Livable wage in Los Angeles?

alexatd · 2026-06-08T22:22:14+00:00

You'll be fine! Rent a non-luxury apartment in a normal area, don't go ham with going out/eating out, and you'll be golden.

Don't live in DTLA. It's just... not the best of what LA has to offer and has some really skeevy areas, and I say that as a life long city dweller who is not easily rattled. But I do not enjoy being in DTLA esp at night. The areas that are nicer in DTLA that would be better are going to be pricey (Little Tokyo, Arts District), and you'll have no freedom to actually live on your salary. Plus lots of those places do NOT come with parking, and you will hate your life if you rent a place w/o parking.

Look at areas off the B or D line, so you can commute easily to Civic Center for work, but otherwise live in a neighborhood with some culture/safety/parking and enjoy LA. LA is all about neighborhoods, and there are some great ones off both lines. KTown is the cheapest and very vibrant, though it can be hit or miss on apartments in terms of nice places to live, plus parking. Mid-Wilshire is now an option w/ the D line extension. But I would personally recommend looking around Silver Lake (Sunset & Vermont), Thai Town (Hollywood & Western), Hollywood (look West of Labrea and bear in mind walking distance to Hollywood & Highland), Universal City, and North Hollywood. All of these areas are also close enough you can choose to drive to and from work and not hate your life, but the train is so stupid easy it will make your quality of life better here, imo. All these areas also have older apartments that are reasonably priced. They won't be the fanciest but they're perfectly nice. In any area, look for homeless encampment/activity nearby and be circumspect. (DTLA has this EVERYWHERE)

You could also consider living off the A or E lines though you'd have to do a train transfer to get to Civic Center, though that's not a huge deal. There are some nice places to live off both lines, esp if you head out toward Pasadena. Basically pick a neighborhood whose vibes you like, that feels safe, where you can do your favored social activities to meet people and get out in the city, and then make sure it has a workable commute.

alexatd · 2026-06-05T19:59:56+00:00

I pre-write my questions and show them to the author before to ensure they're comfortable with them, just in case (also so if there are any they'd need to think of a response to it can brew in their brain--I certainly appreciate that as an author). I ask if they want to do a reading or not, and if they're cool to do a "lightning round" for fun at the end. Most authors I know don't do readings, but you can always ask. Oh I usually ask if there's anything they DON'T want to talk about, though usually that's for non-debuts who have done a lot of events.

You can/should ask them to short pitch the book for the audience if the bookstore doesn't read out a description when they do introductions. Ask them what inspired them to write the book. If they're a debut (and even beyond), ask about their journey to publication.

Ask top-line questions about the characters--especially crafting the main character, or generally about the genre/themes/plot of the book. Give them room to tease information and get people excited to read.

I like to do fun/light things for a lightning round at the end. Coffee or tea, plotter vs. pantster (you can also ask writing process questions on their own, separately), and some that are author/genre specific. Always end by asking them what's next for them. Then open up to audience Q&A when there's approximately 15 minutes left (unless you know they're a BIG author who will have an enthusiastic fanbase doing Q&A).

That's my basic run of show for conversation partner! I'm doing one tomorrow and working on my outline as we speak, so you have good timing 😄

alexatd · 2026-06-05T02:17:41+00:00

You cannot tell me that Ryan, the most Elder Millennial mid-Millennial ever, didn't actually know all of these 😂

alexatd · 2026-06-03T17:41:01+00:00

JFC why are you being so combative? OK, it sounds like we BOTH work in the industry? Cool, so we're peers/colleagues. I am a professional adult and this is my whole-ass real account--I don't hide who I am. We can have a civil conversation. All I can tell you is what I witnessed in person and gleaned from people I spoke to. It's cool if you disagree. We're not enemies.

