Q8: F. The novel's construct was explained, and yet somehow nothing about the characters or plot appeared. Pass. #tenqueries

Q7: YA Contemp. The second it popped in my inbox I knew I had to have it. Great voice, speaks to my MSWL, premise that's both unique and commercial. Partial. #tenqueries #querywin

Q6: F. Query contained a couple lines of "it's/the story's about" and "then X happens," followed by several lines of bio. Entice the reader -- practice writing the pitch by reviewing book jackets (no "it's about/then this" to be found!). Pass. #tenqueries

Q5: YA psych suspense. That genre is not my cup of tea to begin with, but the premise had triggering content personally. Strong concept though, so I passed it to another at the agency instead. #tenqueries

Q4: YA F. A legend retelling with a unique twist. Premise and comp titles line up nicely, and the sample writing solid. Partial. #tenqueries #querywin

Q3: F. Concept almost verbatim to Lynn Kurland's Nine Kingdoms series. Writing in sample needs a bit more polish and less info-dumping in initial pages. Pass. #tenqueries

Q2: Romance. Multiple attachments, BCC'd (a sign of a mass-mailing!), and nothing about the romance really stood out to me as something I would want to rep if I DID rep strictly romance. Pass. #tenqueries

Q1: MG Contemp. Pretty interesting concept tackling current events, but the writing is anything but marketed for a MG reader (or even a fiction reader?). Pass. #tenqueries

Q10. PB. Not enough of an arc to the story, and too lesson-y. Passing on this one.

Q9. YA. The third person perspective wasn’t working for me. Passing on this one.

Q8. YA Sci-Fi. The premise was interesting, but I didn’t like where the story began: with the MC being very reflective. I like to be dropped right into the character’s world! Passing on this one.

Q7. MG. The first paragraph of the query made the premise sound like it was a contemporary realistic piece, but then aliens randomly showed up at the end of the query? Passing on this one.

Q6. NF PB. The STEM concepts presented in this manuscript don’t feel like they’re presented in a way that's kid-friendly enough. Passing on this one.

Q5. PB. The premise of this specific manuscript doesn't seem super salable, but the writing itself is so strong and I know most PB writers typically have TONS of other manuscripts available, so I’m going to request to take a look at some of this writer's other work!

Q4. PB. The premise is too similar to another title on my list, so the projects would be in direct competition with one another. Passing on this one.

Q3. MG. A story about a boy and his dog. Not my kind of story, and also not a very salable premise right now in a market that is hungry for new + fresh voices. Passing on this one.

Q2. Contemporary YA. Great setting, intriguing premise, family secrets, cool character names, a zippy voice that drew me in. Requesting this one!

Q1. YA Suspense. A decent premise, but the word count is 25,000 words which is way off for the age group/genre. Also: the first sentence of the writing sample is a rhetorical question. Passing on this one.

#tenqueries 10: Adult Psychological Fiction. I like what this story promises on an emotional level, but it’s very long and literary, and the pacing in the first chapter feels slow. I'm definitely a plot person. Pass.

#tenqueries 9: YA Contemporary. The pitch has BIG questions, but rather than letting the story touch on those questions the pitch just asks them of the reader (again, comes back to the evergreen advice of show don't tell). Pass.