Juliet Mushens
Literary Agent
Mushens Entertainment
Literary agent at @MushensEnt , sartorialist and cat wrangler. Wartime consigliere. Pollyanna-ish. Generally heard before I'm seen. Bend and SNAP.
Literary Agent
Ogenna Ojukwu @OgennaO
@julietpickering @FutureBookshelf @mushenska @katenashagent @RobbieGuillory What do agents really mean when they say "enjoyed reading it but not quite for us"? #askagentIt can mean a lot of things - I would say it’s normally meant to be a polite and standard way of saying ‘no’ so within that can mean ‘you show promise but it needs too much work’ or ‘great idea but not executed well enough’ #askagent
Literary Agent
Martin Ian Smith @MartinIanSmith
@julietpickering @mushenska @katenashagent @RobbieGuillory Hello! Do you look for authors with a slate of ideas or is your decision to represent someone based purely on the finished book in front of you? Do you work with authors to develop a successful career path (e.g., genre of future work) after that first novel? Thanks :)It’s based on that work but I absolutely love to know future ideas #askagent
Literary Agent
Nay @NayWrites
I'm curious to know, what do agents think of Wattpad? Would you be interested in rep'ing a MS that's on Wattpad or is that a nonstarter?#askanagent
#askagent
#amwriting
#writerscommunity
One of my biggest clients (now a NYT bestseller!) started on Wattpad - the key question always though is why will people buy this when they can read it for free? #askagent
Literary Agent
Jonathan (James) Izard @jonathanizard
@julietpickering @mushenska @katenashagent @RobbieGuillory 1) How long after submitting s'thg should I let hope wither on the vine?2) Are agents snowed under at the mo with manuscripts that authors have managed to finish earlier than expected because of lockdown?
(Not askin' for a friend.) #askagent
I would say look at their submission guidelines and see if they are still within the window of getting back to you. Snowed, yes, but still signing! #askagent
Literary Agent
TheInevitableAuthor @TheInevitableA1
@julietpickering @mushenska @katenashagent @RobbieGuillory Are submissions always read, or sometimes do you read the cover letter and that is enough to reject? #askagentSometimes I reject based on the cover letter - I would say an average cover letter is fine (it doesn’t need to be WOW!), but some highlight crucial issues with the plot/genre/writing level #askagent
Literary Agent
Linda @lindcai
@julietpickering @mushenska @katenashagent @RobbieGuillory Afternoon all, thank you again for doing this :) Out of curiosity, have you ever signed/reached out to writers after reading their work in literary magazines, competitions, blogs etc? #AskAgentOccasionally but not often - this is largely down to the size of my list and I did a lot more when I was building a list #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Leah @Leah_B_H
Possibly an odd question for #AskAgent - I would (eventually) like to be published by an indie/small press so imagine this wouldn't make me a good prospect for an agent (i.e. small/no advance) - would I be best not wasting agents time querying & just go it alone? Thank you!I’d be intrigued to know why you’d like that? Small and indie presses are great and sometimes the best place for a book but equally some big 5 publishers are great too! #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Jrussellwriter @jrussellwriter
#askagent what does the standout pitch have that the slush pile pitches don't?What are the must mentions in the pitch, and does the style/the way the pitch is presented have catch your attention in order for you to read the MS and Synopsis? Is the pitch make or break?
TIA!
So ‘slush pile’ literally just means ‘unsolicited submissions’, it isn’t mean to sound derogatory! I would say that the pitches which attract my attention most quickly have a clear hook (like... We Need to Talk About Kevin or Room!) but the writing is obv key too #askagent
Literary Agent
E.S. Alexander @ESAlexander4
#askagent Given the opportunity to choose between signing with a Big 5 house or a well-respected, award-winning Indie publisher, what would be your advice to such a lucky author - especially with regards to promotional support & sales potential? #amquerying #WritingCommunityIt totally depends: what is the advance/royalties/sales strategy/track record - and which publisher feels the best ‘fit’ for the author. All those things add up! #askagent
Literary Agent
Anna Mansell @AnnaMansell
#askagent Have you ever signed a book you loved, for the author to follow it with one (or more) that you didn't? How do you deal with that? And do agents work with their authors to help them see where their strengths lie? TIAI definitely work with authors to develop next ideas - often we bat around several concepts before settling on one #askagent
Literary Agent
Asha Hick 🇪🇺 @AshaHick
What should you do if you have finished the first draft of a novel but an established author has announced the publication of a similar story in the near future: plough on with yours regardless or start something new? #askagentI’d finish yours - lots of novels have similar conceits but executed v differently #askagent
Literary Agent
jessica @breatheandread
In a writing course I took, we were recommended to submit short stories to journals to build a literary profile before approaching an agent about a manuscript. Is this actually necessary? #askagentNo - writing short stories can improve your craft though! #askagent
Literary Agent
Chris Basha @BashaChris
@mushenska Thank you for your reply! Is there something I could do to compensate for the lack of audience or is that really the only way?unless you have a really specific link to the story or very unusual hook into it, it will definitely be challenging with non-fiction. The good news is you don’t need a platform at all if you write a novel! #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Laura Danks @auradanks
@mushenska @LouiseWalters12 On that topic, do you see an author who intentionally wrote/published commercial fiction to learn/raise her profile and prove she can navigate the publishing industry as a plus when reading their queries? (this in regards to new projects only) Thank you. #askagentIt won’t harm your chances! But I’m generally mostly interested in the novel you’re submitting #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Kathleen Small @KLSmall_Author
@mushenska @julietpickering I’m selecting agents to query and found one that sounds like my dream agent but she’s “temporarily closed to submissions.” Any advice? Keep looking? Check back regularly?Contact another agent at her agency who is open? #askagentI would sub to everyone else on your list and check back in a month or so #askagent