Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Andrew Hiller @AndrewHiller
@annmrose How valuable are writer conferences and agent/writer 1:1's?I've been debating on hitting one up, but haven't yet.
I think they can be very helpful. It allows both author and agent some face time and get to know you outside of an email
Literary Agent
Jenna Beacom @jfbeacom
@annmrose Thank you! If you have had your manuscript professionally edited before querying, is that worth noting?It won’t affect the agents opinion of it but it doesn’t hurt including that information
Literary Agent
Nagashree is querying @WritersDragons
@annmrose Are books set in college or post-college vacation considered adult, NA or YA? 🙈Post college I don’t think can be considered YA (and I’m sure someone will disagree with this) in college can be depending on when (what year in college) and the circumstances of the plot and character arc
Literary Agent
Erin Davis @EMDavis008
@annmrose How do you feel about YA that’s close 3rd rather than 1st person?It doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s done well ❤️
Literary Agent
MJ Bowman is writing Sapphic YA Fantasy! @MJ_Bowman
@annmrose Since we're on the subject of QT/QM, what would be something that would be most useful to you on that end of the platform?Better genre labeling (something we got and I hope you guys can see it too!), how many times said author has submitted to you, etc?
I have no qualms with QM on my side. I’ve only been using it for about a year and am still learning all its capabilities but I’m happy with its functionality
Literary Agent
Greg Dahlager @GregDahlager
@annmrose Thanks for doing this!How successful should your comp titles be? I understand you shouldn't use blockbuster bestsellers since it can indicate you didn't put much thought into it. But are traditionally published books with 700-1800 Goodreads ratings adequate?
I think you have the right idea. You want to show you know the market and don’t set the bar too high for yourself to have to cross over
Literary Agent
Meg ✨ @TheMegJHastings
@annmrose Thoughts on women behaving badly in manuscripts? It seems to be either, she’s too bad! Or, she’s not bad enough! Is there a happy medium for angry women in books (wow this mirrors life I’m realizing as I type this out 🤣)?I love angry women, morally gray women, women doing bad things for the right reasons. I think there is room for all kinds of women in books ❤️
Literary Agent
Jenn Nixon @jennnixon
@annmrose Happy Friday! I'm curious, is now a good time to query? So many authors are selfpubbing now, I'm wondering if Agents are actively looking for authors.There is no right or wrong way to publication it’s all about personal preference.
If an agent is open to queries I think that shows they are open to taking on more writers.
Literary Agent
cam! 🐍 (11.8k/75k) @camiscribbles
@annmrose do you often read all the pass pages before requesting (assuming you like the query) or have you read just the first couple pages and decided immediately to request? also, do you always finish full manuscripts before deciding on your response? thank you for opening to questions!There is no set number of pages I will read before deciding if I want to ask for more.
No, I do not always finish a MS if I know I’m not going to offer on it.
Literary Agent
Kirk R 🇺🇦 is #amquerying and revising 🐀 @kirkraff
@annmrose When submitting a revise and resubmit request, should I submit a breakdown of what I did to accommodate the request so the agent can go straight to the requested changes? Or just submit a query as normal, mentioning that it's a R&R?I think mentioning the changes you’ve made it really helpful
Literary Agent
Kellyn is *querying* @kellyncarni
@annmrose If you passed on a project a couple months ago, would you be open to taking another look after a revision/ totally rewritten first pages?Thanks for doing this!
Yep
Just mention in the query about this and what you’ve done please
Literary Agent
Thea Verdone is my pen name @herefortheMSWL
@annmrose Yes, please! If my book is half romance and hits all the romance beats but the other half is character-driven literary drama, what do I call it genre-wise? I’ve been pitching it as upmarket gothic romance, but is literary romance a thing? Do I just call it upmarket? Thank you ❤️Where would you go to find it in a bookstore? It can only sit on one shelf.
Literary Agent
David Neuner @david_neuner
@annmrose Thank you so much for taking our questions! What advice do you have for querying more than one manuscript at a time? I have a new MS that is ready to go, but I’m actively querying another manuscript in the same genre. I wouldn’t sub to agents/agencies where I have an open query.Keep good track and be prepared for an agent to ask (if you get an offer and notify others who have the other MS) which book do you want as your debut and if it’s one they aren’t excited about to step aside
Literary Agent
B Wheeler @MagicalHippo
@annmrose How important is it to bold or caps character names in queries or synopses? It’s so distracting to me!Wishing you a great workout!
Character names should be ALL CAPS the 1st time they’re mentioned in the synopsis, but nothing special for the query.
This is really helpful when going through the synopsis & they mention a side character at the end & I’m like wait who are they again? They’re easier to find
Literary Agent
Caitlin Foley @caitlinrfoley1
@annmrose Does the query letter or the first pages have the biggest impact on your decision to read/pass?Well this is going to depend on who you ask. I know some people who look at the query after the pages and some who look at the query first. So really it’s both that are super important
Literary Agent
Evelyn Hunter Right @evelynthewriter
@annmrose If you plan on writing under a pen name, how should you address that in your query to an agent?It’s not super important to do that at the query stage but you could do something like
Sincerely,
Ann Rose
Writing as A.M. Rose
Literary Agent
🦙Vianna (hiatus she/they) 🦙 @ViannaWrites
@UweStenderPhD How important are social media engagement and in person events for authors? Would an authors ability to engage in person change your desire to represent their book?Realistically, an author will have to make themselves available for PR and marketing events. And at least be willing to create a website.
Literary Agent
Inbox Update ✨ I have answered all queries received before Feb. 15, except for a couple that are in my "Maybe" pile. I have several partials and fulls in my inbox that I can't wait to get to in the next few weeks.
#askagent #WritingCommmunity #amquerying
Literary Agent
4/4
↬ Pacing: Don't rely on dialogue to move a scene along. The dialogue should provide insights into the character's personality that we can't get from the details. Use sparingly. Heavy dialogue makes the narrative sluggish.
#amquerying #WritingCommunity #askagent
#writetip