryffindor. Despite dark themes present in her books, and at one point in her life, she still believes in magic.
Even though Judi became an official “adult” five years ago, she’s still drawn to writing realistic books for teens that explore a darker side to the teenage years.
Her book, STILL BREATHING, explores suicide, self-harm, and the consequences of a long-kept secret.
Even though STILL BREATHING isn’t the first book she ever wrote, it was the one she wasn’t okay with putting in a digital drawer to collect dust.
She works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and loves to read any YA, NA, and adult books in her spare time.She has an unnatural obsession with Chicago, Dean Winchester, and Friends (the TV show). She's represented by wonderful Tina Schwartz of The Purcell Agency.
You can connect with her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Judi__Lauren.
Amanda HegerAmanda Heger is a writer, attorney, and bookworm. She lives in the Midwest with three unruly rescue dogs and a husband who encourages her delusions of grandeur.Her debut romance, Without Borders, will be released in April of 2016 from Diversion Books. The story was inspired by the summer Amanda spent in rural Nicaragua, eating gallo pinto, speaking mangled Spanish, and showing high school students how to slide condoms onto over-sized plantains. Her stories are represented by Jessica Watterson of the Dijkstra Literary Agency.Links:WITHOUT BORDERS on GoodreadsWebsite Facebook Twitter
Submission Window Opens: October 15th 4:00 pm EST
Final Picks are Announced: October 20th undecided time
Mentors Go to Work: October 21th - 26th
Revised Entries Due Back: October 26th at 8 pm
Agent round: October 29th - 30th
Half of the list of amazing mentors is here. To see the other half of the list, visit Mike's blog. Some of the mentors have been helping our contests for ages and some are brand new. Please give all of them a big welcome!
Colleen McCoy
I'm an Irish dancer and former military officer living in the Great White North. Though I'm B.S.'d in chemical engineering and German, I'm far happier writing stories involving Alaska and a body bag (with an awkward kiss in the mix.) While working 911 dispatch for Alaska State Troopers, I learned to speak in 10-codes, which I still do...but only to annoy my family. In the writerly world, I'm the PR Manager at Inklings Literary Agency. My debut novel, EERIE, is due out in December through Omnific Publishing/Simon and Schuster. My memoir is out on sub through Martin Literary Agency, and my fiction is represented by Michelle Johnson.
Website: www.cmmccoy.com/EERIE Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPx4FELVxH4Twitter: https://twitter.com/EERIE_OFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/eeriesaga and https://www.facebook.com/colleen.shipmanoefelein
Kathleen Allen
Kathleen has published two murder mysteries If It’s Monday, It Must be Murder and If It’s Tuesday, It Must be Trouble, along with a young adult contemporary, How To Be Almost Famous in Ten Days with Gypsy Shadow Publishing and two young adult fantasy novels, Lore of Fei and War of Fei with Muse It Up Publishing. She has a Master’s in Children’s Literature with an emphasis in creative writing for young adults. She has taught at universities as an adjunct English professor and is currently a literary assistant for The Seymour Agency.
Being brought up in an urban setting means not much scares her. She prefers dark to light, carries salt, a vial of dead man's blood and one of holy water in her messenger bag, Mr. Pointy, a sonic screwdriver, a floral bonnet, a box of Twinkies, a wand made out of faerie dust and dragon's blood and a dog-eared copy of Frankenstein/ She lives on coffee and words and the occasional cuppa. She has a blank space in her Book of Shadows and she'd love to write your name. Her favorite saying is, "Welcome to the desert of the real."
Twitter: @kathleea
Tumblr: kathleea.tumblr.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/kathleeaInstagram: instagram.com/kathleeaWebsite: kathleensallen.weebly.com
Blog: kathleensallen.wordpress.com
Jamie Zakian
Jamie Zakian is a YA/NA writer and acquiring editor at Evernight / Evernight Teen Publishing. When not writing, she enjoys farming, archery, and blazing new trails on her 4wd quad with her husband and rowdy family. Her debut YA sci-fi thriller EMERGENCE is forthcoming from Month9Books. Check out her website or follow her on twitter @demoness333.
