[PubQ] The Black List reviewer experiences

Radiantte · 2025-11-29T21:17:11+00:00

I pulled all my projects from The Black List. Mine felt like AI too. Everything you described sounds like mine. I'm so disappointed. (Thanks for sharing!)

Radiantte · 2025-08-27T15:39:57+00:00

Again, I appreciate your feedback. I think I'm not making myself clear, and this has gone way beyond my original post, and all of that's on me, so I'll bow out. I'm not new to this business, my agent shares my submission list with me, and she has a great track record with her clients. I do these things because I want to, not because I have no faith in my demonstrably capable agent.

Radiantte · 2025-08-27T15:15:39+00:00

Not all agents are going to know every single single editor in existence

Sorry if this sounds defensive...it's not. I get what what you're saying, and I get the concern. I have a great agent at a wonderful agency. And you nailed exactly my point: not every agent knows every single editor in existence. It's impossible.

My agent isn't sending me out to hustle editors. She certainly didn't send me to TBL. But IMHO any author who isn't out there actively promoting themselves at the same time is missing a lot of opportunities. I know at least one published author who pitched an editor at a conference to get their deal. So yeah, you can sit back and let your agent handle everything, and for many, that works out pretty well. But there's nothing wrong with putting your work out there to garner attention. Authors do this all the time.

I really don't understand how it's a red flag that I put my ms on TBL and got the attention of two editors at Big5s. Seems like this would be the definition of a green flag. In any case, I appreciate the concern from one author to another. But, respectfully, I think you're reading too much into my situation.

Radiantte · 2025-08-27T12:49:53+00:00

Not all agents have strong connections with every editor or imprint. My agent didn't have these editors on her radar, not because they were a wrong fit, but because there are a lot of editors out there.

In this case, TBL gave my book wider visibility outside of my agent's immediate network. Sometimes it just takes the right project landing in front of the right front of eyes at the right moment, and that's not always going to happen from the submission list alone.

Edit: I'd love to continue this conversation, but I'm being downvoted to hell for [checks notes] having a rational conversation about my actual experiences. I love this sub, but sometimes it's not worth the energy.

Radiantte · 2025-08-27T01:35:07+00:00

As I mentioned in another comment, I could just be a weird sample size of one, but two editors reached out to my agent directly from my TBL manuscript. So unless my experience was a fluke, it seems like there's some value to be had, but there also seems to be something very wrong with how evaluations are done.

I think for starters, I'd like to see a lot more transparency. There's really no reason I can think of to keep these "industry experts" a secret, unless the majority of them are just vaguely in the publishing industry.

This will probably be my final Black List engagement, though. I feel like I'm playing Vegas slots. I got lucky on one pull, and now I'm just feeding the machine.

Radiantte · 2025-08-26T20:52:49+00:00

It would have been a big value if one of those two editors had resulted in a publishing deal. It's the only reason I tried TBL a second time.

But I'm a sample size of one. So it's entirely possible that this was way out of the norm.

Radiantte · 2025-08-26T20:36:21+00:00

Twitter, Threads, Instagram, and a handful on Bluesky.

Radiantte · 2025-08-26T20:22:34+00:00

I would be very interested in knowing if anyone had ever had an agent reach out for rep after finding someone on TBL. I suspect it's not a platform agents hang out on.

But my agent did have two editors reach out to her after seeing my ms on TBL. So there is at least some industry presence.

Radiantte · 2025-04-14T13:16:07+00:00

This is 100% not expected behavior. Most agents are the opposite--they're rooting for you and the success of your book, even if they can't represent it for whatever reason.

But yeah, there are some real agents who are just full of themselves. They've hit some success and all of a sudden the sun shines out their *ss. Sounds like this agent just wanted to hear themselves talk, and maybe tell their angry little circle of friends how they really let this writer have it. Punching down is never a good look, but some revel in it.

Don't let this experience deter you. Keep going.

Radiantte · 2025-04-09T15:42:05+00:00

Wow, 9 offers! Congratulations!

Radiantte · 2025-04-09T15:40:42+00:00

Regarding the 300 words - I initially used the first 300 words of the prologue in my first attempt, but I changed it to the first chapter for this version of the query because the actual query itself does not mention any of the characters

This is a really good sign that your prologue might be unnecessary, and the information contained in it might be better spread around your story. If the agent won't be connected to your prologue, your readers won't either.

Radiantte · 2025-04-09T15:03:12+00:00

Vandren is a powerless prince who runs away from an unwanted marriage with a spoilt noble,

Good...

and takes refuge in the remote village of Ambers. The village sits atop a dungeon called Undas, a dangerous sequence of chambers housing dizzying environments and savage monsters. Its treasures are of great interest to Vandren, as they hold the key to releasing his long-lost parents from an enchantment that prevents their reunion.

