So I would say that's the biggest problem, is that the industry itself is not diverse enough and it's not enough for privileged people to start maybe repping or acquiring books about marginalized people. #AskFuse (5/?)

I was on a great panel for @MinoritiesinPub hosted by @jbakernyc a full 3 years ago where we talked about this problem, and it has not gotten any better since. You can hear the audio on my website's Media page if you're interested. #AskFuse (4/?)

So part of "what's going on in the industry" is that the industry is inhospitable & does not pay well, so it self-selects, ideally, for a rich kid from NYC who can live w/their parents & work for pennies for years. And statistically those kids are more often white. #AskFuse (3/?)

The problem is that for a lot of white, or straight, or [whatever other majority category] people, diversity is just that: a nice ideal, rather than something they think a great deal about. And overall, publishing is VERY white and very upper-middle to upper class. #AskFuse (2/?)

This will take a thread, so bear with me. This is a topic I'm passionate about, and one of the primary goals of my work since I got into publishing in 2012. I'm thrilled activism from orgs like WNDB has made this a more commonplace ideal... (1/?) #AskFuse twitter.com/ShanaHartmann/…

Tie-ins aren't usually v. lucrative contracts, but they get your name out to loyal franchise fans who could potentially also become loyal fans of *yours*. I only encourage it if you can make time between original projects. You need your own IP to direct the new fans to. #AskFuse

That's called tie-in work (or "IP") and it's case-by-case. If a client is *looking* for IP work, I'll reach out to editors who specialize in tie-ins and ask about their licenses. Sometimes a license (or an ed on its behalf) approaches the author. #AskFuse twitter.com/cwbuecheler/st…

I'm biased, obviously, but I think it's always better to have rep and would recommend having an agent for anything novella-length or longer. It can be tricky to get an agent with only a novella, though, as there aren't a lot of sub options. #AskFuse twitter.com/hatchingphoeni…

I actually do take referrals, but in general I get what you mean. I would say just gently tell them they need to query as normal; stress it's policy. But if it's someone you actually want to recommend, then they should note you as a referral! #AskFuse twitter.com/KillerMartinis…

Definitely not! Just your pitch + genre/age category :) #askDVpit

The most effective "X meets Y" is always one where the combo is surprising! So agents/editors are desperate to know how on earth you pulled it off. Which, I am not one of the lucky folks who've already read REVERIE but I've been WAITING. 🤩 #askDVpit

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS and RULES FOR VANISHING are recent faves #askDVpit

Well, Twitter, y'all know how I feel about THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR. Also finally read THE POET X which is an absolute tour de force. #askDVpit

In a case like this, I would suggest being specific about what you are comparing. "The strong friendships of X and the rich fantasy world of Y," perhaps. Or "TITLE with a fantasy spin." You want to make sure the ms delivers what your pitch promises. #askDVpit

I suggest sticking to genre. But you can always indicate what it is about the comp that is similar. So “The voice of X” or “the friendship story of Y” #askDVpit

So something that is common to do is "[Comp #1] meets [Comp #2]," which means you'll then have something for the friendship and something for the fantasy to comp to, using your sample below #askDVpit

yep! you might get hearts from editors too, if they are the kind that can consider un-agented materials. just be ready to send your query and sample pages to the agents/editors who like your pitch. they are instructed to tweet submission instructions before particpating #askdvpit

For rule purposes the latter! Also to be clear, friends can QT to boost tweets but should NOT add the DVpit tag when doing so, because it clutters the feed. #askDVpit

editors who retweet are signaling to agents and you should keep a list of those editors to give to your eventual agent. they're not requesting unless they LIKE the pitch #askdvpit

Oooh, except in the case of "X meets Y"--if your X and Y are too similar, what's the middle ground where they're meeting? An "X meets Y" piques my interest when the combination feels unexpected. #askDVpit