Rena Olsen
Daughter of a wandering pastor, Rena Olsen never knew the answer to the question, “Where are you from?” While attending her third school by fourth grade, she found familiarity and comfort in reading, and when she figured out she could create her own stories, that was it. She hasn’t stopped writing since her first story, about an anthropomorphic tooth going on an adventure through a school, won the state of Iowa contest for her age group.
Now Rena is a writer of adult fiction who believes in healthy amounts of pizza and sarcasm. When she’s not saving the world as a therapist, she’s exploring alternate realities on the page, filling the cheering section for friends, and pretending to be an adult. Her debut novel, THE GIRL BEFORE, will be released by Putnam (Penguin/Random House) Summer 2016. Rena is represented by Sharon Pelletier of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management..
Website: renaolsen.comTwitter: @originallyrenaFacebook: www.facebook.com/RenaOlsenWriter
Amy Trueblood
A devotee of reading and writing from a very young age, Amy Trueblood grew up surrounded by books. Her love of words led her to the University of Arizona where she graduated with a degree in Journalism. After stints working in entertainment and advertising, she began writing her first manuscript and has never looked back. She lives in Arizona where she is currently working on several young adult projects. Her work is represented by Roseanne Wells of The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.Links:
Blog: www.chasingthecrazies.wordpress.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/atrueblood5Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/atruebloodwritesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyTruebloodAuthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6571327.Amy_Trueblood
Tracy Townsend
Tracy Townsend lives in Bolingbrook, Illinois and teaches English at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. She has studied at DePauw University, the National University of Ireland (Galway), and DePaul University, where she obtained degrees in English, Creative Writing, and Rhetoric. She is a member of the Science Fiction Research Association and other academic organizations, which allows her to write very long things and read them aloud to people who are obliged to behave politely. Her sf/f writing draws on her experience as a lapsed Catholic, an assistant martial arts instructor, a comic book fangirl (Make Mine Marvel!), a tabletop role-player, and an obsessive hound for obscure mythology. Inexplicably, other uses for that resume have yet to present themselves. She is represented by the strikingly elegant and classy Bridget Smith of Dunham Lit.
Tracy devotes time she doesn’t have to cooking, gardening, writing, and seriously pondering the treadmill in her basement. She is married to her high school sweetheart, with whom she shares two remarkable children. They are – naturally – named after characters from books.
You can find Tracy on Twitter (@TheStorymatic) more often than she really ought to be.
Wade Albert White
Wade Albert White is the author of the middle grade novel, The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes, 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.ca
Ashley Hearn
Ashley is YA author of all things magical and creep-tastic. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (On Wisconsin!) and currently works as a producer for The Badger Sports Report. She is an addictive coffee drinker, Gilmore Girls fanatic, conqueror of the Water Temple, and a proud Gryffindor. When she ferrets away enough gas money, she can be found scouring the Georgia and South Carolina Sea Islands for ruined plantations, folk magic, and a fresh story.
She is an intern for Kate Brauning at Entangled Teen and a member of SCBWI and RWA. She is represented by Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis Literary. You can check out her website and follow her on Twitter @AshleyHearn.
Jessica Kapp
Jessica Kapp is obsessed with the “What ifs” of life and writes Young Adult novels to create twisted answers to her own questions. Her SpecFic stories are grounded in the real world and are represented by Whitley Abellwith Inklings Literary. Jessica lives on the side of Washington that sees little rain (truly, it exists). She spends her time alternating between the library and the soccer field.
Connect with her on Twitter @JessKapp or her blog: jhwritesblog.wordpress.com
Melissa Caruso
Melissa Caruso was born on the summer solstice and went to school in an old mansion with a secret door, but despite this auspicious beginning has yet to develop any superpowers. She wrote her first books in crayon at age four and hasn’t stopped telling stories since.
