Normally, I'd say about 3 months but ::gestures around:: now? I'd recommend 6.
It's crappy, I know.

I'd say a year. I know it's a lot! I suggest checking in after three months. Then again after two more months and so on. If no answers, assume a pass #askagent

Definitely! I always welcome edited works. You can simply say it's had a deep edit since the last submission #askagent

Starting a story right off the bat with sex or abuse is also a big no for me. Just not my cup of tea #askagent

also, falling into memories. I want to be in the NOW and learn about the backstory delicately throughout

Lots of telling language, where we aren't in the character's head/feeling like we're experiencing the story rather than being told a story.

I'm a person who likes intimacy with characters and loves the internal emotion/physical reaction added to make it 3D #askagent

So, a synopsis is very different than a query, so be sure to research that. But I definitely put more consideration into your pitch than your bio. You do NOT need a super impressive bio! #askagent

I read pages unless it's 100% not a genre or elements of plot I don't represent (on screen rape, nonfiction, etc.). Many agents I know understand it's hard to write a query and we still consider at least your first page to gauge voice/style. #askagent it's usually a merge of both

hmmm that really depends. You can deff add it to the bio as a self published title that has had "success". It's not the one you're querying so I see no reason not to include it! Especially if it's being loved #askagent

your best bet is to try to get it as close to 110k as possible. That's around where YA fantasy is right now (I often suggest shooting for 100k). If you're not too far off, an agent will be able to keep editing in mind and still be willing to work with you #askagent

often, you can dual paragraph.

ex: introduce 1st character - opening situation in book
Introduce 2nd character - opening situation in book
Introduce conflict that brings the two together
Introduce the stakes and how they merge their stories to provide on outcome #askagent

you can, sure! it's not something i put a ton of stock in (i.e. i'm not going to jump on a project SOLELY bc an author was a finalized/even winner of anything) but it's nice to know, and something you should be proud of and can absolutely include in your bio :)

ohhh HMMM that's a good question. i have to be very aware of where my mental health is; when i'm in a depressive episode, i work very hard to make sure i'm giving every query as much of my energy as i can, to ensure i'm not passing on things bc Depression™️. same with the anxiety

i'm not a huge thriller person, so i might not be the right person to ask. depends on how well it's executed, honestly! i only accept YA thrillers, and YA is just structured differently than adult is overall, and i do tend to prefer no prologue-esque materials

depends on agency policy. some agencies have a "no answer means no" policy; others state they'll answer everything; others only answer requested materials. look at each agency site and see what their policies are, and on how soon they're okay with being nudged!

absolutely! sometimes i sit out if i've got too much going on in my personal life, or too many submissions on my docket that i need to get through, but i do participate in most of them

nope! i'd probably want to get it under 100k before subbing to publishers, but not to high at all for me to consider :)

no, don't reach out if you get a rep offer - it sucks when your dream agent is closed for a long period of time, but it is what it is, and encroaching on that boundary wouldn't be a fair thing to put on that agent. and while feeling like you're missing out on someone who feels

it's hard to say without seeing the individual query/pages, but mostly it's wanting to see substantial, pervasive changes throughout the work (i.e. not just doing a line edit or tweaking a chapter or two).

absolutely! i'd maybe specify what about their work is similar (i.e. is there something about their prose or storytelling style you're comping to?), but it does work

either is fine! it's nice to have it formatted nicely with the headers and title page, but it's not an issue if that's not there. i will say there should always be a page break with a clear sign that there's a new chapter though, just for ease of reading!