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
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

I know everyone is excited about nanowrimo and stuff, but it’s really not a good time to query with any agent. It’s the end of the year, most agents are triple busy and don’t have time to read any submissions. #querytip

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

#querytip checking in constantly on the status of your submission is a great way to get an agent to respond to you faster, as they'll go right to your query, reject it, and move along with their day

Beth Phelan
@beth_phelan
Literary Agent
she/her. mg & ya literary agent @galltzackerlit . founder 501c3 NPO @_DiverseVoices (#DVpit/#DVart, DVcon &more). closed to unsolicited submissions.
128 MSWL
125 AskAgent
27 Tips

Steven Hutson @wordwiselit

Don't be defensive and suspicious toward agents and publishers. It's a waste of energy and emotion. Instead, learn what a good deal looks like, and you'll know when the good isn't there. #pubtip

Be defensive and suspicious toward agents that discourage you from protecting yourself, your work, your dreams, and your career. Educating yourself on what’s “good” applies to vetting your advocates and publisher. #pubtip

Heather McCorkle
@McCorkle_Editor
Editor
AQ editor w/City Owl, Editorial Director of Mystic Owl, romance in: SF/F genres for adults only! Love is love. cityowlpress.com enigmaticeditor.bl
95 MSWL
78 Tips

#AboutEditor: Present tense just isn't my jam. If you submit a ms written in present tense to me, your chances of an offer are about 5%. Some of my other editors love it, though, so don't despair! #MysticOwlBooks #querytip

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

I'm not here to bash those wanting to be agents. But I am here to say this is why we MUST have internships, apprenticeships, true mentorships, etc. We should also have BEEN an agent elsewhere before opening our own solo practice
(4/4)
#amquerying #querytip #writingcommunity

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

W/o this level of mentorship, the initial clients will no doubt suffer through bad contract negotiations and more due to the agent needing to "learn as they go" rather than having that background BEFORE accepting their own clients
(3/?)
#amquerying #querytip #writingcommunity

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
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

Who's doing Nano? Remember, don't send your manuscript out immediately afterwards! Be sure to let it sit for a bit and revise before you #query. #querytip #querytrenches #amquerying #asktheeditor

Theresa Cole
@TheresaMCole
Editor
Acquiring Editor for 🦉 @CityOwlPress and #MysticOwlBooks . 🦉 INFJ Addicted to 🌞sunshine, ☕️coffee, 🏍motorcycle riding, and ⛺camping.
28 MSWL
2 Tips

#pubtip for the #writingcommunity before #amquerying

If your book is more than 130k words, odds of someone picking it up drop exponentially. That's a huge commitment, for both editors and readers. Take a closer look and see if it can be broken into two books instead of one.

Tamela HancockMurray
@Tamela_Murray
Literary Agent
Christian wife, mother. Agent at The Steve Laube Agency. I love God, family, life. ACFW Agent of the Year for 2017, finalist for 2019. Member ACFW, AWSA.
28 Tips
Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
📚 lit agent @WCA_LitAgency 📖 advisor @TheFOLD_ ✍ faculty @MSWLMA 🐕‍🦺 recovering PhD 🌈 they/them; Sal: Dr. ♿ clients #SpineSquad 📘
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips
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

#QueryTip: if you have a website, make sure it works. If you have social media accounts, make sure they are active.

There’s no point mentioning them in your query if they are not working/active/updated.

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 are some #querystats:
👉 We got 300+ submissions in 2021.

👉 Sent offers to 5 authors, signed up with 4 of them. (3 in Feb, 1 in October).

Tips: Don’t take rejections so personally. Don’t call us gatekeepers. Write a query letter. Follow guidelines. Be patient. Good luck!

Helen Heller
@helenheller
Literary Agent
Terrifyingly blunt expat Geordie literary agent who loves good writing, great stories & fashion.
36 Tips

If you want to query us *please* read the guidelines on thehelenhelleragency.com!
We need to see the first 3 chapters. A synopsis alone won’t help at all. #querytip

Janet Reid
@Janet_Reid
Literary Agent
By day I'm a literary agent in NYC. By night I'm the QueryShark. My favorite color is fuchsia. I love maps, interrobangs, and twisty plot lines.
2 MSWL
31 Tips

I don't know why query letter writers apologize for not being published previously.

Fully 1/3 of my clients had ZERO pub credits when I signed them, and then sold their books.

#querytip

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

To those who queried me yesterday and today...

Yes I am going through the box tonight because I'm now at 180 and anxiety is real. This is just me wanting to maintain the box and get answers out sooner rather than later so you aren't waiting for months
#querytip #amquerying

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

Ok, final stat:

opened to queries at 10:10AM

It is now 10:10PM

I received 113 queries today.
#amquerying #amagenting #querytip #writingcommunity

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
206 MSWL
449 AskAgent
11 Queries
127 Tips

Query box trend: Using more than 1 genre to identify your work--While yes, a book can have more than one it can't sit on all the shelves simultaneously so you need to decide where it would fit best. And vague "teens and adults will love this" isn't a genre either. 😉
#QueryTip

Kim Lindman
@kim_lindman
Literary Agent
lit agent + smm @StonesongNYC repping cookbooks, nonfiction + select fiction! (send me yours ⬇️) tweets about books/food/life/#adopteevoices *opinions mine*
59 MSWL
9 Tips

Bibi Lewis @Bibi_Lewis

And my forever #1 piece of query advice is FOLLOW SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR GOODNESS SAKE. #amquerying

Yes to everything Bibi says in this thread! But in particular, look at submission guidelines ON THE AGENCY WEBSITE, because someone's blog post or listicle on an agent's wishlist/guidelines may be out of date (or just wrong) #querytip