Melissa lives in Massachusetts with her video game designer husband, two superlative daughters, a Labrador, and a pair of cats. She graduated with honors in Creative Writing from Brown University and has an MFA in Fiction from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. She writes YA fantasy, and is represented by Naomi Davis of Inklings Literary.
Website: melissacaruso.netTwitter: twitter.com/melisscaru
Judi Lauren
Judi was born in the Midwest and misses those winters. She now resides in an area where there are way too many bugs and green leaves during December.
She’s a survivor and fighter of many things and, most importantly, is a Gryffindor. Despite dark themes present in her books, and at one point in her life, she still believes in magic.
Even though Judi became an official “adult” five years ago, she’s still drawn to writing realistic books for teens that explore a darker side to the teenage years.
Her book, STILL BREATHING, explores suicide, self-harm, and the consequences of a long-kept secret.
Even though STILL BREATHING isn’t the first book she ever wrote, it was the one she wasn’t okay with putting in a digital drawer to collect dust.
She works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and loves to read any YA, NA, and adult books in her spare time.She has an unnatural obsession with Chicago, Dean Winchester, and Friends (the TV show). She's represented by wonderful Tina Schwartz of The Purcell Agency.
You can connect with her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Judi__Lauren.
Amanda HegerAmanda Heger is a writer, attorney, and bookworm. She lives in the Midwest with three unruly rescue dogs and a husband who encourages her delusions of grandeur.Her debut romance, Without Borders, will be released in April of 2016 from Diversion Books. The story was inspired by the summer Amanda spent in rural Nicaragua, eating gallo pinto, speaking mangled Spanish, and showing high school students how to slide condoms onto over-sized plantains. Her stories are represented by Jessica Watterson of the Dijkstra Literary Agency.Links:WITHOUT BORDERS on GoodreadsWebsite Facebook Twitter
October 6, 2015
Nightmare on Query Street Free Pass
Contests are subjective. I like to take some of that out of the equation with an equalizer like a free pass! It lets someone who might not make the finals go before agents and get help from mentors. And can you believe it? The runner up from Query Combat this year was my FREE PASS! Leslie had a super query and a stand out plot. I think she would have been picked anyway, but you never know. :-)
So let's talk about this opportunity.
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post and tell that to the rafflecopter to be entered. There will be other extra entry options that you can skip or use for bonus chances.
I want you to name your favorite Halloween book or movie. It can be scary or not. I myself don't care much for scary. I like a funny Halloween entertainment like Hocus Pocus or those Scooby Doo movies, where the whole family can watch. Poltergeist is the limit of my horror movie tolerance, but I know many people love to scare themselves. So here's your chance to share what scares you. Or maybe you have a family tradition you watch every year.
This will run from today until October 14 when the rafflecopter will pick one winner. The Free Pass winner will bypass the slush and become one of Michelle's Minions for Nightmare on Query Street. They will work with a mentor to polish and then be entered in the agent round, where 25 agents will read their work.
Don't forget to use the rafflecopter if you comment or your entry will not be processed.
And that's it!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
So let's talk about this opportunity.
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post and tell that to the rafflecopter to be entered. There will be other extra entry options that you can skip or use for bonus chances.
I want you to name your favorite Halloween book or movie. It can be scary or not. I myself don't care much for scary. I like a funny Halloween entertainment like Hocus Pocus or those Scooby Doo movies, where the whole family can watch. Poltergeist is the limit of my horror movie tolerance, but I know many people love to scare themselves. So here's your chance to share what scares you. Or maybe you have a family tradition you watch every year.
This will run from today until October 14 when the rafflecopter will pick one winner. The Free Pass winner will bypass the slush and become one of Michelle's Minions for Nightmare on Query Street. They will work with a mentor to polish and then be entered in the agent round, where 25 agents will read their work.
Don't forget to use the rafflecopter if you comment or your entry will not be processed.
And that's it!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
