Robbie Guillory
Literary Agent
Underline Literary Agency
Agent at Underline Literary Agency 'Really knows his onions. Pretty clued up on books and stuff too.' Neil Lancaster
Literary Agent
Madhurima_Sappatti @MSappatti
In our first introductions when we send a query letter, would you always prefer the first few chapters of the book or any sample chapters from the book (like the moment when you are reaching the conflict point in the book?) #askagentWe ask for the first chapters - check each agency's website for what they would prefer. #askagent
Literary Agent
Hilary Taylor @hilarytaylor00
Age of debut author. Lots on twitter saying it doesn't matter. But does it matter to publicists? How important is author age, image, etc? #askagentAbsolutely doesn't matter! Many of our authors came to writing later on in life, and it hasn't hurt their prospects at all. #askagent
Literary Agent
Jon Barton @jnbarton
#askagent Regarding section breaks for new chapters. Besides starting a new page, should the chapter begin halfway down the new page, or this is discretionary? Most formatting blogs are vague on this.This is completely up to you. Unless there is a specific layout that you are using, then a publisher would typeset the book and choose this themselves. #askagent
Literary Agent
Ellen C Scott @EllenCScott
@mushenska #askagent do you need to have written a full novel to approach an agent? Or can you go ahead with a sample of your writing? Thank you!We would usually expect full novels, but our #bookcamp mentorship scheme is currently on the go for writers with unfinished novels. #askagent
katenashlit.co.uk/2020/05/28/boo…
Literary Agent
Alexandra Wilson @amwilson_opera
What would you expect to see as the "normal" wordcount for a novel (literary fiction)? 80,000-90,000 words? #askagentSounds about right to me, though could be a bit longer (cf. The Luminaries) #askagent
Literary Agent
Hilary Taylor @hilarytaylor00
Percentage questions: If you've read the full, and you ask for a meeting, how likely are you to be thinking that you'll offer representation? What % of your submissions result in full requests? And what % of those are then declined? Thanks. #askagentIf I'm asking to have a meeting, it is 99% because I want to offer representation. I don't think I could hazard a guess for the percentages, things often come in fits and starts. #askagent
Literary Agent
suzan collins @suzancollins
What are your thoughts on including some or all of the pandemic in a novel? #askagentI think that it will be hard not to mention it in some way - we've been on lockdown for such a long time, and it has (and may continue to) had such a massive impact on society. I'd like to see it done in a gentle way, rather than sensationalised, if that makes sense. #askagent
Literary Agent
Madhurima_Sappatti @MSappatti
How long should we follow up with an agent regarding a response on a submitted query before moving on to another agent/publishing house? #askagentMost agents will be fine with you querying more than one at once. We're getting a lot of submissions right now, so our reading time is pretty lengthy, but no body minds a gentle nudge at six to eight weeks. #askagent
Literary Agent
†hε ωεψmαη @WeymanWrites
@RobbieGuillory I wish I had some feedback to work with.It's very difficult to revise without it, but I am generally recieving stock rejections (if anything). I assume that means it doesn't even warrant a personal response in their opinion, but it doesn't give me much to work with. 🤷♂️
In that case, it might be that your opening chapters aren't strong enough to grab the agents. Maybe get a second set of eyes that you trust to give some feedback?
#askagent
Literary Agent
Ben Edge @bnedge
#AskAgent If you were picked up by as a debut author, how much press would you be asked to do? I.E. Interviews, TV, Radio, etcThis depends a lot on the publisher, and also on the book. If there is a central theme to that that lends itself to press features, you might be asked to do a lot. #askagent
Literary Agent
†hε ωεψmαη @WeymanWrites
#askagentWhat makes you request a full manuscript and what stops you from finishing reading an initial query?
I understand there must be a hook you identify with and this is very personal.
I need the writing to pick me up and carry me off. That usually means a strong character or sense of place. #askagent
Literary Agent
Helen the Heretic @Scribberlings
Hi! I'm doing the final read through of my ms and it looks to be coming in at around 100,000 words. Would just the length alone put some agents off? It's adult fiction, a dystopian.#askagent
That sounds fine to me. If it was 200k I'd be raising eyebrows. #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
The_Nopes @the_nopes
#AskAgent for books without HEA endings or an upbeat/uplifting tone: better to wait out the pandemic before querying? I wonder if the current world situation is making agents (and publishers) favour upbeat/uplifting narratives.Publishers are still looking for darker novels, so don't hold off too long #AskAgent
Literary Agent
suzan collins @suzancollins
#askagent My beach novel is uplit with a little romance. Should I say this in the covering letter or just use uplit or romance?uplit with a little romance sounds nice to me! #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Núria Bonet @Nuschmeichs
How much interest is there in niche local history non-fiction books? #askagentA niche amount ;)
But to be serious, the smaller the market the smaller the returns will likely be, which makes it less attractive. Having said that, publishers like @SarabandBooks have been having great success with such titles recently. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Kathryn A Whitfield @Whit_Writes
If a title needs to be changed, how do you go about brainstorming titles? And how do you know when you have 'the one'? #askagentJust keep writing title ideas down until you really feel like you're scraping the barrel, and then generally something amazing will present itself. Even then, the publisher might want to change it. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Taj Fregene @TajFregene
Hiya, are there genuinely lots of pandemic novels being submitted at the moment, or is this just a rumour? #askagentNot as many as you might think. I imagine they'll start coming thick and fast over the next couple of months though. Not a bad thing! #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Lucy Frances @lfranbam
More a question of curiosity, but how and why did you get into literary agenting? #askagentMy route was quite circuitous, having been an editor before hand, but what drew me to it is being able to champion an author over their whole career, not just for each book. And getting to read constantly. And enthuse about stories I love. It really is the best of jobs. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
HappyJoe @HappyJoe84
#askagent If you have recently parted company with an agent, should you say who they were, and why you went your separate ways?Entirely up to you. Naturally, I'd be curious, but it might be a better conversation had if representation is being discussed. #AskAgent