Sarah N Fisk

Video #askagent starting in 2 minutes! Come ask me your querying and publishing questions! youtu.be/qY8pZP5hfHs

? in DM: Would an academic/research background (MsC, PhD, and so on) be a deterrent on getting an agent?

Ans: nope! unless it's nonfiction, it's not really relevant. (in NF an advanced degree would be a positive factor)

not if the book hasn't changed!

heyyyy I have the exact same issue! Being able to see the face that is talking helps me comprehend info. When I ask for editor calls I say "Do you mind if we do a video call? I have auditory processing issues that makes audio-only hard for me."

Ans: there is no one genre umbrella that is clearly "easier to sell" than the others. some markets are bigger than others, but that's usually proportionate to the writers trying to publish there. write what you want to write. trying to write something you don't love is hell

IMO it's always okay to resubmit once (but no more) if you've made big changes. response times vary widely! query tracker is a great place to see what kind of response times other writers are having with agents.

Ans: the name you identify with! when you get an offer, have this convo with the agent since contracts will have to be signed with your legal name. if the agent is weird or insensitive about it IMO don't sign with them!

? from DM: Any advice or query letter examples for multiple POV and nonlinear structured stories?

focus on the main story arc. look at other published books structured similarly to yours and examine how their back cover copy does it

it's very very very hard to sell a trilogy so "standalone with series potential" is the golden standard. You definitely don't have to write the whole trilogy before querying, just the first book (and probably shouldn't)

Ans: the agent believed in the concept and/or writing enough that they think its worth it to them. also they're confident the writer can pull off the revision they think it needs

i don't think i need it, unless it's still very close to the fic and the fic is still posted online. as long as, of course, the worldbuilding is original and there's not enough of a crossover that would cause an IP issue

? from DM: I currently have 5 fulls out with agents I've queried 16 in total. Are there odds out there to maybe getting a yes?

Ans: it's so hard to say but that is a very good request rate so you're doing something right!!

Ans: this is actually pretty standard language to use in a request. It could be any number of reasons! hopefully you're getting at least a little bit of feedback on full Rs! (though if the agent is especially overworked, you may not)

Ans: you should definitely mention it! something like "I was previously represented by xyz and this book was never put out on sub." An agent may have follow up questions so be prepared to answer those!

i don't see as big a problem when it's the same genre, honestly because you're only going to have one agent for one genre. it's when you'd be in a situation of maybe having two agents that it gets super complicated

definitely something to discuss with an agent when they offer! agents usually aren't looking to closely at past book sales like publishers do. a good agent will help you strategize that.

? from DM: how long you take to respond to client emails. Not people querying but your actual clients

they get priority. if it's something I can answer quickly, two business days. if it's something i need more time to answer, i will let them know when I'll get back to them

i gave a more detailed answer than twitter will allow in this video askagent from two weeks ago: youtube.com/watch?v=aOzimz…

climate change is literally on my wishlist haha. query the ones who want other elements that apply to your book (such as character types, plots). you can't know for sure why they rejected you unless they send a personalized rejection, which is rare.

you do not have to pay for a professional edit before querying. some people do, and if you have the money to spare, that's fine. most people use critique partners before querying.