Kate McKean

I have received several queries saying a person I don't know has "referred" them to me, and while queries are good regardless, this feels weird. It's not a strike against the writers, but I fear they think there's a connection when there's not. #pubtip

Don't send a POD/printed copy of your self-published book as a query. It's not because it's self-published; it's because I only accept email submissions. Pay attention to guidelines (and save your money). #pubtip

An "exclusive" submission sent to dozens of agents, not BCCd
Citing a connection we don't have
In a genre I don't represent
THIS is what gets auto-deleted, friends. Don't stress about your small stuff. Follow directions, do a good job, do your homework. Query well. #pubtip

Y'all need to quit it with the "if you actually read this query" stuff in your ~~queries~~. Why do you think we ask for them if we're not going to read them? If we didn't want to read them, we could just not accept queries ever. #pubtip

Do not use Mailchimp to send query letters. Seriously. #pubtip

Five bucks says your first sentence has too many adjectives. You don't have to cram them all in there right away. #pubtip #writingtip

It's an epidemic, a scourge. Every piece of writing--of all kinds!--I've read for months says "can't help but." YOU CAN! YOU CAN HELP BUT NOT USE THIS TIRED PHRASE. #pubtip

The only updates you need to send an agent reading your query is if you've received an offer of representation or the Nobel Prize. Everything else irrelevant. #pubtip

Trying to hide a moral in a kid's book is like trying to hide spinach in brownies. #pubtip

Queriers, why do you do this? "Life for Beatrice Bonita Beverly Bonneville IV, or, BB, has always been exciting....." JUST SAY BB. #pubtip

I ignore all the abstractions in your query. They tell me nothing about what happens in your book. #pubtip

Don't respond to rejections. Full stop. #pubtip

The absolute bare minimum you have to do in a query is tell me about your book. You can't just say "I'm a writer. Represent me." #pubtip

Remember, an offer is not a gift. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. #pubtip

It goes: write book, keep writing, write some more. Then edit, edit again, edit another time. Write again. Edit. THEN query. #pubtip

Your book must be fiction or non-fiction. That needs to be clear in yr query. Historical fiction is fiction. Memoir is not fiction. #pubtip

I am no longer interested in novels where the primary conflict for the main character is ennui. #pubtip

Gross eating verbs are the new useless dialog tags. Take out slurped, munched, nibbled, swigged, gulped etc from your mss. #pubtip

If your book is over 125k words, I am not the agent for you. #pubtip

Here is your monthly reminder: do not respond to rejections. #pubtip