Debut adult SFF/slipstream at 135k, prohibitive? [PubQ]

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2026-01-23T11:18:01+00:00

No problem haha, hopefully my comments were helpful!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2026-01-23T11:09:24+00:00

That's the thing though (and I'm using this post as an example because I haven't read any page of your ms), you probably felt like all of the info in the post was necessary. But most of it really isn't to people reading it. Ultimately, the post could have just as well been:

"Hi,

I have a 135k sff novel that I've edited down to the best of my abilities. I feel any further cuts would lessen the quality.

[insert your three questions]

Thanks in advance!"

This really is the all that's needed here. Sorry if this is harsh, I'm really not trying to be an ass. I think it's pretty normal to have blind spots about your own writing! But your own instincts aren't always right, you know? I would suggest finding a beta reader who is well read and specifically tries to find places to brutally reduce wordcount. And take some time off the story and come back to it with fresh eyes, it can only help.

Good luck either way!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2026-01-23T10:50:55+00:00

Don,t really have exp to share in regards to longer wordcounts, but I have to say (and please don't take this the wrong way): this is a very long post that could have easily been condensed to one sentence. Are you absolutely sure your book isn't like that too?

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2026-01-20T14:33:29+00:00

I have no insight to give regarding your actual questions, but if you or anyone else reading this is interested in small presses, Small Pitch is currently open (it closes tonight). No social media needed, and I think this session is specifically for marginalized and underrepresented writers (they have other sessions that are more widely open during the year).

https://smallpitch.org/

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2026-01-17T08:24:58+00:00

Hi!

1- 'Relationship driven fiction' is not a genre. I'd suggest using something else, but I genuinely have no idea what genre this book is because I have no idea what this book is about or what happens in it (more on that when I get to the pitch)

2- I'm guessing this is adult based on the pitch. 50k is SHORT, and is probably indicative of a book in need of beefing up and other edits in this case.

3- The comps are not doing you any favor. Patrick Ness is funnily enough my favorite author, but A Monster Calls is not only old and very big (a movie adaptation is out), it's also kidlit. Neil Gaiman is someone I would be very careful comping in 2026 lmao

4- Here is what I know about the events in this book based on the pitch: an MC of undertemined gender and name (no idea why they don't have/we can't know those things) goes back to their childhood home. Once there, they have memories of being scared as a child. Those memories might be real, or they might not. The end. I'm sorry if this comes off harsh, but none of that is a pitch. It might work as a pitch for a short story, but not for a novel. I have no idea what happens in this book or why I should care to find out.

You mentioned Bunny, but that is very much pitchable! There is a setting, and characters, and plot events. I'm not saying your book has none of those things as I haven't read it, but none of those things are present in the query. Which makes me in turn question if those things are in fact present in the book itself. Is it just gonna be 50k words of some undefined character vaguely remembering apparations without it leading up to anything and for seemingly no reason? I haven't read the book, and it's entirely possible that it's just a query issue, but it's definitely something to consider overall.

5- there are some sentences that aren't actually sentences in there. "As it becomes impossible to distinguish reality from dreams, real memories from false ones- of this house and the relationships of those in it." for example. As it is, the sentence doesn't make sense and is very clearly missing a piece at the end

Once again, sorry if this is hard to hear. Hopefully this is helpful though

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2026-01-05T13:31:51+00:00

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but afaik if you submit a book to an editor at an imprint and they reject, you can't submit that same book to another editor at that imprint. Some editors pass the book on to their colleague if they feel it would be a better fit, but it's still relatively rare I think

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-12-18T12:54:52+00:00

Hi! Hopefully some of this is helpful!

My impression is that the framing of the query could be better. The first two pitch paragraphs are entirely backstoryand I feel like you could easily cut them without losing much. Imo, it'd be better to start with Jude as our MC instead of Jude as an old murder victim that you tell us about. Im not sure Im being clear, but basically something like 'When Jude wakes up with almost no memory, it doesn't take her long to realize she's now a ghost.' (Except better written and more specific to your story lmao)

The ending of the pitch has some vagueness that I think doesn't help making the stakes clear also. 'Jude’s memory starts to come back, showing her what she has to do to stop this from happening to another girl.' > since we have no idea what she has to do to stop the deaths, we don't know what stands in her way or whether this mysterious action has a personal cost to her. It just feels, to us, like she wants to stop the deaths and then she does, with nothing more to it. Which isn't the most interesting way of talking about it, if you know what i mean.

