Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips

Noreen @naziaso

How polished should the MS be, professionally edited? #askPSLA
Replying to @naziaso

It should be polished enough that you'd be happy for the manuscript to be published as-is. #askPSLA

Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Kevin M Moehring @kevinmmoehring

#askPSLA I'm new to the whole pitch and query thing. I honestly never thought I'd write more than a single book. I'm currently finishing the third in a series. Are books that are part of a pre-existing series looked down upon during the query process?
Replying to @kevinmmoehring

Do you mean trying to query book three or four in an already published series? Because then yes, it will be very difficult to get representation for a project like that. But if you just mean you have several books done and are querying Book 1, you're probably fine. #askPSLA

Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Rachel Menard @MissusM

What are the current feelings on prologues? Is a book with one an automatic pass? #askPSLA

It's definitely not an automatic pass, but it still needs to meet the test of being interesting enough to make your reader want to keep turning pages, a test you have to pass on every single page. If we have to wait for the story to "get good," we won't. #askPSLA

Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Sabrina Kleckner @sabkleckner

Do you have advice for knowing when a project is ready to query? I've queried my current ms and stopped to revise twice because of CP notes, and am nervous to head back into the trenches again in case the book is still not ready. #askpsla
Replying to @sabkleckner

When it's the best you can make it with all of your resources (beta readers and critique partners), really! And then immediately start working on a new book--publishing is a long game, and often you can't hit the next level of growth until you start a new project. #askPSLA

Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Shorey Andrews @ShorStar

#askPSLA how important is it to have a well-established personal blog when pitching a book of personal essays? Is a huge social media following also a part of the consideration? Thanks 😊
Replying to @ShorStar

I think it's more important to have something published in a more official place--be it print or digital. That's true of any collection really, be it essays or short stories. And for essays platform definitely counts, but I don't think it has to be "huge," necessarily. #askPSLA

Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips

Shorey Andrews @ShorStar

#askPSLA how important is it to have a well-established personal blog when pitching a book of personal essays? Is a huge social media following also a part of the consideration? Thanks 😊
Replying to @ShorStar

I wouldn't be concerned about a personal blog, but I would want a list of essays published elsewhere (reputable online or print publications). For nonfiction, understanding and utilizing your platform is key—but that goes beyond social media numbers. #askPSLA

Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Love, Emma 💜 @EmmaWard55

@PSLiterary Sorry if you've already had this and I missed it! How did you all get into agency work? #askPSLA

I did a publishing program at Columbia to see what all interested me. After that I tried my hand at publicity and wasn't a fan, so decided to jump to the exact opposite end of the process. I got an assistant gig and that was that! #askPSLA

Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Erica Secor @thedavisgirl

How did you each celebrate signing your fist client or finding a home for your first project? #askpsla @kurestinarmada @msmariavicente

Oh man! I don't think I did anything big, but it probably involved a bottle of prosecco and a very nice cut of steak. And telling literally everyone in a 20-mile radius. #askPSLA

Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Alisha Gabriel @alishagabriel

#askPSLA If someone writes in multiple children’s genres, like MG & PB, do you rep it all, or put limits on the agent/author agreement?

It depends on the agent, but that's def something you would talk about in your initial call with them. Some will rep all, or have another agent at the same agency rep it, or be open to you obtaining multiple agents. But you probably want someone who does it all! #askPSLA

Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips

Brady Hart @BradyRHart

What's one of the greatest things you've heard a reader say about a project you've helped bring to life? #askPSLA

@SamMaggs has received some wonderful letters from young girls who adore and appreciate her books. The fact that she's been able to inspire young readers like that is 100% why I'm doing what I'm doing. #askPSLA

Maria Vicente
@agentvicente
Literary Agent
senior literary agent + advisor @psliterary
195 MSWL
329 AskAgent
330 Queries
107 Tips
Kurestin Armada
@kurestinarmada
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @RootLiterary . Specializes in science fiction, fantasy, & graphic novels for all ages.
57 MSWL
137 AskAgent
2 Queries
20 Tips

Michelé Strachota @MStracho

@BradyRHart In relation to this great question! Are there months where your inboxes are generally more flooded? And months that are light consistently? #askPSLA

Hmmmm, not really? Or rather, yes the waves come and go, but I don't think they're related to anything in particular. And some months I get less in quantity but they're all AMAZING and others I get a flood and nothing clicks. It's a giant mystery! #askPSLA