Literary Agent
Margo Sloan is Querying & Writing @MargoSloan215
@annmrose Do you frequently toss book samples if the letter doesn't speak to you, or have you ever found the first five pages so good, it trumps a lackluster query? Thank you <3Queries are hard so I always look at pages. And I have signed and sold a book I got because of a not great query and an amazing sample.
Literary Agent
Megan LaCroix🦉 @meganwritenow
@annmrose Is YA fantasy a particularly hard sell these days?The short answer is yes. 😔
Literary Agent
Megan Lind Persinger @meganthebookwrm
@annmrose When you're reading a full, how far do you normally read before you know it's not for you and reject it? Also, what's the number 1 reason you reject fulls?I just keep reading until I find myself not wanting to anymore 🤷🏼♀️ there is no set number of pages. There are a number of reasons I could reject. I usually try to give some kind of explanation when I do so.
Literary Agent
mona @monatheraven
@annmrose Can you tell when an author is nervous & has a tiny typo in the e-mail response to a partial or full request? Do you take off points for this? 😂🥺
👉🏼👈🏼
Never! We all make typos now and then. The other day I used the completely wrong word but at the time I was so sure it was correct. Infinity instead of affinity. It happens. We’re all human.
Literary Agent
Logan K. Glendenning @LKGlendenning
@annmrose If my manuscript is intended as a duology, should that be clearly listed in the query/synopsis? And is an intended duology a dealbreaker (generally) for most agents?Well you are now asking them to commit to selling two books (at the same time) not just one so that does make things harder. It’s why we always say stand alone with series potential is preferred. For some it could be a dealbreaker.
Literary Agent
AshleyQuinn @AshleyCQuinn
@annmrose My novel: superhero story with addiction, mental health, & MeToo issues. It crosses a couple genres & I'm uncertain which genre to go with. Few agents say they like spec fiction, but this seems like the best fit. How to handle multiple genres when querying? Thanks!You ask yourself, If I walked into a bookstore and went to look for my book, what shelf would it be on? That is how you classify it's genre.
Does that help?
Literary Agent
Stacy A. Alderman @StacyAnneWrites
@annmrose Is it ever okay for a synopsis to be more than one page? Like a page and a half? Page and a quarter? #strugglingI think 1-2 pages for a synopsis is the perfect length.
Literary Agent
C.W. Maurer @CWMaurerWrites
@annmrose @theWhitneyPearl I was looking over a synopsis for a writing group member, and they had included a line along the very-loosely-summarized lines of "A and B share a romantic moment (fade to black)"Is something like that helpful/encouraged to know what level of sexual content the book contains?
I don't see any issues with it. And it does just what you say here; shows the level of heat on the page.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
sandrayc @sycwrites
@annmrose How realistic is it to find an agent in the UK or US for an Asian writer whose debut is a novel heavily rooted in South-East Asian culture, including colloquial dialogue?I don't think it should be too hard at all. As long as they represent what you are offering, query them!
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Tara Santora (they/them) @Tara_Santora
@annmrose Is it annoying if I query at nights or on weekends? I don’t want to be annoying, but that’s when I’m most available. #askagentYou need to do you. It doesn't matter what time you query IMO.
Literary Agent
Jodene Weber @JodeneWeber
@annmrose I queried you but received an odd message after hitting send, and I saw on QueryTracker others have received the same, so it wasn’t clear if you received our query+pages or not. Do you send rejections? It’s hard to gauge if you received the query. Thank you for taking questions.I keep my DM's open for query issues and am happy to check if they have come through on my side. I know our site is funky. I'm sorry.
Unfortunately, Prospect's policy is we only reply if we want to see more, which is crappy I know, but since the site is so clunky...
Literary Agent
Debra Anton @The_DebraAnton
@annmrose Hello, and thank you for doing this. In a middle grade novel, do you feel that the main character having a strong fear of change is enough of an obstacle to reaching her goals?It would be really hard to say without seeing it or knowing more specifics. That is a good internal obstacle, but are there any external ones as well?
Literary Agent
Milo Lorien @MiloLorien
@annmrose How does a one w/a neurocognitive disorder & communication hurdles break through the req’s of agents? I always see how they want diverse voices, but sub req’s are designed for only one type of writer. I can get Mariel Hemingway’s review but not an agents time. Please explain.There is a group that is putting a list together of agents who are open to making accommodations for authors who need them. Is there something particular that you can share as a challenge? I know for myself we have a submission portal which isn't the friendliest...
Literary Agent
Justin McBride @panrec
@annmrose Is posting your novel on Substack a plus or a minus?If it's anything like Wattpad than it's basically published. I would caution posting complete work for public consumption if you are wanting to try to sell it.
Literary Agent
Kady Oliker Eshleman @KadyEshleman
@annmrose Thank you so much for doing this! Is it an automatic turn off if in the query if the word count is on the shorter side. Say 57k for a YA novel?YA contemporary I'm assuming? That isn't that far off 60K which is the low side of that age group/genre so I think you would be fine. I'm always more wary of things over than under.
Literary Agent
Shay Galloway @TheGallowCat
@annmrose 1) Could you query an agent for representation with a book already under a (small) publishing contract?1a-if you get representation for a 2nd manuscript, does the agent retroactively represent your other titles?
2) mentioning beta-reader/reviewer feedback in query letters?
1) Have you already signed the contract? If not, than yes it's possible to query with an "offer of publication." If the contract is already signed then it's best to query the next thing, and that does not mean book two of the series. I'm not sure I understand question 1a...
Literary Agent
Christie Peaslee @CupPeas
@annmrose I get much of the same response when querying, "This sounds like a great project, just not one I feel I'm right to bring to life." It's difficult because it seems polite but with nothing contructive. I'm not sure if I should be trying to change something. Is this response normal?It may mean something in those opening pages just aren't clicking. I would reevaluate them. Are you starting in the right place? This is a common error I find. Have you had other writers look at your work? Critique partners are the best!
Literary Agent
Ruth Owen @Brinestowen
@annmrose If my book is loosely inspired by an Agatha Christie novel, does that cause copyright problems? It's more of a reaction to the Christie novel than a retelling. I haven't been sure whether to mention the connection in a query.You can say it was inspired by, I don't see that as a problem. As long as you didn't copy it, which I feel confident you did not, I don't see any issues at all.