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
My biggest tip for nailing stakes in a query letter is to make the stakes as specific as possible to your main character and what they're going through.
#querytip #writingcommunity

Literary Agent
Naomi Davis, literary agent @NaomisLitPix
A quick #querytip: be specific!Don't end your query with, "She must risk everything and face the thing she fears most."
Instead try, like, "She must risk her (job/ego/life) face the thing she fears most: (losing her position/her high school bully/an actual soulsucking demon)."
An amazing #querytip right here.
When I mention wanting a query to end on stakes, I mean the stakes for YOUR character.
How does whatever is happening directly impact them? What do they have to choose between or risk losing? The more specific, the better.
#writingcommunity

Literary Agent
Meg LaTorre @MegLaTorre
If you want to be traditionally published, then you will have to decide when to query literary agents. But how do you know when youβre ready? In this @iwriterly video, @megan_manzano & I run through 10 questions you should ask before querying.youtu.be/O89f-bm_R2E
#querytip pic.twitter.com/Q1mcHxhOi7
Hey writers! If you thought you saw the last of me on Meg's channel, you certainly have not! π
Check out this video on when to know you're ready to query.
#writingcommunity #amquerying #querytip #pubtip

Literary Agent
Cat Bakewell (19k) @catbakewell
Hi there, #amwriting! The amazing @Megan_Manzano joined me for an interview over on my blog. Hop on over if you want to read about her MSWL, what she draws her eye in a pitch, and some of the common mistakes she sees in queries!catherinebakewell.wordpress.com/2020/03/24/age⦠pic.twitter.com/U2xiKWOply
Check out this fun interview I did with Cat! You can learn more about me as an agent and some common querying mistakes I see.
#WritingCommunity #Pubtip #Querytip

Literary Agent
I've seen an uptick of adult queries in my inbox.
Please don't send these to me! I only accept middle grade and young adult stories!
#querytip

Literary Agent
You want to feel, not only like this agent is the best for your work and your career, but that you can come to them whenever you're unsure or anxious about something.
#writingcommunity #querytip

Literary Agent
I know it can feel scary to ask, but if you get an agent, there are going to be a lot of questions in the process and a good agent will be ready with answers or ready with ways of finding them.
#writingcommunity #querytip

Literary Agent
If you get an offer of representation, I can't stress enough to ask any and all questions you have - even if it's an email after the call itself.
You want to be informed and any agent who refuses to answer your questions raises a red flag.
#writingcommunity #querytip

Literary Agent
I get wanting your book to reach ALL audiences, but first you must target the CORRECT audience. If your book surpasses that reach, then that's great!
But if you don't target an audience at all, there's no readership.
#writingcommunity #writetip #querytip

Literary Agent
Correct audience categories matter for:
- Expectations of that market/readership
- Placement in bookstores
- How an agent will pitch and sell your book
#writingcommunity #writetip #querytip

Literary Agent
So when I get queries where the protagonists are 25+ but it's classified as young adult or middle grade, it tells me you're not targeting the right audience and aware of what the different audience categories include.
#writingcommunity #writetip #querytip

Literary Agent
If you're writing young adult you're ideally writing from the perspective of a character under 19. Adults can also be present here but we should still be getting a younger voice.
#writingcommunity #writetip #querytip

Literary Agent
If you're writing middle grade, you're ideally writing from the perspective of a character under 13. Adults can be present, of course, but we should be getting a younger voice.
#writingcommunity #writetip #querytip

Literary Agent
I've seen a handful of queries lately where a story is classified as MG or YA despite having a cast of adult characters.
And this highlights a distinction between expectations of an audience category versus who you think your book is for.
#writingcommunity #writetip #querytip

Literary Agent
J.Elle @AuthorJ_Elle
NO ONE REALLY TALKS ABOUT SUB1 YEAR ago today I went on sub for the 1st time w/ the book of my heart. & while I cant remove the veil completely on an industry Iβm barely dipping my pinky toe in, going to try to shine light where thereβs so much shadow.
#WritingCommunity
Thread pic.twitter.com/E6reiD9vHt
This thread is 100% required reading for any writer and any writer on sub.
Keep goingβ€οΈ
#writingcommunity #querytip

Literary Agent
So when querying, put the MAIN audience for your book. If the book sells and it reaches an audience outside of the primary one, amazing!
But you want to go in knowing the readers your story is trying to reach.
#writingcommunity #amquerying #querytip

Literary Agent
Agents use that to place the book in the market and it also yields to expectations of books for that audience.
In the bigger scheme of things, audience will determine placement in libraries and bookstores.
#writingcommunity #amquerying #querytip

Literary Agent
I see tons of queries that say, this book will appeal to tweens, adults, and readers of all kind.
That's great if it does, but you need to pick the PRIMARY audience, ie the audience that the book would be marketed towards.
#writingcommunity #amquerying #querytip

Literary Agent
Megan Manzano πΈ @Megan_Manzano
I've been seeing a lot of submissions in my querybox that either don't list an anticipated audience for the manuscript or lists every audience.Let's talk about why narrowing audience is important.
#writingcommunity #amquerying #querytip
Audience is the target readership of your book.
If your protagonist is 8, that's a younger middle grade audience.
If your protagonist is 17, that's an upper young adult audience.
#writingcommunity #amquerying #querytip

Literary Agent
Reminder: it's okay if you don't have professional experience or previous writing credentials in your bio when you query.
Telling agents your career/a fun fact is totally valid.
#querytip #writingcommunity