Jessica Alvarez

It depends on genre norms and writing style, but I tend to respond better to third-person POV. That’s not to say I don’t like first-person at all, just that it’s trickier for me personally. #askagent

80-100k, unless you’re writing category romance, and then you’re looking at somewhere in the 50-75k range, depending on target line. #askagent

Absolutely! I love category romance. #askagent

Yep. Once an editor, always an editor. #AskAgent

I think this is an unpopular opinion, but I don’t care why you’re querying me unless it’s a referral. I don’t need personalization. Just get to the pitch, please. #askagent

we do it all the time. #ASKAGENT

I’m going to disagree slightly with my colleagues. Generally speaking, no, it doesn’t matter. But if you’ve been through three agents in three years, I might be concerned as to why these relationships aren’t working out. But that would be a discussion to have. #askagent

Yes, unless you’re writing nonfiction or you’ve previously published books in the same genre. #askagent.

Not exactly. For a novel submission, I’m primarily looking at that one novel, but it can be helpful to know what else has been completed or what’s in the works. But I’ll ask about those when I need to know more, there’s no need to mention it in the query. #askagent

nope. #AskAgent

I think it should more or less match the voice of the ms. If your manuscript is funny, show that in the query. Or vice versa, if it’s a dark book, that darkness should come across in the query (in a non-creepy way). #AskAgent

What else they’re working on, if our personalities and style mesh, the market, whether I think I can sell it, whether I have a vision for it. There are some books I love, but I know I’m not the person to sell it. #AskAgent

My taste is really all over the place in historicals, though, so when in doubt, just query. #AskAgent

I’m not the only one—@RachMBrooks, @BookEndsKim and @wensday95 also rep them, though they can all tell you how actively they’re looking. I tend to prefer Regencies and Victorians, but I’m open to other time periods. #AskAgent 1/2

I usually have a pretty clear idea, but sometimes there are manuscripts I need to mull over a bit, or talk over with colleagues. #AskAgent

we might revise based on feedback if there’s enough consistency in what we’re hearing, but we might not. It depends. #AskAgent

It’s on the short side, but not completely unfeasible. I never like to add words just for adding words, but if I were reviewing yours, I’d be making notes on whether there were elements that could be fleshed out. #AskAgent

You can also re-send the query and mention that you’re sending it again because you hadn’t yet received a response and were worried it had been misplaced. #askagent

We will take self-published authors, however, it’s generally preferable to query with something brand new that you haven’t already published. It’s very difficult to sell a publisher a project that has been self-published. #askagent

Check the agents’ projected timelines but I think, for most, it’s reasonable to check in at three months. I never expect anyone to check in but I certainly don’t mind if they do. And, of course, check in immediately if you get an offer of rep from someone else. #askagent