Literary Agent
Ruthy Mason @R_Mason92
Half my submissions have resulted in full requests, but the only feedback I’ve had so far has been ‘great writing but not falling in love with it enough.’ Is this a euphemism, or should I keep trying and hoping someone else might love it #askagentSounds like you are getting close. A downer of this job is turning down manuscripts you know are good and will be published but aren't right for you as an agent. That is what prompts me to write the "I like this but I don't love it" type of feedback. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Mark Lowes @MJLAuthor
#askagent is 61k words too short for a novel?61K would be regarded as likely short for a thriller but perhaps not a literary novel. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Zoë🌹 @zoeclarewrites
Is there a particular genre agents receive a lot of queries for? I see a lot of people asking about fantasy novels but rarely other genres #AskAgentI get a good deal of histfic which I love and people know this, but never enough crime or romcoms for my personal tastes. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Tracy Fells @theliterarypig
Hi, what can be the reasons for an agent not responding after calling in a full, even after the writer sends a polite follow-up email? I'd hoped for some feedback once a full was requested but am feeling pretty demotivated after experiencing this sometimes. Thank you #askagentSometimes I am really swamped and sometimes I lose things. It is hard because agents have to prioritise work for existing clients and I often fail to have the time I hoped to read subs. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Shona Kinsella @shona_kinsella
@mushenska If an author has already been offered a contract direct from a publisher, would you be willing to help them in negotiating said contract? #askagentYes. Never feel pressured into signing anything before you've had the chance to do your due diligence which includes, if you are unagented, speaking to possible agents and @Soc_of_Authors #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Ben Ross @flyraccoonfly
@mushenska Thanks! I'm curious if you ever wish you hadn't read the spoilers before reading a full manuscript? #askagentI rarely read synopses that come in on submission for precisely this reason. Takes the fun out of the reading the mss. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
staringattheblankpage @nickarmitage
@julietpickering Why would I send a mss to an agent and not straight to a publisher ? #Askagent?An agent might be able to get you a better deal than you could yourself. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Eilish Fisher @EilishFisher
@katenashagent Is it worth getting your MS/synopsis/query letter professionally edited before submitting? Money well spent? Thank you 🙂You may want to work with a pro editor to help learn your writing craft but I would hope most writers are writing their own query letters. Any letter that tells me why the writer has thought I might be the agent for them works for me. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Nikki Dudley @nikkidudley20
@katenashagent @AshaHick #askagent Can you revise and resubmit after a full ms rejection if an agent doesn't specifically say so but gives feedback you can work on? I think it's no...If I have invested the time to read a full manuscript I will always give some feedback but I will be explicit whether I am up for a reread. If in doubt ask the agent whether they do want to revisit. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Nick Feldman @NickZG
@katenashagent So if I *do* have enough story to justify the length-- pending my editor's feedback on that-- not a big deal?The issue with length relates mostly to print costs but a great story that needs its length to be told will always trump this (I hope). #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Nick Jury @TheRealNickJury
@katenashagent Are you still taking submissions? And in particular for crime stories. #askagentYes please. Crime is one of my favourite genres. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Nick Feldman @NickZG
@katenashagent #askagent how big of a deal is book being longer than 100k words?The question really is, "do you have enough story to justify your word length?" In the commercial genres I work in novels are most typically 80-100K in length. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Annabel Tellis @AnnabelTellis
Hi agents and thanks. I sent my mg novel off ten years ago when it was far from ready. It’s now completed and really topical and has a sister book too. I wonder whether agents think they’ve seen it before, do we only have the one real chance? #askagent pic.twitter.com/3I5QelsNqUI have surprised writers before by telling them all about a book of theirs I read years ago they can't recall pitching to me 😂 but I would probably prefer a heads up in your submission email if I had read before so I am not struggling with unidentified deja vu. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Sarah Lawton 🇪🇺 @sarahwrites80
#askagent Have you ever not placed a book at a publisher but pitched it to film makers instead?Specialist agents pitch books to film and television but occasionally a book comes along and actually that story breaks through first on screen. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Angel @bluedovewings
#askagent If a query comes to you about a book series, is that something that might appeal to traditional publishing more than single book?It might or might not. Some genres lend themselves better to series than others. #askagent
Literary Agent
Albert Joynson @AlbertJoynson
@katenashagent @jounwin Sorry I must be being slow, I’m not exactly sure what you’re saying?In the case of sequels (or indeed series) I would want to see and review book 1. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Annie Barber @AnnieBarber1973
#askagent is the publishing industry telling you what it's looking for at the moment?Yes, and we keep asking them as it is rapidly changing right now but we also do our own market research. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Albert Joynson @AlbertJoynson
@jounwin #askagent if you wrote a sequel to your first book but haven’t been able to publish, would it be best to self publish book one and start submitting with book 2? Or better to hold onto book one and start submitting book2 or just plod on with 1?I would making any decision on book 1 since book 2 is a sequel. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
The Prosecco Diaries @Sairey_bearey
@jounwin Would you not read a pitch if the title was awful, or a 'working title' - or no title at all yet? #AskAgentI don't pay much attention to the title as this often changes. However a great title will always grab attention. #AskAgent