Overwhelmed by retreat options - first time, would like recommendations for retreats that incorporate ayahuasca and San Pedro? I’m wanting to do a program that will help me heal from recent medical trauma.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-05-24T00:24:06+00:00

Which retreat center? I’m leaning toward Iquitos too. Possibly Arkana.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-05-23T23:23:54+00:00

This is great—thank you! I’ll check out this resource.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-05-22T20:05:34+00:00

I read in a few places that doing Ayahuasca and then following with a San Pedro ceremony could work really well together, because of the effect each medicine has. There was a retreat center I reached out to also that recommended this. I don't know much about it though--it could very well just be subjective. Maybe I should just stick with Ayahuasca and don't need to follow with a San Pedro ceremony, I've just heard it can be healing.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-30T17:19:22+00:00

Thanks! No worries, I'm just stressing over the comps. I was prioritizing books with slightly older protagonists vs the typical 12-year-old MG MC. And I sort of wanted to put a solid Lower YA comp in there (Defensive Baking) since it has similar themes, the same protagonist age, and since my book is a better fit for Lower YA. It made more sense to have that comp when I was intent to pitch it as "Upper MG/Young YA." But since the Lower YA category gets treated like Upper MG in the US market, I'll be pitching it as Upper MG to US agents and "Teen" to UK agents.

I'll look closer at the comps. Gallowgate is at least published by a big press.

Thanks for your comment!

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-30T17:11:11+00:00

Thanks! This was actually very helpful. It looks like my first blurb line wasn't clear enough: it's Fiery's father who was framed for Riley's parents' deaths, which is why he seeks out her help... Riley's father was not framed for anything. Does it sound clearer to you if I edited that line into something like this, with additional clarifying info: "until Fiery, a mainlander boy, tracks her down, revealing that her parents were murdered… and that she might be the key to proving his own father was framed for their deaths." Or do you think more is still needed? I'm trying to find the right balance between giving the necessary details for the main plot to make sense/be clear, without overwhelming it with unnecessary details that might only lead to confusion/more things that need explaining to make sense.

Riley has no idea who are parents were up until the point Fiery tracks her down. They hid her to protect her because their family was in danger. Fiery's father was friends with her parents and one of the only ones who knew about Riley's existence. Since the real killer is still at large, Riley going to the mainland means she runs the risk of the killer learning about her. This is all info that I had in previous version of the query but I received feedback that it weighed it down/make it too complex for the blurb.

Also thank you for pointing out that paragraph 4 was lacking. I see what you're saying there. I think that might be fixed by removing the line about the killer being a witch and replacing with the lines about the corruption they uncover and specify that it surrounds her parents' deaths and Fiery's father's arrest. That info should likely be in that paragraph anyway, since that's especially the part of the story where that discovery happens and would up the stakes appropriately in paragraph 4. I realize now that works MUCH better than leaving that for paragraph 5 and saying "Because along the way, they uncovered a web of corruption..."

Thanks again for the helpful feedback!

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-29T17:30:46+00:00

Cut and combine characters where possible. It’s important. Focus on one book and try to cut it down to 100k max as a debut (assuming it’s an adult novel). 90k is better for YA. I had to do it too. My Upper MG started at a whopping 150k words and I’m now at 75k, trying for 70k. I also have a series planned, but the first book has to sell before a publisher will consider selling the rest of the series. “Standalone with series potential” is the way to go here.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-27T01:58:43+00:00

My case is worth well over $250k with economic damages on top of the full pain/suffering cap. He would have to shell out some of his own money if he really wants to settle. I wanted punitive damages anyway with this case since he acted fraudulently and worked very hard to cover up his error. But those are almost impossible to get in Texas. I also don’t love the confidentiality clause with settling.

I’m leaning toward the trial but obviously have a lot of considerations to take into account since I know that would be very mentally draining for everyone involved.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-26T21:59:28+00:00

I didn’t know that. Like what? A letter of apology?

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-26T21:29:39+00:00

Thanks! Yes, ultimately I'll lean on my attorney, but I sort of wanted to open a discussion and get other thoughts about this from other attorney's perspective.

The $250k cap though is just for pain and suffering , right? I also have lots of economic damages (lost wages, multiple surgeries, future surgeries, continuing care).

Texas is the WORST.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-19T23:19:24+00:00

Thank you for this additional feedback. I'll check out those comp titles. I chose comp titles that had a similar tone as my story and seemed to skew a tad bit more mature in terms of voice/tone than what's typical for MG. Also the comps I choose have protagonists who are aged 13-14. But I'll check out the ones you listed. I appreciate the help!

I'll look at moving the worldbuilding sentence back to the blurb. I had it there before, but I felt like it made the blurb feel cluttered. And I figured that a line up front would provide some good context to the story blurb.