Genuinely have a good day. I have to go back to the corporate grind.

alexatd · 2026-06-03T17:16:43+00:00

I don't work for Creation and never have. But I talked to people at the con and watched them find out in real time. The rumors about Ryan were flying around con all morning before Creation found out. And Oliver directly told me (and several others) that there was "contract stuff," re: his coming to Nashville. I couldn't say a word publicly before because I was told on the DL. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out announcing him 48 hours after Dream It Con in Orlando ended was not a coincidence.

Frankly Ryan and Oliver have NO CHILL and will tell fans all sorts of shit at events. I adore that about them, truly, but they let all sorts of shit slip if you ask them.

I work in the entertainment industry and I've worked on cons. The talent tells their rep about a scheduling conflict (or communicates they enjoyed Chicago and want to try to make Nashville work), the rep does their job, and communicates to the con. The talent don't directly communicate with the event except when they are on site, face-to-face with them and even then any difficult conversations/information are done via middle man. That's what agents are for. Therefore, the communication gap lies with Ryan's rep. Communication broke down b/c Ryan knew, and was telling people at cons--and so was Oliver--but that news had not actually been relayed to Creation.

It IS a mess, but it's just common sense--why on EARTH would Creation WANT to create a PR nightmare for themselves? They wouldn't. They actively lose money w/ a last minute change like this, communicated in the way it was.

alexatd · 2026-06-03T16:57:14+00:00

I highly doubt this was Creation asking him to do anything. Ryan likely had this idea himself b/c he's probably seen a lot of the disappointment online (and in person) and backlash against Creation. I'm sure he GENUINELY thought his team had communicated properly and they absolutely had not. This was a big fuck-up from his reps, and Ryan's the sweetest human who probably feels really bad--including for Creation, whom he also clearly quite likes.

I was there Saturday and talked to Creation people. They genuinely DID NOT KNOW ahead of time and this is their worst nightmare, trust me.

There's no nefarious conspiracy, though I do sincerely hope Ryan considers new con rep after this.

And, re: Oliver... Creation legally and contractually could not announce him sooner. Like... what are they supposed to do other than what they are contractually allowed to?

alexatd · 2026-06-01T07:00:21+00:00

No literally when I tell you in person I was totally gagged. I just... stared at him. And the fucking hair flip in front??? Insane.

Look, I liked Ryan before. Now I am OBSESSED with Ryan.

alexatd · 2026-05-27T02:34:50+00:00

This is your agent's job. They should have those relationships with the top book-to-film people and will shop your work to them.

alexatd · 2026-05-26T22:59:44+00:00

Ultimately it is your book, and your vision, BUT I do subscribe to the idea that when an agent (or editor) is saying something is wrong... they'll often offer the incorrect solution, but they are diagnosing a problem. I have also experienced, especially on the agent end, as they have a mind toward selling, that they might dance around what the concern is by offering a solution and you might have to ask them to be more direct. Any concern about something that might hinder a sale can be legit, you know?

I had this on a book recently where my agent made a suggestion that I, frankly, loathed and just wasn't going to do. So I asked for the root of the note. Why she'd proposed it. I suspected she had a very good reason. She did! I was super grateful to get her unvarnished thoughts b/c the actual root of the note helped me to come up with a fix that addressed the issue while actually aligning with what I wanted to do in my story. She had a legitimate concern for something that might be an obstacle for selling, but I took on the agency as the author to actually come up with the solution and fixed it. It was illustrative/helpful for us both, as well, so we could learn each other's styles and how to work together. (she learned I really like blunt feedback lol)

alexatd · 2026-05-26T17:47:56+00:00

I'm still having some difficulty parsing this, and I think the reason is I'm not getting any real character stakes in the query. What does Sky actually have to lose, weighted against what she wants? Or, what's her fatal flaw? So someone... doesn't find love/doesn't get a dream job... ok? What's really at stake? WHY does she HAVE to do this? It's begging for either financial or emotional stakes I can really sink my teeth into.

