Jennifer March Soloway
Literary Agent
Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Jennifer#4 @AndreaBrownLit | she/her | @MillsMFALit alum | PB+MG+YA+Adult | In love with all things story | ✨Revision is magical!✨
Literary Agent
Vanessa E. @vanessaepeay
@marchsoloway do you prefer for queries to jump right into the pitch or be personalized? #askagentA personalized note is nice but not necessary. I am most interested in the pages and writing. If you can raise a question in my mind that I have to know the answer, I will sit up all night reading. #askAgent
Literary Agent
Melissa Fedak @melissafedak
@taralazar @marchsoloway What percentage of authors that you agree to represent end up getting accepted by an editor and published? (I've heard that agents having a book on submission is kind of like authors querying agents.) #askagentI haven't crunched the numbers but lately (well, until the pandemic shut everything done), I was having a good luck with a number of projects. That said, not every project sells. Sometimes the time just isn't right. When that happens, we try something else. #askagent
Literary Agent
Tara Lazar @taralazar
@pennymmcnally @marchsoloway My agent (@joanpaq) is still submitting my work. Editors are still answering. #askauthorI am also still submitting clients' work and still hearing back from editors. Fingers crossed! #askagent
Literary Agent
jimchaize @jchaize1
#askagent Has the situation in the world today changed what you are interested in representing in any way? Do you think it will change what readers choose to read themselves or to children? @marchsoloway @taralazarGood question. Not yet, but it's only been a few weeks, and who knows how I'll feel next month. That said, personally, I am not interested in reading pandemic lit now. I love to read a good horror but not the one I'm currently living. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Rachell Abalos 🇵🇭🇺🇸🤓 @RachellAbalos
@taralazar @marchsoloway #askauthor #askagent Is there a saturated subject in PB?Not if you have a fresh twist we haven't seen before! Difficult, but brilliant when done well! #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Alicia Curley @ACurleyWrites
@taralazar @marchsoloway Question for both #askauthor and #askagent - any favorite tropes you love to read and write? Or any you're wishing writers would experiment with or reinvent?Gosh, this is a great question, and nothing is coming to mind right now. I love a good haunted house story and would love to find a fresh twist on that genre. #AskAgent
P.S. If suddenly wake up at 4 a.m. and think of something good, I'll tweet it tomorrow. 😉
Literary Agent
Stephanie Gibeault @GibeaultWrites
@marchsoloway what do you think of questions in a pitch? Something like, "Can you do that?" Or would you rather see statements. #askagentHm, hard to say without seeing the pitch. I usually prefer statements that raise a question in my mind. That said, depending on the pitch, a question might be a fun way to pique interest. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
🎨 Amanda Davis @amandadavisart
@taralazar @marchsoloway #askagent #askauthor what good book/s are you escaping into right now (if any)? 📚🤓💕I just read a fascinating New Yorker story about a missionary in Uganda this week, and I'm reading a fun, spooky MG and a YA full of intrigue, both submissions, which have been wonderful escapes. I hope to finish both soon and respond to those authors. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Kelly Swemba @KSwemba
@taralazar @marchsoloway #askauthor #askagentHi and thank you for this. Given how the world is sideways, how much will that impact what agents and publishers accept? Is it a good time to query?
If only I had an answer. I have no idea what's going to happen. Sorry not to have more insight. My box is still open, and I read queries everyday. I am also strongly considering some submissions. But everything feels more uncertain than usual. Hope this helps! #askagent
Literary Agent
Gaby @thegreatgabsie
@taralazar @marchsoloway Is it better to not have any comps or to use one that is an amazing, award winning title that is the only comp you can find that comes close to your ms?#askagent #askauthor
I think it's important to find recent comps for your book to show where your book will fit on the shelf and appeal to what readers. Even if it's not perfect, I suggest something like "my book is X meets Y with a dash of Z" or "in the vein of X with a dash of Z" #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Juli 💖💜💙 @juli_writes
@taralazar @marchsoloway What are you reading right now? #AskAgent #AskAuthorI am currently reading three different full manuscripts I requested this year. I also just finished an ARC of a Victorian gothic, THE HOUSE OF WHISPERS, by Laura Purcell, which releases this summer. It's fantastic! #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Catherine Flynn @flynn_catherine
@marchsoloway #askagent @taralazar #askauthor I submitted an unsolicited manuscript to an agent at the beginning of November (she does accept them) and haven't had any response. Should I send an email or assume she's not interested?It's hard for me to speak for other agents. Have you checked her agency's submission guidelines? Many agencies simply cannot respond to every query, because they receive so many. We want to, but it's impossible to write custom letters to all. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
AdeltheAuthor @AdeltheAuthor
If the MC is a college student, is the story considered YA, Adult, or something in the middle like New Adult? #AskAgentIt depends on how old the MC is. Early college might make it YA (like AMERICAN PANDA), and later college might make it adult (like THE SECRET HISTORY--an old example. Can't think of a current example off the top of my head.) #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez @KaitlynLeann17
@taralazar @marchsoloway #AskAuthor what's your favorite trait in the editors you work with, if you had to pick one?#AskAgent how is your agency team working together in this time?
Our agency is constantly in touch through email and Slack, and like the rest of the world, we are meeting via video conference call. I miss seeing everyone in person, but we're making it work. #askagent
Literary Agent
Manju B. Howard @ManjuBeth
@taralazar @marchsoloway #AskAuthor Has the pandemic affected what you write?#askagent Has the pandemic affected what you sub to editors? Or what editors are requesting?Good question. I'm still trying to figure out the best approach. Right now doesn't seem like the best time for super dark contemporary stories, even though I love them. Personally, I'm looking to escape via reading, and I think others are, too. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Stephanie Gibeault @GibeaultWrites
@marchsoloway I don't think you rep nonfiction, but do you have any tips for writing a nonfiction query, either MG or PB? The pitch paragraph feels different if it's not a narrative book. #askagentI am open to nonfiction. I was a journalism undergrad, and I love narrative nonfiction that reads like fiction. For the pitch, I think you still want to hook your reader with a compelling question but also share why the story is relevant to readers, why it matters. #askagent
Literary Agent
Jennifer Linville @jen_linville
A few Qs: 1.Who would be the best for critiquing a CB length GN? 2. I have this ms in both traditional and GN format, how do you suggest submitting this to an agent? (I’d prefer to see it as a GN). 3. Is comping to a more intellectual Yogi Bear a death sentence for it? #AskAgentFor GN text, a screenplay format is one option. Personally, I like Yogi Bear, and I'm having trouble envisioning an intellectual version of him, but I'm intrigued. Not sure if that answers your question? 😉 #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Rachell Abalos 🇵🇭🇺🇸🤓 @RachellAbalos
@taralazar @marchsoloway #askauthor How many edits till you’re satisfied? #askagent Do you still read an MS even if the query letter was not so great?I can only speak for me personally, but I usually read the pages before I read the pitch. I like to read fresh without preconceived ideas about the story. #askagent