Sara Megibow

#QueryTip = YES "This is a thoughtful, environmental YA science fiction." NO "This book was written to teach kids about global warming."

#QueryTip = YES "This novel is complete" NO "This novel will be complete by June."

#QueryTip = YES! "This is my first novel." NO! "This query is terrible because I'm new at this and don't know what I'm doing."

#QueryTip = YES! "I followed you on twitter" NO! "I followed you home."

#QueryTip = YES! "Here's my website" NO! "Here's my weblink - buy my book and let me know if you want to rep it."

#QueryTip = YES! "near-future spy thriller" NO! "historical paranormal science fiction with romance, cross over to the MG market" #genre

#QueryTip - read something the agent represented before querying her/him. Not a deal-breaker, but it shows you did your research. #pubtip

#QueryTip = Read the agent's personal submission guidelines on her/his website before sending the query. #pubtip

#QueryTip = rather than saying, "after X, heroine was forced to do Y" say "after X, heroine does Y." It's a small change but better writing.