Megan Manzano
Literary Agent
Steven Literary
Agent @StevenLiterary β’ #RevPit Editor β’ Mentor @BreakthroughWBC β’ (She/They) β’ Latinx π΅π· Opinions are my own.
Literary Agent
Adrianne Karasek @AdrianneKar
@Megan_Manzano Once a writer is agented, what do new ideas look like? Do you prefer your writers to run their ideas past you for marketability before diving in a writing? Do y'all write up proposals to editors before a ms is finished?Every agent will have a different process but I like my clients pitching me their new ideas whether in a query letter, an outline, or just a hook and metadata. That way I can see marketability/gauge any problems they might.
I usually submit with a full manuscript/pitch.
Literary Agent
amelia (taylorβs version) @amelia_emn
@Megan_Manzano number one thing you find in a good query?Stakes that show what the main character is going through/the weight of the plot.
Literary Agent
Aide is in the Otherworld @aiden_png
@Megan_Manzano Whatβs your preferred query letter format? (Hook/Book/Cook?, personalization y/n?, book details before or after summary?)I like starting with the hook and ending with the metadata but the reverse of this is also fine. I enjoy personalization too but it's okay if you're just querying me because I rep a genre!
Literary Agent
nicole is revising the things @ngriffithbooks
@Megan_Manzano R&Rsβ what is a piece of advice youβd give writers whoβve received one? How likely are these to turn into offers?Make sure the R&R still aligns with your vision of the book. As for an offer, it's always 50/50 but a R&R can show agents how you revise, how you handle feedback, and build interest in your future works.
Literary Agent
Mamarino @Momoftheyear18
@Megan_Manzano @RedPenKaitlyn So many questions! How do y'all feel about movies or tv shows incl in comp titles?Go for it! I love seeing those comps. I'd recommend using at least one book comp but feel free to mix and match.
Literary Agent
Laura Bower | Author & Freelance Writer @LauraMB2
@Megan_Manzano What are the 3 main things that you look for when requesting partials or fulls?Character voice, how the plot begins to knit together, writing style and how it carries the story
Literary Agent
Gigi Cobbe @WriterGigi
@Megan_Manzano Is it really important to have a website before contacting an agent? What if you've never been published?Nope! I'd recommend making a site if you get agented but it's okay to not have one set up or even just a bare one when querying.
Literary Agent
Nightmusic @π‘ @Nightmusics
@Megan_Manzano As a debut author, would it be better to query with a completed trilogy, completed duology, or a completed book with the potential to be one or the other, or a completed standalone?I'd lean towards standalone or a completed book with potential to be more. Mainly since you never know if a book that sells will get a single or multiple book deal.
Literary Agent
Briana Morgan π @brimorganbooks
@Megan_Manzano what are the most common agent red flags that authors should be wary of before signing?- If they ask for $$
- They're hesitant to provide clients to talk to/a template of the contract
- They try to pressure you to make a fast decision
- Lack of sales (this doesn't include young agents)
- Lack of strategy for book and/or unrealistic expectations
Literary Agent
Chuck Paone @Chuck_Paone
@Megan_Manzano What's the best way to navigate the labyrinth of agents to zero in on those likely to have the most interest in, and bandwidth to take on, your manuscript?Thanks.
Their wishlists and query guidelines can help with honing in who's the best for your work. As for bandwidth, every agent is different but seeing how big their list is, if they've signed clients recently, and if their open to queries may help gauge that.
Literary Agent
layla noor β‘ is revising @thelaylanoor
@Megan_Manzano what's your favorite part about being a literary agent? #askagentDefinitely working with my clients! I love their enthusiasm and the ideas they come up with.
Literary Agent
Megan ~ Closed to Queries @Megan_Manzano
Hey friends! I'm going to host a publishing Q&A session over on instagram this Saturday 05/22 at 12:30 PM EST.If you have questions about querying, sub, or the industry in general follow me on insta at meg.edits.words π pic.twitter.com/dbIA6hwsOO
The Q&A session is live now! Come ask whatever questions you have about publishing on my insta.
#writingcommunity #amquerying #askagent
Literary Agent
Ali Lawati @lawatibooks
@Megan_Manzano Hi, do you sign an author up for just one book or more than one?Whenever I sign a client, I'm going into the relationship with their career in mind. Not just the book I'm signing them with.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Monicaπ @trippinmonica
@Megan_Manzano What do agents prefer, that the hook comes first or that you put the books information first (ex. How many words, genre, title)?I think it varies by agent. I personally like the hook first and then the information after the query, but either is fine.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
J.T Everton @JTEverton1
@Megan_Manzano Hello, Megan. Thank you for answering questions! When querying an agent, should the query letter spoil the twists in the story, or is that best left to the synopsis?The query shouldn't have any spoilers. It should just set up your characters, what they want, the inciting incident, and the stakes.
All spoilers go in the synopsis!
#askagent
Literary Agent
Sarah @ohyouwrite
@Megan_Manzano Whats the best resource to write a good query? Any book or article to recommend to refer to?I have an entire list of resources here!
meg-edits.com/resources
#askagent
Literary Agent
sophia grace π @SophiaIsWrite
@Megan_Manzano i hope this isn't a stupid question π¬. "The pages weren't what I'd hoped"-- if you use this for form rejections, what can it usually mean, if anything? technical skill is lacking? voice or style isn't meshing? does it always mean the pages or it's just a catch-all?It could be any of those reasons or simply they weren't intrigued by the premise and passed.
#askagent
Literary Agent
JD @JayDowski
@Megan_Manzano Hello. Are bios in queries important? Should self-publishing be mentioned?Bios should always be included but keep them short (2-3 sentences). And you should mention recent self-published works/recent published works if you have them.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Jennifer Smith @Jen_D_Smith
@Megan_Manzano How often do you get queries from authors with a second project after the first has been rejected?Fairly often! And it makes sense as writers work on new things and strenghten their craft.
#askagent