Literary Agent
Kathryn Faye @KathrynFaye007
@annmrose How is it some writers who had agents can get a second one is less than a month but some are still trying after two years? It can really burn your self-esteem.I think it depends on a number of factors ❤️
It’s important to be kind to yourself and try not compare your journey to someone else’s — there is no one path to publishing ❤️
Literary Agent
Ann Dayleview @AnnDayleview
@annmrose Do agents consider hybrid authors any different than those who haven't published before? What if their book has been "successful", and how do agents determine indie success?#askagent
I think there is a lot to unpack here that I couldn’t do much justice in a single tweet. I will say for me, I look at each book sent to me as it’s own thing and if I love it all that other stuff is just details we may have to figure out
Literary Agent
Megan Lind Persinger @meganthebookwrm
@annmrose How often do R & Rs result in offers? It's hard to find data on that online. And in your experience what makes one successful?I don’t think there is any hard fast data on this and would have a number of variables.
I’ve had it work out a number of times ❤️
Literary Agent
William Michael @OhlidalWilliam
@annmrose From your perspective, how is the demand for SFF in 2022 so far? Holding steady? Slacking? Growing?I think the trick with any genre is to make sure you have a solid and distinct hook
Literary Agent
KC Cowan @KCcowanartgal
@annmrose I have writtenna Jane Austen sequel/ who do I query? Historical Fiction? Romance? (Not a Classic romance, ive been told). Help!Well you would first want to figure out what the genre is (and if it is considered a romance or not) and then target agents who represent that genre.
Literary Agent
poppimultz @pmultz1
@annmrose What makes YA fiction literary? And are these books a hard sell?I consider “literary” to be the tone or mood of the story and has a lot to do with the voice.
Whether it is a “harder sell” or not would be determined on a number of factors including content/concept etc
Literary Agent
🌱JORDAN is in her SPACE PIRATE ERA🍄 @zahavazipora
@annmrose What might cause an agent to ask for an R+R vs working on the editing as a team after signing with a client? Is there a threshold for the amount of changes needed or is it more about how marketable the book is intitially/how much you love it?I think a number of things come into play. 1) is the author capable or even willing to make these changes—it is their story after all so they get to make the decision what changes do and don’t get made so it’s a question of aligned vision … (cont)
Literary Agent
Diana 🌻🌻🌻 @DianaRabbe
@annmrose How hard is it to sell MG high fantasy? Would illustrations make it more sellable? Is it more enticing if the writer is also the illustrator? Asking for myself and others like me. 🌻I think it comes down to execution no matter what the age group/genre
Literary Agent
Zach Humphrey @Blueslushie92
@annmrose At what stage do you think it’s best to think about commercializing a book? I love the whimsical idea of chasing a book’s heart (and I do/must 💞) but I know the eventual commodification is always coming so that it can sell 😅Are you asking about making something “commercial fiction”? A book doesn’t need to be “commercial” to be sellable.
Literary Agent
Lily Mehallick she/her @LilyMehallick
@annmrose What the lowest word count for a YA fantasy that’s acceptable? Is 50 or 60k too low and will turn away most agents? Thanks for answer questions!Hmmm… well I can’t answer for anyone other than myself, and I wouldn’t scoff at a 60k YA fantasy. I don’t mind when there is room to grow. And to be completely honest adding 20k words always feels a little less daunting than trying to cut those words
Literary Agent
Lakewolf @rdwolf
@annmrose What is the most important part of a query letter for you?I love queries with a strong hook and solid concept. I also love it when authors say what inspired them to write the story they did
Literary Agent
Emily Timbol @EmilyTimbol
@kate_mckean @runwithskizzers I was told years ago that it’s easier to get an agent once you’ve already had one. Is this still true to your knowledge, or should I resign myself to the same slim odds I faced before signing with my former agent?It might be anecdotally true but there's no actual data on that. Agents aren't looking for authors who already have or had agents to fill their rosters. The book matters more!
Literary Agent
Kate McKean @kate_mckean
? from DMs:What are you/publishers looking for in a proposal if you're trying to pitch an academic study as a trade book? Like ID large audiences, explain how you would make it less academic, more "trade-like"? as I am considering this. Or are they just "the judge of that"? 1/2
Ans: It has to be a trade bk & not an academic bk, which I know is overly simplistic. It should appeal to a broad audience who read books on that subject, as well as approachable & have a clear "so what?" It shouldn't just be "cool stuff I learned." Paging @lportwoodstacer again!
Literary Agent
? from Dms: if an agent asks for, say, the first five pages of your manuscript copied into the body of an email, how much formatting are you supposed to preserve?
Ans: don't worry abt formatting as long as it is readable! Just copy the 1st 5 pp from your book & paste. It's ok!
Literary Agent
? from Dms: what if your word length changed a little from your pitch? What's an allowable differential (e.g., I pitched at 90K words, but I'm at 94K
Ans: I would barely notice unless it changed like 50%. This is fine!
Literary Agent
? from Dms: When you get a request for a full, how long may you take to submit it (I'm trying to give it one last go-through, but life is getting in the way of that!)
Ans: I would be ready to send a full right you have a request. If you need more time or whatever, tell the agent
Literary Agent
Melanie Cole @MelanieKCole
@kate_mckean Have you seen any movement from editors and such at publishing houses to unionize? It feels like that's such a necessary move for this industry.Yes! There was just something I saw on instagram about it this weekend but can't find the link! Harper has a union!
Literary Agent
Anna Papachristos @AHN_uhh
@kate_mckean Do you have to have a completed manuscript in order to land an agent and/or book deal?Fiction, yes. Non-fiction, you need a book proposal, but not always the whole book.
Literary Agent
? from DMs: Are in-person pitches more effective than mailed/emailed queries?
Ans: In person pitches (when they exist) are the LEAST effective way to pitch a book IMHO. I need something to read!
Literary Agent
Hailey Bachrach @hbachrach
@kate_mckean What's the best way to approach an agent who requested a full and passed with a new project? Can you reference that, or is every submission a clean slate?I think it's good to say "Thanks for your time on X book. We weren't a match, but I'm excited to send you Y." Short and sweet! A slight reminder can help, not hurt. (If it hurts they are not the agent for you anyway.)