Literary Agent
Joseph Lawler @JosephL07681338
@Sarah_Nicolas Is there an industry standard for formatting chapters? Is format something that would make or break you?i have a document on formatting a manuscript here: docs.google.com/document/d/1Stโฆ
Literary Agent
Salman ๐ฆ @daretorant
@Sarah_Nicolas If my manuscript is for a shorter book (collection of fables, 20-25K), would you recommend going straight to small presses? Iโm finding that most agents I discover are not looking for shorter books or collections, but am unsure if thatโs broadly the caseyou're correct that most agents aren't open to shorter books or collections. if you also write novels, you could hold off on the collection and try to get an agent with a novel, then ask them about the collection. or you could go ahead and pursue small press for the collection
Literary Agent
Ka-Yan ๅณๅฎถๆฎท @writerkayan
@Sarah_Nicolas At what point during the reading of a full do you feel you have enough info to know whether it's a rejection or an offer?If I offer, I've read the full. I read until I become aware that I don't want to rep it. I'm finding a lot of books turn on me at about 60%.
Literary Agent
Jan Dering #Querying @AskJan
@Sarah_Nicolas What in a query really piques your interest?Good writing, intriguing characters, compelling concepts
Literary Agent
Katie Harp ~#alwayswriting~ @katieharp12
@Sarah_Nicolas How personalized should/shouldnโt a query to an agent be?It's ok if it's not personalized, imo. But if there's something specific on their wishlist that's in your book, definitely mention it because it makes us take notice. By specific I mean "small town setting" not "you represent young adult"
Literary Agent
Jennifer O'Brien @Asteria_JTO
@Sarah_Nicolas Any advice for querying YA Sci-fi? As I've heard it's a hard sell.Everything is hard to sell haha! But really it's just make it the best book you can make it. That's all you can do.
Literary Agent
Crystal Ramos @starlaofnight
@Sarah_Nicolas What is a question you wished someone had asked you but no one did?Idk I try to be open because I want to assuage writers anxieties. Though my new gospel is "as long as your synopsis tells the major plot points in the story, it's fine and you don't need to worry about it"
Literary Agent
Glenn J. Devlin @gjdevlin
@Sarah_Nicolas Have you ever represented deaf-blind writers and how would you overcome challenges of representing and communicating?I just started in October and I have not. With all my clients, I ask them how they want to be communicated to. I think it's my responsibility to adjust to their needs. So I would ask them for their needs and preferences and commit to meeting them
Literary Agent
Ka-Yan ๅณๅฎถๆฎท @writerkayan
@Sarah_Nicolas What pushes a book from "a good book" to "a good book I wanna rep"?I know it's a frustrating answer, but this is so hard to answer. It's some kind-of x factor like an enchanting world, or a character you want to spend time with, or writing that just sings
Literary Agent
FC Chavez @by_FC_Chavez
@Sarah_Nicolas Hello and thank you for answering questions! I'm late to the #askagent session but I'd love to know if agents still consider New Adult viable. Should manuscripts typically within that label be queried as a different genre?There are so few editors acquiring new adult that it is an extremely hard sell. Most books that should be na are sold as adult right now. I wrote an article about this bookriot.com/history-and-fuโฆ
Literary Agent
Ka-Yan ๅณๅฎถๆฎท @writerkayan
@Sarah_Nicolas What are the most common 3 reasons an agent rejects a full?In any given order:
-i don't think I can sell this
-this is good but I'm not the right agent for it
- this isn't quite ready for publication
(It's not usually one clear reason like "the plot was too slow" but a nebulous sort of cloud of reasons. I think if it this way:
Literary Agent
Karen Csoff @KarenCsoff
@Sarah_Nicolas The Query Manager form requests a query letter but also, in additional sections, comp titles, a bio, synopsis โฆ seems repetitive. Should the query letter still be complete on its own?Yes. Also, the synopsis is not the same as the description in the query
Literary Agent
Kathryn @kittibarnett3
@Sarah_Nicolas Third person omnipresent vs third person limited what are agents current preference on this?This is a personal preference, person by person
Literary Agent
Mark Green @MGreenWriting
@Sarah_Nicolas I'm very late to this, but here goes. I keep reading conflicting advice on how to send samples to agents via email. I've been told attachments are not the way to go and I should copy my work into the body of the email. Is this the general case or does it vary from agent to agent?Never send an attachment unless an agent specifically says to do so in their submission guidelines
Literary Agent
Lane @Int_stellarLamb
@Sarah_Nicolas Hope I can still ask ๐ Queryblurbs - most websites say no more than 250 words, is that something agents agree on as well or does it vary? I've heard 1 page max for the entire letter, is that about right in your experience?200-300 words is where is at!
Literary Agent
Nick Shah - The Author Trader @BeingNick1
@Sarah_Nicolas I am from India and have written a non-fiction in business (Stock markets). Can I approach agents in U.S to look at my work and publish it internationally? The book is written keeping the Indian stock market in mind, but can be published internationally. #askagentQuery agents who sell books in the market(s) you'd like to primarily publish in. So if you want to be published in the US, query agents who sell in the us. A us agent will sell in the US market first, then try for "foreign" sales
Literary Agent
Christine Forner @assoc1counsell
@Sarah_Nicolas What should a writer do if you have both a fiction and non-fiction to query? Tell the agent you have both or query separate agents for the separate books?I would only query one project at a time. You may want to prioritize agents who rep both genres, if possible. Once you have an offer, bring it up on that initial call. It gets super confusing I'd you end up getting an offer for different projects at the same time
Literary Agent
DavidB1995 @B1995David
@Sarah_Nicolas Hello, is it better to have a front cover designed before querying an agent? Or, does that get done afterwards?Yes, this gets done much later and the publisher does it
Literary Agent
Kate Downton @kate_downton
@Sarah_Nicolas If a publisher offers you a contract based on an open submission or contest, how would one go about getting an agent? Would you query as usual or write a different kind of email?Yeah, you would query but put in the subject line or first sentence that you have an offer of pub. My @QQQpodcast episode with @RoyalineSing and @SaraMegibow discusses this
Literary Agent
elise scott (she/they) ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ @buttonjar1
@Sarah_Nicolas I have multiple marginalized identities in my story and my bioโmy MC is queer, fat, & mentally ill. Is that overwhelming to agents? Should I just choose one to highlight in the query?It will not be overwhelming to the right agent. If an agent will be overwhelmed by that, you don't want to work with them IMO!