Laura Zats

Q23: MG, 150k. Nope. Tries to teach subtle lessons. Nope. #500queries

Q22: You will always lose an agent by spending 300 words talking about HOW you got your idea instead of WHAT it is. #500queries

Q21: no matter how awesome your book is, you won't get a request with a vague query. Specifics are your friend! #pubtip #500queries

Q20: Can someone please provide me with a likable and down-to-earth romantic heroine who ISN'T clumsy? #500queries

Q19: I love diverse books. I don't love when they're meant to be didactic or to represent and/or inspire diverse people #500queries

Q18: Ghost story, which I love, but this one doesn't have enough of a hook. Pass. #500queries

Q45: "I've already obtained copyrights to my fiction novel" all this means is it's written. Knowing the pub world is important #500queries

Q17: Also think long and hard about formatting your query without line breaks. I will not read a gigantic chunk of text. #500queries

Q16: #pubtip: Think long and hard (heh) about naming your book after a euphemism for genitalia. Especially for YA. #500queries

Q15: Spam from an indie author. No, sending me updates about your book will not make me want to rep it. #500queries

Q14: YA. Chosen one. Powers. Not interested. #500queries

Q13: NA about a love triangle. I was never a huge fan of those. #500queries

Q12: Alien YA. Super vague—no real hook, and no indication that the alien culture is well thought-out. Pass. #500queries

Q11: Un-requested resub. My pass still stands. #500queries

Q10: a run-on paragraph about how no one has signed you followed by your entire book pasted into the email is not a query. #500queries

Q9: YA retelling, but it's for a story I already am doing an R+R on. Pass. #500queries

Q8: I don't want a story about a priest being seduced out of the cloth by a wanton woman. Pass. #500queries

You don't need a proofread manuscript to query, but if the book is distractingly filled with errors, you're not getting a deal #500queries

Q7: Erotica is a genre, not any sexy book. Repeat: erotica is a GENRE. Books about the oil trade do NOT count. #500queries

Q6: MG SF adventure! I'm a bit wary that it might be a little too derivative and not quite quirky enough for me, but I'll bite! #500queries