Naomi Davis

I think querying per our respective website guidelines is a good idea. #askagent

Best to tell us the primary plot of the first book! With statements like "This is the first in a planned series following the ongoing conflict between..." #askagent

Querying either is fine - a good agent will want to discuss both of your projects should she be interested in offering rep. 110k isn't prohibitive in fantasy. #askagent

Editors - even ones you know - won't take it personally when you sign an agent to help with any stage of the process. I always recommend going with an agent - we do a lot for that commission, and get a lot of details ironed out for you. #askagent

If it's within genres I'm seeking and seems like an interesting concept I always look at the pages. Sometimes I don't get all the way through them though. #askagent

Things move at such an unpredictable pace in publishing that I would caution you not to cough up a bunch of money for a table or booth at an event on the chance that you will be published by that date. #askagent

Tough to say. Personally I really like to dive straight into the perspective of the eyes through which I'll experience the rest of the story. #askagent

Comps need to be accurate. It's better to NOT comp than it is to inaccurately comp, but we do like to see them if they fit. #askagent

Right away. "I sent you an earlier version of this project but hope you will consider it again now that I have adjusted the pacing to firmly root it in the thriller genre" or something. #askagent

What kind of genres do you think it tiptoes between? #askagent

Do be up front that it's a revision, though. When things "feel familiar" and we don't know why, it can frustrate us. #askagent

Best for us to see one clear genre label with "elements of..." or "a thriller feel..." etc. We have to think about bookshelf positioning so having a clear genre is important. #askagent

If the project itself was revised, it's not a bad idea to re-query. But a rejection on the project is not always based on just the query letter, so best to try other agents if you haven't revised the project itself. #askagent

Diversity is not a trend in any facet of life. Diversity is reality. Our world is diverse. Publishing is beginning to recognize that&work toward closing gap between reality & what is presented as reality in books&other forms of media. So much more work to be done, too. #askagent

I agree wholeheartedly with Natascha. #askagent

I believe your work will come across most authentically (& enjoyable to read) if you write what you are good at writing. Mentioning diversity in a query that is not OV isn't really necessary; it comes across as "checking boxes" rather than natural inclusivity. #AskAgent

As always, just my opinions & other agents may feel differently. But if you're struggling to fit your epic fantasy into a book that appeals to traditional publishing, I hope this helps. #amwriting #amediting #amrevising #amquerying #querytip #writetip #askagent #writerslife #SFF

...readers DO expect book 2 to be Bigger & Better, so you really need to hold back some of the bigger/more intricate world elements anyway. But pretend readers will ONLY get book 1 when you write. Make it so satisfying they beg for more.
(All this applies to expansive SF, too)

If the first book is so satisfying that readers (or agents/pubs) can't WAIT to see what happens next, you'll do better than if you just use book one to foreshadow that "Bigger Things Happen." Make your first plot conclude in a satisfying way. After all...

& I'll tell you why in really practical terms: you may not get a multi-book deal.
You may get a one-book deal,&pub may need to see how that performs before investing in the series. So conclude that book, no matter how desperately you want to tell the bigger story NOW. Be patient.