Peter Knapp

#tenqueries 2.. Adult Fiction. This query is a synopsis of the book, rather than an enticing pitch that leaves me hanging. If I know everything before reading, what’s going to drive me to read until the end? Pass.

#tenqueries 1: YA Fantasy. I really enjoyed the quirky voice in this pitch—it was genuinely funny without being forced. But I wasn’t given sufficient detail about the plot, and the pages were lacking in the same humor. Pass.

Time for an early morning stretch with #tenqueries. A reminder that there's usually not any one reason I pass, so these are representative of a reason that may've contributed to the pass, but in truth it's about how everything came together, and how it resonated with me.

#tenqueries 10: Adult Fiction. The author starts with a long bio (always start with the plot for fiction, I personally feel; I want to hear about your book first and foremost) & after a three-sentence plot pitch, there are no sample pages from the MS. Pass.

#tenqueries 9: MG Magical Realism. I like the strong theme of friendship present in this pitch, as well as the unique setting and foreshadowed relatable interactions between school peers. I'm certainly curious about this one. Request.

#tenqueries 8: MG fantasy. I was intrigued b/c this seemed to be a coming of age story in a fantasy setting, but ultimately it didn't work--the first pages felt slow, and I worry the plot won't take advantage of the cool fantasy world it's set in. Pass

#tenqueries 7: YA Fantasy. Another query where there are a lot of plot threads presented, but it's unclear what is at the center here. What's the central conflict/premise? Pass.

#tenqueries 6: Adult historical fiction. There is so much going on in this query! But my ultimate reason for passing is that the writing just didn't capture me in the way I need to be the right agent to take it on. Pass.

#tenqueries 5: MG Sci-fi. This is a much twistier, more intense query than I've seen in MG for a while-I am coming up with way more YA comps than MG-and the voice of the pages also feels YA. Pass.

#tenqueries 4: YA Fantasy. I actually really liked this query: it presented a high stakes world and plot and intriguing characters, but then the opening pages were dense, with lots of exposition/world building but little plot. I definitely am a plot person in YA fantasy. Pass.

#tenqueries 3: MG Contemporary. The voice in these pages breaks the fourth wall quite a few times--this is clearly a purposeful choice on the author's part, but it wasn't working for me personally here, as it distracted me from the actual action. Pass

#tenqueries 2: YA Sci-fi. I wanted to know more about the plot in this pitch. What's motivating the character to rise above her struggles? We get the very initial set-up, but then what? Pass.

#tenqueries 1: MG Animal Story. I would call this a MG fantasy or perhaps MG animal fantasy. The lack of clear stakes and a cliffhanger that makes me think "what happens next?" is giving me pause. Pass.

#tenqueries 10: YA. I'm not given a genre; I'm not addressed directly ("To Whom It May Concern"); there is no word count; and while I'm told that it has factors that I will find enticing, I'm not shown that at all. Pass.

#tenqueries 9: YA Contemporary. We're just not given a deep enough glance into the characters in the pitch, so it's feeling a touch superficial or flat. I want a sense of not just what happens but why it matters, which comes back to caring about characters for me. Pass

#tenqueries 8: YA Adventure. The main plotline is clear, but as an adventure story, I feel like we're lacking high stakes and drama. We're told X, X, and X happen, but what makes each of these plot points exciting or challenging? Pass

#tenqueries 7: YA Sci-Fi. The tone in this query doesn't match the content. It's too light, almost trying to be funny or positive, while describing intense, life-altering moments for the main characters. Pass

#tenqueries 6: YA Fantasy. This is definitely more of a dystopian than a fantasy, and it doesn't feel particularly stand-out. Dystopian remains difficult at the moment, so anything in this genre has to be different in some way. Pass

#tenqueries 5: YA Contemporary. There's some thriller, some mystery, and some secrets in this pitch. I worry the main plot is a little familiar, but there is something compelling in the edgy voice in the first pages. Request.

#tenqueries 4: YA Fantasy. The first few pages in this manuscript are atmospheric on the setting-level, but the writing is a bit too overdone. Too many descriptors will make your language feel flowery instead of purposeful. Pass