Alyssa Jennette
Literary Agent
Stonesong
I ask a lot of questions. Painfully earnest. Art school grad (MICA '10). Literary agent at @StonesongNYC . Silence is not peace.
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q1. YA. The plot is pretty derivative, and the writing isn't there. Pass. #10QAJQ2. LitFic. This query is so opaque! It's definitely trying to be ~mysterious, but this is impenetrable. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Happy #MSWL Day! Let's #10QAJ.Q1. YA. The plot is pretty derivative, and the writing isn't there. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q9. Literary. Yeah, this is racist. Pass. #10QAJQ10. YA Fantasy. Where's the conflict? Where are the stakes? Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q8. DON'T QUERY ME WITH UNFINISHED WORK. #10QAJQ9. Literary. Yeah, this is racist. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q7. YA. This query is promising complexity and volume that the word count can never deliver. Pass. #10QAJQ8. DON'T QUERY ME WITH UNFINISHED WORK. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q6. Guys. Please, PLEASE do not query me if the manuscript isn't complete. Please. #10QAJQ7. YA. This query is promising complexity and volume that the word count can never deliver. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q5. Chapter book/MG? The voice is wholly age-inappropriate and kind of all over the place. Pass. #10QAJQ6. Guys. Please, PLEASE do not query me if the manuscript isn't complete. Please. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q4. Commercial Fic. Kind of sick of the villain being a rapist. And urban fantasy worlds *really* need a kickass hook. Pass. #10QAJQ5. Chapter book/MG? The voice is wholly age-inappropriate and kind of all over the place. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q3. YA. I can't glean the plot or the stakes from this query at all, and the writing isn't there. Pass. #10QAJQ4. Commercial Fic. Kind of sick of the villain being a rapist. And urban fantasy worlds *really* need a kickass hook. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q2. MG. Weirdly dark (which I usually like, but this isn't super age-appropriate) and way more tell than show. Pass. #10QAJQ3. YA. I can't glean the plot or the stakes from this query at all, and the writing isn't there. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q1. Literary. I do enjoy absurd stories, but I need *something* tying the plot together. I'm not invested/compelled by this conflict. #10QAJQ2. MG. Weirdly dark (which I usually like, but this isn't super age-appropriate) and way more tell than show. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Happy Monday! Let's get the momentum going. #10QAJQ1. Literary. I do enjoy absurd stories, but I need *something* tying the plot together. I'm not invested/compelled by this conflict. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q9. YA. This submission isn't complete--please don't submit incomplete work! We need your novel to be written before we read it! #10QAJQ10. NF chapter book. I just don't really see kids getting excited about this subject. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q7. YA. Too short, and too similar to a project my agency already reps. Pass. #10QAJQ8. PB. There's no narrative here, which is tough for me. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q6, cont. 2. If you, the author, have an objectively AWESOME job, I'm going to want a book about that instead. Whoops. #10QAJQ7. YA. Too short, and too similar to a project my agency already reps. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q3. PB. Stop with the rhyming couplets, please. Pass. #10QAJQ4. Length in pages is pretty useless, though I appreciate that's not common knowledge. Otherwise, this premise doesn't cut it. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q2. MG. What a witty, clever opening paragraph! Plus the premise is something I could have used as a kid. I'm hooked. Request. #10QAJQ3. PB. Stop with the rhyming couplets, please. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Knocking these guys out before settling in for the night with a client's new manuscript! Let's go. #10QAJQ1. PB. WAY too short (even for a PB) and way too simple. There's no depth or interest here. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q9. Literary. A bit pretentious and familiar. Pass. #10QAJQ10. YA. Basically the premise of THE LOVELY BONES. No pages. Pass. #10QAJ
Literary Agent
Alyssa Jennette @AlyssaJennette
Q8. Why must we subject so many female characters to rape as a shortcut to feel horror/anger/sympathy? No pages to boot. Pass. #10QAJQ9. Literary. A bit pretentious and familiar. Pass. #10QAJ