Literary Agent
Thessie should be writing @MrsIsfugl
@Megan_Manzano what about a foreign writer? would you be interested in rep. them - as long as their work is in English?I rep a few foreign writers already. As long as the work is in English and they're looking to sell in a US market (we can sell in other markets too), then I'm happy to work with them.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Alexandra Otto @alexottowrites
@Megan_Manzano What are you looking for in MG?Friendship stories, stories where a MC begins to explore their identity, a bunch of kids having to solve a mystery / go on an adventure, stories with speculative elements to touch on larger issues.
More specific wishlist is here:
manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/mega…
#askagent
Literary Agent
Briana Morgan @brimorganbooks
@Megan_Manzano Does your agency also handle film/television rights? 👀We absolutely do! We have co-agents for subrights, film, television, and translations.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Megan Davies-Ostrom @mmdaviesostrom
@Megan_Manzano I have a horror I've been pitching as lower YA. (14yo MC, some swearing but no f-bombs, 90,000words). Given the YA category is saturated right now, would I do better to pitch it as Upper MG? I worry the word count might deter people if I step down a category.That really depends because MG & YA tend to have distinct expectations of voice and content for their readers. Even if it is lower YA, it may not fit neatly into MG.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Kristi McManus 🛫 @kristimcmanus
@Megan_Manzano What is the best book you've read so far this year? (Preferably YA)Great question! It's a toss up between Felix Ever After or Today, Tonight, and Tomorrow.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Moustapha should be writing 🇸🇳 @riverjengu
@Megan_Manzano Hi, thank you!About pitch contests, is it a deal-breaker if authors send their queries to the interested agents weeks, or even a month, after the event? #askagent
No. I would try to send it as soon as you're able but if you need more time, make sure to reference the pitch/event in your query when you do submit.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Elaina 🍊🖤Battista-Parsons @BraveIrene77
@Megan_Manzano Novels in verse. Give me your thoughts about selling/pitching them to pubs. Likey? No likey? They likey?I don't represent novels in verse so I'm not the best person to ask.
Sorry!
#askagent
Literary Agent
C. M. Clark @CMClarkwriter
@Megan_Manzano Anything you're seeing too much of? Ideas that are to saturated right now? #askagentA lot of YA High Fantasy. While these aren't a no-go, it is harder to sell YA Fantasy than it was a few years ago.
#askagent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Emma Lawson @TheEmmaLawson
@Megan_Manzano How can you make your query letter stand out, amongst all the others to get an agents attention? :)1. Follow submission guidelines
2. Have a punchy hook that makes us eager to read more
3. Make sure your query includes the MC, what they want, the inciting incident, and land on really strong stakes!
#askagent
Literary Agent
C. M. Clark @CMClarkwriter
@Megan_Manzano Most mistakes seen in a query letter?Too much focus on themes of a book/why an author wrote the book versus the book itself, not enough information at all (sometimes I just get 1 sentence queries), queries that are too long (they should be a page/250 words max).
#askagent
Literary Agent
C. M. Clark @CMClarkwriter
@Megan_Manzano Novel ideas/themes/story lines that you wish you were seeing but aren't?I want more romcoms, especially if they're queer or written by BIPOC or both.
More MG in every genre.
More YA thrillers especially if the narrator is unreliable.
I also wouldn't mind a YA southern gothic.
#askagent
Literary Agent
D.A. Prischmann @DA_Prischmann
@UweStenderPhD Approximately how many minutes do you spend evaluating the average slush submission? ThanksLess than one, it either intrigues me or not.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
GL Francis @merelecroix
@UweStenderPhD Thank you for taking time for these #askagent sessions!If a novel is the 2nd (or 3rd) written about a particular MC or milieu, would you classify it as a series or does it depend on whether each novel can stand alone?
Would that affect whether you'd consider or pass on it?
Probably a series. No, not necessarily.
Literary Agent
Nina (is rewriting her opening) @NFortmeyer
@UweStenderPhD How important is media presence? Do agents care if you have an up-to-date blog or a website?In nonfiction, it is ESSENTIAL. In fiction, I don't care.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Shanice | Wakanda Forever @twixsftbl
@UweStenderPhD If you sign a client and their book doesn’t sell, would you continue to be their agent while they work on another book? How does agenting work with movie/tv rights? Is a bidding war typical for both publishing and rights?I only work as a career agent. If I don't sell it, then you are still my client, unless YOU fire me.
We handle it all.
Typical, no, but it happens.
Literary Agent
Isabel Duarte @IsabelEmilyD
@UweStenderPhD If an author has a full on submission with you, do you prefer the author hold off on querying/submitting to other agencies until you've had a chance to review and decide? I remember reading some agencies prefer this.I BET they prefer that, but IF they do: RUN! Send your book to as many people as you can and want. Do MULTIPLE submissions, and don't let an agency restrict that.