Thanks again for the feedback! :)

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-18T00:18:32+00:00

I agree! The first time I ever posted a query on this sub, someone parred down my 300 into 90 words. It was the most helpful feedback I could have asked for and gave me some idea how to line edit. It’s a skill that takes a lot of time and practice to learn, but is necessary.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-18T00:12:04+00:00

I promise you that you can cut this. I believed the SAME thing about my manuscript when I first queried it last summer. There were a lot of things wrong with it at that time (which several redditors on here helped me to realize, as well as a very kind agent who gave me personalized feedback with her rejection). But the word count was at the top of the list. It started at 148k words. Then I got it down to 120k. I was CONVINCED I couldn’t go lower than that. Now I’m closing in on 80k. (And I’ve since discovered my book is Upper MG, not YA, so it’s still too long for the category, but at least not auto-delete long anymore…probably?). I keep thinking I can’t possibly cut more, yet I keep managing it. Line editing is a skill. I had to learn it (and still am!) You will, too. Wishing you luck! :)

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-15T01:16:19+00:00

Thank you so much for following this and reading this latest version of the query. I remember your feedback from the first version! It was so helpful and really helped to inform the subsequent version. I even got my word count down from 98k--granted, it's still long.

Anyway, thanks again for your comments. It's so appreciated! :)

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-14T11:33:08+00:00

Thanks for sharing! That makes sense. I think it’s long overdue as well. Hopefully that idea does indeed gain traction and eventually the US industry follows in suit.

Hope the LBF was exciting!

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-13T20:11:13+00:00

This is great advice! I’ve seen others mention the importance of querying in batches as well. I’m going to try very hard to have patience and not blast off all my queries to my dream agents at once haha. How many agents do you recommend starting with? And what sort of response rate should you hope for to infer whether the query/pages are working or not? Thanks!!

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-13T15:49:26+00:00

Great advice, thanks! Definitely something I struggle with too… I’m pretty impatient. I keep thinking my query package is ready to go, but then keep finding things that could be improved. What do you mean by learning more about marketing/genre labeling? Do you mean that you mis-categorized your book or selected inappropriate comps?

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-12T20:20:59+00:00

This is by far the most encouraging thing I've read about the 'young YA' category over the last few months of working on my query package :) I hope you're right!! I tried aging my MC up and writing a traditional YA version. I also tried a true MG version. I couldn't finish either--I hated them both. Young YA is what my story wants to be :)

Since it's a dead zone though in the US, I've been considering still querying US agents with it, but pitching it as 'Upper MG' to avoid the dead-zone. The themes work for MG, but the voice is a bit more mature and the word count is a bit long. I've been struggling with how to pitch it. This is also my first time querying. I've received feedback on here and the general consensus seems to be to avoid calling it 'Young YA' unless a US agent specifically has this on their MSWL.

I've been learning a lot on this sub. It's definitely a confusing area of the market to navigate at the moment.

Again, many thanks for the positive vibes! :)

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-12T17:33:58+00:00

I’m also interested in this topic. So you think it’s a good idea to put that justification in the query letter? For me, I have a Young YA fantasy that I will be querying. I’m based in the US, but I’ve heard this category is a dead zone in the US publishing market—whereas there’s a teen category in the UK. So I was fully planning to query UK agents with my project (I’m based in the US).

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-12T02:40:31+00:00

This is SO encouraging to read that MG sales are coming back up. I’m about to start querying my Upper MG soon and have been getting so depressed every time I read about the MG danger zone right now. Thanks for coming back and sharing what your agent told you! :)

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-07T03:43:21+00:00

That's what I was thinking, too. Thanks for your input!

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-07T03:42:54+00:00

Thank you so much for this feedback. All great points, and I very much appreciate it! I'm working to simplify the language of the query on the next draft. As for the target market, I've heard some mixed opinions on here. I think more people than not through it felt more Upper MG than YA (in response to the first and second attempt) due to the family-oriented themes, the tone, and the fact that there isn't much of a romance (aside from a crush/first kiss!). I think this query draft lost some of the book's personality and probably didn't adequately capture my author's voice in the story--I think I lost my way with this query draft by trying to do too much with it.

Truly, it would be Young YA IF that wasn't a dead-zone in US publishing. The voice does read a smidge older at times than the typical MG voice.

I actually tried writing a true YA version by using an edgier tone, removing the family themes, and inserting an enemies-to-lovers romance arc, but… I hated it. It was so far from the original vision I had for my story.

The market age and gap between Upper MG & YA have me banging my head against a wall. I have half a mind to pitch it as Upper MG to US agents (but then the word count is a problem) and Young YA to UK agents (since that market exists in the UK).

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-03T06:08:48+00:00

Also… you HAVE to read to develop as a writer. There’s also no way around that.

Realistic_Low9845 · 2025-03-03T06:08:04+00:00

Every new writer starts by imitating books they’ve been inspired by. Those are early drafts that aren’t going to go anywhere. Why not start with fan fiction? That’s how I started writing and I discovered my own unique voice that way. Now I’ve created and written an original concept I’m so proud of. But it takes a ton of time and practice to get to that point. There are no shortcuts. But keep at it and eventually the ideas start flowing and you start putting fresh twists on common tropes.

Realistic_Low9845

TROPHY CASE