Friends, it reads a bit funny when you talk about yourself in third person in your query. Please just be yourself! I promise, you are enough. #subtip #querytip

Been digging into my query backlog and have been noticing some very basic mistakes writers are making. So putting together a #QueryTip thread. These are things every writer should know before they start querying, to put their best foot forward.

How to Use Publishers Marketplace youtu.be/GLHv7UB1-38 via @YouTube #QueryTip #PubTip

#querytip time! It's great for aspiring authors to start building a mailing list early, if you can.

It's NOT great for querying authors to add potential agents to their mailing list without consent.

So here's a thing about your query letter - you need to tell me the plot of your book. A lot of people I've read today have told me characters' motivations or what their MC THINKS of characters, or stressors, but what's the plot? I need a through line or hook #querytip #subtip 💛

Your semi-regular reminder that I delete queries when they misgender me. I don't even read them. The barest minimum of googling will tell you my pns are they/them & am not a Ms., Mrs., or Miss. Thank you! #querytip #subtip

#querytip #pubtip: Recently, the most common reason I've rejected submissions is due to info-dumping early in the book. Remember you need to hook your reader first. More information can be parceled out later. Also, just be sure to write tightly. Use words economically.

Inbox status: I've responded to all queries sent before today, and all submissions sent before Jan 1, 2020. #amagenting #querytip

Reminder that all queries need to be submitted through the Prospect submission site (unless directed by me) otherwise it will be rejected unread.
This isn't to be mean, but to be fair to all the authors who followed guidelines.
#querytip #SlushInsight

#querytip quick (and v subjective, personal) reminder—opening with an intense, graphic sex scene is going to immediately turn me off of a manuscript.

Sex in an MS is fine in general for me, but DEAR GOD please let me get immersed in the world and characters first.

Don't have an agent but feel your work would be perfect for me? I've just added a Twitter pitch event for this month to my events. Check it out here: enigmaticeditor.blogspot.com/p/events.html #pubtip #querytip #writetip #writersroad

There's a time for self-deprecation, a query letter is not one of them. Telling me all the reasons why I shouldn't believe in you isn't going to get me to believe in you. BELIEVE in yourself, believe in the story you want to tell, and don't sell yourself short. #querytip 10/10

An ideal blurb will introduce us to the characters, the inciting incident and the conflict/what's at stake. Don't worry about giving me ALL the details, that's what the manuscript is for. #querytip 9b/10

Re: the BLURB. Is it bogged down in backstory? Does it have nothing to do with the sample pages you are about to show me? Does it give us a clear sense of the stakes & conflict? Those are the types of questions you should ask yourself when you write them. (cont.) #querytip 9a/10

PROOFREAD. And send your query and sample pages to someone else and have them critique it/proofread. And then proofread it some more. Typos exist and everyone makes them, and aren't the end of the world. But the cleaner your copy, the better. #querytip 8/10

Even when using an online form, I like to see the query in letter format. I like to see a salutation (Dear Eva, is perfectly fine), but I also like a hint of what it is I'm about to read about (TITLE is my GENRE of XX words). (cont.) #querytip 6a/10

Titles matter because they are the first thing we see when you are introducing us to your manuscript. A really terrible title might be memorable but leaves you with a not-great first impression and that's not what you want when you're querying. #querytip 5c/10

Or is there a line in the manuscript that resonates? Find some way to adapt that into something that evokes the story. Avoid subtitles. And remember to not get too attached, titles often change at the publisher. (cont.) #querytip 5b/10

TITLES. Listen, I'm bad at titles. I think they're impossible. BUT I'm convinced I'm not nearly as bad as I think when I look at so many of the titles I see in my inbox. Look at other books publishing in your genre, see what the trend is and mimic it (cont.) #querytip 5a/10

Every agent is different so check submission guidelines. I ask for query + first 3 chapters. Your book doesn't have chapters? Then send me the first 30 pages. Don't send me 3 random chapters, don't send me 10 pages, don't send me things I don't ask for. #querytip 4/10