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
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Caitlin Foley @caitlinrfoley1
@annmrose Does QM have an auto-reject feature (maybe based on keywords?) or is that just a scary bedtime storyIf it does, I haven’t heard of it 🤷🏼♀️
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Alex_Didworthy @alex_didworthy
@annmrose How do agents feel about authors who have already published with an Indie Trad Publisher? Do they like to see a certain number of sales and if so what sort of numbers?I think we are most concerned with the current book and how to position it.
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ʙoo-ɢɪᴛᴛᴀ'ꜱ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴀ ɢɴ 👻 @BrigittaBlair
@annmrose Curious what books or genres you've been seeing sell more often than others? What about more challenging books/genres to sell?I feel like this question is like “how many red cars are on the road” because once you go looking they are everywhere.
I’d say everything is “challenging” in its own ways these days ❤️
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BRCloth @brclothwrites
@annmrose When an agent says “the voice is too distant” what specifically would they be referring to?That the narration feels more omniscient & not close enough to the main character.
To add—omniscient is a voice choice, but then it should feel “close” to that narrator even if they aren’t on the page.
For me it also means I feel like I’m being forced to watch from the outside
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Cristina Raymer @craymer328
@annmrose If I queried an agent (who may or not be you!) a few months ago and have since made some edits, should I withdraw my query and resubmit or leave it as is? The edits are line level, but I did make changes that affect the pace structurally as a whole.If hypothetically it is me, you are free to pull and resubmit no worries.
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Brandy @MidlifeCreative
@annmrose Good morning! Congrats on your move!Once you sign with an author do you encourage them to stay "on brand" for the first few books? For example, if you signed for YA fantasy, should the next book also be YA fantasy?
Each author is a unique individual and their careers should be treated as such. How to build a career and what my authors want to do is a conversation we are having and strategizing together ❤️
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Lars Hoel @LarsHoel_writer
@annmrose How do you work your way through queries? Do you take them chronologically or do you look for the “easy” rejections first (not a genre you represent, etc.)? When I look at Query Tracker I sometimes see these big gaps between responses and wonder what the process is.What is my process? I do attempt to go chronologically, but I do have A LOT so my first read through I’m making sure they are a “fit” for me right now and if they are I generally will go back to them for a deeper read later. I like to take my time with each so it’s a process
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H.W. Johnston is writing a first draft @hwjohnston7
@annmrose What's does it mean in a rejection when you're told your "good but not amazing"?Without context perhaps it means that there are good ideas in there but they just need more fleshing out to make them stronger
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Jack Keaton @graveyardfeeder
@annmrose I was surprised to be told that most horror/thriller manuscripts are between 65-85k words. How legit is this? Some of the best stories are the ones that a short and sweet to the point rather than drawn out epics. What’re your thoughts?I wouldn’t call 80k words epic
I would say for traditional publishing this range checks
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Dorina @Dori_thedragon
@annmrose Is it okay to use 'High fantasy with science elements' as my book's genre in a query letter? Its too fantasy to be sci fi (duels and warlocks) but too sciency for just fantasy (space travel and evil AI) - leaning more fantasy side.Thank you!
It’s fine just know that it does have to sit somewhere firmly on one shelf
I have a book on my list that mixes fantasy and sci-fi so it’s possible to do
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JessAGuest is Querying! @JessA_Writer
@annmrose Thanks for doing these! I always find the information informative! Do you have a process for queries in your maybe pile?Read
Close
Read again
Stress about it
Close
Read again
Stare at screen for indiscernible amount of time
Think about how I would pitch and position it—who can I think of to send it to
Make decision
Or something like this
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Kathryn Faye @KathrynFaye007
@annmrose What are things in queries/manuscripts that make you sit up and miss your bus stop?Strong MCs (this doesn’t mean physical and they don’t have to start this way)
Hooking concepts
Revenge plots
Feminist themes
Female friendships
Nuanced characters
…
*Doesn’t have to all be in one story
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rob @robinspncr
@annmrose you must be tired of me asking for wordcounts 😫 but is 64k too short for YA contemporary fantasy? or there’s still hope?It’s a little low but it wouldn’t be a quick no for me.
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Literary Agent
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Nora Barnacle #amquerying @NoraBarnacle3
@annmrose About how many words into the sample pages before you know it's going to be a yea or nay?As many as it takes 🤷🏼♀️
I’m sorry that isn’t a solid answer 😔
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Ellie L @RedPencilScript
@annmrose Do most agents read the sample portions of the writing or do they base most of their decision on the pitch, query letter, and synopsis?Every agent is different so I can’t respond for everyone, but I will say if you send me a project that is something I rep I do look at pages. If it’s an age group/genre I don’t rep than generally I won’t look.
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Helen Coe (she/her/elle) @Helen_Coe
@annmrose I've previously submitted a rhyming PB to agents & sensed/got feedback that the rhyme was the issue. Should I resubmit now that I've reworked to non-rhyme? Or only if they specifically identified rhyme as the issue? Happy Ellipticalling :)Thank you!
I think if the book has been significantly reworked it can be resubmitted but do check agents’ websites about their feelings on this. It might also be helpful to include that info in the query too (how it has changed)
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L.M. DeFrates @Lmdefrates
@annmrose Can you give me some insight into the relationship between agents and Publishers Marketplace? I check on there to see recent sales, etc., but often run into profiles while are old/outdated. Do you have to update your own profile on there? Or do some people just opt out? Ty.Agents have the ability to create their own pages on there. That said, I personally have not figured out how to do this (it’s not very intuitive). 😬
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M.A. Wardell (he/him) @MAWardell
@annmrose Is it critical you have a firm title before pitching your manuscript?Nope. It can always change.