Laura Zats

Q19: Superheroes are a really hard sell for me these days. Pass. #500queries

Q18: I was on the fence about this F, but the comps at the end clinched it for me. Request! #500queries

Q17: There’s not quite enough story in this YA query, so I can’t be sure if I’d be interested. Pass. #500queries

Q16: I’m also very uninterested in any sort of victim-blaming. Pass. #500queries

Q15: YA F. Probably pretty fine, but I lost interest halfway through the concept. I think because I didn’t get enough context to care about the politics. #500queries

Q14: In general, I’m not interested in romantic suspense (or anything) that bases the entire tension of the book on sexual assault/abuse. #500queries

Q13: By all rights, I should have loved this C YA, but the query was missing some life. I wasn’t connected enough to the stakes. Pass. #500queries

Q12: AI is a hard sell for me, but this one did it! Request. #500queries

Q11: Chapter book. Do not rep. Pass. #500queries

Q10: I think this romance author is actually writing WF. Pass. #500queries

Q9: The thing about romance is that it requires the work to be trope-based. This book is not. Pass. #500queries

Q8: YA of indeterminate genre. Honestly, I always turn down books where too many superlatives about the writing and/or character are used. Pass. #500queries

Q7: Romance. Didn’t really have anything of the hero in this pitch, though, so it didn’t come across as very swoon-y. Pass. #500queries

Q6: SF. Nothing was terrible about this query, but nothing grabbed me. I think because the specific quirks of the book were just listed at the end, not integrated with the story. Pass. #500queries

Q5: SF. Twice as long as it should be, and the query was made up entirely of proper nouns I couldn’t follow. Pass. #500queries

Q4: Women’s fiction. Do not rep. Pass. #500queries

Q3: I like the concept of this C YA, but I’m really unsure where the story begins, and what’s in the past, but I’m going to give it a shot Request. #500queries

Q2: YA F. Query was a synopsis, and it didn’t have any specifics. Just a ton of tropes strung together. Pass. #500queries

Q1: 50/50 this C YA is too focused on getting the guy as character dev, but if done right, it will be a really spectacular coming-of-age book. Request. #500queries

I hope #500queries will communicate what little things get me excited and cause books to stand out. I find a huge number of authors in the slush pile, but it's not the only way. If slush is not for you, consider twitter pitch contests and conferences as well!