Caitlin McDonald

Technically yes, but they are a more limited market at the moment. I'm seeing that market expand more every month, though, so it is looking better than ever before!

YA will always have a market so unless you have a trend-driven book I wouldn't worry too much. But if you do have another project on the backburner you feel you could switch to, by all means!

One, unless there's something I'm missing about picture books! I don't rep them. But as with querying in all genres, it should be about quality over quantity. Just be prepared to talk about your next ideas as well!

"Crossover appeal." There's definitely an audience for it, and publishers have managed to market into that space quiet well with certain covers, blurbs, & campaigns. So it's a known phenomenon, just not crystallized into a specific category.

Space opera, primarily. And dystopian has been for a while--though we'll see if this crisis reinforces that or causes a resurgence...

Sure, those tend to do well. Personally I'm tired of seeing Hamlet and R&J retellings and would love some of the comedies instead, but that's just me!

As much as I wish I could be faster, I've definitely taken longer than 8 months on fulls before, many times. I would say if it's been 12mo & there's been no response on nudges, sure: mark it CNR for your own sanity. But you might still receive a response somewhere down the line!

I'm not likely to reopen to memoir anytime soon, I'm afraid!

I would suggest mentioning why you chose to write in verse/what it contributes to the story. I would also be sure to cite a successful novel-in-verse as a comp.

I'm not aware of any agencies that aren't! Our agency has plenty of clients who are not based in the US. It's never been a problem that I've heard of.

"YA sci-fi" is way too broad to ever be dead. I'd say specific subgenres, maybe, and I'd call it "in hibernation"--these things always come back around.

It varies. Some days it is heavy reading & editorial, other days I'm negotiating contracts or on phone calls all day. Every day I'm fielding emails, boosting authors on social media, & tracking basic admin stuff.

Try to get feedback on your query, such as at a conference--if market is a concern, that usually pings for agents at the query level & they should be able to express what in particular is the problem.

Since I assume you'll eventually want to publish both, you should look for an agent who reps both! They'll help advise you on where to focus first and how to build that career, but ultimately you'll want the same agent to be able to work with you across the board.

It depends... but I would lean on the side of "no" if it is an underrepresented culture. The right to tell those stories should go first to the people live them.

The majority of querying authors are unpublished! Post-apocalyptic is difficult rn, but keep at it. Meanwhile get yourself a good critique partner (or several) and make sure your ms and query are as polished as you can make them.

Ideally you want one agent who reps all the things you write & can handle your whole career, so first step is researching to find agents who cover that range. Then query with your best ms & a short bio of pub credentials. Don't try to pitch 3 ms at once; that convo is for later.

TBH there's no one answer for this, it's different for every manuscript. I read as long as it holds my interest, I stop when I know it's not a good fit for me or my list. I do try to read at least 50 pages of each manuscript.

Ideally you query before the offer comes in from a publisher; otherwise you're dealing with a very tight turnaround. If you do have an offer already in hand, be upfront in queries that you have an offer from a publisher but would like an agent to advocate for you and your career.

You can mention it; just a line at the end that it was requested and is under consideration by X publisher is sufficient.