Good morning #WritingCommunity! I’m already seeing some great queries from you. Just wanted to mention I only accept queries through Query Manager (link is in my Twitter bio), but keep them coming! #querytip

There is also a certain type of support professional who concentrates all of their talent on their ability to woo and sign new clients. Before hiring anyone in this field, talk to one of their existing clients to make sure they are still feeling flirted with years down the line.

It's also psychological. A lot of my role is literally just managing my authors' anxiety. (See @kate_mckean's excellent Substack for her thinking on this.) And also engineering the most competitive auction situations possible.😈

The value of a real support professional is relational and alchemic; it's in what we can create in relationship with you, in relationship with editors, etc. We have the creative and market intelligence to elevate work. We know acquiring editors' personalities and desires.

A good agent might not have time to do personalized brain picking with you, but if she wants to connect, she will withhold ZERO information about process, norms, competitive advance ranges and royalties, etc. ZERO. Knowledge of that is not our value add.

This is the mark of a charlatan, whether they're a freelance editor, coach, agent, or whatever. If someone tries to pretend like you need to hire them to get "industry secrets" that you can easily find on google or in a book, such a sample proposal, please avoid that person.

Small #pubtip thread: I was in a coffee shop years ago next to one of those "publishing coaches" doing a paid session with a poor author. As I eavesdropped, he told the woman with great fanfare that he had something very secret and valuable to share: a *real live book proposal.*

1st sentences matter! I can tell A LOT from the 1st few sentences of a manuscript. I love analogies, so for me it’s like meeting someone for the first time. Do I get a firm or soft handshake, a coy look, a confident stare, work-worn or soft hands, somewhere in between. #querytip

Today's #querytip is to include your name in your email.

Hello! I understand if you've gotten a pass & are sending a revision starting from last correspondence & making clear this is a revision. Don't send the exact same query & submission unchanged & DON'T attach to a pass. We can see that you haven't done the work. #subtip #querytip

What if I started sending things to editors with the title & author in the subject & the body of the email is just "AND WITH THAT PLEASE FIND THE ATTACHED." It would be bad, right? So maybe don't query agents that way. You have to serve your work, friends. #querytip #subtip

#QueryTip: Don’t send more pages than the agent asks for - doing so won’t showcase your writing better and it will make it seem like you didn’t read the agent's instructions.

Even though manuscripts are turned in electronically, it's still vital for authors to put page numbers in the manuscript.

#pubtip

Idk how she does it, but I’m indebted to @RFaithEditorial for writing this #querytip thread straight from my own brain!! (Editors *are* basically mind readers so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised)

How I Pitched The Secrets of Lost Stones by Melissa Payne #querytip bookendsliterary.com/2019/08/01/how…

Please don’t pitch your project directly to agents on Twitter. Query us instead. You can query me at: querylynnette (@) theseymouragency (dot) com. Paste query and 1st 5 pages in body of email. NO attachments unless requested. #WritingCommunity #amquerying #pubtip

#WriteTip #QueryTip #PubTip #LifeTip When in doubt...

Check out the latest episode of The Rose Quinn Podcast to hear from literary agent @carlywatters, including her top query no-no's and tips! bit.ly/2Omub6S #querytip #pubtip

#Querytip: Putting book titles (your own, comparison titles, etc) in all caps makes makes it easier for an agent to quickly scan your query email--and it'll help them remember what your project is called!

So. Fess up when looking for a new agent. Don’t hide this. It could seriously damage your career and ruin the relationship you are trying to build. (9/9) #querytip

Thank you for tolerating this rant.