It shouldn't hurt at all. We have a couple authors who have self-pub before. If you were querying the MS you already self-pub than that would be a problem. Not all agents would be open to that. If you are querying new projects then it shouldn't hurt your chances at all. #askagent

The Value of Sample Pages in a Query and how an agent reads them #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2019/07/23/sam…

This got long (why do I talk so much omg I will shut up now) -- ANYway, #AskAgent -- how important is "personal chemistry" between an author and an agent?
My answer:

literaticat.tumblr.com/post/186471322…

An #AskAgent question: Why *shouldn't* an author look for another agent while they are still agented? My answer:

literaticat.tumblr.com/post/186468425…

Why your agent (probably) won't shop everything you write - #askagent #amwriting #amquerying tracymarchini.com/2019/07/22/why…

A tumblr #AskAgent question: It seems like more and more agents only want to rep people who write novels rather than just picture books - why is that? My answer: literaticat.tumblr.com/post/186450188…

No worries, don’t feel embarrassed!! That’s why we do these #askagent sessions 😊

And it really, really depends. I would err on the side of NOT submitting again—agents reject for a slew of reasons—but if the rejection was specifically “the query didn’t grab me”... then maybe?

Three months is a general rule of thumb. Fulls can take a while to get to—they’re a lot more energy and time-intensive than queries or partials. Like, for me, I can go through queries or read a partial on my lunch break—but fulls I have set aside several nights at LEAST to read

So if you can come up with GOOD ones and show what aspect of the book you’re using (i.e. “the atmosphere of X with the slow burn romance of Y), definitely use them. If you can’t... no comp titles generally will serve you better than bad ones.

For me they’re not necessary. I’m not going to ding you for NOT having comp titles listed in your query.

HOWEVER, if they’re bad or overdone (like using Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, LOTR, etc) it immediately makes me question if you know where your book would be shelved

I am COMPLETELY not into vampires. Royalty stories are generally a no-go for me right now. Anything glorifying suicide or rape culture. Love triangles (unless they’re done RIGHT—the two love interests shouldn’t be interchangeable 🙃).

OHHHHHH. Hmmm. I’m ALWAYS a sucker for enemies-to-lovers—I can never get enough angst. Hades & Persephone retellings always draw me in. Mixing tech and flesh, or anything magic and flesh. Gun-slinging girls in gritty underworld settings ALWAYS.

I MEAN I’m slightly biased and I always think of @Atomic_Pixie’s query for her YA cyberpunk—it was sharp, & showed me several unique pieces of her story without confusing me. It had descriptors that piqued my interest, and most of all just had me EXCITED to dive into her pages 😍

It’s a fine balance between so much detail the reader gets confused, and so little detail nothing stands out as different or unique.

Make sure you showcase the unique aspects—don’t hide the stuff that will hook under vague, this-could-be-applied-to-twenty-other-books statements!

For me it’s detail —way too many queries are vague. They give the basic ideas but not what’s in THAT particular story.

i.e. “MC must save the world” vs “x, y, and z lead MC into having a personal stake in saving the world and will do it in this way”

Also, some good things to have in a portfolio are examples of sequential art and covers you've done (single issue covers, jacket illustrations, really anything you've been commissioned and paid for).

If by finished you mean published, that doesn't matter to me. I care about the pitch in front of me. If by finished you mean drawn already, I'd say no. Once an OGN is sold, the editor is going to work with you to alter the story/art as needed, so what a waste!

I have never pitched a self pubbed book for various reasons. Some webcomics do get picked up, but in those cases, they have a HUGE following and the art is super distinct. If something is already available, I think it needs to have a huge following to put it above and beyond.

This can vary, and I highly recommend doing a TON of reading in the genre you want to write in to determine your page count. MG can (roughly) be around 200 pages, and YA can be (roughly) between 200-240. There are major exceptions to both of those page counts.

graphic novels/comics are a visual medium—it's not graphic until there's art. If I'm looking at a script only, I really need to feel that the writing is strong and that special something. In cold queries, I prefer to see the art as well to get a fuller sense of the pitch.