#tenqueries 2: YA Fantasy. This query doesn’t give enough specifics about what will happen in the story; it deals too much in generalities. Queries should be concise, so if you're using a phrase that could describe any number of books, rethink it. Pass.

#tenqueries 1: YA Contemporary. Though well-structured, the query is lacking in tension. I know what the characters want, but why does it matter? What is at stake for them? Pass.

Q70: I liked the characters in this YA SF, but the world just didn’t make any sense. Pass. #500queries

Q69: I have a good number of retellings in my list, and so one has to be really, really strong to get a request. This one didn’t get there. Pass. #500queries

Q68: Didactic narratives are not at all for me. Pass. #500queries

Q67: F, but the tone of the query felt off and oddly juvenile. Pass. #500queries

Q66: I’m not usually one for political/diplomacy SF, but this one got me. Request. #500queries

Q65: Talking animals + comps of books I don’t like. Clearly not for me! Pass. #500queries

Q64: Portal fantasies are a hard sell for me. This one didn’t do it. Pass. #500queries

Q63: Please don’t lecture agents on the purpose of a particular genre. Just tell us about the story. Pass. #500queries

Q62: ONLY QUERY ONE BOOK AT A TIME! Pass. #500queries

Q61: SFF authors work really hard to build worlds, but please don’t try to squish it all into a query. It confuses me and means I won’t read the book. Pass. #500queries

Q60: Just the vaguest MC in the vaguest world. I got bored two paragraphs in. Pass. #500queries

Q59: Geek girls! Yes! But the story is entirely about them going after one another rather taking over the spaces that don’t make them feel welcome. Boo. Pass. #500queries

Q58: This C YA is totally up my alley. So much so that I already rep something almost exactly like it! Pass. #500queries

Q10: Adult mystery. Interesting setting for murders. Content not suitable for us. Pass. #tenqueries

Q9: NF/Memoir. We no longer publish these. Pass. #tenqueries

Q8: Adult CR. Solid query. Interesting premise. No sample pages included, but I'm intrigued enough by the query to REQUEST!! #tenqueries

Q7: Historical Romance. Solid query. Followed sub guidelines. Unsure about faith element. Is there one? Overuse of scene breaks makes the story choppy & hard to engage. Pass. #tenqueries

Q6: Hist fic. Minimal info in the query letter. Don't really know what the story is about. Didn't follow sub guidelines. Pass. #tenqueries