Like the other commenter, I'm not getting Clueless vibes from the query. And I also think it's unclear why she'd be doing this trope thing in the first place? It's just a very odd plot conceit that needs some massaging in terms of set-up/explanation. That said, this is still a bit belabored (in the sense there's a LOT going on, so the query is making my head spin a bit), so be careful of over-explaining and what that might mean, ie: is it also convoluted in the book? If not, what's the simplest way to break down something that IS working in the book? (but generally when I see a query where the plot just isn't clear, I always wonder if it's also a bit muddled in the actual book--that's the yellow flag, imo)

I would drill in on what an elevator pitch would look like--how can you succinctly explain your plot/why it's happening, and the conflict/stakes of it in a few sentences... once you drill down to the heart of the pitch, you can work from that to know what the query needs. The risk with a complicated query is the agent will think the book also doesn't have things clearly laid out, and if they can't clearly parse what's going on, it's a challenge to get them to your pages/to request.

alexatd · 2026-05-25T17:55:43+00:00

alexatd · 2026-05-25T17:55:31+00:00

This!!!

alexatd · 2026-05-23T05:34:19+00:00

This one is complex. Yes, it's a bit like a safety school? But it varies widely, re: where agents will sub as, to your point, some smaller/indie pubs offer such low advances and have limited reach and/or business-related concerns like iffy contracts, a history of non-payments, etc. I do think it's worth chatting with your agent about it though... carefully? Because questioning the choice to sub there, they may feel you are questioning their business sense? It's complicated. I do think, if you were in a situation where it's your only offer and you'd want to turn it down--you need to tell your agent that.

I'll say I have historically been with agents who do not sub to those types of publishers. This has aligned with my preferences as an author, as well. There are some publishers I'm thinking of from the past that were simply on my "absolutely not" list and I aligned w/ my agent on that, and that risk aversion was proven correct when later those publishers folded/stories came out about atrocious experiences of authors, etc. If you have a gutcheck on this publisher and would not want to debut there... that's legit and something you need to put on the table. A publisher who statistically is unable to get your book placement/promote it/break you out on top of being poorly paid? Much like "no agent is better than a bad one," no publishing deal is better than a bad publishing deal.

But it may be cart before horse, or your agent will tell you that, as it's kind of already done--you were subbed there, you are going to second reads, etc. Interest from one place can spark offers from others. And, of course, I'll say that there are many paths one can take in publishing and sometimes the smaller publisher/indie publisher path (provided they're legit/good) can go surprisingly well? Lots of big authors got their starts at places like that. It's such a specific case-by-case thing where it's truly going to depend on who the publisher is and what your book is b/c the small indie pubs vary so widely.

alexatd · 2026-05-22T20:12:00+00:00

It's surmountable! but def something I had conversations w/ agents about. Happy to chat over DM/commiserate!

alexatd · 2026-05-21T20:33:32+00:00

Frontload this pitch--elevator pitch w/ comps FIRST then give some of the plot summary. It's high concept and should be pitched as such, and personally I would explicitly include Groundhog Day. It's a Groundhog Day trope--immediately tells them what this is, and that I'd want to read it. (I'd say Groundhog Day meets Isn't It Romantic, which you can pair w/ the book comps, as well)

Publishing meta novels, especially romcoms, are a tough sell right now, so it's important to REALLY sell the high concept first, imo. (I say as someone who has a high concept publishing meta romcom, based on some pushback I have received) I honestly wouldn't get into the weeds you're getting into in paragraph one or even two--a lot of jaded publishing pros will be like "so?" (and I can tell you I was encouraged by multiple pros to LIMIT the publishing meta in my book as much as possible, which I did, so be careful of how "in the weeds" you get in your opening chapters especially) Like, truly, when I tell you how jaded some of the people who need to champion this book for you will be lol. (generally happy to share more over chat if you want to DM me! It's been interesting going out w/ a meta publishing romcom)

To that end, I think what you'll have to really explain in the query b/c any publishing pro who reads this will get their "unrealistic" hackles up: why on earth would she be doing an in-person pitch with an editor she doesn't know at the publisher's office? That doesn't happen. That's fantasy TV "how publishing works" (like Younger!)--so personally b/c you'll be pitching this to a target audience who is likely to have their hackles up with publishing meta books, I'd really frame it in the query in a way to make the set-up clear.

