Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

Literary Agent

Westwood Creative Artists

๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

This week alone, Westwood received 12 queries for agents who aren't open. Save yourself, and the agency, the effort of sending a query that has to be read and responded to and filed, and double-check the status of an agent who you are querying before you hit send. #QueryTip

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips
Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips
Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

If I could give one tip to any writer who's querying or writing for submission right now, it would be START IN THE ACTION. Every scene. I feel like I cannot emphasize this enough. #QueryTip #WritingCommunity

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

One of the #SpineSquad authors passed on this tool today, which is going to be GREAT for comps research! It provides word count, reading level, synopsis - all kinds of really useful info on loads of books. Thanks, @mayabidaya!! #WritingCommunity #QueryTip

arbookfind.com/default.aspx

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#QueryTip - in your writing sample, make sure that you are using those pages EFFICIENTLY. One way you can do that is to keep your dialogue super cleanly written, and use speaker tags to indicate tone, rather than stylizing using punctuation or special formatting.

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#QueryTip: New adult isn't a trade publishing category, and imprints need books categorized as either adult or YA when submitted. If you're querying an agent, please be aware of this, and that it's more work if we have to navigate the revisions to re-categorize a book pre-sub!

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

I received one query tonight that 1, was over 100K words, 2, was previously published, and 3, it was sent to myself and one of my Westwood colleagues simultaneously.
Please, just read the submission guidelines. Do a little research. That's all I ask.
#WritingCommunity #QueryTip

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

PS, please avoid comping to Stephen King and Dan Brown and James Patterson, just in general. There are so many reasons, and so many other comps out there. #QueryTip

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#QueryTip: some agents are very hands on with editorial work, and others see themselves largely as salespeople. We all have our own approach. Make sure to ask what approach the agent you're querying takes, because it's SO important that it aligns with your needs!

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

Spoiler alert: if I request a full manuscript from you, I'm going to send you an immediate follow up asking for your goals and what you're looking for in an agent. You should REALLY know the answers to these questions before you start querying! #QueryTip #WritingCommunity

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#WritingCommunity, the average length of time from acquisition of a book to pub is 18 months. Most agents take a few months to consider queries. If your concept is time-sensitive, you need to bear in mind that trad pub is a 2 year+ process for a new author. #QueryTip

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

Almost every time I edit a MS for an emerging author, I have to address problems in the balance of narrative, action, and dialogue. This isn't a dealbreaker for me, since it's an easy lesson to learn for most authors - but something to revise for! #QueryTip

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

...and that's all I have time for today! I hope that this insight is helpful to some of you as you prepare your queries for 2022! #QueryTip - a lot of folks are SWAMPED from now until the end of the year - hold off on sending your new queries until January!!

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips
Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

Accolades and accomplishments relevant to publishing DO strengthen a query. If you have some, include them! If you don't, consider working on short stories and articles before and while you're querying, so that you have some bylines to share and show off! #QueryTip

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#QueryTip: something I often see in our slush pile is, "I have been told that my MS is too long for a debut novel, BUT..." - followed by a MS that is categorically too long. What this translates into for me? "I cannot work with constructive editorial feedback." ๐Ÿšฉ๐Ÿšฉ๐Ÿšฉ

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#QueryTip:
Do not say: "I am known for...", "People tell me...", etc.
DO say: "(Reputable source) had this to say about my book: (quote)," "You can read a review of my work here (include source)."
#WritingCommunity

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#QueryTip: If you provide a website or author page link in your query, make sure it works, and that the page is up to date!

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
๐Ÿ“š lit agent @WCA_LitAgency ๐Ÿ“– advisor @TheFOLD_ โœ faculty @MSWLMA ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ recovering PhD ๐ŸŒˆ they/them; Sal: Dr. โ™ฟ clients #SpineSquad ๐Ÿ“˜
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

Is everyone in the #WritingCommunity familiar with @KMWeiland's Most Common Writing Mistakes blog series? It's a solid resource that I point folks to ALL the time. I would recommend everyone read it. #QueryTip