Literary Agent
My #AskAgent Tumblr -- it's SO FULL of questions from people who are tying themselves up in knots. Here's the answer for all of you:
YOU ARE SERIOUSLY OVERTHINKING THIS. Please go outside and take some deep breaths of fresh air. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, PLEASE BE GOOD TO YOURSELF.
Literary Agent
Is there a time of year when it's considered a bad time to query? #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2020/01/16/bad…
Literary Agent
Ian Lomond @IanLomond
@UweStenderPhD @kianangu Thanks! I'm about to reach out to a few agents declaring my novel a great read for the crime market 😁Should I include a mock up of the book cover? I'm not wedded to it at all but a picture can tell a thousand (or 70k) words, and perhaps move it to the top of the slush pile?
I would say: steer clear of declaring your book a good anything for the market, and never attach a copy of your cover. The goal is to be published traditionally, and publisher’s handle covers post-deal.
Literary Agent
Marcie Price Jackson @MissMarciePants
@UweStenderPhD @HRuthMiller Hi Dr. Stender! Thanks for answering our Qs! About a year ago, an editor asked that I send her my MS once I have an agent. Is that something I should mention in queries?Hmmm, I am not sure it is necessary or helpful unless the editor was incredibly excited.
Literary Agent
Joanna Delooze @josiejo127
@UweStenderPhD TY for this! I've written a YA 'ensemble' book with more than 1 MC. Any suggestions on how to approach the query letter & synopsis? Finding it frustrating!!Just state what the book is about and what it compares to.
Literary Agent
Joseph Duda @JosephDuda1
@UweStenderPhD @kianangu When you get a query letter what keeps you reading and stops you from throwing it out?My answer is not helpful, but "I know it when I see it" is my answer.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Kacie Renfro @kacie_renfro
@UweStenderPhD I am writing a book with two perspectives, one of a teenager and the other her mom. What is more marketable with this setup, a YA book or an adult novel? It’s in the beginning stages, so before the I start developing major plot lines, I’m curious about this.I don't know, I would have to read the book. But when I was a teenager, I would not have cared one millisecond about what my mother would have had to say. So, I guess my answer is: adult.
Literary Agent
amber walters @amberla
@UweStenderPhD I have trouble deciding if my B story/alternate POV has a place in my query or synopsis. It certainly adds culture, flavor, and tone, but I feel like adding it in a small space makes everything feel disjointed. Should I try to add it in anyway?I am not sure what you mean. Mentioning that you have two POV's, or querying in the voice of them? Don't, for all that is holy to you, query in the voice! Mention, yes.
Literary Agent
Kayla McGrath 🌼 @KaylaMcGrath_
@UweStenderPhD How do you feel about fae/fey books in the YA market? Is it still going strong?Faes are always popular. They've been around for centuries. They will remain around.
Literary Agent
Catherine T. Ricardo @CathyTRicardo
@UweStenderPhD #askagent Since silence means rejection from some agents, how long would you wait before querying a different agent at the same agency? (I know some agencies share submissions and say "a rejection from one of us can be considered a rejection from all" - I'm not including those)3 months, but tell the newly queried agent the history of this.
Literary Agent
Susan Burdorf @sburdorf
@UweStenderPhD #askagent how important are comps in a query letter?Important, but not crucial to me.
Literary Agent
Susan Burdorf @sburdorf
@UweStenderPhD If you were to recommend three resource materials to authors in regards to craft what would they be?1. Donald Maass: WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL
2. Donald Maass: WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK.
3. No idea.
Literary Agent
🇵🇷🌻🦋Selena DelValle🌎🦈 @selenadv7
@UweStenderPhD @little_mswriter If agents ask for partials, fulls, or request from pitch events and don't respond even after nudging a couple of times, is it safe to say they're not interested? Always figured if an agent asks for materials, they would respond.If I were you, I would consider it a pass, and frankly, if they requested it, and then can't be bothered to give you the courtesy of a response, I would permanently remove them from any current or future querylists. They'd be dead to me.
Literary Agent
Kristine S. Olson @KristineSOlson
@UweStenderPhD I'm hearing that, for MG, "the industry" prefers first-person present. Do you give preference to a MG ms written in present vs past tense?No, I don't. I will either like it or not, I don't care about tense or first or third person or anything along those lines.
Literary Agent
EH Ashley 🏳️🌈✊🏾👩🏾💻 @EHAshley2
@UweStenderPhD How do agents/publishers feel about fantasy without magic set in fictional worlds inspired by real world cultures? Do you feel this genre needs its own category?I really don't know. As long as the project is interesting, I would look at it. I don't decide genres and categories, so I have no opinion on that part of the question.
Literary Agent
🇨🇦Jennifer is Majorly tired of querying. @JJumping
@UweStenderPhD Is there a market for hist/fic that's from the POV of Native Americans (HIGHLY researched, approved, endorsed etc) in the post Civil War Era, specifically recovery from war, and the Native American slave trade?I'd personally prefer to read such a book only if it is written by a Native American.
Literary Agent
Nikki Teeuw /N.E. Teeuw @NikkiTeeuw
@UweStenderPhD I'd be interested in your advice on writing a synopsis.Ha! Only write one if one is requested. I never ask for one at the query stage.
Literary Agent
Susan Burdorf @sburdorf
@UweStenderPhD #askagent Do you have any particular pet peeves in regards to current submissions over the past year?No, they remain the same, essentially: spelling errors, grandiosity, not following submission guidelines.