Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@42amer Tell us about your process as an agent. What happens after you sign an author. What happens next? #okscbwichat#okscbwichat I then work with the author to get the manuscript ready for submission. Then I send it out on submission and possible make some calls or pitch the work in person.
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@BrobergMatthew @42amer Amy, what would you suggest to Matthew? Is it okay for him to ask for clarification when he's not sure about a critique/suggestion?#okscbwichat
#okscbwichat Yes, he is welcome to ask for clarification. Unfortunately, agents get constantly asked to rethink and explain and give free editorial advice. So many may not respond to unsolicited emails or multiple emails.
Literary Agent
💙CT Moor💙😜 @ct_moor
@UweStenderPhD Hi Uwe, thanks for doing this.#AskAgent Do you accept queries from UK authors?
I accept queries from anywhere in the world.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Matthew Broberg-Moffitt 🦩🧩 🍀 🐹 📡 @BrobergMatthew
@42amer, I am Autistic and I write picture books. I worry often that I am misunderstanding what Agents are telling me. I'm not sure where or what my question is, I'm sorry. *lol* #okscbwichat#okscbwichat I'm sorry to hear that, and I understand what you are saying. We give a lot of mixed messages and signals. We all have different opinions and strengths and it can get chaotic.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
ElizabethWrites @ElizabethWrite4
@UweStenderPhD oh my god what do I even ask :Olol if you see someone who is super duper excited about politics and is also a writer, are you going to tell them to shut up about it on their writer account or should we be passionate anyhow (asking for a friend? /no )?
I don't care unless you are a fascist. My grandfather would NEVER have allowed me to work with a fascist, a Nazi, or a Nazi sympathizer. I respect my grandpa more than anyone ever in my life, so there is that.
Literary Agent
Jennifer Sneed @JenSneedWrites
@42amer @litbeing #okscbwichat Sounds amazing. Would you describe yourself as an editorial agent who helps develop a promising work or one who is primarily focused on the business side is things?#okscbwichat I can only invest the time to do small edits these days. I'm looking for work that is at least 90% ready to go. I am looking for work that I think the world needs to see and If it needs extra help I will put in the time, but that isn't my usual.
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@42amer Conversely, what's likely to make you stop reading? Any read flags that can lead to an automatic pass from you? #okscbwichat#okscbwichat I think the biggest issue I have is when I don't have a person to connect with I will stop. I will stop at bad grammar or unpolished work. My biggest pet peeve is the misuse of the word literally. It's fine for a YA character to use it in conversation, otherwise, NO
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@42amer What really captures your attention when reading a manuscript? What keeps you turning the page and wanting more? #okscbwichat#okscbwichat I fall in love with characters, even in kid lit. I have to be rooting for the character to win or learn or whatever. I want that character to feel real.
Literary Agent
Kendall Morgan Hall @KendallMHall
@UweStenderPhD @LRyan_Storms My question is social media related. Have you (or an agent you know of) ever told a debut author that they didn’t have enough twitter or instagram followers to be taken seriously by a publisher? If so, is there a “magic number”? I hope that’s not a dumb question. 😬For nonfiction, the platform has to be huge. For fiction, nobody should care. Sooo, it depends if your project is fiction or nonfiction.
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@42amer I love that you talk about assisting your clients with "the stress and anxiety in this highly competitive industry". How else do you help your clients? What else makes you a unique agent? #okscbwichat#okscbwichat I'm a cheerleader, I'm a very involved agent who not only wants my clients to succeed but I want them to be happy and fulfilled at the end of the day. Writing is HARD and all the rest of it shouldn't be so hard. I try to take the sting out of the industry.
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@42amer @StephanieTheban Do you think some writers just moved those stories over to adult novels? I've seen several YA authors make the leap to writing their first adult novels recently - Sara J Maas, Leigh Bardugo, for example. #okscbwichat#okscbwichat Yes, I have been telling authors for a couple of years to either age it up or age it down. The story remains the same, but publishers look at it as opening up a wider market.
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@42amer So as a published author yourself (with the book you co-wrote with fellow agent Patty Carothers, TEXTING PRINCE CHARMING) How do you find the balance between being a writer and being an agent? #okscbwichat#okscbwichat It is a difficult balance, I prioritize agenting mostly. Patty is the driver of our writing.
Literary Agent
🇵🇷🌻🦋Selena DelValle🌎🦈 @selenadv7
@UweStenderPhD What is your opinion if an agent rejects a query because she didn't connect with the story, but then a week later asks for a partial to be sent?As long as she didn't explain WHY she changed her mind, I would ignore her. If the emails seem to be random, disconnected emails, not mentioning the first one, she either has memory issues OR she is hopping on a trend. Either way she doesn't really seem to care about your work.
Literary Agent
Hi Jennifer, #okscbwichat I do have authors that write in both BUT... It is recommend that you write at least 7 books in one genre before you try to cross over. It also depends on the genre, DON'T write erotica and kid-lit!
Literary Agent
Stephanie Theban @StephanieTheban
Hi Amy. I’ve heard some say New Adult was a failed experiment. What are your thoughts. #okscbwichat#okscbwichat I'm not sure I would call it a failed experiment. But I think the industry was banking on the success of readers in their 20's and early 30's staying in the market and buying ebooks. The market has changed and moved on to audio books and podcasts