Number 3: "The people who succeed the most are the people with the greatest capacity for rejection..." #pubtip #kidlit #Chumbawamba

Caught up on queries up to Sept 10. #querystats

Rejection doesn't mean you're a bad writer. It means that you owe it to yourself to make your writing better and to keep trying. #CLAqueries

A query should be succinct. If it looks visually exhausting, I'm already in a NO mood.And don't be "too clever." Get to the point. #querytip

Remember: don't repeat an agent's interests back to them word-for-word (we know our own #MSWL!) instead SHOW us how yours fits.

ICYMI: 10 simple ways to personalize your query to agents & set your book apart: carlywatters.com/2016/10/03/per… #querytip

"What does an author’s website need to succeed?" With quotes from @PSLiterary's very own @ericsmithrocks: writermag.com/2016/10/11/aut… #pubtip

More lessons on terrific writing/plotting from last night's #ThisIsUs: Throw your characters curve balls! #pubtip

The best queries capture the protagonist's personality & motivations as well as the stakes (s)he is up against in a few paragraphs.#querytip

Successful queries focus on what happens with the plot--not how the book is supposed to make us feel. Themes don't sell books. #querytip

ICYMI: Earlier this year I talked to @BookBaristas about social media, platforms & working with bloggers: bit.ly/2e6xmtA #pubtip

Four Things You Can Do to Make Me Want to Sign You ow.ly/rA833052DIG #pitchtip #querytip #pubtip #writetip

In queries for contemporary YA (like WEIGHT OF ZERO by @KarenFortunati ) I look for authentic characterization and dialogue. #querytip

You’d be surprised how many people don’t sign their name at the end of a query. Or have an obvious name in their email address. #pubtip

In pitch, avoid backstory as much as possible. "Heroines fight demons" is more interesting than "Heroines born on different worlds." #pubtip

For example, describing a wolf's teeth as lupine isn't interesting, because it doesn't add depth or nuance to its wolfness. #pubtip

Use adjectives that bring nuance and depth to a noun, and surprise the reader. #pubtip

This is the kind of stuff you should strive to accomplish in your #writing. Those scenes that really hit the reader emotionally. #pubtip

The latest NY Agent Time! paper.li/mcorvisiero/13… Thanks to @DelilahSDawson #querytip #cookingforghosts

Another #querytip this week: your historical fiction query should say in what era of history it is set! No prizes for obfuscation here.