Sara Megibow

these queries arent getting PASS 'cuz they have adults but 'cuz MG/YA stories should be kids' stories/not adult stories #10queriesIn10tweets

note - MG and YA should star young protagonists. Twitter isn't ideal for a longer explanation but... #10queriesIn10tweets

#9 = middle grade fantasy. 1 young character + 2 adult characters (nope! MG should only have young protagonists) PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#8 = young adult fantasy. Query mentions 15 protagonists each with own point of view. That's off-formula enough to PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#7 = adult science fiction. Sentence structure feels stiff and underdeveloped ("weak writing") and generic plot. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#6 = science fiction middle grade. Weak writing and convoluted plot relying on too many tropes. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#5 = middle grade fantasy. Narrative voice not middle grade and story has weak hook. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#4 = adult fantasy (wowza, it's not usually this stacked!) = weak writing, describes characters but not story. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#3 = adult fantasy. Not enough sense of hook. Relies too heavily on, "they had many adventures" pitch. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#2 = adult fantasy. Some generic tropes but really outstanding, excellent writing. Great writing wins! ACCEPT! #10queriesIn10tweets

#1 = adult fantasy. Grammatically weak & wrong genre (teen protagonists likely means YA and not adult as pitched) PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

Thanks y'all! Another great #10queriesIn10tweets - remember, crazy as it seems, most of my clients come from query slush pile. It does work!

#10 = science fiction. Query focuses on world and backstory but not on characters, plot or story. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#9 = young adult fantasy. Follows heroine from birth to death = not likely a YA novel & needs a stronger conflict. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#8 = fantasy young adult. Too much agenda in the query ("I'm writing to teach youngsters about...). PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#7 = fantasy romance. Query talks entirely of heroine and nothing of hero. I see this too often btw. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#6 = fantasy. Query should read like back cover of a book. This one is character descriptions + chapter outlines. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

#5 = young adult fantasy. Writing is choppy (grammar, etc). Heroine seems fun but not enough to win me over. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets

note on word count - it's not usually a deal breaker but under 25,000 for a middle grade is really short. #10queriesIn10tweets

#4 = contemporary middle grade. Conflict feels too old for MG and word count is very low. PASS #10queriesIn10tweets