Beth Phelan
Literary Agent
Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency
she/her. mg & ya literary agent @galltzackerlit . founder 501c3 NPO @_DiverseVoices (#DVpit/#DVart, DVcon &more). closed to unsolicited submissions.
- #mswl (128)
- #querytip (24)
- #pubtip (3)
- #askagent (25)
- #askTBA (17)
- #askDVpit (30)
- #asklitAOC (12)
- #askGZLA (41)
Literary Agent
Vanessa Grossmann @vcgrossmann
#askDVpit Should our pitches be similar to what you’d see during #sffpit #pitmad or other pitch events or should they focus on marginalized characters/subject matter in the book? Are agents looking for plot or do they want to see what makes your work #dvpit appropriate?pitch like you would in any other event! dvpit is just about the specifics of who is pitching, which doesn't necessarily mean character, altho it can. #askDVpit
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Carmen Tiampo @ctiampo
@AlexAmirBrown i agree with you - but i also have a wishlist of agents i want to query! what if they're closed when i'm ready? what if they open while i'm still in the middle of this new draft? i obv wouldn't query someone who's closed, and don't want to query against what they ask for.Literary Agent
Harshini Vankineni @HarshiVankineni
How far could you go on about sensitive topics like murder and rape in a YA novel… especially if it’s base off a real incident? Are books dealing with these issues frowned upon? #askDVpitYA novels do explore these topics, and it's all in how it's handled. personally i wouldn't want anything re-traumatizing so i'd be careful about how graphic things are. and please include trigger warnings. #askDVpit
Literary Agent
Britt Writerly @BrittWriterly
I've heard ppl say covid is affecting how many queries agents are signing. Do you think that will impact DVpit this cycle?#askDVpit
oh i hadn't heard that?? i am definitely looking to sign and from what i can tell so are others. people are definitely stretched thin, tho, so any kind of commitment (like showing up for dvpit) is exhausting. but i know a lot of agents and editors WILL show! #askDVpit
Literary Agent
Abhi Para @abhi_para
@beth_phelan @_ReganHumphrey Hi Beth. Just continuing from Regan's question, could you specify just a few things in a recent query letter that interested you? For instance, a personal relationship at stake, a particular trait in the protagonist, worldbuilding elements etc? #askDVpitoof this is so hard lol because i'm attracted to all sorts of things. i think for me i just love conflict--so whatever makes the conflict clear and exciting will grab me. #askdvpit
Literary Agent
Sana ✨ @sanalikesbooks
Any advice on how to capture a quieter book in a tweet? Ex. a story with speculative elements rather than a full fantasy #askDVpityou can pitch from all sorts of angles, depending on the strengths of your novel. if it's not a plot-driven book or have a lot of worldbuilding, just focus on the character! #askDVpit
Literary Agent
Nolan Dean 🏴🌈 @nolandean27
Something I’m worried about is some agents expect an inciting incident and character set up in as little as 5/10 pages. I find that tricky as someone who likes to really establish a character before that so the reader’s invested. Do you have any tips for that? #askDVpiti feel like this misinformation goes around a lot! i see it all the time. i agree it's too fast. i think what we wanna see is the character, the status quo, and TENSION--which is different from an inciting incident. #askDVpit
Literary Agent
Susan, A Graham @Grahamophones
Hey pals, I want to talk a bit about pitching graphic novels online - #dvpit is coming up soon & the wonderful @beth_phelan has decided to try adding a specific day for graphic novels - Remember, #dvpit is specifically for marginalized authors & illustrators. So if that doesn't-lots of info in the embedded thread, but also i don't think the whole script needs to be done. Have a good chunk of sample script ready, and a good outline for the rest. i think scrivener has a guide for format? #askDVpit twitter.com/Grahamophones/…
Literary Agent
Moon @__soleilune
@beth_phelan ! #askDVpit twitter.com/__soleilune/st…a unique situation, so i think there probs isn't a norm re word limit--depends how much it takes to tell the story well. re illos, i think you want a variety of samples done, some sketches, but wouldn't need to have everything #askDVpit
Literary Agent
kerine. @KayAyDoubleU
I'm interested in publishing a short story collection and would like to know what agents look for in query letters and if having published stories is a plus if I have no previous book publishing experience? #askDVpiti would look for overall theme of the collection/what makes it a collection, and what the collection wants to convey. definitely helps if you already have short stories published, and i personally would like to see an unpublished sample and your biblio. #askDVpit
Literary Agent
Drew Egan @DrewEgan1
Same question for me. I’m new to Twitter :) #askDVpit twitter.com/najwamoses/sta…yep! you might get hearts from editors too, if they are the kind that can consider un-agented materials. just be ready to send your query and sample pages to the agents/editors who like your pitch. they are instructed to tweet submission instructions before particpating #askdvpit
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
JJ Clapton @JJClaptonWrites
If you know you want to write in a different age category to the book you are querying, how much should we take this into account when decided which agents?Would you offer if you knew & didn't rep the other category?
#askDVpit
focus on what's in front of you. ideally you'll land an agent that can cover all your work, but if not, pursue a second agent when the time comes. it wouldnt stop me, if i really loved the book #askdvpit
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Martian Hossain 👽👽👽 #FinishUrBookFall @Maria__Hossain
Do we paste the links to our pitches, or paste the pitches themselves on our queries?If the latter, where in the queries should we paste them?
If an agent likes multiple pitches, which one should we paste in the query?
Should we include the hashtags too?
#askDVpit
i say just paste the link so we can refer back and if they liked multiple then just choose randomly. put it in the opening...
the hashtags are shorthand to what should be in the query, so no need to include them
:)
#askdvpit
Literary Agent
Applied Grace Now @now_grace
#askDVpitWhen is the next #DVpit after the October one? Is it multiple times a year or just once a year?
Thanks!
we've been doing april and october but that is subject to change at any time #askdvpit
Literary Agent
Stephanie Stein @stephlystein
My thought is that neither of these things is the most effective use of short Twitter-pitch real estate, but also curious to hear agents' thoughts! #askDVpit twitter.com/najwamoses/sta…i say an evocative title can add to the intrigue!!! #askdvpit