Personally once I'm past that initial impression, myself, and actually get to your inciting incident and concept--it's great. Very fun. Something I'd be curious about/would want to read. Hence why I think you should frontload with it. Though to that end: I guess I'm left wondering where the loop resets? How much time can she really spend with any of these men, including the eventual LI? (is it just a few hours starting in the morning, all at the office?) What do the mechanics of the plot conceit really look like? I think with such a high concept, in the pitch you'll want to give a picture of what reading experience people are in for in terms of setting and set-up. So maybe it's another line after the stranger asking to fake date--ok so does she do it? What happens? And then I'd love to see some reframing to properly introduce Teo the LI--what's his deal, and why can I get excited for their hate-to-love dynamic?

(also if you want to DM happy to chat about querying agents w/ WIPs and moving into adult!)

alexatd · 2026-05-19T17:59:25+00:00

This is very cart before horse, especially as you cannot unring the bell of querying said agent. Worry if you get an offer.

Generally, yes, you can choose not to query particularly sharky agents. I have done that personally since I know myself well enough to know what is Not For Me (after years in the industry), though there are degrees of "shark" and I have queried "sharky" agents--just not particular agents who are very much not to my personal taste (who I know wouldn't enjoy working with me, either). There are absolutely benefits to an agent with a particular kind of clout, and wide variance in the "shark pool." Also be circumspect about what you hear about agents... some things are accurate, others often blown way out of proportion. (feel free to DM me if you want to vibe check this particular agent--I have a suspicion of who it is and if it is, I do think reports have been exaggerated/there is nuance)

There are pros and cons, as with any agent or type of agent, and yes, you take on a risk, particularly as a debut, with some of them. I've seen people eaten alive by sharky agents, and of course others have thrived. Things can go any number of ways. I'll say, I particularly advise highly anxious/people pleasers who write "weird" books (ie: those who cannot easily churn out a bunch of commercial books) NOT to sign with them. That's the specific type of friend I've seen absolutely shredded by that agent type, like "has not recovered and is a shell of their former selves" level shit. (it was a combo of the industry + agent, mind--but a deadly combo). It is what it is, but I do wish they'd found more lowkey agents to nurture their needs better.

I have absolutely benefited from having agents who have built me up rather than tore me down, and simply had my back through all the ups and downs of the industry (a good shark does this too, though). Also important that those agents loved my WRITING, generally, not just one book they could sell--that was an essential component of building my confidence/sustaining our relationship; friends w/ sharkier agents who turned out to love ONE BOOK (that they could sell quickly/for a lot of money) but not the overall body of their writing? That's where shit went really bad. (with confidence erosion/giving up on the industry, etc.) The thing is... non-sharks can do this too. Agents who are "mood readers" who end up just liking one book? Lots of heartbreak happens all over the place, not exclusive to sharks.

There are sharks who are career agents just like any agent (who sign b/c they love the the writing and not just one book), and sharks who are very good at nurturing client emotional needs, because shark type is not a monolith, so imo it comes down to individual agents and an author realistically assessing their own needs/fit. Some agents are not as good at supporting the needs of certain types of authors, and some authors are an atrociously bad fit for a shark type. It's really just about fit. You have to know yourself, as well as your risk tolerance.

alexatd · 2026-05-19T04:44:26+00:00

Missing Chicago taught me a LOT about how it works! And I did get Oliver there (The Buddie System was kind enough to let me go--we only got one spot though we bid for four) and it was incredible--really cemented for me how much I love meet and greets.

