Ali Herring
Literary Agent
Spencerhill Associates
Literary Agent, Spencerhill Associates. Twin mom+1 π Eclectic in life & books. I π Jane Austen & SFF in equal doses. #TeamSpencerhill Ali-ens π½ rock!

Literary Agent
Just remember your query is the place to give us a short plot summary, but you must ALSO include the STAKES of your story. If I'm curious about your "hook," but you don't tell me what's at stake for your characters, I don't have time to read 90,000 words+/- to find out. #querytip

Literary Agent
#querytip querying authors, in your bio if you don't have writing accolades, I still love knowing your day job and some tidbit about you. I read samples first and if I go back to your query, that's often missing (probably to keep things short). I mean, give me a sentence or two!

Literary Agent
Hey I don't know what's up, but someone's published my email address as a place to query me. I ONLY CONSIDER QUERIES SENT TO QUERY MANAGER. Emailed queries get deleted, unresponded to. This is why it's important to follow query instructions, usually on agents websites #querytip.

Literary Agent
First blog post in a long time, inspired by @EmilyRodmell's recent tweet about two-sentence pitching. The Art of the "Quick Pitch" aliherringwrites.wordpress.com/2021/07/29/the⦠via @HerringAli #querytip

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
FYI, if you're pitching YA fantasy, be sure to include the time period (YA historical or YA contemporary). Sometimes we're looking for one but not the other, sometimes both. #querytip

Literary Agent
Subbing to editors AND querying agents is a lot like fishing! Fishing with the right kind of bait is key (the high-quality stuff, ie great writing) and of course making sure you have lots of good hooks (in your writing)! Next, you have to learn how to cast (or query) #querytip #1

Literary Agent
While youβre querying one project, write something different. Write something new. Keep learning and practicing your craft. Donβt ever become satisfied. Stay hungry. You want to be a writer? Thatβs what writers do. Even published ones.
#WritersLife #querytip

Literary Agent
1st sentences matter! I can tell A LOT from the 1st few sentences of a manuscript. I love analogies, so for me itβs like meeting someone for the first time. Do I get a firm or soft handshake, a coy look, a confident stare, work-worn or soft hands, somewhere in between. #querytip

Literary Agent
Always include plot & stakes in your query letter. You can be the nicest person on earth in your intro, but I still have to know 1-what your novelβs basic hook & plot are & 2-whatβs at stake for your characters & their world. I donβt have time to search for it! Auto no. #querytip

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
I have to say this about attempting to read 300+ queries in a row: The people who boil down their plot to 'book jacket' status are currently my favs. #querytip Remember, agents are usually sitting down to read lots of queries, not just your one so stand out being short & sweet.

Literary Agent
Important #querytip. When the agent you queried has 100s of queries to answer, & your query doesn't state what the plot is or what the stakes are, it's an auto pass from me. That's kind of difficult to swallow & I hate to do it, but I don't have time to dig for it at that point.

Literary Agent
K.M. Weiland @KMWeiland
The opening line of your book is your first (and, if you donβt take advantage of it, last) opportunity to grab readers' attention and give them a reason to read your story. #writetipThis is true of the agents you will query too. With hundreds of queries to read through, and hundreds of samples to dive into, the opening line speaks volumes about you and what youβre capable of in the next 60 (give or take a few!) thousand words #querytip. So make those count!

Literary Agent
#querytip. Clarifying an earlier tweet: When you query an agent, itβs best to only submit one manuscript for consideration in that email. Donβt query every manuscript youβve ever written or even just two. Pick ONE manuscript to focus on in that submission.

Literary Agent
Jessica Faust @BookEndsJessica
Think of your query blurb as the back cover copy of your future book. In fact, knowing that it might actually be used as the basis for your actual cover copy might help you understand its importance. #querytipThis is a fantastic #querytip. Read lots of book jacketsβespecially from sales comparables that could be on the same shelf as your MS. Your query is as much a sales pitch as that book jacket copy. Googling Goodreads + keywords is a great way to find comps. Put comps on query too!

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
#querytip Please in query ONE project at a time.

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
#querytip The act of CHOOSING to ask for a full from the query pile is a big deal. It's an investment in time & a lot of hope on the agent's part for a match. We often LIKE more than we ask for. Our lists can only be so big. So make sure those 1st pages sing, & your query rocks!