Alexandra Machinist

Literary Agent

ICM Partners

Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips
Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

Ask yourself honestly--is your email REALLY TRULY in need of a red exclamation point? #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

Word count matters. Sure, a fantasy novel or a historical sagas get dispensation from the 100,000 average. But your YA thriller’s just got to be under 100,000 words. 200,000 does not a YA thriller make. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

Let this be the annual day I remind everyone that a novel is by definition fictional and thus "fictional novel" is redundant. It also earns an automatic neg in a query letter. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips
Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips
Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

I love knowing that you have many novel ideas...but I always think wisest to query one only. And choose your strongest! #pubtip #amquerying

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

And never think that if I passed once, I wouldn't want to see a future query. I would! #pubtip #amquerying

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

If I haven't responded to your query, send me a note. I've responded to all (that I know of!) through 3/31. Know too that if I am silent, I didn't get it and would always appreciate a gentle re-send. #pubtip #amquerying

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

This text from a good friend who hopes to be a debut author says it all...and my reply is, no it doesn’t get easier, but it gets more and more worth it! Persevere, writers. And know you’re not alone in the difficulty. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

Queriers, I see your name in the "from" line of your email and your signature. No need to tell me it as your opener. #pubtip #queries

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

Authors, baseline assumption is querying multiple agents. So if you are querying exclusively, you must say so. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

Calling me Alexander is a direct query delete. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

15,000 words does not a novel make. Typical adult commercial novel word count is 80-100k. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

The most difficult reaction an agent can have to a manuscript is not dislike or even hate but ambivalence. #pubtip #amreading

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

If I haven't read in a couple months, email nicely inquiring. Don't send hostile email assuming I passed bc silence for a few weeks. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

It can take me months to get to reading a submission. Please don't assume silence is a pass. Just means I haven't read yet. #pubtip

Alexandra Machinist
@amachinist
Literary Agent
Literary agent at ICM. Sybarite. Lefty (both kinds). Feminist. My patronus is a fox. Must have plot.
27 MSWL
60 Tips

You guys, googling titles to make sure they aren't already taken is a very good idea. #pubtip