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Querying Two Books at Once --should you include both in the same query letter? #askagent bookendsliterary.com/2020/06/18/que…
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Priya Mulji @PriyaMulji
#AskAgent What is the best way to submit your polished manuscript? I have researched agents that I think would be relevant to my genre (chick-lit for a female, British-Asian, thirty-something women in general). How do I know they're the best agents for me?I'd advise meeting prospective agents who make an offer so you can interview them and see if you 'click'. PS I hope I am on your list. #AskAgent
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Mr Craptramp @craptramp
@mushenska Thanks for doing these. I prefer writing in present tense to past tense, but I've heard publishers aren't as keen on it. Is that true in your experience? Should I change? #askagentI admit to recommending newer writers first master simple past as I think for present tense the voice needs to be very strong to pull it off. #AskAgent
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Anna Mansell @AnnaMansell
#askagent Have you ever signed a book you loved, for the author to follow it with one (or more) that you didn't? How do you deal with that? And do agents work with their authors to help them see where their strengths lie? TIAI definitely work with authors to develop next ideas - often we bat around several concepts before settling on one #askagent
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Asha Hick 🇪🇺 @AshaHick
What should you do if you have finished the first draft of a novel but an established author has announced the publication of a similar story in the near future: plough on with yours regardless or start something new? #askagentRemember that, once you have a deal, publication could be 12-18 months away. So that is quite a lot of clear water between you and that author. I wouldn't be disheartened by it. #askagent
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Asha Hick 🇪🇺 @AshaHick
What should you do if you have finished the first draft of a novel but an established author has announced the publication of a similar story in the near future: plough on with yours regardless or start something new? #askagentI’d finish yours - lots of novels have similar conceits but executed v differently #askagent
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Dawn Boyd @Dawnifer2009
#askagent with the market so well saturated in romance novels and stories, when submitting these does the pitch need to have extra strength to it to make it stand out. Just with the popularity of the genre, I can imagine there are a lot of submissions for them a dayYes a strong hook is important. #AskAgent
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Jill K Wilson @JillKWilson
#askagent Hi, @mushenska @katenashagent Historical fiction is doing really well in adult fiction. Do you think this will ever filter down to YA/ crossover? Thank youRealistically I can't see it. The kinds of historical stories you might want to write as YA you might as well write as adult fiction. What would be fabulous would be the return of historical teen fiction! #AskAgent
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jessica @breatheandread
In a writing course I took, we were recommended to submit short stories to journals to build a literary profile before approaching an agent about a manuscript. Is this actually necessary? #askagentNo - writing short stories can improve your craft though! #askagent
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suzan collins @suzancollins
"During the recent #pitmad an American publisher liked my pitch. I haven't sent her my ms yet. How can I tell if this publisher is trade or vanity? #askagentHave a look at their website's submissions page. If it mentions payment by the author of any sort, that should ring alarm bells. Also googling for author experiences is often useful. #askagent
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Chris Basha @BashaChris
@mushenska Thank you for your reply! Is there something I could do to compensate for the lack of audience or is that really the only way?unless you have a really specific link to the story or very unusual hook into it, it will definitely be challenging with non-fiction. The good news is you don’t need a platform at all if you write a novel! #askagent
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Jenny Spooky Girl Kennedy @SpookyGirl78
@mushenska I absolutely suck at titles. Would the title of a novel be enough to stop you in your tracks? Or do you assume it’s open for discussion? Because it is - in my case 😂#askagent
Hahaha loads of books change titles! Don’t sweat it #askagent
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Joanna Considine @joannconsidine1
What are your thoughts on using 'modern women's literature' as a classification for genre? Is plain old 'modern fiction' preferable? #askagentI hate it, but sadly it is still used a lot. Also cf women's fiction. I hope we can progress on to 'modern fiction' soon. #askagent
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Michael Lynes @michaell61
#askagent is there any better of the time of the year to submit an MS to an agent?Not really, though we're always at our quietest in the summertime. #askagent
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Ben Edge @bnedge
What’s the industry preference for dialogue punctuation? Is it preferred ‘...’ or “...” ? Single seems to be everywhere I look, but I’ve always preferred double. #AskAgentSingle is the more common house style at publishers in UK but use what you like in your manuscript. Doesn't matter. #AskAgent
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Jrussellwriter @jrussellwriter
#askagent I've got an edited draft of my MS. It's a contemporary take on Adult Fairytale, with more whimsical gore/satire elements. It's predominantly a Bildungsroman love story - Think Patrick DeWitt meets David Nicholls in a Brothers Grimm setting!Is this too niche? Or mktble?
It sounds interesting! Folklore is certainly a popular theme in books right now. #askagent
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Christopher Byford @Morningstaruk
Sorry, this is a weird one. If the author has been previously published and that publisher has managed that title badly, is it within an agents capacity to negotiate the reversion of rights to seek a better fitting publisher? Or is this frowned upon? #askagentOnly insofar as the contract can be proven to be broken. Though sometimes rights can be after reasoned discussion. #askagent
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Jrussellwriter @jrussellwriter
#askagent Are agents that see potential in the writer, but think the manuscript they submitted is either out of trend or a bit 'out there' but still love the actual writing they saw, likely to suggest writing something on topic/trend 1st, or would they take the punt on the MS?I'd ask to see what the writer writes next. #AskAgent
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Gagatha Christie @ChristinaMcMc
#askagent If someone’s had an approach from a publisher saying that they’d like to read a person’s WIP, what’s the best way to go about it? And how likely is it that the publisher will pick it up?Hard to say how likely it is that they'll pick it up, but remember that if they offer you a deal you can get representation for it before accepting! #askagent