As a literary agent, I love seeing stacks of queries in my inbox. Like the other agents at Books & Such, I enjoy discovering unique book ideas, moving memoirs and fresh new voices. However, all literary agents must balance limited …
Queries
When An Agent Doesn’t Reply
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
When an agent doesn’t reply to your query, proposal, burning question, or manuscript submission, is it because she/he doesn’t care?
Admittedly, sometimes writers–whether aspiring or veteran–choose the default answer, “Yes! That must be it! I’m not important …
The “Perfect” Query
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
You’ve seen a number of agent blogs and agent twitters talking about query tips and #queryfail. Agent websites are filled with instructions on how and how-not to query. Nearly every writers conference offers a session or two …
Swipe Left, Swipe Right
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Swipe left or swipe right? People who’ve used Tinder (the app, not scraps of wood and dried leaves) are familiar with those questions.
MedicalXpress.com notes, “Anyone who has used the dating app Tinder knows that swiping …
The Broken Query System
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Broken things drive me crazy. Just call me the Fix-it Fairy. If something is broken–be it an object, a person, or a system–I have trouble accepting the state of brokenness. I want it fixed.
Last week I …
Query Guidelines
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
It’s been over 100˚for so many days even my brain feels hot. (Next few days? 104˚, 101˚, 100˚, 101˚, 100˚, 104˚, 106˚, 105˚.) In spite of sizzling summer I thought I’d tackle the question of queries again.…
What Not to Say
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Plenty of blogs tell you how to approach an agent, what to say and how to say it. Today I’m going to highlight my top ten things not to say when seeking to impress an agent. Here, …
Pitching in Person
Blogger: Rachel Kent
I am diving in now to my preparations for ICRS at the end of June. ICRS is a wonderful place for agents to meet face-to-face with editors to talk about our clients’ projects. There’s great benefit to …
Queries
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
This week and next I’m going to pull up a couple of blogs from the past for a review session. (Remember review sessions from school days? Luckily, no test to follow.)
Just when you thought you couldn’t …
Fatal Submission Mistakes
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
I sense much submission angst out there in writer land. I think a quiz is in order to help you identify some of the fatal submission mistakes a writer might inadvertently make.
Take the quiz and then …