Laura Zats

#500queries is meant to give writers a glimpse into the overall trends of slush (in terms of content and quality). I've done my best to communicate exactly how impression-based these decisions often are.

Thought #500queries will last for months, the chunk of queries it covers usually only comes from the first 8 or so weeks at the beginning of the year. I plan them in advance, and no, you will never be able to tell which one is yours.

Welcome to #500queries. For the next 5ish months, I will be going through my slush pile in order. 1 tweet = 1 query.

Here are some tips if you're following along:

Happy New Year! Today, I reopened to queries. Starting next week, the first 500 submissions I get this year will be featured in #500queries! Follow along!

That round of #500queries accounted for 28 days of my slush pile. You saw every query that came my way from March 1-March 28. Requests were higher than normal, with a total of 17% moving on to the partial stage!

Q500: I was on the fence with this one--it might be a bit too religious for me, but I love the comps and the voice is good, so request! #500queries

Q499: I like stories that deal with mental health. I do not like stories that are ONLY about mental health. Pass. #500queries

Q498: Folks, I won’t open attachments or click links unless I request them. Pass. #500queries

Q497: gen fic. Do not rep. Pass. #500queries

Q496: Yeah, describing the plot of your story as simple, uninteresting, etc. because the *themes* are so important is not a good way to get me to read it. Pass. #500queries

Q495: This query gave me the set-up to what could be a really cool ensemble UF, but I learned NOTHING about the plot. Pass. #500queries

Q494: I’m not sure what a “picture book for young adults” is but I’m pretty sure I don’t rep it. Pass. #500queries

Q493: I’m a sucker for a good F antihero. Request. #500queries

Q492: I thought I had enough retellings and wasn’t interested in anymore. I was wrong! This one twists it just enough and builds a great world around it. Request. #500queries

Q491: If you don’t know your genre OR category and tell me it’s not important, I’m not going to rep you. Pass. #500queries

Q490: YA C. Was supposed to be poignant, but I didn’t feel any connection with the MC. Pass. #500queries

Q489: F. The idea wasn’t bad, but the world was missing and the writing was a bit clumsy. Pass. #500queries

Q488: WF pitched as romance. Pass. #500queries

Q487: Not addressed to me. Pass. #500queries

Q486: I love me some magic schools, but this one is so vague and unremarkable. Pass. #500queries