Jessica Faust
Literary Agent
BookEnds Literary Agency
President & founder of BookEnds Literary Agency, author advocate, optimist, & professional pain in the ass. Runs on coffee, wine, & kettlebells. She/Her
Literary Agent
Anne Raven @ARaven_writer
@bookendslit @BookEndsJessica @mh_klump Is there a general timeline for when writers should follow up? #askagentI would base your follow-up times on the agent's publicly stated response times #askagent
Literary Agent
KatyL @KatyLapierre
@BookEndsJessica Say an agent requests your full manuscript and after 14 months she still hasn't gotten back to you, do you give up? I mean, she's got the WHOLE manuscript...I think you move on. Anything can happen, but it seems you should have an offer from someone after all this time. #askagent
Literary Agent
Essa Hansen @EssaHansen
@BookEndsJessica I’m curious what the economy is of requesting a partial rather than a full (of which an agent can choose to read only part). It seems like it sometimes creates extra emails/steps for author & agent. #askagentNow obviously there are extra steps, but I think for some agents it feels less daunting to have a stack of partials v. fulls. #askagent
Literary Agent
Essa Hansen @EssaHansen
@BookEndsJessica I’m curious what the economy is of requesting a partial rather than a full (of which an agent can choose to read only part). It seems like it sometimes creates extra emails/steps for author & agent. #askagentThis is very old school. Back in the early days of @bookendslit everything was submitted via snail mail. The thinking was that it costs less to submit a partial so we were saving authors money. #askagent
Literary Agent
Rebecca R. Pierce @RebeccaRPierce
@BookEndsJessica On average, how long should a writer wait to hear back from a query before assuming it's rejected?I think that depends on the agent and her workload. With the "no means no" agents I think I might assume they are rejected after 2-3 months. #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Shelby Tench @ShelbyTench
@BookEndsJessica When agents ask for the first x-number of a manuscript's pages sent with a query, do they want those double space? #askagent (Sorry if this shows up in your notifications twice--I had to delete and re-post with the askagent tag. 😳 )Yes. When in doubt, double-space. #askagent
Literary Agent
Raquel Curvacheiro @RCurvacheiro
@bookendslit @BookEndsJessica Not living in the Country you're submitting to (and writing in a second language) is an handicap? I mean, would you reject someone based on that? #askagentI will reject based on the writing, but not because it is a second language. And I have clients all over the world so I don't care where you live. #askagent
Literary Agent
Alicia (she/her) @demiurgent_G
@bookendslit @BookEndsJessica Thank you! I was confused because although the agents say how much to send when emailing queries, they don't always say *how.* Choosing which way to default to was extra complicated by my day job where brief email with attachments is the way to go. :-)Typically the order of submissions is query written in the body of the email. Attached materials only if material was requested. It's why @bookendslit uses Query Manager. Makes our lives easier #askagent
Literary Agent
KatyL @KatyLapierre
@BookEndsJessica I'm sorry, I don't mean to be obtuse (and thanks so much for all this one-on-one), but then why do they bother asking for a bio in addition to the query letter if it's just the same info? #confusedSometimes agents just want everything in one place. If the book is nonfiction what they're really asking for is platform--Twitter followers etc. #askagent
Literary Agent
Stacy Nockowitz @snockowitz
@BookEndsJessica Is it okay to hand them my business card?Yes, I think so #askagent but remember the most effective way to meet people is to make a connection, to talk about real things
Literary Agent
Rebecca R. Pierce @RebeccaRPierce
@BookEndsJessica @TammyLuck This post makes me wonder .... Is there a best time to query?Not really. Query whenever you're ready. #askagent
Literary Agent
Stacy Nockowitz @snockowitz
@BookEndsJessica Sorry to sound like such an idiot. I’m just a conference newbie who doesn’t want to make cringe-worthy mistakes.lol. You don't sound like an idiot at all. I think it was a great question and once conference veterans often ask #askagent
Literary Agent
KatyL @KatyLapierre
@BookEndsJessica If an agent asks for a bio in addition to the query letter, what should that include beyond what I would normally put at the end of my query letter? #askagentnothing unless you have something extra to include #askagent
Literary Agent
Jason Ehlen @JasonEhlen
@BookEndsJessica Other than romance and politics, what genres are selling currently? #askagentMysteries, suspense, thriller, domestic suspense/thriller, SFF, picture books, YA, middle grade, nonfiction, women's fiction---all genres we've recently sold btw. #askagent
Literary Agent
Jason Ginsburg @Ginsburg
@BookEndsJessica Do you think a Twitter account with lots of content (lists on Facebook, images, hashtag contests, a music video) has a chance at becoming a book? Obviously it would require a full proposal, but would the social presence play a part in the decision? #askagentI don't think a Twitter account with just lists makes a book, but I think a strong media platform can help sell a book. #askagent
Literary Agent
Alicia (she/her) @demiurgent_G
@BookEndsJessica Hey just a quickie #askagent Online advice is don't attach files to submission queries. But when you've written a letter, a synopsis and the first X pages you're asked for, the email body seems far too long. Is "don't attach files" right?If it's requested material you will be expected to attach the material #askagent
Literary Agent
Denise Beeman @dbeeman73
@BookEndsJessica If you are trying to get published for the first time are agents more likely to say no if you are trying to query a first book of a series? I've heard its harder to get agents to take on series. #askagentI think this depends so much on the book, the genre, and the sub-genre. in some genres a series is expected (cozy mysteries), others are more trilogy oriented (YA). I don't think any agent will say no just because it's a series #askagent
Literary Agent
MHKlump @mh_klump
@bookendslit @BookEndsJessica Not trying to be snarky, just curious-why do some agents not respond at all when they could send a form rejection? #askagentThe policy at @bookendslit is to respond to every query, no matter how long it takes. #askagent
Literary Agent
MHKlump @mh_klump
@bookendslit @BookEndsJessica Not trying to be snarky, just curious-why do some agents not respond at all when they could send a form rejection? #askagentI don't know. It drives me bat-shit crazy. I think it's just inconsiderate. #askagent