Alec Shane

Q6: This happens to me a lot - I work in the military space quite a bit, which often leads romance authors whose novel features a soldier as the main love interest to think I might be interested. Romance just isn't for me, regardless of what the characters do. #tenqueries

Q5: Horror. Query letter was very well-written, author clearly did her research, and she referenced some of my clients as the reason why she thought I'd be a good fit. Great job.

Unfortunately, the pages themselves were lacking, so it's still a pass. #tenqueries

Q4: Lots of dialogue, none of it believable. I always tend to advise against opening up a novel with extensive dialogue, as we have no idea who is talking and haven't gotten a chance to get to know the characters yet. Not a hard and fast rule, but still. Pass. #tenqueries

Q3: Adult mystery. I now know a TON about what the moon looked like, and man is this a dark and peaceful field...but I know nothing about any of the characters or what the story is about. Pass. #tenqueries

Q2: YA, 1st person. Prologue is three pages of "if I had only known what was going to happen that night, I never would have left the house." Message received loud and clear two paragraphs in; careful not to belabor the point. Pass. #tenqueries

Q1: Historical fiction, a bunch of men conspiring around a dimly lit tavern over tankards of ale. Nothing new or unique about this opening. Pass. #tenqueries

Q10: This one hurts - nonfiction about a piece of history that I had no idea about and sounded fascinating, but the writing wasn't there. Very academic and textbooky. Too bad, as these are the history projects I love. Pass. #tenqueries

Q9: NF humor book about how to survive college as a guy in 2018. Not touching this one at all. Mouth shut, moving on. #tenqueries

Q8: I read the 1st 10 pages of a MG novel featuring an LGBTQ character, and couldn't quite shake the feeling that the character was only gay as some kind of plot device to help sell copies. Authors, don't do this. #tenqueries

Q7: I need to take a long, hard look at my online profile. I apparently give off the impression that I'm a great fit for the personal journals of long-deceased relatives and I'm not quite sure why. #tenqueries

Q6: Mystery. A little too similar to a novel I already have on my list. There's plenty of room for similar books out there, but having them both on my list doesn't do either author any good. Pass. #tenqueries

Q4: Pass, for absolutely no reason other than I didn't get to the end and think to myself, 'I HAVE to keep reading this." That's what I'm looking for in these first 10 pages. This is a crazy subjective business. #tenqueries

Q3: Acknowledges my terrorist fatigue, but insists that "my terrorists are different." I wish this was a rare occurrence, but it isn't. No terrorists, please. Pass. #tenqueries

Q2: MG contemporary fantasy novella. Not the best fit for fantasy -although I'm hoping to change that down the line - and it's tough to place novellas from debut authors regardless. Pass. #tenqueries

Q1: Few things say "I'm just blasting this exact same letter out to as many agents as possible" quite like "Hello!" as the only greeting. At least customize it by addressing it to the agent you're querying. Pass. #tenqueries

Q10: proposal for a bio of a golfer I have never heard of. I have never played a round of golf in my life (unless a 6 pack of beer and a bucket of balls at a driving range counts as a round of golf), so not the best fit. Pass. #tenqueries

Q9: What the hell am I going to do with a 187K word debut novel? Even if I absolutely love it, I'm going to need to figure out a way to cut it in half. #tenqueries

Q8: Mystery that I would usually request...but I have something somewhat similar on my list right now. There's always room in the market for similar books, but I don't want to cannibalizing my own clients' sales. #tenqueries

Q7: I mentioned in a previous #MSWL that I like creepy old asylums as settings for a novel. This author used to be a nurse at a rest home, which I guess is close enough for her to think I wanted to read her western romance novel. Pass. #tenqueries

Q6: military memoir. These are always very tough passes for me, as I'm sure this story is important and meaningful and the author had a tremendous role to play in serving his country - but in terms of mass commercial appeal, I just don't see it. #tenqueries