Weronika Janczuk

Don't tell an agent that your manuscript has been professionally edited. I'd probably remove 50%+ of editors from their positions -- oft, "edited" manuscripts don't read well, + the editor has taken advantage of a writer who needs to learn craft versus write. #querytips #askagent

...the opposite way: as a fantasy, with romantic elements. (2/2) #askagent

This is a good question. #askagent Most romances follow a sort of outline/type: bit.ly/3bxrztT. If your story fits this as its core, then you want to pitch it as a contemporary romance with fantastical elements. If it doesn't, and is more fantastical, pitch it... (1/2)

Beyond this, I think you need to expect a supremely honest, professional, self-possessed account of the agent's history, capacity, and love of your book! Agents differ, but for many, it is a blend of professional + existential life, + should be recognized as such. (2/2) #askagent

This is a great question; a very broad one. #askagent You should be prepared to ask the right questions (bit.ly/2yaTm4P, one great summary), to maintain a sort of 'authority' over the call (to the extent that you can ask your agent all the hard questions!), etc. (1/2)

Oops, here! (3/3) #askagent Query until your list is done--I know writers who scored agents after 10 queries, + others who scored agents after 350 queries. Weigh the feedback, + learn as you write. @DonMaass has terrific books on craft, for example.

(2/2) It's good to explore agents' reactions; as you get full requests + solid feedback, query further + more widely. Always debatable, but I think this is a solid starting place for writers. As for total queries: I would be writing a second novel. #askagent.

Great #askagent question! I would say that you want to query in tiers, and per tier, query something like 7-15 agents a time, depending on your genre and the size of your list; in each tier, as you start, mix favorite, second-favorite, and third-favorite agents. (1/2)

No, it's often the opposite, while the market runs on this form of internal melding; in my experience, publishers like to rely on internal modules in books that are re-created, even as they feel familiar, which is how trends develop and persist over time. (3/3) #askagent

...have a sort of "internal typography," the way in which writers imagine their own narrative from the inside out; the way in which they arrange the logical pieces, for external effect, a sort of "internal design." Hard to articulate. As for the "playing it safe": (2/3) #askagent

Just thinking out loud: I'm not sure that "typography" is the best word—I'm thinking sort of types of plots (plot structures can be broken into different theoretical categories; different book structures can be categorized in different ways). Novels, thus... (1/3) #askagent

Either, and both. It, honestly, depends entirely on the voice with which the novel is executed, but I do, generally, have a sort of existential preference for the psychological thriller. #askagent

I won't be considering graphic novels, for the moment; I generally find them less stimulating + interesting than full-length novels, with some exceptions. #askagent

Yes, there's a huge MG demand. It sells well, + there's an ever-growing market for it. #askagent I'm considering also representing MG--to be determined, in the weeks to come.

This depends entirely on the concept in the book. I'd evaluate more whether the concept has book-length potential; a different question than whether it has been overly-publicized. A lot of treatment in already-printed spaces may mean that there's no need for a book. #askagent

There's so much that goes into the evaluation of a non-fiction project--the ease with which an author-publisher-marketing team can place the book on the market is first and foremost worthwhile, within this evaluation. #askagent

This depends entirely on the book, but 5k+ on the self-published end is distinct + worthwhile noticing, to start, though there are authors that break-out on the self-publishing market with distinctly more sales. As an agent, I'd be looking at platform + sale potential. #askagent

It can be the nerdiest or geekest or trivial kind of angle, + some of the best memoirs are "quiet" in that way, relative to others, but I'm hungry for the story that I've never seen before. I should want to be able to share your story, given that it's a real story. #askagent

If I want to tell my friends over dinner about you, then we've got a conversation to be had. It's not memoir territory, but, for example, I stumbled upon this research (amzn.to/2NDNpl8), + given that I'm writing a novel about martyrs, talked about it for weeks. #askagent

I think, to some extent, this answer will depend on the agent--but I always look for high-quality writing as well as a high-concept, or a memorable pitch; something that fascinates the mind-heart link in me, + makes me want to talk about it. (1/2) #askagent