Kaitlyn Johnson
@RedPenKaitlyn
Literary Agent
Agent @belcastr . insta: kjbelcastro. Freelance Editor. Serial comma for life. She/her. Query at QueryManager.com/1147
279 MSWL
345 AskAgent
55 Queries
385 Tips

Hey all! So, since I'm having surgery next week and will be pretty mia in the query box due to it, I'm closing to queries for a bit starting Monday so I can be sure to catch up.

Send in those queries now!
#amagenting #querytip #amquerying #WritingCommunity

Sue Arroyo
@SueArroyoWrites
Other
#Publisher @CamCatBooks , #Entrepreneur , #author , serial pet-adopter, #golfing #mom . Unapologetic about defending New Jersey. Not necessarily in that order.
1 MSWL
1 Tips

There's no secret trick to getting to the top of our slush pile. Sometimes it really comes down to whether or not we find these "errors" in your manuscript. #querytip

Lisa Green
@LisaGreenEdito2
Editor
She/Her Editor for the Mystic Owl line & City Owl Press. Adult only F/SF R querymanager.com/query/lisagree…
72 MSWL
17 Tips

Here's a big #querytip for you from #asktheeditor
If you've already queried me, UNLESS you've significantly revised the manuscript (& I've signed some so that's a real thing), please don't try again thinking I'd forget, or worse yet, forget to track who you've queried already

Carly Watters
@carlywatters
Literary Agent
SVP & Senior Lit Agent @PSLiterary MA in Publishing Studies @CityUniLondon Co-host of @TSNOTYAW VP of Professional Assoc. of Canadian Literary Agents
153 MSWL
229 AskAgent
334 Tips

If anyone wants to tune in I recorded myself on IG answering 90 questions on “Querying 101” >>> instagram.com/tv/CanLs54pcNl… #querytip

Paige Wheeler
@pwheeler_agent
Literary Agent
Lit Agent, wine lover, reluctant runner, book reader, recovering Luddite, badass, mom
7 MSWL
31 Tips

#QueryTip: For nonfiction manuscript proposals, be sure to highlight why you are the PERFECT person to write this book. What makes you uniquely qualified on the subject, and how will you bring something new to the discussion?

Elana Roth Parker
@ElanaRoth
Literary Agent
Kidlit agent w/ @LDLiterary . @aalitagents communications committee. Avid quilter. Still not Elena. Open to queries. She/her.
103 MSWL
3 AskAgent
196 Tips

Gonna add one more: check spellings on names one last time before hitting send. My name auto-corrects to Elena a lot. It’s not Elena. Just…double-check.

Elana Roth Parker
@ElanaRoth
Literary Agent
Kidlit agent w/ @LDLiterary . @aalitagents communications committee. Avid quilter. Still not Elena. Open to queries. She/her.
103 MSWL
3 AskAgent
196 Tips

Be patient! There's been a serious slow-down industry-wide in reading time starting at the publishers. The trickle down effect is real.

Elana Roth Parker
@ElanaRoth
Literary Agent
Kidlit agent w/ @LDLiterary . @aalitagents communications committee. Avid quilter. Still not Elena. Open to queries. She/her.
103 MSWL
3 AskAgent
196 Tips

Do not private message agents (unless invited to) on social media on their personal accounts to ask about querying. The guidelines are almost always out there. Do your own homework. Keep personal spaces personal.

Elana Roth Parker
@ElanaRoth
Literary Agent
Kidlit agent w/ @LDLiterary . @aalitagents communications committee. Avid quilter. Still not Elena. Open to queries. She/her.
103 MSWL
3 AskAgent
196 Tips

Your book should be complete and you should have a solid query letter before you get started. You're a writer. Do the writing. Which means do the reading. Resources abound on query writing. And the category you're writing in.

Elana Roth Parker
@ElanaRoth
Literary Agent
Kidlit agent w/ @LDLiterary . @aalitagents communications committee. Avid quilter. Still not Elena. Open to queries. She/her.
103 MSWL
3 AskAgent
196 Tips

Generally, most agents prefer you only submit one project at a time. I could probably do a whole thread on WHY. If you get a pass, go ahead and submit a new project. Personally I find it awkward to get 3 in a row and have to send a form rejection on all 3. It happens.

