Cortney Radocaj
@CortneyRadocaj
Literary Agent
literary agent @belcastr • she/they • queer • neurodivergent • query me at QueryManager.com/CortneyRadocaj
111 MSWL
43 AskAgent
74 Tips

3) And arguably most importantly, it makes it almost impossible to see market potential in a vague query. Every book needs a good hook—but SFF in particular NEEDS to have something to make it stand apart from every other SFF book on the market.

Cortney Radocaj
@CortneyRadocaj
Literary Agent
literary agent @belcastr • she/they • queer • neurodivergent • query me at QueryManager.com/CortneyRadocaj
111 MSWL
43 AskAgent
74 Tips

2) It ends up being applicable to many, many stories... which is not what you want. You want your query to ONLY apply to your story. Take out the names—is your query tailored and specific enough that if someone read it they would ONLY think of your book?

Cortney Radocaj
@CortneyRadocaj
Literary Agent
literary agent @belcastr • she/they • queer • neurodivergent • query me at QueryManager.com/CortneyRadocaj
111 MSWL
43 AskAgent
74 Tips
Cortney Radocaj
@CortneyRadocaj
Literary Agent
literary agent @belcastr • she/they • queer • neurodivergent • query me at QueryManager.com/CortneyRadocaj
111 MSWL
43 AskAgent
74 Tips

#querytip don't feel like you need to update agents any time someone requests a full or shows interest in your manuscript! You only need to notify agents if there's a change in the STATUS of your query (i.e. offer is made, withdrawing, etc.)

Naomi Davis
@NaomisLitPix
Literary Agent
Eternally optimistic Literary Agent at @Bookendslit Genderqueer 🏳️‍🌈 ND; I laugh & love relentlessly. Repped by the phenomenal @4triciaskinner
208 MSWL
214 AskAgent
183 Tips
Zabé Ellor
@ZREllor
Literary Agent
Bestselling author of MAY THE BEST MAN WIN🏈| SILK FIRE🐉| ACTING THE PART (12/7/22)🎥| assoc. agent @JDLitAgency | rep @RedPenKaitlyn | opinions mine | he/they
224 MSWL
3 AskAgent
29 Tips

#querytip Obscenely-long word count is an auto-reject for me

Alec Shane
@alecdshane
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at Writers House, LLC. Wannabe Patriots sportswriter. ashane@writershouse.com
100 MSWL
1 AskAgent
346 Queries
122 Tips

#pubtip I feel like authors worry about the title of their MS, like it can make or break the query.

Of every book I've published, very few kept the original title from beginning to end, and it usually changed multiple times during the editing process. Don't stress it so much.

Lynn Jones Johnston
@lynnjohnstonlit
Literary Agent
#LiteraryAgent repping journalists, teachers, healers, thought leaders, fire breathers & all-around good people. Board @aalitagents . She/Her
26 MSWL
118 Tips

Just explained my author:
SELL IN. Books that publishers ship to retailers.
SELL THROUGH. Books purchased by consumers thru retailers. Bookscan tracks 80% of these sales.
SPECIAL SALES. Bulk discounts, back-of-the-room sales, corp orders
#pubtip

Anna Sproul-Latimer
@annasproul
Literary Agent
Founding Partner, Neon Literary. Get in, loser, we’re making it art. neonliterary.com
28 MSWL
95 Tips

I’ve spent much of this week talking w/ agent friends about a specific kind of professional violation: the exciting author who makes a verbal commitment, disappears, and then either signs with s/o else or just poof! Is in PubMark one day w/a surprise deal. (Incoming #pubtip rant)

Mary C. Moore
@Mary_C_Moore
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
110 MSWL
42 AskAgent
222 Tips

Because we have to be absolutely sure before we offer on a project, a submission that is on the fence may take much longer to respond to. I may read the sample 3 or 4 times over a few months to see if my initial reaction holds, if it grows on me, or if I lose interest. #querytip

Stephanie Delman
@imaginarysmd
Literary Agent
Professional hype woman/literary agent. Founding partner at @trellislit . Black lives matter & trans lives matter. she/her
14 MSWL
15 Tips

Today's queries include comps to Henry James, Dostoevsky, James Joyce, Mark Twain, Faulkner, and Sylvia Plath. #querytip: ...don't do this? Don't compare yourself to the classics?

Tara Gilbert
@Literary_Tara
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at @ktliterary | 🌈she/them | ✨magical | opinions my own | Gemini ☼ Pisces ☽ Capricorn ↑
245 MSWL
46 AskAgent
25 Tips

Not sure about other agents, but I LOVE when a query starts with a catchy first line that basically sums up the whole plot. Think of your "what if" question or the pitch you used during #pitmad. The line the NYT bestsellers list would use for your book. #querytip #amquerying

BookEnds Literary Agency
@bookendslit
Literary Agency
A literary agency repping bestselling, award-winning, & int'l published authors and illustrators for children & adults. Empowering creators to achieve dreams.
66 MSWL
53 AskAgent
127 Tips
Anna Sproul-Latimer
@annasproul
Literary Agent
Founding Partner, Neon Literary. Get in, loser, we’re making it art. neonliterary.com
28 MSWL
95 Tips
Nephele Tempest
@NepheleTempest
Literary Agent
Literary agent @KnightAgency , writer, and unapologetic bookworm. Opinions are my own, and I've got a lot of them. CURRENTLY CLOSED TO QUERIES. She/Her
9 MSWL
28 AskAgent
10 Tips

Today I rejected 4 manuscripts that came in labeled as Middle Grade, despite clearly being works for adults. 3 were in genres I don't rep at all. Read the form, folks. #querytip

Caroline Eisenmann
@CarolineMEisen
Literary Agent
Literary agent at @GoldinAgency . ce (at) goldinlit (dot) com.
4 MSWL
7 Tips

A great query gets my attention, but a great first few pages is what gets me to start reading the manuscript when I go home that night. #querytip

Ann Rose
@annmrose
Literary Agent
agent: @TheTobiasAgency & #rosebudauthor wrangler | author: ROAD TO EUGENICA & BREAKOUT | opinions are my own | she/her rep:@evascalzo layout:@ana_scribe
207 MSWL
448 AskAgent
11 Queries
127 Tips

Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers. Give your query letter to a friend or family member who knows nothing about your book. If they are confused by the query letter, we will be too.
#Querytip #SlushInsight #amquerying

Heather Cashman
@HeatherCashman
Literary Agent
literary agent, agent mentor @StormLiterary motorcycling | kayaking | mountain biking | writing
62 MSWL
28 AskAgent
23 Tips

#querytip
How not to query: email with 33 attachments and ask me to email a reply with my submission requirements.

#amquerying #amwriting

P.S. Literary Agency
@PSLiterary
Literary Agency
Representing a diverse list of internationally published, award-winning, bestselling and debut creators.
2641 MSWL
71 AskAgent
3 Queries
179 Tips

Do You Know The Difference Between Literary, Upmarket and Commercial Fiction?

Knowing how to categorize your work is one of the most important skills a writer needs to know–especially while querying. bit.ly/1WLrOpD #pubtip #querytip

Caitlin McDonald
@literallycait
Literary Agent
literary agent @MaassLitAgency for SFF, YA, & GN • she/her • queer • ADHD • intensely editorial 📚 #BLM #TransRightsAreHumanRights
69 MSWL
33 AskAgent
124 Queries
39 Tips

#querytip: Industry standard is to give agents 2 weeks notice when you receive an offer of representation. I've been seeing/hearing of a lot of one-week notices lately & that's not enough time for most agents to read, given our other commitments to our clients!