Q: How much of the story should a query cover?

A: You're just pitching the story, not giving away all the details. Similar to the back cover description on a published book. #querytip

Reading through queries this morning and I have two very obvious #querytip. 1) I don't want to see debut projects greater than 150,000 words. 2) Your book should be 100% complete before you query me.

This whole thread is amazingly great, but I think this one in particular is something all authors would do well to follow. #querytip

#querytip --- as general rule, do NOT comment on an agent's appearance. It doesn't matter if you think it's a compliment. It doesn't matter if their picture spoke to you (whatever that means). #WritingCommunity #HowNotToQuery I really shouldn't have to say this. 🙄 #amquerying

Oh goodness gracious, loves of mine, PLEASE do not subscribe someone to your email list w/o asking, but also DO NOT subscribe a submissions email to your list. At any given time w btwn 1k & 3k emails in our submissions, only submissions go there, I'm begging you #querytip #subtip

Authors: Please do NOT send your #query to my inbox. All queries must come through QueryManager. I delete all queries in my email. For your sake, and those who want to read your words, follow submission guidelines! #querytip
corvisieroagency.com/saritza-hernan…

Authors, DO NOT CALL EDITORS AT WORK. Most of the big 5 publishers, maybe all, do not take unsolicited manuscripts. #querytip

#querytip A referral from a name I don't know actually hurts you more than it helps because it feels like someone's trying to run a scam. Only mention a referral if it's someone you're sure I know and trust.

Dudes! If you are querying an agent you need to write a professional business letter to them. I seriously do not want to see a single other query that tells me about someone's adorable pet (unless it is the story). #querytip #agentrant #pubtip #amquerying

Reminder that if you choose comps that are all wildly different, 20+ y/o mega-bestsellers (and give no justification!), agents are going to doubt your knowledge of the current market you are writing in #querytip

The bio section of your query is an important supporting role to your pitch. Give us a snapshot of who you are as a writer. Doesn’t need to be full of pub credits, but if it’s vague or non-related, that indicates you’re unsure about your brand as an author. #querytip #askagent

From my intern, Amber: #QueryTip – Seven tips from the slush pile for those #amquerying well-storied.com/blog/seven-sub…

Wondering if hiring an editor is right for you? This post might help.

#AmWriting #WritingTip #AmQuerying #QueryTip

hollowayliteraryagency.com/2019/02/18/sho…

Lead with your best work that’s market-ready and right for *me*! We’ll talk about your other projects when I love your MS and call to find out more about you. #querytip

but never knowing about the story that makes it wonderful. I don't like being told the book is good. Let me judge it for myself. Instead, convince me it's good with how you paint the query and the story itself. It's like the whole don't tell but show when writing. Just show me.

They're saying their work will be as big and amazing as *insert popular title here* and sometimes they even put how it's movie worthy. The other is when the query has absolutely nothing on what the story is actually about. It's tiring reading a query about how wonderful a book is

#querytip I've come to realize that two things always alert me of when I might not like a story before I've even read it. The first is when the query compares the story to popular works. And I don't mean that they're saying their story is similar to these popular works.

Opening your pitch with a rhetorical question can be risky, particularly the "have you ever wondered" type. Because most of the time, I haven't ever wondered. So it won't lure me in the way a pitch should. #querytip

There's usually an exception to every rule, but don't TRY to be the exception. It's usually obvious. #querytip

Likewise, I'm seeing MG at astronomically high levels, like 80k+. This also scares me. High word counts tell me either a) you can't self-edit b) something is very overblown. (Don't ask me what a good word count is. Many people have written about it. Google it.) #querytip