Emmy Nordstrom Higdon
@emmy_of_spines
Literary Agent
📚 lit agent @WCA_LitAgency 📖 advisor @TheFOLD_ ✍ faculty @MSWLMA 🐕‍🦺 recovering PhD 🌈 they/them; Sal: Dr. ♿ clients #SpineSquad 📘
178 MSWL
12 Queries
71 Tips

#QueryTip: If you provide a website or author page link in your query, make sure it works, and that the page is up to date!

BookEnds Literary Agency
@bookendslit
Literary Agency
A literary agency repping bestselling, award-winning, & int'l published authors and illustrators for children & adults. Empowering creators to achieve dreams.
66 MSWL
53 AskAgent
127 Tips
Ann Rose
@annmrose
Literary Agent
agent: @TheTobiasAgency & #rosebudauthor wrangler | author: ROAD TO EUGENICA & BREAKOUT | opinions are my own | she/her rep:@evascalzo layout:@ana_scribe
206 MSWL
449 AskAgent
11 Queries
127 Tips

Bonus #QueryTip — if asked for a synopsis in the submission package that isn’t the query. It’s a separate doc that tells the beginning, middle, and end of a book, complete with character arc. Repeating the query is NOT a synopsis, and spoilers are expected in a synopsis

Ann Rose
@annmrose
Literary Agent
agent: @TheTobiasAgency & #rosebudauthor wrangler | author: ROAD TO EUGENICA & BREAKOUT | opinions are my own | she/her rep:@evascalzo layout:@ana_scribe
206 MSWL
449 AskAgent
11 Queries
127 Tips

#QueryTip: if you are going to pitch your book as a romance then it MUST end with a HEA (happily ever after) or a HFN (happily for now) if it doesn’t, it’s NOT a romance
#amquerying #Writers #WritingCommunity

Kim Lionetti
@BookEndsKim
Literary Agent
Literary agent of adult and young adult fiction. Autism mom. British period drama addict. Gosling aficionado. Penn State alum. She/her.
70 MSWL
66 AskAgent
27 Tips

I reviewed 35 queries yesterday/today.
Category breakdown by QueryManager:
9 women’s fic
9 commercial fic
8 contemp romance
3 historical fic
2 romantic comedy
1 general romance
1 multicultural fic
1 upmarket fic
1 gothic fic
All passes. Here's why...
#querytip

Jennifer March Soloway
@marchsoloway
Literary Agent
Jennifer#4 @AndreaBrownLit | she/her | @MillsMFALit alum | PB+MG+YA+Adult | In love with all things story | ✨Revision is magical!✨
183 MSWL
45 AskAgent
105 Tips

Malia Maunakea Writes @MaliaMaunakea

How many CP groups are you in? Are they full of folks in your genre or from multiple? Would recommend CP groups that stick to the genre you're in, or a variety? #MGAuthorChat

#QueryTip I always ask prospective clients, "Do you have a critique group?" Beyond beta readers, I think it's helpful to read others' work and reciprocate with feedback, as well as give/get support to weather the highs & lows of publishing. Don't have a group? Get one. #amwriting

Adria Goetz
@adriamgoetz
Literary Agent
A bit of a bookworm. Literary Agent + Fairy Godmother at @PSLiterary . ✨ MSWL: adriagoetz.com.
159 MSWL
20 Queries
12 Tips

Avoid making crystal ball predictions in your query letter.

🚫“This book will be a NYT Bestseller.”
🚫“This book will win X award.”

I want to work with people who have their feet on the ground, and realistic expectations for what is a very competitive industry. #querytip

Alec Shane
@alecdshane
Literary Agent
Literary Agent at Writers House, LLC. Wannabe Patriots sportswriter. ashane@writershouse.com
100 MSWL
1 AskAgent
346 Queries
122 Tips

#querytip if you're a previously agented author looking for new representation for a MS that was already out on submission, there likely isn't much a new agent will be able to do with it. We all submit to the same editors, and there are only so many places to send a project.

Kim Lindman
@kim_lindman
Literary Agent
lit agent + smm @StonesongNYC repping cookbooks, nonfiction + select fiction! (send me yours ⬇️) tweets about books/food/life/#adopteevoices *opinions mine*
59 MSWL
9 Tips

a basic #querytip: frame the length of your novel in number of words. number of pages isn't very helpful because there are a lot of factors that change the number of words on a page. is font size 10 or 14? single or double space? is it 8.5x11 or other?