Elana Roth Parker
@ElanaRoth
Literary Agent
Kidlit agent w/ @LDLiterary . @aalitagents communications committee. Avid quilter. Still not Elena. Open to queries. She/her.
103 MSWL
3 AskAgent
196 Tips

Elana Roth Parker @ElanaRoth

As I have reopened to submissions, I guess it’s time to re-up some everlasting, evergreen query guidelines, which I find apply to almost all agents and DEFINITELY me. A thread! #querytip #amagenting #WritingCommunity

First, ALWAYS always check the agency website before you hit send. It's the best place to find out how that agent and agency prefer their submissions. A google will get you there if it's not linked in the agent's profile somewhere. No need to ask that question just for yourself.

Eric Williams
@eric5310pub
Editor
Publisher at @5310publishing spreading happiness every day through books. I'm changing the world, one book at a time! 😁 I'm a bottomless pit of information!
29 MSWL
7 AskAgent
26 Tips

Make sure your query letter has no typos. It can be very distracting. I found myself editing a query letter, which makes me think: how much editing will the manuscript need? #QueryEric #querytip

Eric Williams
@eric5310pub
Editor
Publisher at @5310publishing spreading happiness every day through books. I'm changing the world, one book at a time! 😁 I'm a bottomless pit of information!
29 MSWL
7 AskAgent
26 Tips

Even though I am sharing query tips today, you should ALWAYS check the publisher’s and agent’s guidelines before you query with them. Every agent is different, many have different requirements #QueryEric #QueryTip

Eric Williams
@eric5310pub
Editor
Publisher at @5310publishing spreading happiness every day through books. I'm changing the world, one book at a time! 😁 I'm a bottomless pit of information!
29 MSWL
7 AskAgent
26 Tips

Here's a great #querytip: Include the title, word count, genre, who would read, and your comparables in the first couple of lines of your letter. It's what hooks agents/publishers right away. Everything else is extra information, so keep your first paragraph simple. #QueryEric

Ali Herring
@HerringAli
Literary Agent
Literary Agent, Spencerhill Associates. Twin mom+1 📚 Eclectic in life & books. I 💙 Jane Austen & SFF in equal doses. #TeamSpencerhill Ali-ens 👽 rock!
248 MSWL
1 AskAgent
11 Queries
33 Tips

Hey I don't know what's up, but someone's published my email address as a place to query me. I ONLY CONSIDER QUERIES SENT TO QUERY MANAGER. Emailed queries get deleted, unresponded to. This is why it's important to follow query instructions, usually on agents websites #querytip.

Steven Hutson
@wordwiselit
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at WordWise Media Services, member AALA. Check out my blog: wordwisebooks.blogspot.com
11 MSWL
5 AskAgent
70 Tips

Writers! Don't ever underestimate the power of a good platform. It's your brand. When I worked in supermarkets, Oreos always outsold the store brands. Even though they cost more. (Yes I'm looking at you, too, novelists.) #pubtip

James McGowan
@jmcgowanbks
Literary Agent
Literary agent, author, sitcom enthusiast, professional snacker... @bookendslit (he/him)
115 MSWL
18 AskAgent
7 Tips

#QueryTip for #picturebook writers: query one book at a time. Do not send an agent a separate query for every book you’ve written all at once.

Kaitlyn Johnson
@RedPenKaitlyn
Literary Agent
Agent @belcastr . insta: kjbelcastro. Freelance Editor. Serial comma for life. She/her. Query at QueryManager.com/1147
279 MSWL
345 AskAgent
55 Queries
385 Tips
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

Lynn Jones Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit

As a marketing document, the overview not only must reflect your craft and content but also sell it/you. This is why you need to break the 4th wall and speak directly to publishers in the overview in the way you wouldn't in an intro.

What gets confusing is sometimes book proposals will have an overview and then include the intro as a sample chapter. This is fine if the content is expressed different enough but if it's close, then I'd choose another sample. #Pubtip

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

#Pubtip I just read the introduction to a forthcoming book & recognized a lot of the material from the overview of the original book proposal. If you get tripped up over the diff btwn a book intro & overview, you're not alone.