Making the Choice Between a Public or Private Social Media Life #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2018/08/15/mak…

Somebody asked my #AskAgent thread about Being On Sub. TL;DR, Your agent should be able and willing to discuss submission strategy and answer any questions you might have, before and at any time during submission. :-) literaticat.tumblr.com/post/176918706…

Hi -- I've answered a lot of questions recently on the #AskAgent tumblr. I just deleted all the old ones in the hopper - most of which I answered already. If you have a question -- the inbox is now empty, so hit me up! literaticat.tumblr.com/ask

Reader question: Should I self-publish my picture books in audio? #AskAgent tracymarchini.com/2018/08/11/rea…

It's done! Our video on what you can expect from your agent once the agreement is signed. #askagent youtu.be/PZxYZn5RjO8?a

I would say you want to consider what the agent said in their pass and then see if you can address that in your next mss. How long that takes depends in the author. #askagent

Does Self-Publishing Ruin Your Chances at Traditional Publishing #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2018/08/08/doe…

The worst thing in an opening, for me, is "Character is so bored with his life that an exciting plot started happening to him." I need to see direction, motivation, personality, etc - even if the plot itself drastically alters those elements. #askagent

Since I'm not a UK agent I don't have the best answer to this. I guess I would challenge you to ask, why are you making the decision for the agent by not querying at all. The best way to find out is just to query. #askagent

If it's really a problem and the book needs to be split in two or something, I'll recommend that. But I will never reject solely based on word count.
That said, it's pretty easy for me to tell on pg1 if those words are all used wisely. Make it sharp. #askagent #querytip

A note about queries:
I am NOT picky about word count.
Write what the story needs. As long as you're not over 200,000 or unusually short for your genre, I'm not going to reject a perfectly good book for something like word count being outside my expectations. #querytip #askagent

It really just needs as many words as the story needs. In general, I find the most balanced YA sci fi or fantasy to be between 75,000-100,000 words, but it could be successful lower or higher, too. I would just write what it needs and not worry!
#askagent

I got a question about cozy mysteries that disappeared. So here's my answer: The market for cozies has gotten tighter, but also opened up a bit with more publishers building their lists. The trick is to understand the market & know hooks. #MSWL #askagent

It is okay. My advice though would be to use that publisher deal to find the best agent & allow the agent to negotiate the best deal. A deal won't hurt your chance of getting an agent #askagent

It wouldn't prevent me from reading, but I do question whether the world building would need beefing up with that word count. Is everything as original and thoroughly explored as it can be? Would be my question. #askagent

You need to tell what happens, how it happens, show at least some of the red herrings and assuming you have a hook show how the hook plays throughout the book. How the names of the characters play into that will be up to you. #askagent

I think you need to stop trying to write for other people and write in the way the book demands. I'm sure you can find an agent who disapproves of everything if you look hard enough. Do it well and stand behind it. #askagent

I'm sure there might be some. #askagent

No. If you got an advance copy and read it go ahead, but without having read it you simply look like you're trying to jump on a bandwagon. #askagent

I agree. Attention spans for children are shorter so I don't mind a 2-3 word line. #askagent