Kay Cornett

4/4
↬ Pacing: Don't rely on dialogue to move a scene along. The dialogue should provide insights into the character's personality that we can't get from the details. Use sparingly. Heavy dialogue makes the narrative sluggish.
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3/4
↬ Opening Paragraphs: Make them strong! When it comes to thrillers/fantasy, I love being quickly plunged into some sort of action/danger. Whatever the conflict, tease the reader w/ a snippet to hook them! You don't have to give too much away. #amquerying #WritingCommunity

2/4
↬ Dialogue: Rather than open the novel w/ dialogue, opt for details about setting + situation. Unless written quite well, I feel jarred reading an opening scene w/o context of where I am or some details about who's speaking.
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Inbox Update || A huge thanks to everyone for their patience as I've been considering! My inbox was lit 🔥 last month. I'll be answering all Jan. emails by Feb. 20! Expect to hear from me soon ✨
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The job's what you make of it—agenting, itself, is quite independent. If there's an undiscovered writer that you want to rep, send an outreach letter. Don't wait for the perfect author to land in your inbox (although it does happen!) 4/4 #askagent #WritingCommunity #amquerying

The best way to learn is to DO—there are no rules for becoming an agent. My journey was not straight. I got an MFAW from @saic_news + landed an internship at Folio + ran a bookstore + became an editor, all before @CindyBirchLit took a chance on me. 3/4
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It takes time to make money—I still have a day job working as an assistant to a children's book editor. So you'll spend some time cultivating the careers of your authors before you *actually* earn money. While the job's romanticized, it really is a lot of hard work. 2/4
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My first month as an agent has been wild + amazing. Just recently on Instagram, the fantastic @carlywatters shared insight on the harsh reality of being an agent, many of the things I'm experiencing now, that I want to share w/ you: 1/4
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Without reading, that’s hard to say—as the author, I’d suggest asking yourself what’s the most important aspect of the story, and go with that! Good luck! 🎉

Yes, I’ve seen a lot of chatter lately about prologues. As I see it, if it’s not setting a scene, framing the narrative, or hooking me in some way that drives the story forward, then I’d suggest nixing it. But, as always, other agents might feel differently! 😬

Def apply for internships! Most agencies now offer in-person + remote. You’d have a really good start if you were able to land two internships 👍🏼 Make as many connections as you can and ALWAYS send hand-written thank you cards to anyone who has helped you in your journey!

I think a few things that definitely turn me off from a pitch are misspellings, lack of punctuation, and no clear idea of what the book is about 😬 lol

I personally don’t have experience working w/ translations, as I’m just building my list, but I would be open to considering. So, if you have an agent in mind, I’d reach out and inquire what their stance is on translations, if it’s not mentioned in their submission guidelines.

Likely, yes. If I pass on a MS, I always invite writers to reach out again if they have new work b/c there’s always a chance this could happen, esp if the new MS is in a different genre or narrative style/POV.

I can’t speak for other agents, but I’m OK with citing at least one classic, as I’ll likely be able to relate to it quite easily. And since the comp will speak for itself, I’ll also have a much better idea about the vision you have for your MS.

As for what makes a pitch stand out, that’s hard to say! Sometimes mood boards help me b/c I’m very visual. But I love a good hook that quickly sets the scene, presents a problem, and leaves me wondering if the main character prevails in the end!