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
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Jessica Pateris @jessica_pateris
@annmrose 👋🏻I'm going to start querying my debut novel, which is the first in a trilogy, but I've read that debut novels shouldn't end on a cliffhanger. My novel resolves the main conflict but the ending chapter sets up book 2. Is this okay, or should the debut novel end as a standalone?IMO it needs to stand alone.
Here’s why… let’s say you get an agent and a 3 book deal but book 1 doesn’t hit the sales numbers so book 2 becomes “what else do you have” … you will have a lot of disappointed readers
Now this doesn’t mean their can’t be open threads
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Regina Weaver @ReginaWAuthor
@annmrose If the agent/agency has no info about response times, is 3 mos a reasonable time to mark a query CNR if you haven't gotten a response?(Thank you very much for this btw!)
Not in this market. Everything is slower so I’d give it at least 6 months minimum.
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Lif Strand seeks solitude 📖🎵 🇺🇦 @fasterhorses
@annmrose Suppose someone with a Big Name in the writing business contacted you and recommended my book? How much would that influence my query? If it was Stephen King, for instance, would I even have to query?Hey, it could happen (in a parallel universe or something).
If that person’s opinion meant something to me it could push me to perhaps read more than I would but at the end of the day I still have to love it.
Honestly I think I’d be more influenced by my own client saying they loved something more than an author I don’t know personally
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Literary Agent
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📝 Frank Martin @frankthewriter
@annmrose Is it pointless cold submitting to agents? I've had hundreds of rejections and yet readers state they've enjoyed my indie and self-publish books. I just find my time is better spent writing more books than trying to connect with an agent that can help me reach a bigger audience.I’ve signed a number of writers who cold queried me. At the end of the day it’s up to you what you want for your career.
Also remember agents are selling to editors/publishing houses not readers so their expectations will be different than a reader’s expectation for a book
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AW Rene @awrenewrites
@annmrose When going through queries, what is your biggest turn off as an agent?Misogynistic stories
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Andrew Hiller @AndrewHiller
@annmrose When you get on a phone or zoom with a prospective client for the first time what are some of the best questions they should ask you?We generally talk about editorial vision for the story, communication expectations, career goals, future works…
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Autumn is drafting 😎 (7.2k + 12.4k) @autumnwritesya
@annmrose Where is a good place to find agents that are a really good fit besides MSWL?In the acknowledgments of your favorite books (or in the books your book comps to)
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Laura Hassebrock @lehassebrock
@annmrose 2nd question: when a work has crossover appeal between YA and Adult audiences, what element best determines which audience to pitch for? Is it solely characters’ ages or language/content more of a determinant? Or is it better to try to rewrite to be firmly one or the other?IMO a book has to firmly sit in one place. If a bookstore doesn’t have a shelf for it, it’s going to make for a tough sell. And when determining where that is it’s about content and also reader expectation. Who are you writing this book for?
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Laura Hassebrock @lehassebrock
@annmrose When agents want query materials in the body of an email, is there a good way to separate the writing sample and/or synopsis from the query letter? Maybe I’m overthinking it, but pasting all items makes for such a long email of text 😅And this is why I don’t ask for it this way. I think some strong headers could help but since this isn’t my preferred way I can’t say for sure
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Lauren Theresa 🥏 @ImLaurenTheresa
@annmrose A lot of agents will say they want something different, but do they really, truly want something different or still conventionally marketable? Asking for a *friendThey want something different but not too different. So you are correct that they want it to feel fresh but also still be conventionally marketable
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Teresa is NaNoWriMo-ing! (38K/50K words) @TeresaTraver1
@annmrose Maybe this isn't a fair question, but could you define what you mean by "cozy fantasy"?For me it feels like a warm hug.
I think House on the Cerulean Sea is a perfect example of “cozy fantasy”
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Jena @ohhhjena
@annmrose If someone says to include 3 chapters and there’s a prologue, would that count as one chapter or will it be prologue plus 3 chapters? In your opinion 🙂Use your best judgement. Is that prologue one page? Then also include 3 chapters. Could it be considered “chapter length” then send it and the first two.
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Brandy Hynes @BrandyHynes
@annmrose In an adult romance, what constitutes heat level? Is it simply how explicit the scene (s) is, or also the number of scenes in the manuscript? There doesn’t seem to be a standard for “spicy.”I think is a mixture of number of times and explicitly in the detail.
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🌿Rachel🌿 (writer, currently querying) @rachel_pendley
@annmrose What do you look for in main characters? What about them really grabs your attention?Voice and agency. Even if that agency is “I refuse to do the thing”
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Sarah Clifford is 🌿querying 🌿 @sarahmclifford
@annmrose Do you have any idea what percentage of R&R's lead to representation? Any suggestions on crushing a R&R?I have signed a few R&Rs and have gone on to sell them to publishers so I think the best thing is to take your time and to ask for clarity if you need it.
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Brad Scott @ZelAscend
@annmrose Personalizing a query with relevant bits gleaned from an agent’s Twitter/social media will become even harder than it already is. Does personalizing a query in fact garner any added consideration by an agent?Nope. If you have nothing personal to say skip it. We don’t need you to tell us you are sending something we rep, if we rep it we know you already did your research
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Chase Gamwell @Elaqure
@annmrose The YA sci-fi market feels pretty tight right now. Do you have any thoughts on whether that might change pretty soon? And what kinds of things might be of interest? (Or…am I just projecting? 😅)It is very tight, I don’t think you are projecting. I think it will be a little time still for it to loosen up.
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Ann Darlington @gradientcat
@annmrose If a sci-fi or fantasy book could be a series, but subsequent books haven't been written yet, should it be mentioned in the query that it has "series potential"? Or would it be assumed because often books of those genres become a series?First, it is IMO every book can be a series if there is interest so I don’t think writers ever have to say “series potential”
Second, (and I know you didn’t ask this but) don’t write the next books in the series write something else