Kelly Peterson
Literary Agent
Rees Literary Agency
Literary Agent at @reesagency . Twitter Valkyrie. Philadelphian. Pisces. She/her. Multitasks #LikeABoss . Gandalf of #TheFellowship . Tweets are my own.✌🏻
Literary Agent
Debra Daugherty @dmddeb
@LitAgentKelly What word count should a middle grade novel have? I've been given conflicting answers to this. Mine has 28,000 words.Depends on if it’s lower or upper middle grade and what genre it’s in. Contemporary trends lower. I’d say for contemporary, a safe spot is about 30-45k words, with fantasy going up to about 55k in upper MG. Everyone differs in this though!
Literary Agent
Sifa Elizabeth Poulton @SifaPoulton
@LitAgentKelly Hiya.You hear a lot of "don't query series". How true is this? Is there a 'sweet spot' for series? (duology/trilogy?)
Thanks!
Don’t query series, but do query THE FIRST BOOK of the series. There’s a difference. :) Make sure you query focuses only on the first book and that it’s stated that it’s part of a planned series! Make sure you don’t try to cover the arc of the entire series in query or synopsis!
Literary Agent
EJRunyon @EJRunyon
@LitAgentKelly Can you ever approach someone to represent you with only your blacklist and a few synopsis written for several of your future WIPs?In nonfiction, that could work. Most agents will want to see a full manuscript in order to make that decision though. :)
Literary Agent
Noel Plaugher @shunshifu1990
@LitAgentKelly I have been working directly with publishers. Should I be working with an agent? Is there an advantage?It depends on the way you want to publish! In order to be published by many larger publishers in a traditional sense, you would need an agent.
Literary Agent
Shar Lemond @SharLemond
@LitAgentKelly I just queried you and others about my third book in a trilogy--the rest are self-pub. Would any agent be interested in a part of series? I do have some followers waiting for that book, but not a huge amount. I'd LOVE to get into bookstores!!! Thanks.Because you already started the series self published, unless you have sales in the tens of thousands, it’s very unlikely to be picked up by an agent or editor because it’s already been published and out there to the world.
Literary Agent
Kale Brunson @KaleBrunson
@LitAgentKelly Yes! How do agents feel about a debut novel ending on a cliffhanger, hinting at sequels? Will it be rejected right away or considered based on other factors within the manuscript?It should be stated in the query that it has series potential! And some people hate ending on cliff hangers while others love it. It’s subjective and fully dependent on the agent and editor tastes. :)
Literary Agent
Sarah K Goldsmith @SarahKGoldsmith
@LitAgentKelly Hi! What does "this isn't a good fit" really mean? Is it just a polite way to say the writer isn't very good? Thanks for any advice :-)It could literally mean anything, unfortunately. It’s a subjective phrase, so depending on the agent and what they’re looking for, it could mean anything.
Literary Agent
Joseph Sprenger @JosephSprenger7
@LitAgentKelly Hi, Kelly! I've had wildly varying response times on Queries. My quickest was forty-five minutes, my longest was four months. I was just wondering if that meant anything significant or if its just a coincidence.It’s mostly just depending on how agents run their boxes, how much help they have, and what their current life is like. We read queries during our free time mostly, and our clients have to take up that time first and be priority!
Literary Agent
Michael L. Ross @MichaelLRoss7
@LitAgentKelly @SarahWerbach What draws you to represent particular genres?Agents represent what they know and enjoy. If we don’t know and enjoy a genre, we won’t be a good option to work on it or know what it needs in order to sell!
Literary Agent
Amber Meredith @AmberMeredith14
@LitAgentKelly What do you look for in a query?Voice and commercial hooks!
Literary Agent
Caitlin Cross @caitlincross
@LitAgentKelly @CortneyRadocaj This is so random, but do authors have any say in who narrates the audiobook of their book?Usually not. 🤷🏼♀️ Authors don’t have a lot of say in many things publishers do, including cover designs and such!
Literary Agent
Chris Gerlacher @GerlacherC
@LitAgentKelly If I end up with representation, should I just be working on a second book while my agent is shopping my manuscript around?YES. You will need something to keep your nerves and patience in check! It’s TOUGH being on submission and having more work to do helps to keep the nerves at bay.
Literary Agent
Dylan Armstrong @astrongwriter
@LitAgentKelly How often do you get terrible query letters? What do you do when you get one?Everyday. 😂 Did you see the mass email that went out to agents the other day asking for bidders for each word in the query?! And usually if the first page is no good, and the query is no good, it’s an automatic rejection. :(
Literary Agent
DL Timmerman🐲 @dltauthor
@LitAgentKelly About how long do you read a manuscript before deciding it’s for you or not?Usually agents can and will know if it’s not for us within the first 25-ish pages. But there’s also the manuscripts that are amazing until about the 100 page mark and then start falling apart. Those are the toughest. :(
Literary Agent
Kelly 📚 @LitAgentKelly
@75thandYeadon Is it fiction or nonfiction? The best way is to really dig deep into what your manuscript is and what type of person you work well with. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses and what you would want in a working partnership! Then go and honestly google the crap out ofAgents and agencies. Find ones you get a good vibe from. Read their websites, their #MSWL pages and tweets, their “about me” and what they stand for. Write all the ones down that appeal to you and who rep manuscripts and books similar to yours. :)
Literary Agent
Bria Thompson @75thandYeadon
@LitAgentKelly How do you find a agent that’s best for you and your book? What I’m working on is a collection of essays with corresponding photographs and not only am I unsure how to format it in a manuscript but I’m unsure if there’s an agent who would even want it when it’s doneIs it fiction or nonfiction? The best way is to really dig deep into what your manuscript is and what type of person you work well with. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses and what you would want in a working partnership! Then go and honestly google the crap out of
Literary Agent
Bethany Simonsen is querying again @Bethanyrambles
@LitAgentKelly @DMandzz Follow up question, if that's okay. How do you see sales for upper MG going lately? I know I've seen a lot of kids who want it, and authors who want to write it, but are publishers starting to invest in it?Trending UP! YA is super saturated right now and a lot of publishers have been asking for more MG projects. Positive side for MG authors. :)
Literary Agent
ZeZe @0zezezz
@LitAgentKelly Hi! Should I query to multiple agents simultaneously? What happens if multiple agents give an offer? Do you turn some down?Yes, query simultaneously! Usually authors query in rounds (some 10-15 agents at a time, I’d assume?) and when they get enough rejections, move on to another round. If multiple agents offer, then yes, you will have to turn some down by the deadline given!
Literary Agent
Bethany Simonsen is querying again @Bethanyrambles
@LitAgentKelly I know agents talk about MSs they like but don't love enough to rep. Do agents sign writers for a project they DO love, and then reconsider those other MSs?Meaning from the same person? Yes. @briston_brooks is my perfect example of this! She sent me 3 manuscripts before being signed, and we’re now going back over the other two and talking about revisions and how to best sell them in the market. :)
Literary Agent
M.D. Parker is not really here @MDParkerwrites
@LitAgentKelly When querying how would you want it explained if a book has a "hidden" (but obvious) biblical element as a major piece of the story & characters but IS NOT a "christian" or "religious" book? The book is Sci-fi horror.I’d say don’t mention it, in all honesty. 🤷🏼♀️ Let the reader figure it out for themselves!