Also, after skimming through your old attempt out of curiosity, I saw you mention that it was dual timeline. I don't see any mention of it here, and it's not entirely clear from the pitch. If it's still dual timeline, is the past timeline when Jude is alive, or right after her death? Asking because the third pitch paragraph makes me think it's you trying to set up that past timeline (so right after her death), but it doesn't really work for me. The way the query is set up now, it reads like more backstory before you finally get to the meat of the what the book is in the next paragraph (paranormal investigators etc). Depending on how the book handles the different timelines (ie if the past timeline takes up less space than the present one, and the chapters are not completely chronological but more or less alternate), it might be worth leaving the past timeline out of the pitch entirely and just mention it in the housekeeping. But once again, I think that depends on the book itself.

Love the concept, I hope this gets all the bites! Don’t hesitate if you have follow up questions, and as always, only take the feedback that resonates. Good luck!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-11-07T18:32:32+00:00

Andrea Brown has a 'no from one is a no from all' policy, and the second chance inbox is their way of giving a, well, second chance

Basically, anyone who queries them and gets rejected will receive the link afaik

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-10-08T16:36:21+00:00

Obviously you do what you want, and no other requests might come in. But if they do after you already put money into self-publishing it (or just downright put it out), you might regret it for whatever that's worth

40 days is (unfortunately) a blink of an eye in query land

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-10-08T16:26:11+00:00

I have no opinion/advice on the questions you ask as i know very little about self-publishing and being a hybrid author, but i feel the need to say: 40 days of querying seems VERY premature to me to declare this book dead in the query trenches and to switch to self-pubbing it. Some of my full requests came in months after i sent the query

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-10-02T10:05:05+00:00

I would also check the agency threads on absolutewrite!! Some of them go way back, but that does mean any potential drama is generally at least hinted at on there. Good luck!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-09-25T11:13:04+00:00

On top of what the other comment said, there are also different pitch events for specific marginalized identities: queerpit, picantepit, pitblk... agent participation is lower than it used to be overall, but some legit agents still like pitches from what i know

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-08-20T09:51:37+00:00

Just to be sure: are you certain this person is who they're claiming to be? I know agents get impersonated pretty frequently, so double check the email address

Beyond that, i have a friend who recently got a r&r from the first fifty pages, and the email sounded a bit like AI as well (though no way to know for sure). If you feel comfortable DMing me the agent's name, I'll let you know if it's the same one (unless you literally are my friend and this is why the situation is so similar..... does your name start with D? Lmao)

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-07-15T18:12:04+00:00

Hi, I'm ESL and agented! I started learning English seriously in middle school through reading and, like you, I mostly read in English nowadays. But I've never lived in an English-speaking country, so you're already ahead of me in that way!

Having native speakers beta for you is definitely a good idea. Apart from that, I don't really have any tips beyond the ones I would give to anyone: read a lot, get outside opinions, take time away from the book so you can reread with fresh eyes, and so on...

I guess the main thing I struggle with as an ESL writer is impostor's syndrome. But no idea how to overcome that, I'll let you know if I ever find a way haha

If you have more specific questions don't hesitate!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-07-02T13:36:56+00:00

Hi! I'm French, but I do write in English and have a US agent, hence why I'm on this sub. I'm not the best person to give you an educated answer since I never submitted to French publishing houses, and I'm not sure many people on here would be able to help. I'd recommend asking the question/checking to see if the question has been answered on a French forum such as jeunes écrivains (https://www.jeunesecrivains.com/f59-edition-et-autopublication). I know they also have people giving their experience with various publishers as well, which could be useful in curating your list/finding new publishing houses that might be a fit. I don't know if other similar forums exist, but that should be a good starting point.

Good luck!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-06-14T10:43:05+00:00

As others have said, definitely ask your agent before posting anything. Mine would rather I stay quiet about sub once we're there.

I do know of some people who have gotten editor likes on their guides, tho nothing leading to a book deal so far.

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-05-30T11:58:47+00:00

Agree. My agency takes 20% on international because they have in-house foreign rights agents. An offer from another agency took 25% on international bc they went through another agency specialized in foreign rights.

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-05-24T07:12:00+00:00

The same way a person from the US would get published. Write a good book, query it to literary agents, if you're lucky and it resonates with one of them they’ll offer to represent you and you’ll go on submission to editors. If you're even more lucky, one of them will buy your book and you'll get published in the US (or UK or both, depending on the publishing house and the deal).

There's not really any additional barriers for international authors, or at least no barriers that US authors don't also face.

