Mark Gottlieb

Hi Michelle, the #TMGTalks have closed until next time. Not clear on your Q. Are you asking if I always respond to queries w/ a full MS request? Then the A is yes. Hope that helps. Otherwise stop by the next #TMGTalks thread.

It's not necessary to let the agent know that a manuscript has been professionally edited. Of course, any manuscript or query letter that comes in should already be polished. #TMGTalks

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having an international background as a new author. In fact, we have many clients from Canada! The question is more so about whether you hope to have a bigger presence is the U.S. and internationally or primarily in Canada. #TMGTalks

James wrote Only Dead on the Inside: A Parent’s Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. Granted that somehow fits within nonfiction/humor. In fiction, I’m rarely looking for zombie books unless it’s really well done. This article might help #TMGTalks m.mythcreants.com/blog/will-your…

Our agency agreements are simple & fair. Looks after interests of agency & author. Usually covers length of term of representation & restates commission structure. There are All Works Term Rep agreements, Single Work Term Rep, & Print Publishing Only Term Rep agreements #TMGTalks

It's hard to say what the next trend in book publishing will be as no one really has a crystal ball. For instance, who could have predicted 50 Shades or Harry Potter. I always believe that it's best to be making waves rather than following in the wake of others. #TMGTalks

In looking at my own bookshelf, I see The Chicago Manual of Style, Writer's Market 2017, LMP, Publishing for Profit, The Art of Literary Publishing, Another Life, Max Perkins: Editor of Genius, and a subscription to @PublishersWkly & @PublishersLunch can't hurt #TMGTalks

The holidays can slow things down but I've found that pitches going out to publishers this time of year is slow. The same goes for incoming submissions to literary agencies so this could actually be a good time to be submitting to literary agents who have free time! #TMGTalks

Memoir can be tricky since it shares qualities with fiction. Fiction relies on quality prose; nonfiction relies on an author's platform & built-in readership but sometimes a bestselling memoir can come out of nowehere! Take @JDVance1 or @CherylStrayed, for instance. #TMGTalks

Sounds like it's an honest way of saying that in the literary agent's own opinion, they don't feel confident that they could sell it, but that another literary agent or literary agency might feel differently. #Publishing is a highly-subjective business #TMGTalks

Good to have interest! Best to submit a manuscript to literary agents once you've done all that you can with it. Making changes to a manuscript already on submission could disrupt the reading process. Of course the literary agent and editor will help with edits later on #TMGTalks

Paranormal is a struggling genre at the moment in #SFF & #RomanceBooks. Check out this article that might help in recategorizing your manuscript called "Will Your Subgenre Prevent You From Being Published?" bit.ly/2kYyfMA #TMGTalks

Upmarket fiction is the marriage of literary & commercial fiction. Examples of such books I have worked on are @KateMoretti1's THE BLACKBIRD SEASON, @NB_Chris's TROPIC OF KANSAS, & @Bard_Queen's THE DRAGON'S LEGACY #TMGTalks

Please see my other tweet to you. The article I sent explains that #steampunk is a cold genre right now in #bookpublishing so maybe call it something else like gaslight fantasy or gunpowder fantasy #TMGTalks

For help on that: I wrote an article on #SFF genres for @mythcreants called "Will Your Subgenre Prevent You From Being Published?" bit.ly/2kYyfMA #TMGTalks

A good query letter is a 1-2 sentence hook, followed by a couple of body paragraphs on the manuscript's story description, and last paragraph should be a 1-paragraph author bio, listing relevant writing experience and credentials. It should all fit on one page. #TMGTalks

So many good books I've read all though the years I wish I could have represented. Book from my pleasure reading this year include The Sand Warrior by @MarkSiegel, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, and Slade House by @david_mitchell #TMGTalks

You must write what you've set out to do, but with the current landscape in children'd books I suggest writing #YA that's important and unique enough to stand out in today's #bookpublishing marketplace. My colleague @abuckslater is very knowledgeable in this area #TMGTalks

Quality writing first & foremost. Authors will become household names by extension. Awards, pieces in lit mags, advance praise, etc. can help show relevant writing experience, credentials, and a community built around authors, but platform means more to nonfiction #TMGTalks

I'm more fond of beginning the query letter with the hook since we get so many emails a day and need to get to the point. So it's best to bring that important info to the forefront. Ultimately it's quality writing and the strength of the hook that will win the day. #TMGTalks