Anne Tibbets
Literary Agent
Donald Maass Literary Agency
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency. Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
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Suzanne Kuziak @Snoozekuz
@Heather_Glomb @AnneTibbets Yes, good question. Would an agent like to know how the author plans to market their novel?Not during the querying process. We can go over that after I sign and sell it.
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Natasha Raulerson - Signing Author at #Shameless19 @RaulersonWrites
Agents + Agented Authors please weigh in. I have someone telling authors that in order to get an agent they have to pay to have their manuscript professionally edited. #amwriting #amediting #askagent #writingcommunityYou DO NOT have to have your manuscript professionally edited.
Join a writers group. Find critique partners and beta readers. Support other writers so they can support you. ❤️
#WritingCommunity #askagent
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Joseph Sprenger @JosephSprenger7
@AnneTibbets Thanks! I have twelve queries out for more than two weeks. Should I wait for their response, or just self publishSorry for the delayed response.
I sent out 78 queries, on the 4th book I'd written, for a little over a year, before I got my first offer of representation from an agent.
If you are not prepared to suffer the slings and arrows of a process like THAT, then yes, self-publish.
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Lane @laney_lam
@AnneTibbets @Vince524 If I may drop in - if you're looking at self-pub sales rates, what would be considered low/high?Low = 5k or less
Medium = 10k - 50k
Good = 50k+
Medium and good ranges vary from self pub to small press.
And don't set these in stone, it's just my opinion.
Others may think differently.
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Vincent Morrone Author @Vince524
@AnneTibbets How much does past publishing experience with both self publishing and smaller presses help or hurt when querying? Is it worth noting I’ve worked with a press like the wild Rose Press or does it not factor in at all?I don't know if it matters to agents as much as it matters to the sales teams in the acquisitions meetings at publishers.
I'd be lying if I said it doesn't matter at all. Low publishing numbers, or "soft" previous sales count against you when you get to acquisitions. Sad fact.
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Nathan Dabling @n8dabling
@AnneTibbets How much do books in a series have to resemble each other? My first installment is 90% MC POV, but as more characters take bigger roles, they will get POV more. Also, it explores different realms of the supernatural, expanding each book. Structure and tone would be consistent.I'd say they have to resemble each other pretty closely. Just my two cents.
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Travis Hightower @Highspeed0516
@AnneTibbets Oooh so not like thriller vs sci-fi - so MG vs adult? Very interesting. Thank you!Category! To be clear. Two adult books shopped simultaneously = bad.
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Barry Napier @bnapier
@AnneTibbets If your book is intended as Book 1 of a series, do you state as much in the query or does it seem presumptuous? Should a writer even bother with the “with series potential” add-on or not?Yes, ie. "book 1 of an intended 3 part series" or something like that
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Keith Manuel @KeithAManuel
@AnneTibbets How many POVs is a guideline for adult fantasy (abt 100k length)?I think the Expanse books had like 3 or 4 POVs in each book? I mean, GoT had a bazillion? I had an agent once tell me 3 was the maximum but I think that rule is only a rule until it's not. Knock yourself out.
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Travis Hightower @Highspeed0516
@AnneTibbets Rare extreme hypothetical situation: An author gets an offer for one manuscript & while notifying other requests of the offer, a new offer comes in for a totally different manuscript. What to do ... How might negotiations be affected? Can we have cake and eat it too? Am I greedy?You have to pick one agent if they are both books are in the same category.
Many writers have one agent for KidLit and another for Adult. Or one non-fic and another for fiction. But you can't have TWO agents shopping TWO different books in the same category.
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Jaime Dill @jaime_dill
@AnneTibbets Thanks! I'm excited to see how far my BA takes me, but I have my eye on a masters in publishing bc 1) I want to learn ALL THE THINGS and 2) I figure it'll open more doors. What qualities/experience would you say are most important to those hiring interns or staff?You might not like my answer, and there are others who may disagree with me, but I got both my internships because I personally KNEW the agent. I've worked in Hollywood. WHO you know is just as important as WHAT you know. My advice? Go to cons. Meet agents. Schmooze. Start now.
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Sarah Banham 📚🖥 @sjbwrites
@AnneTibbets Would you consider a novella? Or a collection?Unfortunately, no.
No idea how to sell that at present.
There are agents who DO though, so it's not an impossible ask.
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Jaime Dill @jaime_dill
@AnneTibbets As someone in school for fiction writing and very curious about interning as an agent, I'm curious whether long distance opportunities still exist. I follow Publisher's Weekly for postings, and it's so rare to see an opening that doesn't require physical office hours.I live in Los Angeles and work for an agency based in Florida. MANY agents do this and some publishing houses have remote editors too (although, they're likely freelance and not on staff). It's possible! It takes time to search them out tho. Good luck!
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Ann Dayleview - is doing a giveaway! @AnnDayleview
@AnneTibbets Thank you for doing this! What would you say are auto reject word counts for first timers?Anything under 60k for my YA specs is an auto-reject.
Anything under 70k for my adult specs is an auto-reject.
Anything over 150k = auto-reject.
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Laura WilsonAnderson🦉🐙🐇🐑🦄🐩 @lala412
@AnneTibbets If you have a contemporary fantasy with absurdist elements, is there a tipping point for the absurdism (if that makes sense)? And does it just fall under humor when searching agents?You know, I'm not the best judge for this question - that's my disclaimer. I'm not a huge fan of absurdism (I just get irritated), and satire can really annoy me - so, I'm not going to be able to give you an answer on this and I'm sorry. I'd call it 'satire' in your pitch tho.
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Elaina Battista-Parsons @BraveIrene77
@AnneTibbets what REALLY makes an agent love the query letter? Is there a secret to truly standing out? or it is just about finding the wish from the wish list?Some times I read the pitch & get excited about the idea. Some times I read the pitch & it's only meh but the pages are amazing.
Sometimes the pitch is only meh and the pages need work. That's a pass.
I'm looking for something fresh, tight, and ready to sub.
And yes MSWLs help
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Stephanie K Scott @skscottwriter
@AnneTibbets There seems to be some grey area right now re: where to place books written for kids in middle school. Some YA content is too mature, but often MG is too juvenile. What’s your advice to writers (who want to write specifically for 6th & 7th graders?) for how to pitch?Upper Middle Grade is a THING and there are definitely agents and editors who are seeking it out. So I'd pitch it as Upper MG. Good luck!
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Kyle Burnett @KyleBurnett
@AnneTibbets What is the best day of the week to submit a query letter?I don't think there is a best day. Mine all get stashed in a folder and when I read them I start with the oldest first. So, any day. Just send them!
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Dan Fitzgerald @DanFitzWrites
@AnneTibbets I am considering rewriting my opening and condensing it if my first batch of queries fizzles (and rewriting the query obviously). My concern is that my 85k adult fantasy might drop a bit below 80k if I do. How much should this worry me?None? 80k is still a solid book.