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.✌🏻
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Kelly 📚 @LitAgentKelly
@TiffanyWrites2 Start applying to be an assistant or an intern at awesome agencies. :)Also, keep an eye on publishers marketplace jobs and BookJobs.com
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Tiffany Arnold 📚☕️ @TiffanyWrites2
@LitAgentKelly I want to be a lieteray agent. What do I need to do? I’m graduating with my BFA in May and have an eye for new talent. #askagentStart applying to be an assistant or an intern at awesome agencies. :)
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
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Ruquayya Sajjida Is Querying @RuquayyaSajjida
@LitAgentKelly Is it better to be more descriptive or less descriptive? Also, if you get rejected, can you query the same agent six months later once you’ve revised?If you do heavy revisions, most agents probably say it’s okay to requery. And you want to find a balance in between the polars of description in order to fit with your voice and your character. :)
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Kurt Von @kkurtvon
@LitAgentKelly Do i need a big publishing house for the book to have a wide distribution (in the US)?Are all books by default sold in Europe as well. Or is there a threshold before the phblisher decides to take it overseas?
Usually, yes. And no. There’s more information on world rights and territorial rights here: publishingperspectives.com/2011/06/world-…
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
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Chris Butler @CBwritesbooks
@LitAgentKelly My manuscript word count is 180k (adult, fantasy). I know longer books can make it harder to get deals, but how bad am I making this for myself? Being as critical as I can be I still can't find ways of trimming any significant amounts without losing important plot details.Can you split it into two books then?
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Kelly 📚 @LitAgentKelly
@kkurtvon Acceptable draft (which could be split into more depending on if it’s a series, so you’d get more payments depending on if it’s a series or not), and manuscript acceptance, and if it’s a lot of money, it can be paid over certain amounts of times. This may do a nicer job ofExplaining in a short period of time. thebalancecareers.com/book-advances-…
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Kelly 📚 @LitAgentKelly
@kkurtvon The timeline can vary from a few months to a few years and everyone’s journey is their own and can’t be compared to anyone else’s. There’s no set timeline for that. And yes, advances are usually paid in stages according to when you sign the contract, when you turn in your firstAcceptable draft (which could be split into more depending on if it’s a series, so you’d get more payments depending on if it’s a series or not), and manuscript acceptance, and if it’s a lot of money, it can be paid over certain amounts of times. This may do a nicer job of
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Kurt Von @kkurtvon
@LitAgentKelly What does a typical timeline in publishing look like? From signing an agent to having the book in the store?Also, I've read that advance payments are divided into stages. Can you talk more about that?
The timeline can vary from a few months to a few years and everyone’s journey is their own and can’t be compared to anyone else’s. There’s no set timeline for that. And yes, advances are usually paid in stages according to when you sign the contract, when you turn in your first
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Jess Lucas 🍏✨🖤 @storybrookelane
@LitAgentKelly Thanks so much for answering our questions. If an author wants to revise and resubmit (due to feedback from another agent) should we just ask the agent considering our full—or send it to them with a note saying, hi, here is the newer version?Definitely ask first. :) That way we don’t seemingly get two of your manuscript if we don’t see your email/update in time.
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Dan Gleason @DanGleason83
@LitAgentKelly Okay 1 who is a decent company or person to use to edit.Depends on your genre and age range! There’s some awesome freelance editors around, including @jenichappelle and @kaitylynne13!
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Kelly 📚 @LitAgentKelly
@LGKelso It can help to change your pen name if you had some really poor sales before, but usually if you appeal to the agents you’re querying just saying that you realized it wasn’t the best way to go into the industry and are hoping to change into traditional publishing and are open toMention it at the bottom of your query, and hopefully this helps. :) twitter.com/litagentkelly/…
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Allie writes, reads and watches. @Allieox221
@LitAgentKelly How important is a stellar synopsis when submitting to an agent? I've heard that if the synopsis isn't absolutely perfect, an agent won't bother to read your submission, is this true?Well, my secret is I totally read your pages first, so for me that’s definitely NOT true. For @kaitylynne13 it might be true. 😂
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Amy J. Murphy @selatyron
@LitAgentKelly Does having previous experience (with moderate success) as a self-pub author help or hinder getting an agent?It can be either or depending on your sales, so usually it’s best to appeal to an agent by saying you’d like to publish traditionally from here on out for whatever reason you’d like to give.
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Lesia Joukova is muddling through her first draft @LesiaJoukova
@LitAgentKelly Hi Kelly! What are the acceptable word count standards for YA Fantasy? I was told 100K is too much for the genre, but I'm hesitant. All the comparative word counts online are for books that were published 5 years ago so not sure how to compare. Thank you!!Yup, I wouldn’t go over 100k. :) Especially for a debut!
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Rachel Hailey @Rachel_Hailey
When it comes to comps, I know it is best to use recent works. But how does this apply to series? As in, is it okay to comp a series that has been going for several years? Especially if it is the closest comp to your works? #askagent @LitAgentKellyWell, why is it the closest comp to your work? For plot? Or for voice? Or world building? Find the specifics for why, and then ask yourself if it’s still a decent comp to use. And I think it might not be bad if you pair it with a more recent release. :)
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Lisa-Marie Cifuentes @MissLambchop
@LitAgentKelly @loiedunn Hi Kelly!My YA fantasy got 2 likes from editors at Harper Collins during SFFpit. I know I can’t send to the editors unless I’m agented. But is their interest something worth mentioning to agents as I query this project? Or is that a no-no?
Hmm, I would keep their names in your back pocket, and once you get an agent, pull them back out as people who liked your pitch. :)
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Kelly 📚 @LitAgentKelly
@clemmiegirlnz Another manuscript, and they would ask me if I wanted to read it. Usually I’ll say yes and to send it my way. It’s never rubbed me the wrong way, but it can rub some people the wrong way. I think it’s fully up to you, in all honesty. Just make sure you don’t send both manuscriptsTo the same agency or the same agent at one time unless it’s specifically requested. :)