Literary Agent
Somebody on #AskAgent asked if it is true what they read on Twitter, that Traditional Publishing is in its death throes and everyone should just stop bothering to query and self-publish instead. My answer:
literaticat.tumblr.com/post/681173651…
Literary Agent
Video #askagent starting in 2 minutes! Come ask me your querying and publishing questions! youtu.be/qY8pZP5hfHs
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Serena 🌸 @serenaemay
@laurenspieller #askagent If you sign with an agency/publisher for a specific genre of book you did (let’s say YA), but are writing a different genre (lets say Thriller/Crime), will they strongly consider publishing that work as well? Or they prefer you to stick to one genre?They’ll likely want to build a track in one genre to start
Literary Agent
Misty Brown @MistymlbBrown
@laurenspieller When an agent requests a full or a partial is it a reflection of interest level? I had an agent who requested a full straight from a query letter, while a different agent requested a partial.Sometimes yes but other times it’s a work/time management strategy
Literary Agent
Abbey-Author @abbey_author
@laurenspieller Ah! I’m afraid I missed the time window but I wanted to ask how vital social media following is when querying. I grow my following organically to engage with like-minded people but I’ve heard that lower follower counts can mean agent rejections even if the query is good.Not at all necessary unless it’s part of your platform
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Mary Lynne Gibbs @marylgibbs
@laurenspieller If your book has only been subbed (w/an agent) to a handful of editors, is it something that can be queried again?Yes but to varying degrees of success bc our ability to sell (and possibly our faith in salability) has been decreased
Literary Agent
Sean David Robinson @SDR_Writer
@laurenspieller How important is it to pub success that the agent specializes in a genre? If I write litfic, and my perspective agent typically reps YA but sometimes dabbles in literary, am I better off looking for an agent who primarily reps lit fic?You need someone who reps what you write. It doesn’t need to be their primary focus. They just need to know it well
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Adrianne Karasek @AdrianneKar
@laurenspieller On your mswl page you mention "no fae unless they're scary". Is that still true?Do Juliet Marillier-type stories fall under "scary" or at least different enough from high-fae-prince-of-autumn types?
I really only want scary, or so unique it’ll blow me away
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Melanie murphy @Melmurphy79
@annmrose How many rejections should I get before calling it quits?That’s not an answer I can make for you but I can say if you are getting all form rejections based on the query something likely isn’t working there or in the opening pages. If you are getting them after requests likely the middle has an issue.
Literary Agent
Joel White @JoelWhi82883699
@annmrose How often do you reject a book that’s good but not right for you vs rejecting because the book isn’t ready?I don’t have statistics but this does happen and it’s always hard to do
Literary Agent
Ella's Forest @EllasForest1
@annmrose What is a developmental edit ? And is it necessary?Development edit is an overview edit of the strengths and weaknesses of a manuscript.
Is one needed before you submit to agents? Not necessarily, but the MS should be workshopped either with critque partners or beta readers or some other eyes besides yours or family members 😉
Literary Agent
Debbie Lemke @alwaysbiking
@annmrose I am writing an inspiration book. Is it ok to center a page of writing or should the text be left-justified? Thank you!General formatting for manuscripts is 12 pt Times New Roman or similar font, black “ink”, double spaced, 1 inch margins, and paragraphs indented. If there is a need for sections to be center justified than do what needs to be done
Literary Agent
Paulene Turner @PauleneTurner
@annmrose Does the number of followers a writer has on Twitter have much/any input into your decisions?What about their profile pic? And age? Are you always conscious that you have to sell them as much as their book?
Twitter followers don’t mean anything to me. Same with profile pic. The only thing I pay attention to on Twitter is how someone treats other people (meaning I don’t like trolls). But numbers aren’t as important in fiction and that’s mostly what I do
Literary Agent
H.W. Johnston is writing a 1st draft @hwjohnston7
@annmrose What's the character POV limit on a debut novel?Is publishing truly about sales and story?
Well I think that varies on age group & genre expectations so there’s no one hard fast answer.
At its core, publishing is a business & books are a product—I know it’s hard to think about art in these terms and it’s uncomfortable but that’s the reality
Literary Agent
L. G. Robbins @lg_robbins
@annmrose How long should a younger middle grade historical fantasy be? And how much agents should I submit to at once?I think 40k-60k is kind of the sweet spot for most MG… as for how many? That’s a personal preference. I know some writers send batches out in 10s some more some less, you have to do with what you are comfortable with.