Kelly Peterson

Rejection doesn't mean you're a bad writer. It means that you owe it to yourself to make your writing better and to keep trying. #CLAqueries

My biggest pet peeve is when you take your first line to describe the sun. I see the sun everyday. Who's your main character?! #CLAQueries

My heart breaks when I send those tough rejections. I'm sorry, but know that another agent will be better suited for you! #CLAQueries

A lot of tough query decisions today. There were so many I was back and forth with, but none piqued my interest quite enough. 😞 #CLAQueries

Remember that sometimes it's not because we don't like your query or writing, it's just that another would represent you better. #CLAQueries

It stinks for agents too when we get intrigued by certain queries, but just aren't sure we're the best to represent it. #CLAQueries

Remember that when querying, you should focus on ONE book. Don't try to query an entire series, as it will be difficult to sell! #CLAQueries

Remember to pick your comp titles carefully. Popular, but not overly popular, and published within a year or two. #CLAQueries

I'm just going to leave this here for every single writer out there. Great, great advice. #CLAQueries terribleminds.com/ramble/2016/08…

Please don't call your manuscript "literary" fiction. It's such a broad term and puts high expectations on your writing. #CLAQueries

When looking for comp titles, try to find two within the last year that have sold well but aren't outrageously popular. #CLAQueries

Also, another reminder to please not use classic big name comp titles. GOT, LOTR, NARNIA, HP, and many others should be avoided. #CLAQueries

When querying, remember to know your competition and be able to tell us why yours is different. Why should we read your MS? #CLAQueries

Remember to not take rejections personally. Sometimes we just feel we can't sell it like another could. You're not a failure. #CLAQueries

A very smart idea when querying is to personalize, and do it with something not ordinary! "I saw you love horses and bad@$$!" 👍🏻#CLAQueries

Word of advice, if you have a manuscript with vampires, werewolves, or princesses, you may want to shelve it for a few years. #CLAQueries

Let's ride this train a little longer, shall we? Don't call citizens of any city, town, state, or country programmed idiots. #CLAQueries

And while we're on this train, let's just not trust you to begin with because you tell me flat out you "don't do guidelines." #CLAQueries

"If you don't trust me, no way will I trust you." Uhm... If you don't somewhat trust me, why are you sending me a query? #CLAQueries

Side note, when writing someone screaming, I read "AHHHH!" like the below... Show... Don't tell... #CLAQueries