Rebecca Matte

Ah sorry to miss chatting! I’m sure we’ll have more chances.

Hm, for me I look to understand character. If I get a good sense of your protagonist and their stakes, I am sold pretty fast. I’d rather know about them than the world level conflict, unless it’s directly pertinent

My hope is August 1! I’m still working through fulls and I’ll be in the Galapagos for the last week of July, so probably after that!

Great question! For me, I do that for 2 reasons: 1) to help me focus on the info (I struggle with chunky paragraphs) and 2) to prompt writers who may not otherwise include it.

If it’s in your query, you can def copy/paste. No need to reinvent the wheel.

You should, because you're seeking a partner and should be upfront with them. Not being pubbed is not a red mark, & neither is seeking a new agent. It can also help show that someone liked your book and that you can work with an agent. Present the facts and let your words speak

That's because there is no standard answer. Typically, agents require 1 or 2 page synopses. When I queried, I had one of each ready to go, that way I had whatever was required. Genre really doesn't matter there, just what each agent wants.

That's honestly a great question. There's unfortunately no central database for agents. Check #mswl, Manuscript Wishlist for people looking for that. There's also this fantastic site that specifically lists Lit Agents of Color literaryagentsofcolor.com

I would say that 100K is a good guideline for SFF, esp a debut. Much longer than that is a hard sell, though not impossible, simply bc it's harder to market both to pub houses and the public. Try to cut it down - I bet there's a lot that can be cut, or could split into two books

That is very agent specific. I can say from my experience, I did this but only with the one agent who wanted my full and with permission. I emailed to ask in advance, and got her blessing to send it. Usually guidelines will tell you what people prefer.

Just like any industry, it's always worth the time to do the research and look at existing resources -- there are TONS about queries and comps and word counts etc. Once you've done that, you're not expected to know much more. That's why we're here!

I'd be surprised if people deleted queries without reading them, at least of people I know. I'd be less surprised if some move quickly and give less time, though I also don't know if that's the case. It is certainly not my practice, and I will sadly continue to be slow.

So, I'd make sure it's clear upfront that you're co-authors. After that, I'd want to know whether you plan to keep writing together, or whether it's a one off. If it's a one off, do both of you have work you want repped? Or just one of you? Do you have a contract between you?

I think it depends, but largely you don't need a life story that isn't related. I like to see how books are inspired from lives, but I look for basic life facts. Credentials are fine, specialty is fine, but don't stress about it.

Yes and no. I would say that there are really amazing books continually coming out, and way more that most people don't know of. If you want to self pub, that's an option but don't think of it as a fallback -- it has to be more of a business decision for you.

2nd is harder. There is no answer. Authors will tell you subs can be worse than queries. Some don’t succeed on the first book, and have to try another. Some are in limbo. Some get hurt by world things out of their control. Some get signed right away! But we feel it with you

Absolutely! I genuinely believe agents are a massive plus for an author. If you have receipts for existing trad pub success that’s a big plus! Not a guarantee of course, but stating the genre change and past publication for sure won’t hurt

It’s a tough one for sure. There are fringe cases, like Legends and Lattes, where a book is republished traditionally. Or where a future book hits big and back catalog is repubbed. But yeah, I’d say a third book is a hard sell upfront, cause the agent would need to read all 3

I give at least 2 weeks, depending on the authors needs. Never less, but on request and good reason, definitely more. If the author doesn’t raise it themself, I will prompt with two, but I’ll always let them go first.

Very high!! At least in my area (SFF) there are lots of international writers publishing amazing books! That’s the nice thing about agents: we’re pretty geographically dispersed. A good English language book is a good English language book!

If the book was a close no, then it could be good influence! Otherwise I’d usually say no, unless it seems like the author has just immediately sent me a new one. Then I’d be curious why this wasn’t the first, and whether the same issues would appear.

If the agent loved a work and can see how it can be fixed, if they have time, they may take the book on. But given the volume, if there is something seemingly simple that the agent can’t envision and isn’t already in love with, it’s not the right time