Megan Manzano
Literary Agent
Steven Literary
Agent @StevenLiterary • #RevPit Editor • Mentor @BreakthroughWBC • (She/They) • Latinx 🇵🇷 Opinions are my own.
Literary Agent
Haley Sulich @HaleySulich
@Megan_Manzano Thank you for doing this! At what word count do agents typically shy away from a debut YA fantasy novel? Currently around 100k words with a few more scenes to flesh out. #askagentMe personally, I tend to get iffy at 90k+ but generally 100k is hitting the top of the limit.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Christine @concertbound86
@Megan_Manzano Thank you so much! I do have one more question because I'm super curious. What happens behind the scenes on full requests?Generally when I have a full, I take notes as I read and then if I'm really loving it, there comes a point where I'm like ooo yes!!! Time to offer.
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Literary Agent
Sara Kruger @sarakruger
@Megan_Manzano What's the ideal number of comps? Is just one ok? And do you have any advice for finding comps? #askagentI think 2 is a good number. And I tend to look at recent (within 3 years) books, movies, tv shows that fit the story.
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Literary Agent
Sara Kruger @sarakruger
@Megan_Manzano @mvwrite When providing comps do I need to explain why or can I just name the book?#askagentYou can do either, but if you explain the comps, keep it short and sweet!
#askagent
Literary Agent
Dragonness Wyverna @DragonnessRawr
@Megan_Manzano How should you word a nudge?I mean, what’s a good guideline to follow to poke an agent to respond to a query?
Always check to see if there's a timeline posted to follow up. Otherwise 2-3 months is standard.
As to what to say, a simple and polite "I wanted to check if you've had a chance to go over my query for (title). Thank you for your consideration."
#askagent
Literary Agent
❄️ Sam ❄️| 7285 of 50k @thr4sam
@Megan_Manzano How long can you wait before you have send in a query to agent who like your Twitter pitch?Generally you should send as soon as you can but if you need a couple of weeks, reference the pitch event in your query.
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Literary Agent
Sofi's (hopefully) writing 🦊 @SofiDalesio
@Megan_Manzano Thank you! Best advice regarding the firsts pages of the draft? The thing that will catch your attention and keep you reading?Good voice tends to keep me going most of the time even if the pages need work.
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Literary Agent
Christine @concertbound86
@Megan_Manzano @RedPenKaitlyn Thanks for taking the time to do this! What are some big red flags for you in the first ten pages?- All telling
- No clear voice for the main character
- A ton of description without much character involvement
- Jumping huge gaps of time too quickly
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Literary Agent
Lexie Bowman @lexie_b
@Megan_Manzano Hi Megan, any insight into the best ways to work through an edit letter and make all the necessary revisions/changes. I have a lot of changes to make, some big that effect the whole MS and some smaller and I don’t know where to start!Chapter outlines or story maps tend to work well because you can identify key scenes that need to be changed and examine the ripple effects before diving it.
It also helps give you big and small picture views of your story!
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Literary Agent
Jen George @opheliaslumbers
@Megan_Manzano Sure! Biggest turnoff in a query letter?Not including all the info I need or when there's only a description of how the story was written instead of info about the story.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Morgan Post @housedragon3
@Megan_Manzano Do you prefer the paragraph of book description + comps at the beginning or the end of the query?I like comps / book description at the end but either way is fine!
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Literary Agent
Sarah M. Chen @sarahmchen
@Megan_Manzano Is NA a dead genre? Struggling with whether my thriller WIP is YA or Adult. Summer b/w high school and college. 18 year old. Sex & toxic BFFs.NA is a really tricky genre. Most of the time stories that fit into that bracket are considered YA with crossover potential.
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Literary Agent
medusa says shut the fuck up @namelesswrites
@Megan_Manzano i've seen conflicting reports, but what is the maximum word count you'd consider for adult fantasy?I don't rep adult fantasy but I've heard 120k - 125k is usually the max.
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Literary Agent
Jaimie Hunter @jaimiehunter
@Megan_Manzano Hi, Megan! Does every main character (with a defined character arc / plot line) have to be a POV character? If a character has a good chunk of the plot, MUST he be given a POV? Thanks!Nope! We can see a character's arc / growth through the eyes and interactions of the MC.
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Literary Agent
Linnea García @Linnea_Garcia
@Megan_Manzano Thanks so much! Even if a MS is query ready is it a good idea to wait? So many agents are closed now I'm thinking of waiting until 2021. #askagentIf an agent is open, you're more than welcome to query them.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Alexandra Otto @alexottowrites
@Megan_Manzano Thanks! I have something like that but I plan to apply for Pitch Wars or Author Mentor March. Should I wait until after that to submit?You could submit before, but if you were to get accepted, you'd have to pull the submission so it's up to you!
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Literary Agent
Thessie should be writing @MrsIsfugl
@Megan_Manzano what about a foreign writer? would you be interested in rep. them - as long as their work is in English?I rep a few foreign writers already. As long as the work is in English and they're looking to sell in a US market (we can sell in other markets too), then I'm happy to work with them.
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Literary Agent
Alexandra Otto @alexottowrites
@Megan_Manzano What are you looking for in MG?Friendship stories, stories where a MC begins to explore their identity, a bunch of kids having to solve a mystery / go on an adventure, stories with speculative elements to touch on larger issues.
More specific wishlist is here:
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/mega…
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Literary Agent
Briana Morgan @brimorganbooks
@Megan_Manzano Does your agency also handle film/television rights? 👀We absolutely do! We have co-agents for subrights, film, television, and translations.
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Literary Agent
Megan Davies-Ostrom @mmdaviesostrom
@Megan_Manzano I have a horror I've been pitching as lower YA. (14yo MC, some swearing but no f-bombs, 90,000words). Given the YA category is saturated right now, would I do better to pitch it as Upper MG? I worry the word count might deter people if I step down a category.That really depends because MG & YA tend to have distinct expectations of voice and content for their readers. Even if it is lower YA, it may not fit neatly into MG.
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