As ya'll can probably tell from my recent #tenqueries, defining your world is so important! How can we understand what's happening if we don't understand the parameters of the world in which your story takes place? #querytip

Q10: Urban fantasy. I have no understanding of how the characters' different stories fit together. Confusing world. Pass. #tenqueries

Q9: Too many genres. Pass. #tenqueries

Q8: YA modern slavery story, but it was unclear that this wasn't historical until the end. Also don't like the helpless female depending on men trope. Pass. #tenqueries

Q7: Supernatural YA, Great comp! But unclear world. Pass. #tenqueries

Q6: YA Fantasy. Sounds like a great premise, but the main character seems very passive. Not sure of her motivation to stay involved with the main plot thread. Pass. #tenqueries

Q5: YA Fairytale retelling. Great personalization, super clear character motivation. Slight confusion about magic system, but still request! #tenqueries

Q4: YA SF, Explanation of plot is not well organized. Concepts introduced without grounding us in the world. Pass. #tenqueries

Q3: Sci-fi without any context for setting. Lacks proper explanation of world. Pass. #tenqueries

Q2: MG Greek Mythology. Want to know more about motivations and I worry about similarities to Percy Jackson. Pass. #tenqueries

Q1: Does this story take place in our world? A fantasy one? Confused! Pass. #tenqueries

A thing to note about #tenqueries -- I point to 1 or 2 reasons here b/c space is limited, but the reality is that for almost all queries it isn't how 1 or 2 things do or don't work, but about how everything does or doesn't come together on whole.

#tenqueries 10: YA Speculative. I don’t think this is classified under the right category, but more than that, I don’t entirely understand how the speculative/fantasy elements are actually going to work. Pass

#tenqueries 9: MG Fantasy: Based on this pitch, I worry that this story might have too much going on, with too many different fantasy-world details and ideas (though they are very cool) packed in to the point where the central narrative gets a little lost beneath it all. Pass

#tenqueries 8: Adult Upmarket Fiction. This pitch has lots of dramatic details, but does not explain clearly enough what the story is actually going to be about. How do these details coalesce into a greater whole? Pass.

#tenqueries 7: YA Contemporary. The query is well-written and concise, but I just didn’t connect to the plot or first page of this one. It feels familiar, not in a bad way but I'm personally not sure I have the vision to position it to stand out. Pass.

#tenqueries 6: MG Mystery // the comp title and the pitch seem very, very close so I would worry about its uniqueness and ability to stand out in the market. The writing is good, but I don't feel quite strongly enough to overcome this concern. Pass.

#tenqueries 5: YA Contemporary: I had difficulty placing this book in a specific era—it’s called contemporary, but also dystopian, and I couldn’t tell which was more accurate based on the pitch. Pass

#tenqueries 4: YA Fantasy // too much happens in the pitch, making it difficult to find what the main plot line is actually going to be, and giving so much information that it actually comes off as confusing rather than compelling. Pass.

#tenqueries 3: Adult Fiction. The plot is thin, leading me to believe this will be a character-driven novel, but for that to work for me the emotional hook still has to be strong, and I don't quite see it in the query. Pass #tenqueries