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
MK Hardy @mkhardywrites
@Megan_Manzano Was literally just hoping for someone to do one of these!!How important are specific comps? If you're struggling with phrasing and instead said "This novel explores X, Y & X themes in the growing tradition of [currently trendy subgenre]" does that serve a comparable purpose?
Comps are helpful in placing your story to the current market. But they don't have to be 100% accurate.
You can use "with the atmosphere of x" or "themes of y"
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Literary Agent
Aleksander @alekpetitwrites
@Megan_Manzano If youβre a new writer and working on a series, how might the querying process be different than pitching a stand-alone work?If you're working on a series, I'd make sure the first book can stand on its own. Then while querying, you can mention it having series potential.
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Literary Agent
πΈ ALINA VEGA π @alinalasvegas
@Megan_Manzano whatβs something in 2020 that brought you genuine joy?Selling my first book for sure! Also the amount of great books I read.
And getting a desk for a work from home setup.
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Literary Agent
Noreen @noreenlekhak
@Megan_Manzano Do I have to specify in my QL if I have Editor interest? #askagentYou can, especially if the editor interest came from a pitch contest.
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Literary Agent
Carol Nissenson @nissenson
@Megan_Manzano Did the events of the last year make you crave or turn you off to certain genres/subgenres?I think I've definitely been craving lighter, more adventure based stories especially in MG and rom-coms. But generally, I tend to like darker stuff regardless.
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Literary Agent
Lisa Orchard @lisaorchard1
@Megan_Manzano #askagent Is it okay to send a second query to agents if you've done major editing to a submission and dropped your word count significantly?Yes. Just mention you made major revisions to the story.
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Literary Agent
James Lloyd Dulin @JamesLDulin
@Megan_Manzano @EsmeSymesSmith How long into the new year should we wait to start querying? I don't want to get caught in the post holiday break backlog.I feel like there's no concrete answer to this. If an agent is open to queries, you're more than welcome to query. There will always be a bit of a wait regardless of the time of year.
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Literary Agent
Lindsay Rae @LindsayRaeWrit1
@Megan_Manzano Are you OK with being re-queried with a project if major revisions have been done? And possibly years have passed? πYup! I'd just mention you did major revisions.
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Literary Agent
Patricia Whitney @pwhitslpd
@Megan_Manzano What grabs your attention in a query, besides an original story idea?Really clear and intriguing motivations/stakes for the characters involved. I love being interested just on the query alone what might happen.
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Literary Agent
Elva Hills @ElvaHills
@Megan_Manzano How should two unagented writers approach the querying process for a co-written project? Do the same rules apply, in your experience?Yup, same rules apply. You just mention both of you writing the project and if an agent likes you work, they'd rep both of you as a duo.
If you both wanted separate representation but wanted to work together, there are a bit of extra steps.
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Literary Agent
Literary Agent
C. A CrisΓ³stomo aka Caro (she/her) π§π·π³οΈβπ @CACrisostomo5
@Megan_Manzano What is the key point in a query letter in your opinion? I've heard a personalised intro can help but agents have different opinions xxI like personalization but it's okay to just get right to it.
I think the stakes of your story are so vital and all of your metadata.
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Literary Agent
Ez ~ #GiftWINGS @EsmeSymesSmith
@Megan_Manzano What was your BEST read of 2020?Felix Ever After or The House in the Cerulean Sea but honestly I have a list π
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Literary Agent
Willow Dawn Becker @WillowDBecker
@Megan_Manzano What about prologue (like, I hate them, but this prologue is TOTALLY necessary for a story). Would you say I include it as a prologue, change it to ch. 1, or find any other way to get it in the book? Do you read them, as an agent?I lean towards finding other ways to include the prologue. I will read a prologue but I tend to prefer to launch into ch1 most cases.
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Literary Agent
Kristy Crabtree @kristycrabtree
@Megan_Manzano Do you prefer a one line description of the concept for the book is in the query or do you pick it up from the wordier 2-3 paragraph description?Either is okay to me but those 2-3 paragraphs always have to be there!
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Literary Agent
Alexandra Z. Lazar π @alexandrazlazar
@Megan_Manzano If I decide to stick with YA but an agent thinks it feels more MG, is there any chance the agent will consider it anyway (if they represent both)? Iβm revising before I send out queries, but Iβm concerned about making a mistake since I know there are rarely second chances.It really depends on the agent because it's up to them if they want to work with you to age it down.
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Literary Agent
Cara (The Loudest Woman This Town Has Ever Seen) @spazgirl11
@Megan_Manzano What makes you request a R&R rather than passing on a manuscript?If I see huge potential in the voice or concept but elements of the story need work and I know what guidance to give the writer.
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Literary Agent
Alexandra Z. Lazar π @alexandrazlazar
@Megan_Manzano In your professional opinion, what are some of the defining factors that determine if a novel is YA or MG, beyond the protagonistβs age? It feels like my WIP is somewhere in the middle. I intended it to be YA, but Iβm not 100% sure thatβs where it landed.Voice is huge, but also the internal conflict of the character.
MG is the beginning of a discovery about one's self or world.
YA is about huge firsts that change an identity. First love. First job. Major family drama. Etc.
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Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Athena Lambrouπ¦ @AthenaLambrou
@Megan_Manzano Thanks for this! What are some storyline elements that will make you auto-reject a manuscript?-Anything with graphic descriptions of sexual assault.
-Books centering around terminal illness.
-Supernatural creatures like werewolves
-Animal protagonists
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