Literary Agent
Jenna (J.M.) Jinks will #WriteEveryDamnDay @AuthorJMJinks
@AnneTibbets @S_Wheelwright Hi, if I can add to this- used to be synopsis is a fairly dry, run down of a book, and now I’m hearing it should be voicy and still descriptive yet be 1-2 pages lol 😂What’s your take?
I'm fine with a dry run down as long as all the major plot points are hit. But a voicey synopsis is more fun to read.
Literary Agent
Janna Wong Healy @JannaWongHealy
@AnneTibbets Do you have any words to authors who are having trouble finding an agent and feel like they don’t want to keep querying?Harsh truth, maybe the book you're querying isn't hitting the market at the right time, or your writing just isn't quite there yet.
Write the next thing. Keep striving. Keep working to improve.
Most successful writers aren't necessarily the most gifted, but the most determined.
Literary Agent
A.Sage Inglis (Ing-als) @ASageInglis
@AnneTibbets @BeatriceMavro Is it helpful? Do you see a difference in sales for authors who use social media to promote their work/connect with readers?It's helpful, if used properly. It's great for networking with other writers which helps when asking for blurbs. Can't say if it helps with sales, really. Sometimes?
I've also seen it backfire. You've got to be careful.
Tread carefully & treat your tweets like mini-press releases
Literary Agent
Katherine Macdonald @KateMacAuthor
@AnneTibbets If you're querying a new MS after self-publishing, what, if anything, is relevant to mention in a query?Thank you!
Mention your self published work by title and how many copies it has sold. Especially if it's sold over 5k copies. (The 1st thing I'm gonna do is go check it out on Amazon).
If you don't mention sales I'm going to assume it was around 500 copies or so, which is the SP average.
Literary Agent
DawsonEmerich @DawsonEmerich
@AnneTibbets What are the odds someone whose written a more adult humored book could still write a children's book and have a publisher accept their manuscript? Would they just use a pseudonym?Hmm...Adult humored as in sexy time humor? Then probably a pen name is a good idea.
Use your real name in the query, and put "writing as [pen name]" next to your signature.
You can have a convo w/ your agent about if it's necessary when submission time comes
Literary Agent
Amber @Pihkamarja
@AnneTibbets @minerrale I'm not a native English speaker. If I wanted to query to an English publisher, would it cause problems or be more complicated?I've not had first hand experience with this, so I don't know. I don't THINK so?
As long as the book is in English, and reads grammatically correct, then it should be fine.
Literary Agent
Diane Byington, Ph.D. @dianebyington
@AnneTibbets Is it typical to get a two-book contract from a publisher? How long does the author have to come up with the second book?Depends on the publisher. Fairly typical but not universal.
They usually want book 2 w/n 6 months, which is TIIIIIIIIIGHT. If you need more time, have your agent ask for it. I'd say 12 months is the most they're going to give you, though. Tops.
Literary Agent
Skip Ashseed @SkipAshseed
@AnneTibbets Anne,It seems I see a lot of new books being announced as part of a series. Is that the case, and if so, what do you recommend for authors trying to pitch books that are standalone?
Stand alones sell too and a great many books work better as a stand alone, imho.
Don't sweat this.
Just pitch your book. No sense in forcing a series if it wasn't meant to be one.
Literary Agent
Paul Draper @TheBlackGate
@AnneTibbets Hello Anne. I've sold 250 copies of my first short story indie book in the first month, lots of nice reviews and am now starting a novel. Is now the best time to pitch an agent?My book - amazon.co.uk/dp/1999663012
There are some agents who rep self pubbed works. I do not. For me, the best time to pitch me would have been before you self published. Do some research into agents, it's not a deal breaker for others.
Literary Agent
Beatrice Mavroleon @BeatriceMavro
@AnneTibbets How important is it to have a social media presence/following? Would you sign someone who didn’t have much of that just because you liked the book? What proportion of your new clients over recent years would you say fell into this category?I don't require social media from my clients & I have signed some who don't participate, but many publishers like to have authors who have one.
I'd say MOST of my clients are on social media. It's not a deal breaker for me & I think the pubs who require it are outdated.
Literary Agent
Susan Wheelwright @S_Wheelwright
@AnneTibbets What would you say are the most common mistakes when writing a synopsis?That the writer doesn't send a synopsis, but another pitch paragraph.
I want beginning, middle, and END, spoilers and all.
Literary Agent
Zippy💕🍪🌸 @zipppyyy2
@AnneTibbets Oh also, if an agent has had your full for about two months, and thoughout that time you made edits, should you let that agent know and ask if they want to see it or leave it as is?I'd let them know.
They may pass for the very reasons you've just fixed in the revision.
Literary Agent
Susan Wheelwright @S_Wheelwright
@AnneTibbets Which do you read first, the query letter or the pages?First pass = read query letter. Reject or goes to 'Maybe' pile.
Second pass = read synopsis. Reject or goes to 'To Read' pile.
Third pass = read sample pages. Rejected or requested.
Literary Agent
LReedWalton - Query Machine 2021 @LWriteWalton
@AnneTibbets Is it okay to reply to an email with a brief, polite note of thanks for an agent's time and their consideration if they decide to pass on a query/ms? Is it better to just leave it? I feel weird not saying "thanks for looking" at the very least, but if it's unprofessional...I say go for it. Those who don't want responses have likely disabled the "reply" function on queries.
Literary Agent
JK Young @jkyoung_poems
@AnneTibbets Is there a legitimate market for sports fiction, and would you represent a novel in that genre?I'm very non-sporty, so I'm not the agent for that manuscript. However, I've seen editors specifically request sporty manuscripts, so there's a market for it.
Literary Agent
Zippy💕🍪🌸 @zipppyyy2
@AnneTibbets Hey Anne, Ive always been curious about the editing stage after an author signs with an agent. Some people say authors rewrite their book after signing. Is that true or do you recommend certain sections that need changing or suggest adding in a scene?Depends on the agent. For me, I can be heavily editorial to, "This is perfect, let's go to submissions," depending on the state of the manuscript.
Literary Agent
Kelly Howell-Rouchka (is editing) @Hallow_Willow
@AnneTibbets Where is the line between YA and adult fantasy? My WIP has MCs 16-18 years old but the subject matter is a bit darker than I’ve seen in many YA fantasiesPitch it as a YA crossover.
Problem solved.
xo
Literary Agent
The Scribbling Dragon 🐉 @ScribblingDrake
@AnneTibbets Do you think that pitch events as a whole are getting less attention from agents or perhaps only focusing on the more popular ones?I can't speak to this, b/c I legit have no idea.
There are A LOT of pitch events and agents can and do burn out on them, but I also know some agents who close to queries and ONLY look for stuff via pitch events, so I say, DO BOTH = query and pitch events
Literary Agent
Kathryn Faye @KathrynFaye007
@AnneTibbets I keep going back and forth between MG and YA. One book of mine could fall into any category but it doesn't have romance involved. My question: Is having romance and angst mandatory for a YA book? #askagentNope, not mandatory.
Although some publishers looooooove those angsty YA voices.
Literary Agent
Jean M. Levasseur @JeanMLevasseur
@AnneTibbets What are some of the common issues in queries that make you say no on the spot?Bashing other books is a big no no.
Flirting, also a no no.
Categorizing a book incorrectly b/c my QM doesn't have it listed - there's a reason why. That's a no no.