Q172: I don’t care WHY you wrote the book at this point. I care WHAT you wrote. Pass. #500queries

Q171: Romantic thriller, but I didn’t get enough romance out of the query. Pass. #500queries

Q170: I was 50/50 on this SF. I liked the comps and the ideas was interesting, but it’s a concept that NEEDS to be #ownvoices and I don’t think it is. Pass. #500queries

Q169: Comps are all wrong, but the pitch is really solid and the idea intriguing, Request. #500queries

Q168: “I dance with diverse cultures” NOPE. Pass. #500queries

Q167: Yeah if you start your query by claiming that YA is defined by the angst, I’m not going to keep reading. Pass. #500queries

Q161: MG, too sweet for me. Pass. #500queries

Q166: Novella. Do not rep. Pass. #500queries

Q160: YA SF. Good idea, but I’ve seen about three almost identical versions of this plot recently. Pass. #500queries

Q165: SF, too short and sort of tone deaf. Pass. #500queries

Q159: ACTUAL EROTICA! Hallelujah! Request. #500queries

Q164: Query as YouTube video. That’s a first. Pass. #500queries

#tenqueries 10: Adult Memoir. This query spends far too much time focused on why this memoir is better than all other memoirs out there. I don’t need to be told this—let me make that judgment on my own, after reading your work for myself. Pass.

#tenqueries 9: YA Paranormal. I’d have loved to see this query be longer. Concise is good, but too concise and you lose the specificity of your pitch. Pass. That said, I will say I'm open to YA paranormal, especially as we've never seen it before.

#tenqueries 8: YA Sci-fi. In reading the included pages, I found myself uninvested in the third person, present tense voice in the story, I think because it lacked an intimacy and immediacy as used here -- it wasn't close enough to the protagonist. Pass.

#tenqueries 7: YA Social Thriller. This story hints at a bit of drama, a bit of mystery, and a bit of danger within its pages. I also found the voice to be smart and accessible, with quick pacing. I’m interested to see what secrets are here. Request.

#tenqueries 6: YA Contemporary. I’m not convinced that this is a YA novel. It sounds far more adult in content, scope, and voice. I do like a good coming-of-age story told with the distance & perspective of adulthood, but the writing here isn't quite doing it for me. Pass.

#tenqueries 5: Adult Fiction. The writing in the first pages of this query feels forced, as though the author is trying to convince me of something, rather than letting the words unfold in a way that will naturally intrigue me to these characters and the plot. Pass.

#tenqueries 4: YA Sci-fi. What’s confusing about this query is the lack of clarity about how much the main character knows about her world. Did she know about the sci-fi aspects of the world before being introduced to them, or is a whole new world opened up for her? Pass.

#tenqueries 3: MG Fantasy. This pitch is a bit overwritten, aiming towards being literary at the expense of clearly laying out plot points. It also hinges on a character feeling unable to do something, but it's unclear why. Pass.