Keir Alekseii

Literary Agent

Azantian Literary Agency

Associate🔥Agent for @jenazantian | Cat wrangler 🐈‍ | 🇹🇹 gyal | Intersectional feminist✊ | #ADHD | she/they bi/pan 🌈 | Opinions my own. Layout @ana_scribe

Keir Alekseii
@KeirAlekseii
Literary Agent
Associate🔥Agent for @jenazantian | Cat wrangler 🐈‍ | 🇹🇹 gyal | Intersectional feminist✊ | #ADHD | she/they bi/pan 🌈 | Opinions my own. Layout @ana_scribe
85 MSWL
5 AskAgent

identities, one identity might inform your lived experience more so than others (example: being a brown woman always exerted greater influence over my life than my sexuality did, or my neurodivergence).

So, consider this if...

Keir Alekseii
@KeirAlekseii
Literary Agent
Associate🔥Agent for @jenazantian | Cat wrangler 🐈‍ | 🇹🇹 gyal | Intersectional feminist✊ | #ADHD | she/they bi/pan 🌈 | Opinions my own. Layout @ana_scribe
85 MSWL
5 AskAgent

As a POC it is more likely that I relate to stories by other POC, which is something to consider before querying me, though I wouldn't decline a story solely because it's not written by BIPOC.

That said, not all marginalizations are equal and when you have intersecting...

Keir Alekseii
@KeirAlekseii
Literary Agent
Associate🔥Agent for @jenazantian | Cat wrangler 🐈‍ | 🇹🇹 gyal | Intersectional feminist✊ | #ADHD | she/they bi/pan 🌈 | Opinions my own. Layout @ana_scribe
85 MSWL
5 AskAgent

From the DMs (msg cut for length): Does marginalized backgrounds include white LGBT folks?

Short answer: yes. White folks from marginalized backgrounds are welcome to query me.

Long answer: LGBTQ, DIS, ND & other such voices are still marginalized even when also white. BUT...

Keir Alekseii
@KeirAlekseii
Literary Agent
Associate🔥Agent for @jenazantian | Cat wrangler 🐈‍ | 🇹🇹 gyal | Intersectional feminist✊ | #ADHD | she/they bi/pan 🌈 | Opinions my own. Layout @ana_scribe
85 MSWL
5 AskAgent

William Michael (writer) @OhlidalWilliam

@KeirAlekseii 2 questions if I may...

How long after your initial rejections can you submit a rewritten version of a story that got rejected?

Are shorter stories more cost-effective?
I've reduced my novel from 112,000 to 82,000 making a harder-hitting faster-paced book. Does it help?
Replying to @OhlidalWilliam

As for shorter stories, this one is incredibly subjective. Both 112k and 82k seem like good lengths to me, depending on what the age category & genre are.

Whether a faster paced novel helps or harms you in the query trenches depends entirely on the individual agents. I...