I LOVE the why! Not all agents agree or do but for me I am interested in you the author and why this novel was important for you to write. The intention behind it feels so relevant to me so I always enjoy reading those tidbits

If they are really out of left field it MAY put an agent off so it would be hard to give you a solid answer. I would say do try to make the letter as standard as possible. There are ways to insert voice and make it interesting.

You will not get one answer on this that is the same I’m warning you now. I personally don’t mind seeing themes and the intention of the story from the author POV I personally find it interesting but some agents will say “I don’t need it” …

It’s basically the same but you answer these questions for both MCs and show us how the stories hook together. Query Shark is an amazing reference if you are looking for examples.

Absolutely okay to personalise and by all means address it to the agent whose #mswl your submission fits in with 😊

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#askagent /6

Deciding to work with an editor prior is a personal choice and I do believe that with a solid critque group (partner) no author needs to spend money to get an agent.

For me. My clients and I have already talked about next projects so this isn't an issue.
No need for them to spin their wheels IMO

It can mean anything from - I didn't connect to the voice to I already have something like this - it's really a catch all phrase, so not super helpful I know.

I wouldn't say they have been dropping necessarily, but I think with people's bandwidths and supply chain it is making those "bigger" books a little tougher these days

There could be a lot of reasons. They are looking for certain things. They are holding on to look more closely at your project when they have more time to consider. There are some "easy" no's (like way out of word count my 300K word novel) to clear out.

page numbers aren't needed if it's pasted into an email

If you can query the book without the prologue and the story itself makes sense, I would question if you need the prologue at all

At the end of the day agents sell to publishers and if pubs aren't sure how to sell something that sits in the middle of things that makes it really hard for agents
Bookstores (the primary customer to publishers) only have so much shelf space. So it needs to firmly sit somewhere

I honestly try to give each project a chance unless it's something I absolutely do not rep. Queries can be hard.

The short answer. If you are getting form rejections at the query stage there could be something not working with your query and or opening pages.

Perfection isn't required. But it should be as perfect as you can make it 😊

3 months and then in 3 month increments there after
Don’t be surprised though if after 3 months they haven’t gotten to it

Check with their respective websites as agents have different views on this. I’m open to a requery just ask that you mention in the query that it is one

I think there is more nuance here than can just be answered by a blanketed yes or no. I’ve signed books that have needed little work, I’ve also signed books that needed heavy revision and have been able to sell both kinds. Each situation is different.