Jessica Alvarez
Literary Agent
BookEnds Literary Agency
Senior literary agent and Foreign Rights Manager, @BookEndsLit . Former editor. Looking for adult fiction and nonfiction. She/her
Literary Agent
Becca @AuthorBeccaDay
#askagent @bookendslit I've noticed a lot of first person present tense in thrillers and crime recently. Do you have any preference on POV or tense? Does it depend on genre or just how well it is written?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
Literary Agent
🌔Vanessa 🌖 #BLM 🍁 (Latinx RomCom WC 9k) @vanessaepeay
@NaomisLitPix @bookendslit for adult contemporary romance what is the best word count range to be in for querying? #askagent80-100k, unless you’re writing category romance, and then you’re looking at somewhere in the 50-75k range, depending on target line. #askagent
Literary Agent
Ally Johnson @AllyJohnson2019
@AgentJessicaA @WriterRowland Hi! Not sure if personally directed questions are allowed... Are you still open to receiving category romance aimed at specific lines? TIA. *crosses fingers* #AskAgentAbsolutely! I love category romance. #askagent
Literary Agent
Joanna @WriterRowland
Would you say you are editorial as an agent? #askagentYep. Once an editor, always an editor. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Jason Franz @TheBadgrProject
Happy quarantine #AskAgent I was wondering what the general consensus was for query letters...do you like it when we jump right in to the story and pitch and leave personalization for later in the query, or do you like us to lead with why we chose to sub to you?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
Literary Agent
KAClaytor @KAClaytor
What are agents thoughts on representing overseas authors?#AskAgentwe do it all the time. #ASKAGENT
Literary Agent
nicole bea @nicolebeawrites
One other thing that just popped into my head - does an author having parted from previous representation affect any decision making? #AskAgentI’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
Literary Agent
Cheri Felix @mtnbikechic
@bookendslit Dear #askagent this might be a silly question but do you need to have entire book written before you query? Thanks! Signed, A Few ChaptersYes, unless you’re writing nonfiction or you’ve previously published books in the same genre. #askagent.
Literary Agent
Kate Barber @kathrynmbarber
@jmcgowanbks @AliceArley @BookEndsJessica Is this true of novel/story manuscripts as well? I’ve heard the same about agents wanting novelists that aren’t one-time deals, but heard another say she would only want to hear about one without mention of others completed. Matter of opinion or general advice? #askagentNot 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
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Michelle Hauck @Michelle4Laughs
@bookendslit Should the voice in the query try to match voice of the ms or be more generic? #askagentI 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
Literary Agent
Caitlin LaRue @CaitlinLaRue
What factors influence offering to rep an author outside of loving their work? #askagentWhat 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
Literary Agent
Jill E. Warner @JillEWarner
What sort of things are in your historical romance #mswl, @AgentJessicaA? Are you the only one who reps historical romances at Bookends? #AskAgentMy taste is really all over the place in historicals, though, so when in doubt, just query. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Jill E. Warner @JillEWarner
What sort of things are in your historical romance #mswl, @AgentJessicaA? Are you the only one who reps historical romances at Bookends? #AskAgentI’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
Literary Agent
Rachna Chhabria @RachnaChhabria1
An agent once emailed me apologizing for the delayed response to my partial, saying she had put my manuscript in her "Maybe" pile. I thought agents were always clear about a rejection or acceptance. #AskAgentI usually have a pretty clear idea, but sometimes there are manuscripts I need to mull over a bit, or talk over with colleagues. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Jessica Alvarez @AgentJessicaA
@dmddeb There’s a lot here. I tend to do a good amount of editing—once an editor, always an editor. I communicate about submissions as they happen, for the most part. I typically will email passes from editors to the client so they can see them. 1/2we might revise based on feedback if there’s enough consistency in what we’re hearing, but we might not. It depends. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
A Writer Inside @awriterinside
#AskAgent is 60,000 words too short for a Women's Fiction piece?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
Literary Agent
Courtney Maguire Writes Stuff @PretentiousAho
what exactly is the etiquette for 'nudging' an editor/agent with an open query? I have a couple of pending queries out that are well past the typical 90 day mark and I want to follow up, but don't want to be rude.... advice? #askagent #amquerying #writingcommunityYou 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
Literary Agent
Baart Groot @relctntidealist
#askagent So I self-published my first novel and it's doing okay. Still, I wonder if I should try and find an agent because frankly, this talking to people is hard. Do agents take self-published authors?goodreads.com/book/show/4179…
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
Literary Agent
B.T. Allen @hogwashwriting
#askagent Agents, after you request a full manuscript, what is a reasonable amount of time you expect an author to give you before they follow up? Do you expect a follow up at all?#amquerying but not patiently...
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