Don't subscribe a submissions account to your newsletter. 1) It's rude to subscribe people without asking in general. 2) Submissions is for submissions. If you clog the submissions inbox, I am less likely to read or be excited about your actual query. #subtip #querytip

When querying, sometimes the waiting becomes too much and the idea of sending nudges to literary agents is really tempting. Here are some rules to help you decide when you should and shouldn’t send a nudge: bit.ly/2XwVM8I via @msmariavicente #querytip #amquerying

Please do not change the name of the person you're querying. Ex. many people in publishing do not change their name when they get married, & it looks esp creeps if you email them as Mrs. [their spouse's name you have no reason to know]. Use their actual name. #subtip #querytip

If you're querying & it's a referral, 1) make sure it's someone the person you're querying actually knows (it's confusing if they don't know the person referring you...) and 2) sometimes it's helpful to put their name in the subject line as well as the query. #subtip #querytip

Short thread for today as I spend the morning in submissions: First, you don't have to email back to apologize for grammatical errors or character names swapped. We all make mistakes. Most agents don't hold grammar against you as long as we can read your work. #subtip #querytip

Cynical opinion: opening a query letter with how much you love to write or how you've always been a storyteller is not a compelling pitch. I assume the former to be true about all submissions, and the latter you can prove through a list of your publications. #querytip

Today’s #pubtip wisdom comes from an unrelated post on @RachelJSimmons’s excellent Insta. Selling and publishing a book can be, ah, intense reminders of how little control you have over other people’s opinions and purchases.

#PubTip If you're looking for an agent, put "I'm currently seeking literary representation" on your webpage, because sometimes agents look people up if they come across something interesting you've written!

Remember to share your query with someone who hasn't read the manuscript before sending it out! Since you know what happens in the book, you're usually too close to see what's confusing to the rest of us. #pubtip

Ok, having now read 100+ of the queries that came in since I opened: the most common problem I'm seeing is that they don't actually make it clear what the book is ABOUT. #pubtip

This is a first. A 55 page query letter.
#SlushInsight #Agentlife #querytip

#querytip Unless you’re Octavia Butler, don’t start your novel with your protagonist waking up

Just a reminder that I can't accept queries through email or the contact form on my personal website - only through QueryManager. (I am currently closed except through client or industry referral though. Will update when that changes!) #querytip #amquerying

#querytip A query for a novel should have three strong paragraphs describing the plot of the story. Nothing matters as much when I’m reading as these three paragraphs

#querytip Please don’t tell me about your other projects in the query—that should be saved for the call.

Just a #querytip reminder: I do not accept queries through email. Please make sure you are using my QM link per my sub guidelines. Queries sent to my email will be deleted unanswered. Having all my queries in one place allows me to stay organized and timely in my responses.

It's not a great look to speak poorly of the books you're comping to in your query letter.
#querytip #amquerying

Hi hello how are you. Don't send me Nazi romances. Don't send me Nazi redemption arcs. I don't want them and if you send them to me I will never work with you on anything ever. #querytip #protip #askagent #writingcommunity #tellallyourlilfriends #cuzimsickofthisshit

Grammar and the Inferiority Complex: My latest questions whether submissions are really rejected based on grammar errors. #querytip #askagent marycmoore.com/index.php/2019…

It is always (always!) a good idea to go over your #queryletter one last time before you submit it #QueryTip #AmQuerying #WritingCommunity