Kelly Peterson

Count low. This also puts you at risk for other authors using your words for their own, so be careful. :)

Yes! Publishing anything online is still publishing and putting your words out there. It’s why publishing houses have restrictions on the amount of words an author can “publish” online as teasers for their upcoming releases and such. If you want to post online, keep the word

I do! And most agents do as well, but it’s usually not as intense as editors at publishing houses. It can entail anything from developmental edits to content to line edits and word choice!

It’s becoming more popular, but if it doesn’t have a solid foundation in something people know and understand, it doesn’t sell. It comes down to people buying what they know, but with a twist.

Industry standard is usually three months, so three months from when you sent that full. Fulls take a lot longer to read and decide than queries, unfortunately! Hang in there!!!

I don’t think so. A huge 7 figure deal comped a book and a movie not too long ago. Do what works for your story!

Hi Madison! That’s awesome! My best advice is to make connections everywhere you go and don’t burn any bridges. Your connections is usually what helps in this industry, in addition to your experience! And work hard, but set boundaries. These jobs can take over your life. ❤️

Yes! They have to have so much more detail in there in order to set the world within their readers minds. :) If it’s a high fantasy or sci-fi, 120k is a good number. If you can cut a bit to 110k-115k, it’d be more in the safe zone. :)

Think you like the agency, the founder, and the sales they generally make. That can be a good indicator of what to expect if you sign with that agent and want to grow with them through their career.

Experienced agents within their agency as well, so their connections can come in handy when trying to sell your work. But the biggest plus is that new agents are usually young, hungry, have the time, and are making new connections with editors all the time. I vote in favor if you

So the basic understanding when we all enter the industry is that it takes 3-5 years to make your first sale, and another 3-5 years after that first sale to start making decent money. Newer agents are hungry and have the time to give. Usually they’ll be mentored by the more

I will say it’s good to establish a brand and a following before trying to write in another one, so I can see that tactic. It will probably be based on what’s upcoming and selling in the industry though, so possibly case by case!

There’s usually specifics that can at least guide you, but it should be individualized to you and your story, as well as the agent, too. :)

It should be mentioned, but you only want to focus on ONE book when you’re querying, so no need to say that more are finished. When you land an agent from that one book is when you should definitely start talking about the rest! :)

Usually it’s unnecessary in my opinion, because by doing so, you’re taking away a lot of the build up and tension that contributes to just showing your story from one perspective. Your readers will know everything while your characters will only know a part.

Noooo, please write like the first option. Throw “When” in the beginning if it makes for a better sentence. 😂

I think so. Just be careful not to cross a line, but I don’t see a line that would need to be backed away from if it’s just light and fun. :)

Word count is very important, because if it doesn’t fit where it needs to be in order to sell it to publishers, it’s very hard for us to take it on. And length fully depends on genre and age range. Jane Friedman And Writer’s Digest are great source of information on this!

Oof, that’s tough. Steamy is definitely the big seller in paranormal romance. You can definitely try to write sex scenes with less heat, though! Do what’s best for you! Write what you want to write!

Voice! You can’t teach voice, so if someone has a great handle on their voice and knows how to use it to their advantage, it’s a definite seller.