Literary Agent
Ben Edge @bnedge
#AskAgent Do you think authors can genre-hop with different books nowadays, or is there is an expectation to stay rooted in one genre?I would tell you to be prepared to write 3 to 4 books in a genre. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Sandy Butchers 🏳️🌈 @SandyButchers
#askagentWhat would you consider more likely to get a request:
A strong query letter + first pages that might need some tuning?
Or a query letter that screams forth the struggle of the author + strong first pages?
It is all about the writing. I don't read the letter until I have read and liked the sample. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Sandy Butchers 🏳️🌈 @SandyButchers
#askagentAs it often takes new writers some effort to discover their way through the query proces, how do you approach a second submission of the same, but heavily revised, work?
I would only have another read if I had told the author I would first time around. I am almost always rejecting on the story per se, not the shaping of it. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Claire Daverley @ClaireDaverley
@mushenska @julietpickering Do you think debut authors are going to be negatively impacted in terms of advances & agent offers/book deals because of the corona crisis? #askanagent #askagentI am not seeing this at the moment but it is difficult to predict anything with great certainly at the moment. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Elizabeth Elford @ElfordElizabeth
If you love a book but it needs some developmental editing, do you pass or work with writer? #askagentIt depends if I can see a clear strategy for the book - and the author agrees of course. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Book Luvva @LuvvaBook
@mushenska Hello, do comps have to be recent novels? How important are they? Any tips would be great :) #askagentNovels should be well known, doesn't matter to me how recent. TV comps are also great. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Michelle M McGrath @MichelleMMcGr
@katenashagent @julietpickering hi there, once you've taken on a new client & got a publisher on board, is there an average time until publication? For example, does it always take 12-18 months before that book hits the shelves? Many thanks#AskAgent
Yes 12-18 months is typical unless it is a digital first (i.e. ebook gets released first) in which case could be as quick as six months. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Ruth Behan @RuthBehan2
@julietpickering @mushenska #askagent For some reason I find it really hard writing the letter to the agent to go with my submission. Would a very simple short letter be ok ?Short is great for me. One paragraph. Just a line about your story and another on why you are approaching the agency. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Kathryn A Whitfield @Whit_Writes
If a title needs to be changed, how do you go about brainstorming titles? And how do you know when you have 'the one'? #askagentKeep thinking until you have something that sounds zingy enough for submissions. Once you have an agent they will help, your eventual publisher too. Don't worry too much. I love brainstorming titles. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Núria Bonet @Nuschmeichs
How much interest is there in niche local history non-fiction books? #askagentSometimes it could be better for authors to go to specialist local history publishers. However, I would suggest send it in to my colleague @JustinNashLit for a look since "niche" might mean "quirky but actually mainstream". #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Ben Edge @bnedge
#AskAgent What’s the biggest mistake that makes a writer seem amateurish in a submission?Writing to me starting "Dear Sir" or indeed with no greeting at all on the cover letter. I may just assume it is spam. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Willard Foxton Todd @WillardFoxton
If you’ve met with + been offered representation by someone who’s interested in your work - but you didn’t personally like them, should you go with them anyway (to avoid missing the opportunity) or hold out for someone you think you’d work with better? #askagentRun a mile. For my sakes if not yours. It's a close relationship based a good deal on trust. As my old boss used to say, "try to only work with people you could go to the pub with." #AskAgent
Literary Agent
K.Shibaru @KShibaru
Me again. Agents, is character ‘likability' import for you when reading fiction? Do you believe readers need to like the protagonist? #askagentThe tougher the times the more likeable the characters - so in my view I feel right now we are heading into a phase where we really do want to like our characters. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Lucy Frances @lfranbam
More a question of curiosity, but how and why did you get into literary agenting? #askagentWorked for a publisher and realised agenting was the better job since you can work with the same authors across publishers and potentially for the whole of their careers (if they will have me obv.) #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Alexandra Wilson @amwilson_opera
@julietpickering @LittleHardman @markwat55066351 I suppose! I also wonder, in my case, whether a second persona might be advisable so as to distinguish the fiction author (hopefully!) from the author of non-fiction books on a specialist topic.Could be. One of my authors uses a pen name for fiction only because she writes very specialist academic books under her real name and it might get confusing. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Michelle M McGrath @MichelleMMcGr
@mushenska @julietpickering @LittleHardman hi there,Do you feel it's essential to have dialogue on the first page of the opening chapter? I've created about 5 different openings trying to incorporate all the 'must do's'.
Many thanks in advance.
#askagent
Not a hard rule. My "hard rule" is that the opening page has to have characterisation. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Clifford Thompson @Cliff_Thompson1
#askagent If an agent leaves an agency for another, do their writers 'belong' to the agent or agency they have left? (I hope that makes sense)If your agency is a member of the AAA then there should be no restrictions on an author moving on along with their agent. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Maeve Galvin @maevelineg
Thank you for doing these. I am among the many who appreciates them! Is it harder to sell books without a clear cut, traditional plot? What advice do you have for those writing something that is stubbornly veering from plot? #AskAgentYour book is either plot led or it is character led. If plot led then it does need a central and compelling plot, yes. #AskAgent