Peter Knapp

#tenqueries 3: Adult Fiction. The plot is thin, leading me to believe this will be a character-driven novel, but for that to work for me the emotional hook still has to be strong, and I don't quite see it in the query. Pass #tenqueries

#tenqueries 2: MG Fantasy/Horror: The pitch is twisty, but I can’t tell what is going to motivate the main characters. What are the stakes? What are the character's goals? Plot and character must work together. Pass.

#tenqueries 1: MG Fantasy. The query is interesting and cinematic, if a little long, but the writing and voice in the first few pages didn’t grab me. Pass

#tenqueries 10: MG Adventure / this query gave the reader interesting details about the story, but it felt like I was supposed to somehow know more about the world than I did, so I felt a step behind and a little confused. Pass.

#tenqueries 8: YA Fantasy / The query is much too short, as is the word count for the manuscript itself (under 15K words). Pass

#tenqueries 7: MG Contemporary / it's clear this book has an interesting protagonist, but it doesn't feel like it's really about anything. I love a great, quiet middle grade, but the query letter still needs to convince me that there's good emotional tension & conflict. Pass.

#tenqueries 6: Adult Fiction / this author focuses too much on the bio section, rather than the pitch of the story, so I don’t know enough about the plot and characters. Pass.

#tenqueries 5: YA Fantasy / as with #2, the query feels generic with few details about this specific story. Instead, we get vague sentences that could describe any number of books. Make each word count & each sentence tell us something unique about YOUR book. Pass

#tenqueries 4: YA Fantasy / Based off the pitch, much of the story makes it seem like the characters are going to be too passive, where they react to things happening to them, but what do they want? What active decisions do they make? Pass

#tenqueries 3: MG Contemporary / While this was a well-written query, the premise is very familiar and the book doesn’t sound unique enough from its counterparts in the same space. Pass #tenqueries

#tenqueries 2: MG Fantasy / the pitch in this query is a little vague—I had questions about what actually happens, as the plot is couched in generic terms rather than brought to life with specific, standout details. Pass #tenqueries

#tenqueries 1: Adult Mystery: The query is so long and has so much going on that I’m not actually sure what the story is about at its core. There are also several typos that tripped me up. Pass.

Q9: YA epic fantasy. Pass. About assasins and revenge...feels too familiar. #tenqueries

Q7: YA epic fantasy. Pass. I want accessible fantasy but this world feels a tad too familiar & the politics are too complicated. #tenqueries

Q6: YA contemp. Pass. Another one that is good but feels too familiar & may struggle to stand apart in a crowded market. #tenqueries

Q5: MG adventure. Pass. Writing didn't feel like it had enough heart. A series of actions, w/o emotions. #tenqueries

Q3: Adult thriller. Pass. CIA thriller that doesn't feel character-driven or new enough for me.

Q2: YA contemp. Pass. Opening passage didn't pull me in. Kept jumping around, taking me out of the scene too much. #tenqueries

Q1: YA contemp. Pass. Solid writing but premise (coming to terms w previous trauma) & voice don't stand out quite enough. #tenqueries

Q10. YA Fantasy. Pass. Writing overly descriptive w/o saying enough. Lots of details that don’t matter, not enough that do. #tenqueries