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
Rebecca Minelga @RebeccaMinelga
@annmrose Is “Commercial Women’s Fiction” even a thing? There is SO MUCH overlap with romance it feels like it doesn’t exist. Thoughts?Yes I would say it’s a “thing” ❤️
Literary Agent
MJ Bowman, author of Sapphic YA Fantasy! @MJ_Bowman
@annmrose If you read a full you like, do you send off the offer email right away, or do you sit on it for a bit?I have zero chill when I love a book
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Christine L. Arnold @ChristineRnold
@annmrose Thoughts on comping your book in a query/pitch to a not-yet-released book (that you've read) by a not-debut author with a decent sales record? Is it pointless? Or can it help to show market if you specify the similarities?As long as you’ve read it I think it’s fine. People will comp my clients’s books that I know don’t have ARCs yet and I’ll be like 🤨
Literary Agent
Demi Michelle 🦋 @demimschwartz
@annmrose WC Q! Another thing that I’ve read several opinions on, but I set my target in the range of where suggestions overlapped. Would 75,000 be acceptable for a debut young adult fantasy, fairy tale retelling? 🌹I think that’s fine. I think it’s when you breach that 100k mark for a debut YA anything it can be tricky
Literary Agent
Cole Layne @colelaynewrites
@annmrose do you advise authors to have different pennames for different genres or is the industry/internet allowing for more leeway in this? do you ever help your authors pick pennames?I think it can depend on the circumstances and talking with your agent on strategy and what is the best idea for you and your career is the best way to handle this
Also yes, I’ve helped with pens names ❤️
Literary Agent
Demi Michelle 🦋 @demimschwartz
@annmrose Yay, here’s a q, I’ve heard mixed things and REALLY want to nail this next time. In a query, should the MS be all caps, not italics, and in synopsis, should characters be all caps when first mentioned? Also, in query, metadata or blurb first? Thank you!You got it with the CAPS (comp titles are italics though 😉)
For meta data it’s a personal preference and I personally think it’s fine either way. As long as it’s in there I’m good
Literary Agent
Jessica Mary @JMTuckerman
@annmrose Any tips on pitching in person?Keep it short. Don’t forget stakes. Be yourself. ❤️
Literary Agent
Dianne Ochiltree @WriterDi
@annmrose What is the most satisfying part of your work as a literary agent...and what is the most challenging?Watching a book come together and finding it’s publishing home is the best
Rejections are of course the worst
Literary Agent
Savannah Benton-Smith @SavvyHyphenBS
@annmrose Any tips for the “target audience” section? How specific should we be? What are agents hoping to learn from this section?We would like to know who you envision your reader to be
Literary Agent
Maya kaddah | مايا @Maya4SK
@annmrose When agents reject an author but tell them to query them again in the future, does that mean the agent likes the writing? Or is this just a form rejection. Thank you.I think it’s an offer to query them again in the future — this book might not have been a fit but the next one might be
Literary Agent
Rachna Chhabria @RachnaChhabria1
@annmrose One more question Ann. Will a 13,000 word book work as a chapter book?That could be a chapter book yes
Literary Agent
Susan Burdorf @sburdorf
@annmrose #AskAgent what is something you would love to have in your inbox that has so far eluded you? Conversely, what is something you get a lot of that you don't want to see for a while?This one is tough. I’d love to see some more joyful stories (but this doesn’t mean I don’t love a good revenge plot) I’d love some more f/f romances in both YA and adult.
I’d like to see less misogynistic stories 😬
Literary Agent
K J Copple is querying @kjcopple
@annmrose Any tips on mitigating imposter syndrome as the rejections roll in? Also, is condensing the story into a pitch or query a normal/common struggle, or does it point to problems with the manuscript itself if that part of journey to pub feels so flipping awkward?Imposter syndrome is part of the territory unfortunately — but know you aren’t alone in this feeling
Query letters/pitches are hard so it’s not an immediate red flag if you find them difficult but the basic questions should come easily - what are the goals/obstacles/stakes
Literary Agent
QT @transcryptidone
@annmrose Is there a reason why on QM forms it has separate sections requiring things that are normally in a query letter (e.g. bio, comp titles, etc.). I feel like I’m making a mistake by having my bio in the bio spot AND in the query letter where I think it’s supposed to go?It’s just how it’s set up on our side. Don’t worry if you are copy and pasting the same information in multiple places.
You also might be surprised by how many people don’t include those things in query letters 😉
Literary Agent
Stephanie is querying, (and not at all afraid) @stephikins1
@annmrose Thank you for doing this! I’ve heard to never do a prolog because agents hate them. I know prolongs can be the wrong choice for some books, but is this really a strict rule? And why?I think you hear that because a lot of times at query stage 9x out of 10 a prologue isn’t needed. But when they do work they work, so if your book needs one and it makes sense than keep it
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Rachna Chhabria @RachnaChhabria1
@annmrose Hi Ann, will a book with three POV's work? All three are crucial characters!Yes, I think it can ❤️
Literary Agent
Sarah Clifford Page is querying & drafting ☕🌿 @sarahmclifford
@annmrose The agent I did an R&R with has been considering the revised manuscript for nearly double her average response time (for both offers and rejections) but did Tweet at me like a month ago that she hadn't forgotten about me. In your opinion, is this a good sign or a bad sign? 🫣🫠I’d say it’s a good sign. There are a lot of variables so as long as there is still communication I think it’s good ❤️