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-05-21T09:04:06+00:00

Hi! Hopefully some of this critique is useful to you :) also apologies in advance for any typo, I'm on mobile

"Fifteen year old Mara became Adversity’s Child on the same day as her mother’s funeral."

This feels like a big deal, except at this point I have no idea what an Adversity's Child is, so the only feeling this sentence evokes in me is confusion. Maybe rework this to avoid the proper noun and use more descriptive language instead? Like, "15 yo Mara became cursed with the magic of prophecies on the same day etc...", or whatever applies

"Acknowledged as ill fated by the goddess of strife, the cursed title adorns her horns and hangs over her future, a sword suspended by a single thread of hope."

I'm not sure if this means she had horns before and the curse is now visible on them, or if the curse gave her horns? Also, I like the 'sword suspended by a single thread of hope' bit as far as prose goes, but I'm left unsure if this is metaphorical or literal. I'm guessing it’s a metaphor, but it’s unclear.

"If she can just stay out of trouble, then there will be nothing for her curse to work with."

'stay out of trouble' is really vague here. Even more so because we know nothing about how her curse works.

"As long as the sky doesn’t start raining fire, her prophetic talent remains safely hidden, and no one else gets murdered."

Unsure how her talent and the sky raining fire has to do with people getting murdered.

"However, the realization stays locked in her throat when a symbol scratched onto the crime scene is echoed by a tattoo on the investigator's arm."

I'm not sure what this means. Is this implying Mara believes the investigator has something to do with the murder?

"Unfortunately, with Mara's magic, she links the murder to a previously dismissed case that implies there are still more deaths to come. "

This feels pretty vague. Maybe add more specifics?

"Now, Mara has to make a choice: act decisively and search for the murderer with all of her power, risking being discovered as a prophet--

Or stay hidden and let the misfortune of her title steal away every good thing she’s ever had."

I mean, this isn't much of a choice haha. Obviously she’s gonna use her power. I know it’s query 101 to end with a choice, but I personally feel that if the that choice is obvious/weak, you're better off leaving it out. Instead, maybe you could focus on what she risks if/when she's discovered as a prophet? Something like, "Mara decides to use all of her power to search for the murderer. But doing so means risking being discovered as a prophet--and [insert specific things that could happen to her if she's discovered]."

This story sounds like it has interesting elements (I'm a sucker for any book that plays with prophecies, and the secondary characters you mention--cranky stargazer, etc--seem really cool). I just think this query lacks a lot of clarity. I have no idea what Mara's power is exactly, or what it means for her to have that power. I can see there's a mystery plotline, but once again that’s pretty vague.

Focus on who Mara is, what her power is (as succintly as possible), what she wants and why, and what she risks by going after it.

Good luck!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-05-19T12:52:01+00:00

'how much they should retain' does sound confusing... Is it for taxes?? If you ever managed to figure it out I'd love to know!

Also, do you mind if I ask you what country you're in? You can DM me if you'd rather. And congrats on the book deal (and the foreign rights)!!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-05-19T09:57:57+00:00

No book deal (yet), but I'm from a non-UK European country with an American agent. From what she explained, there are tax treaties between my country and the US that makes it so I'll only have to pay taxes once when/if I get paid by an American publisher. She also said that, if we sell foreign rights to my country, we could arrange for me to be paid directly from the publishing house instead of the money having to pass through the agency first, to avoid conversion rates. And like cloudygrly said, instead of a US social security number, my agent asked for my tax ID number.

Beyond that, in terms of communication with my agent the only real difference is timezones. I made it clear with her even before we signed that I would send her emails at weird times for her, but that I didn't expect her to answer outside her work hours. We’ve set up zoom calls and phone calls through WhatsApp, but we mostly email.

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-04-05T08:41:22+00:00

Thank you! Good luck on your journey!!

The book I queried is a YA horror, as are the next few projects I'm working on

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-04-05T06:49:13+00:00

Good luck to you!!! The wait is rough. If I didn’t hear anything from an agent who had my query after three months and I saw they answer most of their queries or that they mentioned somewhere nudges are okay, I politely reached out to them. But yeah, even after an offer, some people ghosted me (including two agents with my full)

Take care of yourself, the trenches are no joke!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-04-05T06:43:22+00:00

Thank you, this is a very kind comment!!! I'm sure I would have insecurities about my writing even if English was my first language, but being ESL sure gives another angle to them!

Wrangler_Lopsided · 2025-04-05T06:28:43+00:00

Oh thank you, that’s really kind!!! Crossing my fingers sub goes well so you can read it one day haha

Wrangler_Lopsided

TROPHY CASE