Weronika Janczuk
Literary Agent
Janczuk Literary Agency
Lit. agent @ JLA, which I designed m'self. šµš±. @NYUGallatin alumna. Lover of persons, saints, ā„s, intelligentsias, impact, + books. A mini Lisbeth Salander.
Literary Agent
Seann McQuarter @McQuarterWriter
@WeronikaJanczuk If you could only recommend just one book on the craft of writing novels, what would it be?I'd list these as a triage: WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, THE FIRE IN FICTION, and THE EMOTIONAL CRAFT OF WRITING FICTION. amzn.to/2pC6eNt There'll be some overlap, but this theory, well-understood + practiced, can change a writer's writing + career overnight. #askagent
Literary Agent
Brandon Valadez @callmebrandonv
@WeronikaJanczuk @NaNoWriMo Hi! Is there anything specific that pops out for you when reading a query?Generally, less is more--when a writer has nailed down his/her capacity to summarize the story being told in a compact manner, all is well. #askagent [@ericsmithrocks--you had a formula in Vancouver for queries. I forgot the language... Can you re-share?]
Literary Agent
Ellis Bunch @BunchEllis
The prospect of rejection due to inherent imperfection is a tad unnerving. Is there any leeway given for even a small mistake? Thank you for your time. #askagentI have never passed on something over a missed period or comma, or a poor query letter, or even poor writing on its own--there's a sense of "package" for which most of us are reading, and a general "miss" on these things would be reason to pause, but no small mistake. #askagent
Literary Agent
Ellis Bunch @BunchEllis
The prospect of rejection due to inherent imperfection is a tad unnerving. Is there any leeway given for even a small mistake? Thank you for your time. #askagentA query letter and the style of the writing behind it are huge reflections of the writer, + I always look for those characteristics--which you can read for quickly, with practice--that reveal quality: intentionality, ownership, maturity in voice and craft, sensitivity. #askagent
Literary Agent
Ellis Bunch @BunchEllis
The prospect of rejection due to inherent imperfection is a tad unnerving. Is there any leeway given for even a small mistake? Thank you for your time. #askagentLeeway for small mistakes? Totally. Do you know how you can see someone in their entirety, and love them unconditionally, even if they make a small mistake? Or even a big one? Reading manuscripts is sort of like this--I think agents develop a keen sense for persons. #askagent
Literary Agent
Sifa Elizabeth Poulton @SifaPoulton
#askagent do you have any tips for writing a query for a multi-POV books, where the POVs are from a different interweaving story lines? Should I focus on one character? Look to include as many as I can?I don't have, at my fingertips, a great example of a query that does this well; you could also do something like this: "Character #1 status quo, in a sentence. Character #2 sq, in a sentence. Sentence #3--conflict between the 2 of them, either interpersonal or outward." #askagent
Literary Agent
Sifa Elizabeth Poulton @SifaPoulton
#askagent do you have any tips for writing a query for a multi-POV books, where the POVs are from a different interweaving story lines? Should I focus on one character? Look to include as many as I can?Here's one example of a pitch letter that I sent out for a novel with characters in dual-POV (bit.ly/33kbFis). Perhaps the two POVs come into conflict with one another, in some way; you want to highlight the plot + conflict there, as part of your general arc. #askagent
Literary Agent
Sifa Elizabeth Poulton @SifaPoulton
#askagent do you have any tips for writing a query for a multi-POV books, where the POVs are from a different interweaving story lines? Should I focus on one character? Look to include as many as I can?The particular form of the execution of the story is less important in the query than the story itself. This is piece of advice #1--your query is essentially focused on communicating the plot arc. What's the status quo? What happens to shift it? What's at stake, then? #askagent
Literary Agent
Anne Lutz š @AnneLutz03
#askagent My project looks like it'll be ready to query in mid-December/early January. Should I wait a bit longer to avoid holidays?? Thanks!I would query after 1/15. I think most agents won't be paying attention to their #queries and manuscripts over the holidays--and/or will be catching up on backlogs. (That said, I don't think querying beforehand will hurt.) #askagent
Literary Agent
K.M. Butler @kmbutlerauthor
Question for you agents out there. If your submission guidelines all for pages, do you always read them, orDo most of your rejections come from query letters? Trying to diagnose the weak points from rejections.#askagent #WritingCommunity #amwriting
This is also independent of more objective, independent categories for evaluation--personal taste, not the right genre/fit, the nature of the writing/voice isn't of my intuition/love, etc. #askagent