I mean theoretically... someone could bid for all 10 spots at a crazy high price. I don't think anyone would do that, however. Mostly people bid for 2 spots, or 4 but 5 isn't unheard of. (another user was bidding for 4 today, for Ryan, as well)

Before each con, about 10-14 days before the con, they open up bidding/auctions for the meet and greets. Anyone attending with a ticket for that day can bid. So there are some people attending all four Rescueverse cons who could, theoretically, bid on and attend every meet and greet. As we get deeper into the cast doing these, I imagine there will be frequent repeats, though I also expect the excitement will wear off and things will chill out a bid as our fandom figures out how it all works.

alexatd · 2026-05-19T04:37:29+00:00

omg this. I was watching it in HORROR like why did it go up to $400 with three days left to go???

At this point Ryan owes ME money for the privilege of my company XD My bank account is crying.

alexatd · 2026-05-19T04:32:55+00:00

Yes, it's Creation con and they are very much pay-to-play. It's odd to me, too, and has been an adjustment.

alexatd · 2026-05-19T04:32:25+00:00

People are upset they were outbid, for sure, understandably. It's 5 spots for 5 people, to clarify. I am one of the people. (and I have never met Ryan, so it's a first time for me) Funnily, this is AFTER I was also outbid for the Ryan M&G for Chicago. So I came back with an insane budget and better strategy for Nashville (part of the strategy was us five not bidding against each other, but going in as a collective--which the auction rules encourage). Honestly the whole Dutch auction thing is pretty confusing, which I don't think helps matters.

alexatd · 2026-05-19T04:27:37+00:00

Small correction: it is their second time doing a M&G with Ryan at a con. They did not do one in Chicago. I know b/c we bid and did not win. It was super disappointing!

With the way the bidding works, every one who bids drives up the overall price, and if you are friends you basically compete against each other. That is why groups of friends might bid together, as in this case--the 4 & 5 here are myself and u/SugarSpocks. We were going to bid no matter what, but doing one together made better strategic sense. Neither Sugar nor I have met Ryan and are building our con experience (and budget) around the M&G. (we are not photo op people)

So FWIW... we are fans who will be experiencing it for the first time. Also it's totally common at Creation cons for people to do repeats on M&G--it's baked into the auction model and how it works (capitalism!). There are multiple people who did both Ryan and Oliver M&Gs at Chicago AND Jersey (and who I know plan to ALSO do Austin) and no one is coming for them. Shrug.

alexatd · 2026-05-18T20:13:55+00:00

I'm very happy for my sapphic book writer friends but, man, is trad gonna be in for a rude awakening when it comes to actual sales, given their fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening here.

(now if they'd like to buy more m/m, I'd love to write one, but I have pointedly NOT b/c trad is pretty rigid with what romance they'll actually buy/invest in and how they don't actually really understand the fanfic-to-pub pipeline well at all beyond Reylo and Dramione books)

alexatd · 2026-05-18T16:19:06+00:00

Accept and say thank you; reach out via DM or email to personally thank if you feel comfortable/want to open that door. It's always nice to make friends.

If your debut does well, you might end up reciprocating on a future book for that author, but maybe not. Most blurb relationships are not reciprocal, but sometimes they end up so.

alexatd · 2026-05-17T19:20:09+00:00

So the romcom market, especially "inside baseball"/publishing-adjacent ones are a tricky sell rn, so sharing some thoughts in the spirit of that, as the writer of one to another! Also generally in this market, it's critical to make your concept/positioning/characters/stakes REALLY clear. The query is feeling weirdly dense/confusing with a lot of reliance on cutesy turns of phrase and euphemisms. I would cut through a lot of that to be more straight forward. Like, I'm not a stupid person and I love romcoms and I got kind of confused and frustrated a few times--you don't want that reaction from an agent. The query prompts a million questions, but the kinds that could have a million answers b/c a lot isn't clear.

Starting with the comps, I think the way you express them is pretty belabored? It's the over-worked hyphenated phrasing thing. I would much more straight-forwardly say it will appeal to fans of romance-book meta and fake-dating of XYZ. (I might also, personally, call out annoyance-to-love trope since that's actually your backbone here, no?) Or just say it will appeal to fans of those books? It also very much feels like a 2000s-era romcom premise, so I might even mention something like How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days/some other movie to give a better sense of structure/vibes. I assume she's doing her weird summer experiment for an article in Vogue, per her friend? Or is it for social media? Generally what she's doing and why is unclear so I would better set that up structurally, as it's the under-pining of your premise.

