Today's #pubtip thread: A common question prospective clients ask me--and which I believe various agent-interview sites encourage one to ask--is how many clients I have. The wisdom seems to be that you want someone in the middle: s/o experienced but focused.

If you watched last week's video on why agent's don't give feedback on queries, you'll want to watch the follow-up! -- Why Agent's Don't Give Feedback on Submissions #writingcommunity #querytip youtu.be/ywCXETaAlAw via @YouTube

Take care with your work! Try to show me your best side! Treat me with basic professional courtesy! But don't worry too much if you make a small human error - I know it happens and have done it myself. #pubtip

Look, the kind of faux pas that will lead to an auto-reject on a query are like "this person seems like an absolute nightmare to work with" and "didn't even bother to run spellcheck," not "copy-paste error" or "introduced typo in last-minute tweak." #pubtip

Talking Down About Others & Yourself. Agent @ericsmithrocks shares three surprising query letter mistakes: bit.ly/2MPYka6 via @PubCrawlBlog #querytip #pubtip

#QueryTip re: comp titles: when I see “none” or “can’t think of any” or “totally original!” it doesn’t intrigue me; it worries me. Worries me that you aren’t well read in your genre or don’t want to put in the work to research. I get what you’re trying to say: (1/)

#QueryTip: Especially true for nonfiction: Think long and hard about your title – a misleading or imprudent title can paint your writing in a less flattering light.

#QueryTip unless I specifically request to see your manuscript again after certain changes are made, please don’t send that manuscript again. If I passed, it’s because it didn’t hit fundamentals of what I’m looking for, not because it needed another round of edits.

It's been a really busy summer so even though these look like low numbers, please know that I am behind but still in there. #querystats #queryupdate Oldest Query is May 25; oldest full is Feb 4th or April 1 depending on who you ask.

Truth. Make me fall in love with the premise and then the sample pages. Your bio might be interesting, but the writing is what’ll hook me. #amquerying #querytip #writingcommunity

I don't represent adult books. So if you are acknowledging that fact IN YOUR QUERY then why even waste your time and query me? Do yourself a favor and query an agent who does represent what you are writing. #amquerying #amwriting #querytip

Always include plot & stakes in your query letter. You can be the nicest person on earth in your intro, but I still have to know 1-what your novel’s basic hook & plot are & 2-what’s at stake for your characters & their world. I don’t have time to search for it! Auto no. #querytip

I often get the sense that writers are trying to flex their lyric/descriptive muscles as hard as possible in the first paragraph of their manuscript--which almost always ends up making it a pass for me. #querytip

#QueryTip: Be positive and self-assured! Expressing doubt about the quality of your manuscript is not going to inspire confidence in the agent you’re trying to hook.

The longer I agent, the longer I realize the query is a promise. When you make a promise to someone, it’s usually important, there’s something behind it that matters. When you FULFILL that promise, good things happen. #querytip #writetip

Here is a weird #querytip for #amquerying authors.

Most of you will be aghast, I'm sure.

But for the rest of you: DO NOT try to be flirtatious with me in your query. Do not make it about my looks. I can look like a Tolkien Uruk-hai and STILL sell your books.

Be professional.

The biggest challenge as an agent isn't placing an author with no sales record; it's one with a mixed to not-so-great sales record. Some of my most beloved authors fall in this category. #pubtip

Just want to re-up this because I think about this a lot and it's very very true (with necessary caveat that if the situation changes; you have an offer of rep; etc., that is totally 100 percent fine). #querytip

#querytip and #synopsistip
They are two different things. Do your research. Your query is not a synopsis.

Also, YOU GOT THIS!

A #pubtip for y'all searching for your own authority today: those people who seem so much more certain & on the ball? Most simply don't have the socialization, self-knowledge, or innate intelligence required to recognize complexity and consider conflicting concepts simultaneously