Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
OK, that's my #tenqueries. One request, nine passes.
I'm now getting off Twitter until January. My favorite Christmas Present to myself.
I have now responded to all queries through 8/31, not including partial/full requests. I hope to get through 9/15 before Thanksgiving.
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q10: MG sports mystery. Opens with the main character missing the free shot that would have won her team the championship. This is the MG sports mystery equivalent of opening a mystery novel with a dead woman and two detectives standing over the body. #tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q9: Man... the number of times I get some version of "I know you said you have terrorist fatigue, but that's because you haven't met MY terrorists!"
No. Terrorists.
Please and Thank You. #tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q8: Thriller, set inside a prison. Skeptical about originality - hope it doesn't become one guard who teams up with a badass con who is actually a good guy to take out the gang of inmates hell-bent on escaping and going on a murder spree - but will request and find out#tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q7: Appealing to my Patriots fandom is always nice - a good way to show you've done some research and are querying me for a reason.
But in doing that research, you should also have learned that I'm beyond clueless when it comes to Picture Books. Pass.#tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q6: Thriller. Prologue with girl getting chased through the woods by...something...then Ch. 1 is a detective fielding a phone call from a hysterical jogger who found a body. Sound familiar?
Pass. #tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q5: Collection of essays. I've never had much luck selling essay collections. Pass. #tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q4: This query represents what it hands down the most common reason I pass on a submission: it's good.
Writing is fine.
Nothing structurally wrong.
Not a bad concept.
Just didn't blow me away. #tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q3: Doomed from the opening line! Used the wrong version of lose/loose AND breathe/breath in the same sentence. A pet peeve double whammy - and since it's the first line, doesn't speak well to attention to detail. #tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q2: Proposal for 20K word NF about an obscure battle of WWI. Interesting, but would be a very tough sell, especially given how short it aims to be. Pass. #tenqueries
Alec Shane @alecdshane · Nov 22
Q1. Horror, already published with small press, but rights can be reverted at any time and "I think there's a real market for it." With very few exceptions, once a book is published, it's extremely tough to get it re-published elsewhere. Pass. #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q10: MG fantasy. Hits a lot of my buttons. Sounds very funny/heartwrenching. Cool (never before seen) magic system, lots of adventure + friendship. And sports! Request! #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q9: Historical fiction. This covers a time period that's been done to death and doesn't have a new angle. Pass. #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q8: Chapter book. #ownvoices. I think it's a very important topic and this feels accessible to young readers. Request! #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q7: The letter is very vague (only 1 paragraph). No stakes, goals or motives defined. The topic is also not terribly exciting or fresh. Pass #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q6: YA urban fantasy featuring demons. Paranormal is hard for me and demons/devils are, for the most part a no-go. Pass. #tenqueries.
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q5: YA fantasy. Plot description feels as if I've been dropped in the middle of the story. I'm not grounded in the world. Pass. #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q4: Adult sci-fi. Imaginative, but far too complicated/confusing. Pass. #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q3: Adult sci-fi. This is not a new concept and the plot is really bloated. Pass. #tenqueries
Samantha Wekstein @SWekstein · Nov 12
Q2: YA fantasy. This is a close one as it sets up a cool world and a good quest, but I'm finding parts confusing. Pass. #tenqueries