Ann Rose
Literary Agent
Tobias Literary Agency
agent: @TheTobiasAgency & #rosebudauthor wrangler | author: ROAD TO EUGENICA & BREAKOUT | opinions are my own | she/her rep:@evascalzo layout:@ana_scribe
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Brandy @MidlifeCreative
@annmrose Do you prefer to sign with a client for a career or a book?For me, it’s for their career.
Literary Agent
Cas Fick @CM_Fick
@annmrose If an agent has a partial, should you nudge after a set period of time, or assume a no?(This is not reflective of your query pile 😉)
A nudge at 3 month increments I think is fair.
Literary Agent
Jess L Freed @JessLFreed
@annmrose If a writer attends an in person pitching event, what all do they need? Printed copies of the query letter? Manuscript?Just you!
You don’t need to bring anything. If you want a notecard or something for yourself that’s fine but you don’t need to give us anything.
Literary Agent
Melissa Tombstone @melissatyndall
@annmrose There’s been a lot of conversation about word count in manuscripts lately—especially for debuts over 100k. What do you, as an agent, prefer it to be: under, over, right in the middle? What seems easier to revise for sub?My general “rule” is that is should be within range and not too far over or under. Hitting right in the middle is probably “safest” right now.
Does this answer your question?
Literary Agent
alex ☁️ @alexandramar1e
@annmrose If a synopsis is required, what is the best possible way to write one? Does point form work, or should it be in paragraphs? How do you know what should be included and what isn’t? What is considering an important plot point and what is too small?A synopsis is the full story and character arc. Written in paragraphs is usually best. Hit the major plot points and don’t get too bogged down with subplots.
Literary Agent
alex ☁️ @alexandramar1e
@annmrose If you have an offer, does putting “offer in hand” in the subject line help an agent take interest?It will help them get to it sooner mostly likely.
Literary Agent
Purple Skull XIV 💜💀 @leppeppel
@annmrose I plan to mention in the bio section of my query that I've had short stories published (since I don't yet have any full length novels to my name). How much detail should I give about these stories? Genre? Title? Publication? How many?It doesn’t have to be too detailed. Titles and names of publications would be enough IMO
Literary Agent
alex ☁️ @alexandramar1e
@annmrose Should I be specific to the information that I know about an agent? Or should I be more generalized in my queries?I’m not sure what you are asking, but you don’t have to tell us about us, or repeat our MSWL. If you don’t have anything personal to say, skip it. We will know you did your research if you send us something we’ve said we wanted
Literary Agent
Vampire Rainbow Tits Magee @madfashionista
@annmrose Before I #amquerying I have to sum up a labyrinthine plot & find a comp.There's got to be another "disabled drug addict flung into another reality where his best friend's female doppelganger is a princess of a kingdom. There's a rebellion, the king is in an insane asylum". Right?Comps don’t have to be directly similar, just look for similar qualities
The friendship of X Title
The romance of Y Title
The adventure of Z Title
Literary Agent
Inosh is prepping for NaNoWriMo @Morallygreylost
@annmrose What do you look for in a query letter?A query should tell me
Who is the MC?
What do they want? Goals
What stands in their way? Obstacles
What happens if they fail? Stakes
Also meta data- word count, age group, genre, comps
A little about the author
Literary Agent
lanie brice @mslaniebrice
@annmrose Do you have advice on querying a book as YA vs adult for books set in college? I’ve read super similar books classified as both so it can be hard to gaugeYou have to figure out who the reader is and then pitch it accordingly. Who did you write the book for? Which shelf will it sit most comfortably on? There is no in between shelf even if readers of both could enjoy, it has to solidly sit somewhere.
Literary Agent
Laura BoOoOoOer👻 ✨🎃🍂 @LauraMB2
@annmrose How soon is *too* soon to nudge you? 😊On a full request? I think nudges at 3 month increments are totally fair.
Too soon is like a week after it’s sent. I wish I was that fast but sadly I am not.
Literary Agent
Arty, DVMentee '22 @Curious_Arty
@annmrose Thanks for this amazing thread!! Q: Why might an agent pass on your query but then invite you to re-query with your next project? It's unlikely I'm going to write something radically different! (That one has just been weirdly haunting me, like making me wonder what I did wrong!)Sometimes the first book doesn’t hit but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a good writer and they wouldn’t be happy to see something else from you. Publishing is part timing and luck
Literary Agent
Savy Guthrie @SavyGuthrie
@annmrose I’ve read authors complain about being ghosted by agents on their full MS submission. Of course you can only speak for yourself, but what makes an agent do that?The likeliest cause I would think is embarrassment for taking so long.
I admit I'm not the speediest with reading fulls but I will ALWAYS respond.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Kate | Dating Bitch 🐝 @deardatingb
@annmrose Hey there! A few questions for you:1) For writing credentials, do agents want you to include freelance/op-ed publications or just fiction? (published books/short stories etc)
2) At what point should a querying author look into self-publishing? Or do you not recommend?
1) Writing credentials are anything you've written so you can include anything you want. And if you don't have any that's okay too.
2) How an author chooses to publish is entirely up to them. There are pros and cons no matter which route you take.
Literary Agent
Korinne M. Mortensen @KMMortyWriting
@annmrose I’ve had multiple agents say it’s important to include your writing credentials/recognitions/awards AND a blurb from a published author. How would you suggest going about this if you have no credentials and is it appropriate to reach out to an author to get a blurb? Thank you!😊You do NOT need blurbs from other authors at the querying stage! And if you don’t have credentials that’s fine. Tell us about you! Tell us what inspired you to write the story, or how it’s connected to you. Tell us about your other hobbies or your day job. …
Literary Agent
Laura Bower is drafting ✨ @LauraMB2
@annmrose I always enjoy these, thank you!Do you find value when an author mentions the *why* behind writing their book? I know this is another subjective opinion but I have left this out in my query letters in fear of clogging up space. #askaagent
I LOVE the why! Not all agents agree or do but for me I am interested in you the author and why this novel was important for you to write. The intention behind it feels so relevant to me so I always enjoy reading those tidbits
Literary Agent
Matt Overend (Matthaeus Superfine - Ln) @matt_overend
@annmrose Hi, Ann, I recently sent some query letters - before I had some advice on the subject - which were a little leftfield, to say the least. Would an agent automatically discount a letter like this, because it isn't standard, or would they actually read it to get to the point?If they are really out of left field it MAY put an agent off so it would be hard to give you a solid answer. I would say do try to make the letter as standard as possible. There are ways to insert voice and make it interesting.