just popping in here with your regular Monday morning reminder that if your adult lit fic MS is clocking in at 200,000 words, that's going to be a major red flag for me when reviewing submissions. #querytip

I realized that the craft book I was working on was missing an entire section that I always proclaim as being an important part of the writing process. #pubtip Had to remember reviewing your writing from a distance is a MUST!

There’s a lot of misinformation going around about how/why authors make the NYT list. I’d like to say take it with a grain of salt. If a book doesn’t hit the list, it doesn’t mean the publisher decided from day one that the book was going to fail and not support it. #pubtip

This week has been fantastic for publishing biz real talk reads. If you haven't already, check this one out by @LeilaSalesBooks. Thanks for speaking all of our truths, Leila! #kidlit #pubtip #amwriting publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/ch…

A newsworthy announcement: I am caught up on queries. Yes, you heard that right. Fully caught up. Requests to go out shortly. I take your submissions very seriously & read every single one that's addressed to me (yes, even those addressed to Carley Walters 😏). #querystats

This is SUCH A GOOD THREAD. Thank you for laying this out there, @molly_oneill. #pubtip #kidlit

Writers can get caught up w/ the # of sales an agent has when deciding on rep. Remember it’s the quality of the sales that should count, not quantity. Anyone can sell books to bad and shady publishers, but a good agent knows how to be selective and get you the right deal #pubtip

#querystats after a morning of query reading.

I am hungry to find new novels so SEND ME THE BOOKS. 😎

#pubtip: it's a good thing when an agent offers to have you chat with their existing clients before you sign with them. Make sure you speak to their published AND unpublished authors!

To Please Everyone Means Pleasing No One--Query Advice #querytip bookendsliterary.com/2018/08/02/to-…

Second #pubtip: Agency reputations and rankings can obscure a LOT of bad. If you're seeing agents talk only about these things and you're not hearing any authors tooting their horn, something is deeply wrong. ALWAYS ASK OTHER AUTHORS.

K, so…looks like 50+ queries came in before 8/1 (you guys… *headdesk*), and about 50 have come in today so far. I’m a little rusty, but that seems like a lot for one day… #querytip

My biggest and best #pubtip for querying authors: always, ALWAYS look at an agent's listing on Absolute Write. Someone might seem professional because there's a lot of ways to hide scams in this biz. Read the forums.

If your work is ready, you shouldn't hold back on sending out queries until a Twitter pitch contest happens. Most agents tend to find their clients from the slush in their inboxes 99% of the time. #querytip

Happy August! 😎 Please note that @AlisonFargis, @EmMorgen, and @maddestofburts are now closed to submissions until September 1!

The rest of our agents are still open, and you can find all the info you need on how to query them here: bit.ly/2qSkq1b #querytip

When #amquerying, don't mention you researched an agent & chose her because of A, B, & C, unless A, B, & C are actually true. Kinda defeats the purpose otherwise. Just sayin'... Don't make stuff up to impress. Don't use form "personalized" queries. We see through them. #pubtip

Your work isn't done when you first type "The end". In fact, no one should see your first draft but you. Self-editing & revising before sending your ms to critique & submission is important. Put your book aside for a few days & then read. Flaws will jump out at you.

#pubtip

Well, it’s August 1st. I’m officially open to queries. Here comes the flood… #querytip #amagenting

Friendly reminder: do not pitch myself (or other agents) on social media. This includes Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. Use the proper channels. You don’t want your first impression to be: this person can’t even follow simple directions. #querytip

How I Pitched Murder, She Reported by Peg Cochran #querytip #agentpitch bookendsliterary.com/2018/07/31/how…