Kaitlyn Johnson
@RedPenKaitlyn
Literary Agent
Agent @belcastr . insta: kjbelcastro. Freelance Editor. Serial comma for life. She/her. Query at QueryManager.com/1147
279 MSWL
345 AskAgent
55 Queries
385 Tips
Cortney Radocaj
@CortneyRadocaj
Literary Agent
literary agent @belcastr • she/they • queer • neurodivergent • query me at QueryManager.com/CortneyRadocaj
111 MSWL
43 AskAgent
74 Tips

#querytip reminder when choosing your genre in the query manager drop-down:

if your book has magic, or paranormal creatures, or is dystopian...

it's not contemporary.

it can be in a contemp setting!! but it isn't *genre* contemporary. make sure to choose the correct genre!

Kaitlyn Johnson
@RedPenKaitlyn
Literary Agent
Agent @belcastr . insta: kjbelcastro. Freelance Editor. Serial comma for life. She/her. Query at QueryManager.com/1147
279 MSWL
345 AskAgent
55 Queries
385 Tips
Samantha Wekstein
@SWekstein
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @TL_Agency . She/Her, Terp🐢, ENFJ, dog lover. Illustrators: wekstein-illustrators.weebly.com. Pitch to QueryManager.com/SamanthaWekste…
139 MSWL
124 Queries
88 Tips

Another #querytip, specificity is key. Don't make vague statements to whet our appetite. Tell us what actually happens! Explain why things are the way they are. Give us examples that exist in your project. If I have lots of questions about the specifics, I'm likely to reject.

Samantha Wekstein
@SWekstein
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @TL_Agency . She/Her, Terp🐢, ENFJ, dog lover. Illustrators: wekstein-illustrators.weebly.com. Pitch to QueryManager.com/SamanthaWekste…
139 MSWL
124 Queries
88 Tips

The five questions your query should answer: Who is your character? What do they want? What are the obstacles to them getting what they want? How will they try to overcome those obstacles? What will happen if they fail (a.k.a the stakes)? #querytip

Lauren Spieller
@laurenspieller
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @TriadaUS | Author of Books for Young Adults | Check my website for book info & query status. I love dogs like it's my job. She/Her
622 MSWL
98 AskAgent
2 Queries
91 Tips

After you sign with an agent, your needs and wants might change. If that happens, DO NOT PANIC. It just means you need to talk to the agent and find out if they're able to adapt to these changes. If so, GREAT. That is the dream. If not, then it's time to move on. #querytip

Lauren Spieller
@laurenspieller
Literary Agent
Literary Agent @TriadaUS | Author of Books for Young Adults | Check my website for book info & query status. I love dogs like it's my job. She/Her
622 MSWL
98 AskAgent
2 Queries
91 Tips

Writers--when looking for an agent, it's really important to assess *your needs and wants* in addition to what sort of book the agent is looking for. It's hard to know the answer up front, but talking to agented authors is a good place to start. #querytip

Ann Rose
@annmrose
Literary Agent
agent: @TheTobiasAgency & #rosebudauthor wrangler | author: ROAD TO EUGENICA & BREAKOUT | opinions are my own | she/her rep:@evascalzo layout:@ana_scribe
206 MSWL
449 AskAgent
11 Queries
127 Tips

#Writingtip: You don’t always have to tell us where a character is looking for us to understand what they are seeing.

Control F: Look - in your MS and destroy as many as you can
#querytip #WritingCommunity #amwriting

Eric Williams
@eric5310pub
Editor
Publisher at @5310publishing spreading happiness every day through books. I'm changing the world, one book at a time! 😁 I'm a bottomless pit of information!
29 MSWL
7 AskAgent
26 Tips

Agents and publishers have specific submission guidelines, and you must follow them, always. #querytip #amquerying

Ann Rose
@annmrose
Literary Agent
agent: @TheTobiasAgency & #rosebudauthor wrangler | author: ROAD TO EUGENICA & BREAKOUT | opinions are my own | she/her rep:@evascalzo layout:@ana_scribe
206 MSWL
449 AskAgent
11 Queries
127 Tips

The number of submission in my inbox that are already published keeps growing.
If your book is available for sale on Amazon, it's published.
Query the next project. (And I don't mean book 2 in the series.)
#QueryTip #amwriting #amquerying