Under no circumstances should you GROUP DM agents to query your work. #pubtip #amquerying

Communication is a two-way street and asking how an agent communicates is a good first step to starting a relationship, but having the ability to discuss what’s working and not working is what forms the strongest relationships. #PubTip #AuthorAgent bookendsliterary.com/2018/04/24/com…

If you're getting form rejections or rejections with no feedback from editors or agents, consider having people critique your query letter and synopsis in addition to the manuscript. It could be that your pitch isn't selling the book.

#pubtip

How many illustrations are in a #PictureBook?

They're not just great for delaying bedtime! #Illustrators work to bring visuals to our favorite #stories & our Lead Agent, Regina Brooks explains how. #BooksByTheNumbers

@scbwi @ALALibrary #ChildrensBooks #KidLit #PubTip #WNDB

Hear what agent @carlywatters has to say about completing your manuscript before seeking representation. #querytip #pubtip

Ask yourself honestly--is your email REALLY TRULY in need of a red exclamation point? #pubtip

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.*

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

#pubtip

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

Here is another #pubtip I find myself giving almost all clients at one point--perhaps something that would be useful to you as well if you're an author/aspiring author as Very Online as I am. It's about retraining your brain for the rigors and anxiety of a book-writing career.

Hear what agent @carlywatters has to say about completing your manuscript before seeking representation. #querytip #pubtip

I have an upcoming blog post on why preorders are important. In the meantime, published authors, once your book is available for preorder it's no longer "coming soon" on your website. It's "preorder now" #pubtip

"Focus on networking rather than pitching. . . Making the most of those opportunities is making yourself memorable." #PubTip #Conferences youtube.com/watch?v=JJvoAH… via @YouTube

I've been thinking a lot about my submission process recently, questioning WHY I do things the way that I do, and that's probably worth a thread. #querytip #pubtip

I really, really, really don't want a publishing start up that disrupts query letters.

#amquerying #pubtip #writingcommunity #amwriting

katemckean.substack.com/p/i-dont-want-…