Lessons from Rejections from our editor @AuthorLisaDunn anaiahpress.wordpress.com/2018/07/25/rej… #ACFW #AmQuerying #AmWriting #AmEditing #PubTip #Writerslife

It's 11pm where I am, and I've just put my 12 yr old to bed after a long and enthusiastic conversation about the books they are reading and loving. What I've learned is GOLD for those #amwriting #amediting #amquerying Middle Grade. #writetip #querytip A #thread of quotes:

After pages were read, agents said where/why they would have stopped reading.

Some patterns quickly emerged. The top 2:

1. Many pages started with way too much description. Clothes, curtains, weather. Nothing's happening. Agents wanted more action.

#writingtips #querytip 2/x

Out of most recent requests: 2 YA contemporary, 2 women's fiction, 1 suspense out of about 20 queries total, which is a higher rate of "yes" than usual for me! #querystats #keepemcoming #positivemondayvibes

#querystats I'm currently caught up on queries and have responded to all requested materials sent before June 1st. #amagenting

#querystats We have reached 0. All queries have been responded to you. If you have not received a response, check spam filter or junk email and if you still don't have one, let me know.

#querystats I have responded to all picture book queries.

Please don't reference clients' books you obviously haven't read in Qs. Not necessary and looks bad. #pubtip #allwewantisagoodstory

#pubtip Make sure to know if the size of your book matches the current market or your genre. Size does matter.

Such talented work is hitting my inbox lately, peeps. Keep up the good work! #querytip #edittip

Buford has some opinions in what makes a bad agent a bad agent. Visit our YouTube channel to see his (and Jessica Faust’s) advice on bad agents. #literaryagents #publishing #pubtip instagram.com/p/BlvLAfHFkaj/…

#QueryFail = "I've written the next big New York Times bestseller and I just need your help getting Random House to pay attention to me."

#ummmmmm
#queries

The query letter broken down in its simplest form:
Who is your MC
What do they want (goals)
What stands in their way (obstacles)
What happens if they fail (stakes)
That’s it. That’s what we need to know. #querytip #SlushInsight

And please PLEASE look me up on #MSWL &keep me in mind for your next queries if you are newly agent-less. I promise transparency in everything in our working relationship, I promise integrity, & dedication to you&your career. #querytip #askagent #writetip
youtu.be/oF52BxpbztQ

#pubtip Don't immediately accept an offer of rep, even if it's your dream agent. You'll do yourself a disservice. Take a week to contact other agents. See if there's more interest, even if just to put first offer into context. Don't give up the opportunity to weigh all options.

#pubtip Don't give an agent or editor a reason to reject you. Here's a hint...follow the submission guidelines and do what we ask. There is a reason we ask for the material a certain way.

#querytip #askagent "Does it look bad in my query if I've been previously repped but we parted ways?"
NO it does not. Someone before me saw your talent. This is a good thing.
Sometimes agent/client relationships break down. This is sometimes no fault, or fault of one party. 1/

I think you misunderstand. Sometimes we receive pages -- just pages. No other info. It's like - guess the genre, the conflict, etc. You need a solid Q to set up the pages for a read. #pubtip

Successful Querying Requires Doing Your Homework #amquerying #pubtip bookendsliterary.com/2018/07/25/suc…

☕Coffee Time With Kara☕ Five Query Essentials. I've heard authors say that writing the novel is the easy part. It's the query letter that's the most difficult part of the process. #QueryTip #AmQuerying #AmWriting #EditorTip #PubTip #GetPublished #ACFW ow.ly/xmxi30kzoa1