Kelly Van Sant

Number of books contracted is always negotiated at the offer stage (auction or otherwise). And agent and author should have a clear goal in mind, and of course the editor will have a publishing plan as well. Both sides then negotiate to come to an agreement.

I read until I have a reason to stop. Sometimes that’s after the first sentence. Sometimes it’s after 50 pages.

Word count matters because it directly ties into production costs and and retail pricing for the finished product. Your words counts need to be appropriate for the category. Exceptions always exist of course, but never plan to be the exception to a standard rule.

Depends entirely one what type of feedback you’re getting in those passes! If you get the same consistent notes you need to revise or shelve it. If you’re just not gaining traction, maybe keep going until you find the right fit.

In some cases it can be useful, but it’s not nearly as important as pitching your story.

Experience and prior credits are always useful! It shows you can work with deadlines or produce a finished product, etc.

I ask for R&Rs when I love something (concept, characters) a lot but feel the book needs more work before I’m confident in the author’s abilities. An R&R is a good way to see if an author can revise and take notes. I personally only ask for them very very rarely.

Every agency will have different guidelines. If you can query simultaneously then just go ahead and do that. If not, you can nudge after 3 months, usually.

18 months is standard contractual language, but I’ve seen up to 2 years, and of course books are crashed on quicker timelines or extended out further depending on multiple factors.

18 months is standard contractual language, but I’ve seen up to 2 years, and of course books are crashed on quicker timelines or extended out further depending on multiple factors.

Mention in the query that the editor has expressed interest at a conference. Do not imply that you have an offer if you don’t, though!

A pass is a pass and unless an agent as requested explicitly to see revisions, it's best not to requery.

I do!

18 can still be YA!

Depending on what category/genre you write in, mentioning the age can be helpful!

We need to hire and RETAIN people of color in every level of the industry, and we need to prioritize the publication of marginalized creators.

Because Publishing upholds racist systems, and employs and publishes white people in vast majority. It is not right, but it is real. There are real access barriers to working in publishing and POC in the industry are often pushed out due to low salaries and high costs of living.

If you get multiple offers, the best thing you can do is speak to each of them, ask a lot of questions, be honest with yourself about what your needs are, and go with your gut.

It is difficult, just in terms of numbers. I get hundreds of queries a month and only make a dozen requests. Of those request I maybe offer on one or two, if that. But that doesn’t make it impossible. It just means that you have to go out with your best work, and do your research

I think there is always room for retellings from diverse perspectives (nonwhite, queer, disabled, and more). Otherwise, yes, the market might be a little saturated. But what goes around comes around. The market is ever changing, so write the book you want to write.