Literary Agent
K.M. Butler @kmbutlerauthor
Question for you agents out there. If your submission guidelines all for pages, do you always read them, orDo most of your rejections come from query letters? Trying to diagnose the weak points from rejections.#askagent #WritingCommunity #amwriting
I read for craft, + I can often discern the quality of the crafting before me within 5-10 sentences or so, so I'll often read through the first few pages, rarely all, pass when the writing d/n hold, + will confirm that the storyline isn't whole/full with the query. #askagent
Literary Agent
K.M. Butler @kmbutlerauthor
Question for you agents out there. If your submission guidelines all for pages, do you always read them, orDo most of your rejections come from query letters? Trying to diagnose the weak points from rejections.#askagent #WritingCommunity #amwriting
This is a great question. I think it depends on the agent. Some agents choose to start with the pages, which I do after a brief scan for key info--title, word count, genre. The aesthetic/structure/tightness of the query itself is an indicator of what's to come. #askagent
Literary Agent
Jeanne Moore @jmhonolulu
Hi, all. I need suggestions for a font to use when I want to distinguish text messages from the rest of the manuscript. I'm using Courier New, but am not very happy with it and don't like many of the other fonts I've looked at. #amwriting #askagent #amwritingromance #pubtipI would use a hyphen (-) before the texts. One easy way to do it. #askagent
Literary Agent
Carly C'de Baca @carlycdebaca
@WeronikaJanczuk I am super super late to this (as I am with everything), but here is my question: Should the synopsis reveal major plot twists and the conclusion? I've seen mixed responses in the past. š¤ #askagentI would say 100% yes. I look for proof that there is a clear plot arc--a clear beginning, middle, & end/resolution to the key plot/tension questions. If I read a synopsis, it's to evaluate/pre-empt reading a ms in entirety, in order to gauge writer's capacity to finish. #askagent
Literary Agent
Caroline Sciriha @CarolineScirih1
@WeronikaJanczuk #askagent. I'm going to take you up on your offer! I mention in my queries that the ms is written in British English. I'm querying both American & British agents. Is a ms in Brit Eng something that could put American agents off?To a v. small extent--depends on the agent. It will need to be copyedited at some point! #askagent
Literary Agent
Darly Jamison @DarlyJamison
@WeronikaJanczuk Can I ask another question? Why is it that some agents point out all of the things they loved about a manuscript, but in the end, something didnāt resonate so they passed, while other agents are up for several revisions? Are they sugar coating the rejection just to be nice?was lacking. This is my experience with the vast majority of things I pass on, to different degrees. It's ultimately v. hard to integrate everything from start to finish; takes much practice, a gut/intuitive talent, & great intentionality. (2) #askagent
Literary Agent
Darly Jamison @DarlyJamison
@WeronikaJanczuk Can I ask another question? Why is it that some agents point out all of the things they loved about a manuscript, but in the end, something didnāt resonate so they passed, while other agents are up for several revisions? Are they sugar coating the rejection just to be nice?Yeah, this is a good ?. This will depend, on some extent, on the agent. For me, what this means is that there are specific pieces to the writer's capacity that resonated--say, good voice, or characterization, or world-building, but that magical spark that gels an entire ms (1)
Literary Agent
Rebecca Fryar...is haunting graveyards @rebecca_fryar
@WeronikaJanczuk @tammy_oja Talk to me about graphic novels. How does a script query differ from a standard MS query?Ooh. V. good question. I'm not doing graphic novels for the moment, but genuinely hope to in the near future. In addition to story arc content, the query must describe something of the nature of the art & need for it. It's a dual pitch: story & artistic need/capacity. #askagent
Literary Agent
Rebecca Bayham @RebeccaBayham
@WeronikaJanczuk If I'm querying an adult novel, is it a bad idea to use a YA novel as a comp even if they are similar in terms of plot/worldbuilding/character development? Thank you.It's not a terrible idea, but I would do it ONLY with agents who are also repping YA, and will be familiar. It will be a hard comp to use in a pitch to editors, where editors (on the most part) specialize v. heavily in the adult niche they edit. (Send a query!!!) #askagent
Literary Agent
David Neuner @david_neuner
@WeronikaJanczuk I will be querying a 2nd standalone book sometime in the near future. If I am fortunate enough to receive an offer for the 2nd novel, is it good practice to notify any agents who are considering my first novel?I would say 100% yes, and to give them the opportunity to review either/both full manuscripts. #askagent