Literary Agent
Beatrice Anobah @anobah_beatrice
#askagent Hello...Does it really take 12 weeks etc. for agents to make offer of rep/ request a full MS if they really like the work? Thank u!I can't speak for everyone else, but I have 22 full manuscripts in my queue waiting to be read, and my days are full with client work (and right now, child care). These days, I get through a full every 2 weeks or so. #askagent
Literary Agent
Jade M. Loren 🔮 @jadewritesbooks
#askagent is there any concept/trope that's been overdone recently or that you're tired of?No. Anything with a clear concept is very welcome when it comes in on submission. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Jade M. Loren 🔮 @jadewritesbooks
#askagent is SFF strong in the UK market rn? (Apart from me buying all the sff books I can)it's a small but passionate market - definitely dominated by big brands so slower to break out new voices, but definitely possible to do so #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Phil Norris @pnorris14
@mushenska @julietpickering #AskAgent any advice on agencies that consider unsolicited script work from someone with nothing filmed to date? There are some that do but they want you to have had something filmed. Finding it impossible to attract an agents attention.Ah, we're literary agents -- we represent books, not film/TV/play scripts. So I don't have an answer for that! #askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Lucy Grace 🐝🖍️🏳️🌈 @lgracewriter
@mushenska @julietpickering Thank you for your replies. It's so daunting looking in from the outside, even if you've had some success in competitions etc, it seems like submission and agents is another country.I would say that most agents are always looking for new talent - it's why we do things like #AskAgent !
Literary Agent
Carol Lucas @callydcfc
#AskAgent if you've enjoyed a book by one of the agent's clients, can you put that in the query letter?I always like to see it, but only if it's sincere. (Like, don't pick a title from the agent's list at random: 'I loved your client's [creepy serial killer thriller], and I'm pleased to be sending you my [charming bedtime-story picture book]' is not very helpful 🙂 #askagent
Literary Agent
The Columnist @Sime0nStylites
@jounwin @mushenska @julietpickering Thanks very much to you all. The work you’ve seen over the last couple of months of this terrible crisis...thematically has there been anything that you’ve thought is much more or less relevant?I am seeing a lot of pandemic novels! which for me are a little too close to home right now #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Carol Lucas @callydcfc
#AskAgent if you've enjoyed a book by one of the agent's clients, can you put that in the query letter?Yes please - it shows you have approached me personally. And I love being able to say to my client, "hey I got a submission today from someone who said they loved your book!" #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Varsha Seshan @VarshaSeshan
@mushenska @julietpickering Hello! Would you say that agents typically prefer to represent authors from their own countries/geographical locations?#AskAgent
Most of my authors are based in the UK but some are in e.g. America, Germany, Nigeria. Depends on the individual book but I def think there are some cultural differences - e.g. short story collections and campus novels have a clear US market but struggle in the UK #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Veronique Kootstra @vkootstra
With regards to a query letter, is it important/essential to briefly mention your next project? What if you have a few potential ideas for your next novel but nothing concrete? #AskAgentI wouldn't be expecting this. I would be concentrating on evaluating the novel you are submitting. #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Varsha Seshan @VarshaSeshan
@mushenska @julietpickering Hello! Would you say that agents typically prefer to represent authors from their own countries/geographical locations?#AskAgent
Mine are split about 60/40 between North America and the UK - with an Australian in the mix as well. I think most of us would take on any project we believed in and felt we could sell in the markets we work in -- regardless of where the author lived #askagent
Literary Agent
Lucy Grace 🐝🖍️🏳️🌈 @lgracewriter
@mushenska @julietpickering Can you explain a bit more about that please? About how people get it wrong? #askagentit can be that it's very confusing, or not something I represent, or exactly the same plot as an already published and v successful book #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Mark Atley @mark_atley
@mushenska @julietpickering Does it look bad upon an author if they have been previously indie-published or self-published and didn’t sell well? #AskAgentIf it didn't sell well, you don't have to mention it in your cover letter/query. The work you're submitting should stand on its own, and if an agent offers rep, you can discuss your earlier self-published work then #askagent
Literary Agent
Christopher Byford @Morningstaruk
@mushenska @julietpickering Hi Juliet. What are you thoughts on the New Adult market please? I've been told that it's a tough sell and that material should always be aged down for YA or up to adult. Is there any truth to this in your option?yes, new adult never really took off in the UK as a genre - the books which broke out started as YA and migrated up organically, and publishing specifically for that narrow market didn't work here #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Lisa Ellwood @LisaEllwood
@mushenska @julietpickering Are there any really good books/guides/free courses that detail how to successfully plan and write a series? #AskAgentNot that I know of, but to be fair, I'm not up on courses. A professional writers' association (like SCBWI, SFWA, etc.) might lead to good recommendations from fellow members #askagent
Literary Agent
Lucy Grace 🐝🖍️🏳️🌈 @lgracewriter
@mushenska @julietpickering Thanks - I wondered, if the query letter says 'women's fiction', the agent groans and paper aeroplanes it directly into the bin as they're inundated with that genre. Do you take a look at first couple of pages of writing everytime? Even for a nano-second? #askagentIt's never genre which turns me off - it might be pitch though #AskAgent
Literary Agent
Wendy Dalrymple @wendy_dalrymple
@mushenska #askagent Hi Juliet and thank you! I have a few romance and horror publications under my belt, and am looking to venture into writing MG/YA under a pen name.As an agent, do you shy away from authors looking to venture into new genres? Thanks!
No, several of my authors write in multiple genres! some use pen names to differentiate #AskAgent
Literary Agent