
Literary Agent

Literary Agent

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
Lynn Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
Seriously, 2nd books are hard. When an author gives me material for a 2nd book, fundamental changes are often needed. That can be frustrating & discouraging. "I have to work this hard to get published again?" Yes, you do.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

Literary Agent

Literary Agency
#pubtip Just a hint. If you decide to send something other than what an agent or editor wants in a submission, you should probably expect a rejection due to either your lack of literacy skills or your refusal to follow directions.

Literary Agent
3) The real key is patience & persistence. This client & I have been at this for a year+. She's put together TOCs & couple of intros. We could have pulled the trigger earlier but none felt right until today.

Literary Agent
2) We stumbled on the exact right comp book. The comp isn't on the same topic but we can make a strong case our book will attract the same readership. The other author has a similar (academic) profile & book sold well - both important for a good comp.

Literary Agent
1) We both kept an open mind. We started with the premise she had valuable knowledge. The challenge was how to turn it into a commercial book. No one dictated or got defensive. It took both of us to solve this.

Literary Agent
I started a call with a client today with "I don't think this idea is going to fly" & by the end of the call, I was like "OMG this is so good." I'm excited about the book concept & can't wait to pitch it to publishers. What happened? #pubtip #amwriting

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
Calvert Morgan @CalMorgan
Word to the wise: The first round of typeset pages is called "first pass pages." That is, they're our first pass at typesetting the book.New authors sometimes refer to "pass pages," as in "I'm done with my pass pages!" That's not quite it.
Better: "I'm done with first pass!"
#Pubtip: Not every publisher gives authors the chance to review the second pass (or make many changes). Take time to go through the first pass line by line.

Literary Agent
Dara Kaye @DaraKaye
Just got a query pitching a book described as both "a true story" and "creatively written nonfiction", but lists only novels as comps and notes it's adapted from a story that won a "Best Fiction" prize pic.twitter.com/0mkeGFKyLO#pubtip -- I don't have a ton of time to evaluate and respond to submissions --you want me spending that time reading and responding, not trying to puzzle out what the heck I'm looking at.
Double check you understand the distinctions between genres & your query makes it clear!

Literary Agent
Hey, peeps. Just a reminder to please read our guidelines before submitting to us. I've been getting quite a few queries without sample pages, when I'd really like to see the first five pages too (pasted, NOT attached). #amquerying #pubtip #writingcommunity

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
Today’s #pubtip wisdom comes from an unrelated post on @RachelJSimmons’s excellent Insta. Selling and publishing a book can be, ah, intense reminders of how little control you have over other people’s opinions and purchases.

Literary Agent
Dahlia Adler @MissDahlELama
Anyone looking at your website should be able to answer, if it applies:*Who’s your agent?
*What’s your next release?
*How do I contact you to invite you to participate in something?
*When’s your next event?
Think of the things you’d look at an author’s website for.
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#PubTip If you're looking for an agent, put "I'm currently seeking literary representation" on your webpage, because sometimes agents look people up if they come across something interesting you've written!

Literary Agent
Bridget Smith @bredalot
Sometimes this is because they're only three sentences long, but just as often it's because I don't know how the events described are connected, or I don't know what the stakes are for anything, or I don't understand why this matters for the MC.Remember to share your query with someone who hasn't read the manuscript before sending it out! Since you know what happens in the book, you're usually too close to see what's confusing to the rest of us. #pubtip

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
Villains can be cliches, too. When a villain in a story is too familiar, the threat dissipates, i.e.,evil genius, bad drug corporation, developer, etc. That bad guy has to be shaken up to be newly intriguing. Think of how many Qs agents see. Surprise us. #pubtip