1st sentences matter! I can tell A LOT from the 1st few sentences of a manuscript. I love analogies, so for me it’s like meeting someone for the first time. Do I get a firm or soft handshake, a coy look, a confident stare, work-worn or soft hands, somewhere in between. #querytip

Today's #querytip is to include your name in your email.

Hello! I understand if you've gotten a pass & are sending a revision starting from last correspondence & making clear this is a revision. Don't send the exact same query & submission unchanged & DON'T attach to a pass. We can see that you haven't done the work. #subtip #querytip

What if I started sending things to editors with the title & author in the subject & the body of the email is just "AND WITH THAT PLEASE FIND THE ATTACHED." It would be bad, right? So maybe don't query agents that way. You have to serve your work, friends. #querytip #subtip

#QueryTip: Don’t send more pages than the agent asks for - doing so won’t showcase your writing better and it will make it seem like you didn’t read the agent's instructions.

Idk how she does it, but I’m indebted to @RFaithEditorial for writing this #querytip thread straight from my own brain!! (Editors *are* basically mind readers so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised)

How I Pitched The Secrets of Lost Stones by Melissa Payne #querytip bookendsliterary.com/2019/08/01/how…

#WriteTip #QueryTip #PubTip #LifeTip When in doubt...

Check out the latest episode of The Rose Quinn Podcast to hear from literary agent @carlywatters, including her top query no-no's and tips! bit.ly/2Omub6S #querytip #pubtip

#Querytip: Putting book titles (your own, comparison titles, etc) in all caps makes makes it easier for an agent to quickly scan your query email--and it'll help them remember what your project is called!

So. Fess up when looking for a new agent. Don’t hide this. It could seriously damage your career and ruin the relationship you are trying to build. (9/9) #querytip

Thank you for tolerating this rant.

Not to mention, getting published isn’t just about the story. It’s also about the networking agents have with editors, the trust THEY have gained. Hiding this info can test that as well (8/?) #querytip

Your agent needs to trust you, just as you trust them. And that starts right at the query. By hiding this info, you’re essentially already cheating your potential agent (7/?) #querytip

If you don’t mention it in the query, you BETTER mention it during the offer of rep call. Otherwise, you’re starting off this relationship with a lie (6/?) #querytip

Even if you’ve significantly revised the ms, some editors still won’t want to see it again. You should not be setting your agent up for this kind of embarrassment (5/?) #querytip

Because, when your new agent sends out that ms, they can no longer consider the editors who already saw it! If they don’t know, they’ll send it and get a “Why are you sending this, I already read it” response. (4/?) #querytip

This ALSO goes for if the manuscript you’re now querying this new agent has ever been on submission to editors! Again, this is something your new agent has to know. Why? (3/?) #querytip

If you have been previously represented by another agent, you should mention that in your query. The agent has a right to ask you about it, why that relationship ended and who it was with (2/?) #querytip

In today's #querytip I'm going to suggest you always explain what the plot complication is.
Ex of what NOT to do: 10 year old Jane and her dog, Spot, are on an adventure to save her father from a colony of gigantic Fire Ants, but things gets complicated!

#querytip
Put your whole name and links in your signature. I've requested manuscripts based on research done after looking at links. Just a first name signature makes me wonder if you really understand the business side of writing and take it seriously.
#amquerying #amwriting