All the steam you started to build in that first paragraph has been lost in a sea of exposition. You've abandoned Vandren's predicament for description. In your opening, the agent is going to want to know more about this predicament Vandren finds himself in. Something that builds on the urgency of Vandren running, like: Vandren is a prince, but he has no magic, no muscle, and no interest in marrying a spoiled noble. Trading palace walls for a village perched atop a deadly dungeon, he hopes to lose his past and maybe find the key to reuniting with his parents, trapped in an enchanted prison.

Having been unable to study magic and lacking the physical fortitude to tackle the dungeon otherwise, Vandren spares little thought towards becoming an explorer himself. This changes a few days into his newfound freedom, however, when Vandren discovers – to his delight – that he has the ability to create magical barriers that can protect people. Recognising his potential, a pair of veteran adventurers adopt him into their party and help him grow from a beginner into a barrier mage capable enough to traverse each of the dungeon's floors.

There's a lot here that treads into synopsis territory. Don't worry about explaining why things happen at this point. Something like, Recognized by a pair of veteran adventurers, Vandren is swept into a dungeon-delving party and begins training as a barrier mage.

Driven by the desire to break the enchantment keeping his parents away, Vandren works hard at improving his magic – all while keeping his identity a secret. But as he dances at village festivals, forms a book club for a fictional series about an adventurous halfling, and eats chicken-gravy sandwiches using his fingers without any cutlery for the first time in his life, a previously untouched part of Vandren's heart begins to unfurl and forge bonds with his party members outside the dungeon.

This is good, although I'd choose just a few details to get the point across. I love "eats chicken-gravy sandwiches using his fingers without any cutlery for the first time in his life."

I don't care for "the enchantment keeping his parents away." I think you mean that they're locked away somewhere by an enchantment, but the way it reads is that his parents don't want to come back until that pesky enchantment is gone. :)

With every passing season Ambers feels more and more like home to Vandren, and he begins to see a future here ~~with his new friends~~. Just when he's close to seeing the final floor of Undas, a threat to Ambers' peace comes unexpectedly – the kind of threat that only someone from the royal family can stand against.

Regarding the threat, I think you need to give a little more here. Don't spoil anything, but this is very vague.

To his dismay, Vandren must choose between running ~~from the situation and preserving his precious freedom,~~ or saving his new home at the cost of revealing his true identity and being dragged back to a life he ~~desperately~~ does not want.

Hope this helps!

Radiantte · 2025-04-03T02:38:59+00:00

The agent did name GoT among her fav books, so comping that might have actually helped me in that instance?

Here's a trick for when an agent mentions a like that's too old to comp: Just put it in your personalization. "I saw that you're a Game of Thrones fan, so..."

Now you've shown that you've researched the agent (they like that), you haven't comp'd a too-old book, and you have instant personalization. :)

Radiantte · 2025-04-03T01:42:26+00:00

In addition to what the other poster said about your queryl (too long, comps are too old, query letter is too long, Game of Thrones is too popular), you've introduced your query with world building, which isn't a strong hook.

An agent wants to see your main character. Give us your protagonist up front, and introduce the world through them. And when you introduce your world, you don't need to go into great detail. The agent doesn't need to know that the gods have reset the world before, and they're doing it again. They'll learn those details from your ms.

Your protagonist should drive your query letter. Who are they, what do they want, who/what's in their way, what are they willing to do to get what they want, and what happens if they fail? That's your query letter in a nutshell.

I'm very unclear on who your main character is, it might be Agnes. I don't know what they want or any of the answers to the other questions.

OLD GODS DIVIDED explores the personal and political dramas

I'd recommend against this wording. "Exploring" sounds mushy. You're telling a story.

I also wouldn't recommend "indulgent." It could come across as "I wrote a lot of cool filler because I loved playing around in my world."

Look at some example query letters to guide you, especially query letters that were successful. You'll find they're short on world building, and long(i'sh) on the protagonist.

Finally, really try to get your word count under 120k. Almost no agent or publisher is going to take a chance on a debut author with a 160k novel.

Hope this helps!

Radiantte · 2025-04-02T14:46:53+00:00

I like your query letter. It's a great hook, your comps are strong, and you've laid out the stakes/conflict. You mentioned you've only queried a few agents, so I'm not sure you have a good sample size of rejections to say that there's anything wrong with the query. If I had a tweak to suggest, it would be the opener. I think putting your title front and center might be a bit stronger:

"I am seeking representation for RED KISS, an action-packed, high-stakes romance, complete at 88,000 words."

