Brianne Johnson
Literary Agent
HG Literary
pottery teacher, Muggle tolerator, Literary Agent @HGLiterary . querymanager.com/BrianneJohnson
Literary Agent
Allie Levick @AllieLevick
👋Hey #amquerying authors! If you receive an offer of rep (🎉🙌✨) I’d recommend replying on the same thread to check in with the other agents who have your mss (then they can easily read the sample and see correspondence) and ADDING “OFFER RECEIVED” to the existing subject line.Some words of wisdom from my brilliant associate @AllieLevick—we always appreciate a heads up! #amquerying #askagent #MSWL
Literary Agent
Rachel Tomlinson @RachLTomlinson
@SecretAgentBri What trends are you seeing in #PB publishing? And in such an overcrowded market what makes a pb manuscript sing to you?Something that hits literally every note--humor, heart, gentle message that strikes a chord, originality, sales hook. It's a tall order, but in a crowded market, I kinda need all of it #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Bridget Baker @BGBakerWrites
@SecretAgentBri Also, do you read your own fulls? Or have an assistant pre screen them?Sometimes I ask for a second opinion from my assistant or our intern, but I ALWAYS read a full--in full--myself, before offering rep, no matter how glowing my reads are. #askagent
Literary Agent
Bridget Baker @BGBakerWrites
@SecretAgentBri What does it look like when you adore a query? Fall in love with a full? When do you request at each step, and when do you offer? Who else do you talk to about it, if anyone?I offer when I finish a bk & can't stop thinking/talking about it. When I fall in #booklove, I talk to my assistant, my BF, my BFF, the person behind me in the checkout line--and then I talk to editors! #askagent
Literary Agent
A.K. Stone🌱 @heyitsAKS
@SecretAgentBri I know a lot of publishers don’t accept poetry, but what about the sort of novels that are written in prose-style poetry? i.e. Ellen Hopkins, etc. Is a story of poetry more accepted whereas a collection is not?Yes, a novel in verse is a little more probably-salable than a collection in the current market, IMO #askagent
Literary Agent
GatNy @eowyn_nygaard
@SecretAgentBri Hope I'm not too late for this. But if you write a comp as "My book would appeal to readers of______ and _____," Can you get away with using big name titles? I want to use Perks of Being a Wallflower and Eleanor and Park but does that come across as too boastful?Maybe include one more that's genre- and thematically specific/similar but not as widely known #askagent
Literary Agent
Allie Therin @allie_therin
@SecretAgentBri Thank you for doing this!! (1) Is it okay to assume agents are open to LGBT/diversity in submissions even if not explicitly stated? (2) If my new book is a different genre than my current query, should I look for agents who rep both? #askagentI would always tailor your submissions to agents who seem like the best fit for the most important themes in both of your books, if you can. Extra research might be required if you feel passionately about two books that address different ideas/genres/themes #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Rosalyn Ransaw @RosalynRansaw
@SecretAgentBri what’s one thing that used to be on your mswl but isn’t anymore and pi *coughs* I mean why? #askagentI used to be open to illustrators-only, but recently took it off my PM page--illustrators, you're MUCH better off going to @RebeccAgent @stevenmalk or @yikeslouise, they are wayyyy smarter than me about illustration #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Michele Thornton @michelethorn
@SecretAgentBri What's your favorite dark comedy in YA?One I just sold! That we will announce soon! Omg that was so unhelpful, sorry! 💩 Fave MG dark comedy is @HollyMMGrant's LEAGUE OF BEASTLY DREADFULS. Hard to come up with YA comps, what's yours? #askagent
Literary Agent
Elizabeth Pope @elizaylottpope
@SecretAgentBri What makes you light up when you start a query letter?When it's well written, personally directed, and something fresh, that I haven't really seen before! #askagent
Literary Agent
Laura Todd Carns @LauraToddCarns
@SecretAgentBri Is it an automatic turn-off if someone lists critically-acclaimed, much-buzzed-about books as comps?Not necessarily, but I would definitely mix in some genre-appropriate, successful but perhaps not HUGE-huge comps. If you tell me that your book is TWILIGHT meets HARRY POTTER, I might give you just a liiiil side eye 👀 #askagent
Literary Agent
M.E. Walker @MEWalker7
@SecretAgentBri Does YA have to have romance to be enticing? #askagentNot necessarily, but I find a romance--or sexual exploration of some kind--often helps. It definitely doesn't have to be the central relationship! It can be a secondary, or even tertiary element. And it definitely does not have to be happily ever after. #askagent
Literary Agent
Miri C Golden @MaryCWallis
@SecretAgentBri What’s your process for subbing to editors?Is there an established relationship? How does that all work?Yes ma'am! One of my favorite parts of the job is going to lunch with editors. We're all book nerds, and it's always fun. I get to know what they're looking for and try my best to deliver it #askagent
Literary Agent
Brett Rushing @BrettRushing
@SecretAgentBri are portal fantasies dead on arrival in an agent’s inbox? #askagentIt's a crowded field, but not necessarily. If you feel yours is fresh/brings something new to the table, lead with that angle in your query letter #askagent
Literary Agent
Kaylee Errecaborde @KayleeMyhreErre
@SecretAgentBri If we are a first time novelist and realize we started agent submissions about four drafts too early #newbie, will agents consider re-submissions?I think so! Some of my current clients queried me with earlier drafts/books. Be up front and say "oops I initially sent this three drafts too soon, would love to have you re-consider" #askagent
Literary Agent
A. Guillemette @AGuillemette87
@SecretAgentBri I have one question. I'm writing a YA novel with a 10 y/o protagonist. Agents keep telling me it's MG because of this, but the subject matter is DISTINCTLY not MG. It's a YA story. I can't change his age either for the story I want to tell. How would you query around this?That's a tough one. Teens don't typically "read down" re: protagonist age. You can get pretty dark in MG as long as there's hope, why not make it MG? Or just not include genre in your query, and trust your eventual agent to help you shape/decide? #askagent
Literary Agent
Lindsay R Thompson @LindsayRoylance
@SecretAgentBri When pitching a multi-POV story, is it best to include all POV characters in the query?I would say probably yes! #askagent