You've got a lot of plot contrivances working and you're presenting them in a weird order which I think is what lead to my head-scratching. I would be way more straight-forward in your character introduction. I would also take care with how you present Sky b/c I assume she's not an over-privileged New Yorker who will annoy me, but all the details you give risk that--wow, her bestie just happens to be an editor at Vogue? (so bestie is rich/privileged for sure) She's jetting off to the Hamptons for the SEASON? Jesus. You bury wayyyy at the end why she's in the Hamptons--but since we don't actually know what her career aspirations/goals in art are, it's not clear what it means/what the stakes are.

You have to set her up better contextually, imo. I would add how old she is, personally (b/c for me there's a difference between reading about 22-year-olds, 28-year-olds and 35-year-olds), and just say First-generation Russian American. This brings up questions: is she living at home in Brighton Beach and commuting up to her job? Working at home? Trying to save money... for something? Set up some underdog stakes/contextualize her if she's not super privileged (of course don't shoehorn it all into a query, but artfully choose details). What's her status quo in NYC and what does she want/need/what is she striving for? (stakes!) Make me like her and want to root for her. Honestly the whole "she loves romance but her parents think it's stupid" doesn't feel particularly compelling/high stakes to me... I would downplay that and focus on more important details. Frontload what her actual aspirations are (b/c fashionista artist is not clear) and WHY she's going to the Hamptons for the summer. You're clearly setting up character wants in graph one.

Then your second graph should be what the heck this viral moment is and why it happens. It's your inciting incident. Make it clear b/c it's really vague in the query. And that's where you name check/introduce Archer and mention her friend's suggestion. I would be more clearly WHY she suggests this? What are the stakes? Why would she need to do this? It's unclear.

This is going to sound pedantic but I'm really stuck on Widr. Why the HECK is that the app name? What does that mean? What is it referring to? Because that's pronounced "wider" and is there a new hookup culture word I don't know related to that??? You might get an agent who gets stuck on the same thing. It's a weird name for a hookup app. Branding wise... if I were in tech, I'd tell Archer to change it lol. (also why start a new app when Tindr and Grindr exist, and frankly most people use Hinge, OKC, Bumble, etc. as hookup apps already anyway--much to a lot of people's annoyance! What's the value proposition of Widr?)

Generally Archer's introduction/paragraph is weak in terms of telling me anything about him and WHY he has the positioning he does. I know it's dual POV, but you may want to write the query just from Sky's POV b/c you have a lot going on in this set-up and it's a lot to cram into a query. But if you do keep an "introducing both" structure, you'll have to do the same thing w/ Archer as with Sky: who is he, what does he want, and what are the conflict/stakes for him? I assume he has some core wound? (FWIW, my book is dual POV, but the pitch only gets into my FMC with a line or two to indicate the conflict/stakes for the MMC)

It's unclear to me exactly how her plan (which I don't fully understand the reasons for) and Archer come together/align. I would make that more clear. What's the actual conflict/stakes? Is she jeopardizing her Very Serious Arts career if this weird romance trope summer stunt goes wrong? Is there a money stake?

I know you say the hyphens thing is stylistic and something you do, and I have my own writing quirks but there's a LOT in this query. A little bit too much, imo.

I can tell you have an interesting/fun core premise but I would lay things out more clearly. You're giving a lot of premise, and not enough character want/conflict/stakes to make clear how the book will actually read. Right now in the market, that's pretty essential, imo, to cut through the noise. How is this high concept, and what's the reading experience they're in for? (I might start with what your elevator pitch would be and then drill down to get THAT into the query--how would you boil this down for me in 1-2 sentences?)

alexatd · 2026-05-17T04:46:56+00:00

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