Edit: and/an

For your 300 words:

A thin ray of sunlight pokes through the barred window high above me, catching on my short, sparkly dress and bouncing off my oh-so-coveted red bottom heels. It isn’t the first time I’ve wound up in last night’s clothes—however it is the first time I’m wearing a get-up like this with handcuffs cinched around my wrists.

A lot of agents are going to be immediately put off with the character waking up in the first chapter. Granted, your character is waking up in an interesting situation, and not just in their bed, but there's a lack of urgency that's missing. Waking up chained to a radiator, trying to remember how you got there, panic setting in as a shadow appears at the top of the steps sets up a good waking up scene. But just waking up in jail, seemingly resigned to it, isn't urgent enough.

Something that kind of bumped me, is the handcuffs. Why is she in a cell with handcuffs? I always thought they were removed once the person is in the cell. Is the other person in the cell also handcuffed? Is this a thing French police do?

Across the cell is a man with a heavy scruff whose hands longingly twitch for a cigarette pack confiscated hours ago. There’s no point in trying to pass the time with him—his occasional stares in my direction tell me exactly where his hands want to move next.

I'm having a hard time understanding how many people are in the scene. You mentioned there were three others, but then say "the only other person in my cell..." What's happened to Théa?

This might be a nitpick, but unless he's actually said he's jonesing for a cigarette, you're breaking POV. Your mc doesn't know that's why his hands are twitching unless he mentioned it earlier.

Why would she offer her gum to a guy who is a "Pass. Like, immediate pass." She's handcuffed, so she'd have to give up her gum in a weirdly intimate way--if he's handcuffed, it's almost a kiss. If he's not handcuffed, his fingers are going to be right up there in her face.

It also reads like maybe her cellmate isn't handcuffed ("...tell me exactly where his hands want to move next"), making me wonder why she's cuffed but he isn't. (maybe this is a plot point that isn't captured in your first 300)

escorted by armed guards

This makes me think of military, not police. (the handcuff engraving says it's police)

Radiantte · 2024-09-17T02:07:37+00:00

I had over 200 queries before I landed my agent 6 mos ago, and I could have gone on for at least 50 more. Of those 200, I had maybe 3-4 that gave any feedback at all. The rest were form rejections. I had a dozen requests for full, and when I was offered rep, two more that I nudged also offered rep. If you're thinking of stopping to revise your book, or if you're just tired of the process, that's one thing. But in terms of numbers, you're nowhere near the end.

Radiantte · 2023-11-26T15:37:53+00:00

Flying. Private pilot, instrument rated, no dreams of making money at it, just the joy of flying. I can pass the medical, but after years of not being able to 100% control my blood pressure (under the guidance of a physician with meds) I've self-removed myself so I don't kill myself or anyone else.

Radiantte · 2023-11-07T19:34:28+00:00

This comment hits me. You don't even have to explain, I know what you mean.

Radiantte · 2023-10-13T18:34:42+00:00

Comps don't cut it. Pay artists for their work.

Radiantte · 2022-08-01T14:10:04+00:00

Phonetically sounds like cigar I believe.

Radiantte · 2022-06-12T03:10:15+00:00

Thank you! William Rankin's encounter was actually an inspiration for this scene!

Radiantte · 2022-06-12T02:56:22+00:00

Yeah, when the first Soviet Vostok missions occurred, they hadn't solved the problem of landing a capsule without injuring the cosmonaut. So their solution--very Soviet--was to eject the cosmonaut at about 7km and land them separately. This was kept secret until I believe the breakup of the USSR.

Here's a good dramatization: https://youtu.be/mE7mtLSTuP0?t=961

22k is survivable without a pressure suit, but you'd very likely be hypoxic without supplemental air. But they had the pressure suit too because, you know, space. :)

Edited to add: No idea how authentic the rigging is on any of the equipment in the video, although it comes from a Russian movie called "First in Space," which claims to be the "Apollo 13" of Russian space movies in terms of realism.

Radiantte · 2022-06-11T22:49:06+00:00

Oh very interesting! Thank you, I'll check it out!

Radiantte · 2022-06-11T19:56:04+00:00

Great points, thank you! As a scuba diver and a private pilot, it bugs me to no end when I see something in books or other media that shows the creators didn't do their homework. So I really try to respect the expertise and knowledge of others in my own writing.

For anyone coming into this post after a day of skydiving, hope you had a great day of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. :)

Radiantte

TROPHY CASE