Jessica Faust
Literary Agent
BookEnds Literary Agency
President & founder of BookEnds Literary Agency, author advocate, optimist, & professional pain in the ass. Runs on coffee, wine, & kettlebells. She/Her
Literary Agent
Jennifer Wielt @JWielt
In your opinion, what distinguishes suspense from mystery and thriller? #askagent @BookEndsJessicaI was hoping someone else at @bookendslit would take this. lol. I've always hated the suspense/mystery/thriller question. Here goes. Thriller--we know who did it & there's lots of action. Suspense--is suspense, but maybe not action. Mystery we try to solve. #askagent
Literary Agent
Katy @KatyLapierre
@LeslieDRush @AgentJessicaA @BookEndsJessica I'm wondering if the book I've been querying might almost be the prequel to what I'm writing now, to what I'm calling a sequel in my head. But the more I think about, the more I think I just need to start completely fresh.Go with your gut and good luck! #askagent
Literary Agent
Mason T. Matchak @MasonTMatchak
@BookEndsJessica How important is word count by genre? I'm working on a YA fantasy, but it's shaping up to be a long, long book.It's important, especially for a first-time author. Know your word count limits and stick to them. #askagent
Literary Agent
KCallard @k_callard
@BookEndsJessica How do you recommend someone goes about querying after splitting with a previous agent? (With a new ms that's never been on sub)Yes, definitely something fresh and new. Good luck! #askagent
Literary Agent
P. Jo Anne Burgh @PJoAnneBurgh
@BookEndsJessica Is there a difference between upmarket fiction, book club fiction, and smart women’s fiction? I’ve seen all these terms in agent bios.Not really. I think in some ways its interpretation. #askagent
Literary Agent
Damien Wilder @AuthorDWilder
@BookEndsJessica @BookEndsJessica Critique groups give conflicting advice, though I see backcover copy that show perspectives of two MCs. They say agents don't like queries structured like "female MC does this" in 1 paragraph then "male MC does this" plus a paragraph to bring the plot together.Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about what critique groups say agents do & don't. Unless an agent is in the group they don't really know. To write a strong query, read cover copy. That's what a query is, it's cover copy. #askagent
Literary Agent
Kat Shehata @KatShehata
@BookEndsJessica Hi Jessica! If a book has series potential, in my case mg, what is the usual timeline for submitting second, third ms to publisher? Is the contract written with multiple books plotted and planned? Or do publishers sometimes “wait and see” if they want more based on sales?I'm not the MG expert like others at @bookendslit, Jr, but typically a publisher will set the dates in the contract for the next 1-2 books. The timeframe can be negotiated by your agent depending on a strong publishing schedule & your speed of writing. #askagent
Literary Agent
Jesse Weiner @JM_Weiner
@BookEndsJessica I know you may not have a ton of time to read for pleasure what with all the queries you likely receive, but what are you reading and loving right now/recently?I actually have been taking a ton of time to read. This year my goal was a book a month & I'm up to 50 for the year. You can follow me on Goodreads: goodreads.com/user/show/3686… Currently I'm reading The Diamond Cutter & a suspense--the title escapes me. #askagent #MSWL
Literary Agent
Meg Walker @MEWalker7
@BookEndsJessica @rejohnsonauthor Along with this, where in a query would you mention you are re-querying?No worries. I think you can open by saying you had queried earlier, but have since.... #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Damien Wilder @AuthorDWilder
@BookEndsJessica #askagent @BookEndsJessica How do you or agents in general feel about queries written from two different POVs (say the book has two MCs, can the POV be from both those POVs or should it pick one and focus on it?)Does the answer change depending on whether the query is YA or A?
Think of your query as your cover copy. Typically a query is not from a character's POV. So I would read cover copy for ideas. #askagent
Literary Agent
When choosing a genre for your book think about how comparable titles are classified. Remember, genre is for readers & bookstores and classifying a book helps us sell a book. #askagent
Literary Agent
R.E. Johnson @rejohnsonauthor
@BookEndsJessica #askagent If you've revised a work you previously queried, to the point of a huge word count drop, can you re-query agents who passed?I believe you can always re-query. I suppose some agents feel differently, but what do you have to lose? Keep in mind though, if you have previously been rejected on query a revision might not be enough. It might be your hook/idea needs work. #askagent
Literary Agent
Rose Erickson @roheartswriting
@LaurelHillBooks @NaomisLitPix @bookendslit @BookEndsJessica @inthesestones @BookEndsKim @wensday95 @AgentJessicaA Are books based in the 90s a hard sell? Should I revise it to current day? It involves a boy band so I wanted to capitalize on the boy band boom of the 90s. #askagentI think it depends on the genre and how it's written. If it is best set in the 90s then that's the time to set it. #askagent
Literary Agent
Video: what an author can expect while the agent is negotiating your book deal. #wednesdaywisdom #askagent youtu.be/SPJIyX6Xvbo?a
Literary Agent
Editing: The Toughest Job an Author Has to Do #amwriting #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2018/09/05/edi…
Literary Agent
Why Great Books Don't Always Sell #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2018/09/04/why…
Literary Agent
Swearingen Durham @SwearDurham
@NaomisLitPix @BookEndsJessica @bookendslit No it definitely does. I know that #ownvoices does not apply to me. And that’s okay! I just don’t want agents or publishers to think, “Hmmm where is the diversity?” Querying is proving harder than actually writing and editing my book. 😅 #howI agree with @NaomisLitPix While I'm actively looking for #ownvoices and more diversity, I'm not going to reject a great idea that doesn't have those things. #askagent
Literary Agent
Melissa Guida-Richards @spoonie_mama
@BookEndsJessica @jamerrson @bookendslit Is a woman working through past adoption trauma too controversial for women’s fiction? #askagentNot at all. It sounds great & I'm also not sure there is "too controversial" for women's fiction. #askagent
Literary Agent
Shmuel Nadata @shmuel_nadata
@BookEndsJessica @jamerrson @bookendslit #askagent How long do you typically take to respond to full manuscripts that you've requested?Our goal, as per the website, is to respond to all requests within 12 weeks. bookendsliterary.com/faqs/ #askagent