Anne Tibbets

Literary Agent

Donald Maass Literary Agency

Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency. Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Sophie Bradley @5235Bradleys

@AnneTibbets Hi! Thanks for doing this :) Would you be okay with someone submitting a query to you again (as in, queried more than six months ago, and query package has been significantly revised) or is that always a no-go? Question 2: what’s your favorite thing about being a lit agent? ☺️
Replying to @5235Bradleys

Q1: It depends on why I passed which should be noted in my pass email. If I passed because of the concept, and that remains the same - then don't re-query. However, if I passed because the writing needed work and it's been revised, then yes.
Q2: My clients.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Aisling Door is querying @AislingDoor

@AnneTibbets In case you’re still answering, I have a pretty good grasp on querying agents but am realizing I have no concept of what happens after. I are editors tied to publishers?

Apologies if this is too long to answer here.
Replying to @AislingDoor

Your agent will then submit you to editors, who work for imprints in publishing houses. The editors will read and pass for the entire imprint, but not the entire publishing company, or they will offer and your agent will negotiate the deal for you. In a nutshell.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips
Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips
Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips
Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Dark Southern Land @southern_dark

@AnneTibbets If you request pages/full and ultimately reject - what is the most likely reason? Not polished enough? Story ultimately didn't grab you? Dumpster fire ending?
Replying to @southern_dark

Sometimes the MS starts out great and then kinda falls apart or I've lost interest while reading it. Or, I've researched editors and pub houses and realized the MS isn't as hot a commodity as I'd hoped. Or, the author is a jerk on social media. Many reasons.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Michael Owl @MICHAELHHARRIS

@AnneTibbets Thanks 4 this. Graduating next week MFA. Have a 10 min zoom call with an agent. They'll have my bio and synopsis. What should I ask them? I have a basic understanding of the business & will have researched them. wip is a literary amateur detective. / coming of age story.
Replying to @MICHAELHHARRIS

Ask them for recommendations on if they feel the manuscript is ready for querying, and if so, what agents and/or agencies would this agent recommend you query. Ask anything you can do to make the manuscript more marketable. Ask about timelines and what are realistic expectations.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Sarah M. Anderson @SarahMAnderson1

@AnneTibbets I'm working on a YA contemp ghost story and heard recently that contemp word counts went down. Can you give me an approx range I should be aiming for? I'm naturally wordy and was already struggling to keep it under 100K!
Replying to @SarahMAnderson1

YA Contemp at 100k is a bit much. I'd keep it around the 75k or less marker, if you want my honest opinion. You might be able to get away with 85k if it's supernatural?? But 100k? Ooof. That's going to be a tough sell.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Atifa @atifalikeathena

@AnneTibbets @TCWestminster How often (if at all) do agents refer queries to a diff agent if they think it’s better fit for them?
Replying to @atifalikeathena

It does happen! We've got a company chat group where we toss up the query we like but can't rep for one reason or another, and the other agents tag it if they want a referral.
It's not daily, but it does happen.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Deana @deana_kay_2013

@AnneTibbets Do you prefer to sign clients with manuscripts that are basically sub ready? Or will you still sign someone if the MS needs more work but you love the premise?
Replying to @deana_kay_2013

I've signed clients both ways.
I'd have to say, now, if I think the MS needs more work, I'm more inclined to offer a Revise and Resubmit first, before offering rep, to see how the writer handles revisions.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Carolyn? In this economy? @CarolynKWrites

@AnneTibbets I'm very new, so sorry if this is an obvious question: should you look for beta readers before or after you send your manuscript to an editor?
Replying to @CarolynKWrites

I'd say before.
Get out all the kinks and smooth out as much as you can before sending it to editors, be them freelance or from a pub house. A great beta reader can make ALL THE DIFFERENCE. They're seriously worth gold if you've got a good one.
Treat them well.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Nicole is querying The Amulet of Amun @nmainardiauthor

@AnneTibbets I’ll ask another, since I’m here: do you know what you’ll be looking for when you open back up (mine is unfortunately out of the running since it does have N*zis, like the Indiana Jones kind, but I’m sure others are wondering!)
Replying to @nmainardiauthor

Specifically I'll be looking for:
BIPOC Horror
Mystery: especially Police Procedural
Thrillers: all kinds
Women's Historical: sweeping/romantic, supernatural twist OK: think Susanna Kearsley/Kate Morton
Science Fiction/Fantasy: unique trope twists and compelling emotional arcs

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Nicole is querying The Amulet of Amun @nmainardiauthor

@AnneTibbets What’s something in a query that makes you auto-reject? *Sorry if you’ve answered this one before*
Replying to @nmainardiauthor

Even if I have, it's not your fault you didn't see my answer!
Auto-rejects:
Flirting in query.
Violence against women as plot devices.
Nazis of any kind. Hate em. Don't care.
Bashing on other books in a query.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips
Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips
Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips
Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

kate rowan is querying! @katerowanwrites

@AnneTibbets because querymanager has a separate bio box, should authors omit a bio paragraph from the "query letter" box?
Replying to @katerowanwrites

I've seen authors leave it in, and I've seen authors leave it out...either is fine.
If I had my way a short bio would be in the query, and a more detailed one would be in the separate bio box.
But this isn't a deal breaker. Just a suggestion.

Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips
Anne Tibbets
@AnneTibbets
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @MaassLitAgency . Author. SCREAMS FROM THE VOID out now. Opinions & sarcasm my own.
43 MSWL
127 AskAgent
5 Tips

Annemarie DeClark @AuthorDeClark

@AnneTibbets When writers query you, do you prefer them to compare their work to other titles or to other authors in the same genre?
Replying to @AuthorDeClark

Huh.
Never really considered this, but actually, I think I prefer comparative to other authors.
...might change my query form based on this question.
THANK YOU
P.S. This is a persona preference, and honestly, either will suffice.