Q9) Genre indecipherable. Confusing synopsis with no clear beginning, middle and end. Pass. #TenQueries

Q8) Historical fiction. Opening not gripping enough and lacking in dialogue. Pass. #TenQueries

Q7) Historical fiction. Muddled submission and I couldn't engage with the voice or concept. Pass. #TenQueries

Q6) Described as a thriller but feels more like a sci-fi. Opening too quiet, not enough happening. Pass. #TenQueries

Q5) Contemporary women's fiction. High concept with a strong voice. Will get a second read! #TenQueries

Q4) Genre unclear. Either a sci-fi or a dystopia. Too bleak for me and not character-driven enough. Pass. #TenQueries

Q3) Thriller. A chilling opening that had me a holding my breath. A definite second read! #TenQueries

Q2) Thriller. The writing is decent but I'm not excited enough by the synopsis. Pass. #TenQueries

Doing a #TenQueries thread now that we're open again for submissions! This is the first:

Q1) Sci-Fi. Interesting concept but too dialogue-heavy and not enough sense of place. Pass.

12/ Okay, okay. This is a good one to stop on because it is BIZARRE. The author has no credentials, but I can honestly say it's weird AF. I'm intrigued. This one's going into the maybe pile to talk myself out of later. 😂

11/ This one is close, but just off-mark for me. It has a bit of a cult-y, creepy vibe, but I'm not sure what's super important about it. It feels like maybe we've already seen elements of this in ROOM and KIMMY SCHMIDT. I don't think I need a third take on this right now.

10/ Sci-fi with time travel, but back to the 9th century. I'm not huge on complex worldbuilding, or ancient historical, so I'm not the right person for this one. Pass.

9/ This is a really genuine PB query about the ocean, but unfortunately the quality just isn't there for the contemporary market or for agent involvement yet.

8/ This book is literally about biblical Jesus, and I'm not the right agent for that in any context. Even sci-fi.

7/ Interesting. Picture book about gender and dress-up from a BIPOC author. This one's going into my maybe pile. Not sure if the market is oversaturated on this yet.

6/ Sorry, folks, but I'm disabled - if you use the phrase "special needs" in your query, that's a quick pass from me.

5/ This one's a YA murder mystery, which I'm always very tempted by, but unfortunately the author doesn't have any prior writing experience, and the book doesn't feel like it's filling a gap or has a timely or urgent theme. Reluctant pass.

4/ Next one is for multiple books (I prefer standalone), didn't follow submission guidelines, and is really riddled with spelling and grammar errors. Pass.

3/ Author didn't include a writing sample. Submission guidelines = so important! That said, it's also non-fiction, and it's super broad subject matter with no clear, timely message. Pass from me.

2/ This author sounds great and has wonderful credentials. The book does have trans rep, which I love. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the book would fit into either YA or adult, and it's fantasy, but not sure whether high fantasy or low, which is tough for marketing. Pass.