Literary Agent
Dean Marquis @DeanMarquis1
@UweStenderPhD How long should a writer wait to hear about a submission from an agent.A full manuscript request? I would check back in after 3 months.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agency
If you missed @carlywatters Instagram #askagent from earlier this week it's saved to her highlights so you can still watch!
instagram.com/carlywatters/
Literary Agent
Willow Dawn Becker @WillowDBecker
@Megan_Manzano What about prologue (like, I hate them, but this prologue is TOTALLY necessary for a story). Would you say I include it as a prologue, change it to ch. 1, or find any other way to get it in the book? Do you read them, as an agent?I lean towards finding other ways to include the prologue. I will read a prologue but I tend to prefer to launch into ch1 most cases.
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Literary Agent
Kristy Crabtree @kristycrabtree
@Megan_Manzano Do you prefer a one line description of the concept for the book is in the query or do you pick it up from the wordier 2-3 paragraph description?Either is okay to me but those 2-3 paragraphs always have to be there!
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Literary Agent
Alexandra Z. Lazar 🎃 @alexandrazlazar
@Megan_Manzano If I decide to stick with YA but an agent thinks it feels more MG, is there any chance the agent will consider it anyway (if they represent both)? I’m revising before I send out queries, but I’m concerned about making a mistake since I know there are rarely second chances.It really depends on the agent because it's up to them if they want to work with you to age it down.
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Literary Agent
Cara (The Loudest Woman This Town Has Ever Seen) @spazgirl11
@Megan_Manzano What makes you request a R&R rather than passing on a manuscript?If I see huge potential in the voice or concept but elements of the story need work and I know what guidance to give the writer.
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Literary Agent
Alexandra Z. Lazar 🎃 @alexandrazlazar
@Megan_Manzano In your professional opinion, what are some of the defining factors that determine if a novel is YA or MG, beyond the protagonist’s age? It feels like my WIP is somewhere in the middle. I intended it to be YA, but I’m not 100% sure that’s where it landed.Voice is huge, but also the internal conflict of the character.
MG is the beginning of a discovery about one's self or world.
YA is about huge firsts that change an identity. First love. First job. Major family drama. Etc.
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Literary Agent
JRPyle-Carter is querying @JrpyleC
@Megan_Manzano If a writer has books in different genres should they try to find an agent that covers all those genres or an agent for each?It's really up to you as a writer because querying is stressful for the first time, let alone multiple times!
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Literary Agent
Athena Lambrou🦉 @AthenaLambrou
@Megan_Manzano Thanks for this! What are some storyline elements that will make you auto-reject a manuscript?-Anything with graphic descriptions of sexual assault.
-Books centering around terminal illness.
-Supernatural creatures like werewolves
-Animal protagonists
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Literary Agent
Haley Sulich @HaleySulich
@Megan_Manzano Thank you for doing this! At what word count do agents typically shy away from a debut YA fantasy novel? Currently around 100k words with a few more scenes to flesh out. #askagentMe personally, I tend to get iffy at 90k+ but generally 100k is hitting the top of the limit.
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Literary Agent
Christine @concertbound86
@Megan_Manzano Thank you so much! I do have one more question because I'm super curious. What happens behind the scenes on full requests?Generally when I have a full, I take notes as I read and then if I'm really loving it, there comes a point where I'm like ooo yes!!! Time to offer.
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Literary Agent
Sara Kruger @sarakruger
@Megan_Manzano What's the ideal number of comps? Is just one ok? And do you have any advice for finding comps? #askagentI think 2 is a good number. And I tend to look at recent (within 3 years) books, movies, tv shows that fit the story.
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Literary Agent
Sara Kruger @sarakruger
@Megan_Manzano @mvwrite When providing comps do I need to explain why or can I just name the book?#askagentYou can do either, but if you explain the comps, keep it short and sweet!
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Literary Agent
Dragonness Wyverna @DragonnessRawr
@Megan_Manzano How should you word a nudge?I mean, what’s a good guideline to follow to poke an agent to respond to a query?
Always check to see if there's a timeline posted to follow up. Otherwise 2-3 months is standard.
As to what to say, a simple and polite "I wanted to check if you've had a chance to go over my query for (title). Thank you for your consideration."
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Literary Agent
❄️ Sam ❄️| 7285 of 50k @thr4sam
@Megan_Manzano How long can you wait before you have send in a query to agent who like your Twitter pitch?Generally you should send as soon as you can but if you need a couple of weeks, reference the pitch event in your query.
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Literary Agent
Sofi's (hopefully) writing 🦊 @SofiDalesio
@Megan_Manzano Thank you! Best advice regarding the firsts pages of the draft? The thing that will catch your attention and keep you reading?Good voice tends to keep me going most of the time even if the pages need work.
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Literary Agent
Christine @concertbound86
@Megan_Manzano @RedPenKaitlyn Thanks for taking the time to do this! What are some big red flags for you in the first ten pages?- All telling
- No clear voice for the main character
- A ton of description without much character involvement
- Jumping huge gaps of time too quickly
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Literary Agent
Lexie Bowman @lexie_b
@Megan_Manzano Hi Megan, any insight into the best ways to work through an edit letter and make all the necessary revisions/changes. I have a lot of changes to make, some big that effect the whole MS and some smaller and I don’t know where to start!Chapter outlines or story maps tend to work well because you can identify key scenes that need to be changed and examine the ripple effects before diving it.
It also helps give you big and small picture views of your story!
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