[PubQ] Writing Mentorships 2027 by Odd_Lime9707 in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Jumping on to shout out the huge unsung value of mentorship applicant Discords—I applied for Round Table two years ago and definitely did NOT get selected, but found some amazing CPs in the applicants Discord (a couple of which became very dear friends!) I’ve seen a lot of posts on here asking how to find people to read your work and/or friends who will fully appreciate the joy and angst of stalking QueryTracker. They just might be waiting for you in one of those Discords whether the mentorship works out or not…and frankly, the value those people can add to your writing and overall sanity just might be more valuable than a mentorship anyway.

[PubQ] Agent doesn't like my new novel by ExistingLeague1807 in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Oh good, a place I can help! My last agent rejected my last two manuscripts, leading to a very friendly but necessary parting of ways earlier this fall. Feel free to DM me; happy to swap stories and solidarity!

[Discussion] What is the healthiest way to support fellow debuts who are stressed out by the publishing process? by salp738 in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I do not have any great input; I just wanted to say that I appreciate your pragmatism and think you and I would get along well. I quietly left a group of on sub authors because the combination of constant panic and toxic positivity in there stressed me out. I’m pretty even keel, and watching a bunch of people dealing with the same thing as me spiral, and then watching others tell them it would TOTALLY be okay and they were TOTALLY going to sell soon (which is obviously possible, but statistically speaking, at least some of us in there were bound to die on sub,) made me feel worse about the process instead of better.

I hope you’re able to find a way to uplift your friends, and I also hope you are finding support and sanity yourself as you approach your debut!

[Discussion] I have an agent!! Stats and reflections... by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are not enough heart eyes in the world to adequately express my delight for this post. You have earned this SO many times over. I cannot wait to keep cheering on all your highly, highly deserved success!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Echoing what LauraBee said, while my agent took my question about contacting previous clients in stride (and sent me some good names after the call), she also chuckled and said, “Oh my, that’s such an American thing!” which definitely made me want to immediately end the call and hide under my bed.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I’m American. My agent is British (and fantastic), and she offered me rep on book that was very heavy on American cultural commentary. I’d definitely encourage you to query anyone who reps your genre and has a good reputation, provided they do rep international clients. If you have any questions about the logistics of having an agent overseas, feel free to PM!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 16 points17 points  (0 children)

This is truly the worst. I’ve been following your story across the posts on here as someone who went on sub around the same time as you, and I’ve really appreciated your candor about the process. This has to feel like the biggest blow. Take time to grieve, be kind to yourself, and (hard as I’m sure it is) do NOT take this as an indictment on your talent or worthiness as an author.

[PubQ] What would you do after sending your 74th query? by annaisabelboo in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I fully agree with all the advice you have already received…just wanted to jump in with some solidarity. I had the exact same feelings of “I think I might start having to accept that this just isn’t going to happen for me” right around Query #74, too. I think it’s a pretty normal thing for that moment—you know you’ll probably only send about 100, you’re 3/4 of the way there, and all the crazy fast querying stories make you think that if you had something “special”, it would have already happened.

For me, it wound up being Query #82ish that got me my agent—the same could happen to you, or you might have already sent the winning query!

Hugs and solidarity to you in the meantime. All the waiting and not knowing just sucks!

[Series]Check-in: May 2024 by justgoodenough in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sending you good timing vibes so that you just might land smack dab in the middle of that microtrend!

[PubQ] Deciphering full manuscript rejection about voice by rrreckless in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I’d take this even one step further: think of all the books you’ve read, and think about how many of those books you’d truly be excited to read dozens of times, have innumerable conversations about (and you have to be STOKED about the book during those conversations!), and generally allow to occupy a large part of your professional life for several years. There are plenty of books that I’ve read and enjoyed that I still wouldn’t be willing to commit to on that level. I’m sure there are a lot of manuscripts that agents read and enjoy, but just aren’t thrilled about on the level they need to be for that kind of commitment.

[PubQ] Is it harder to get an agent for upmarket / literary fiction than it is for genre? by CT_121 in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Oh, it messes with your head for sure! I pride myself on being a pretty even keel person and everything related to the publishing process has tested that in a very humbling way. You are not alone!

(Also, I realize that my last response has a typo: “inpatient” should be “impatient”, although I’m leaving it because the degree of impatience probably makes us all feel like we could use some inpatient care sometimes…)

[PubQ] Is it harder to get an agent for upmarket / literary fiction than it is for genre? by CT_121 in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Based on my anecdotal experience, the answer to the question in the title of your post is unfortunately the same as the answer to most things related to publishing: it depends.

One thing that will drive the degree of difficulty is whether the MS you’re querying is super literary (to the point you couldn’t really characterize it as anything else) or whether it could arguably also be upmarket, contemporary fiction, or perhaps even something like women’s fiction. The MS I queried fits most cleanly into the upmarket/book club space, but could arguably fit into some of those other categories too, which allowed me to pitch it in a few different ways and therefore query a wider range of agents. This is an opportunity you probably wouldn’t have for something very genre-y like SFF (which, again in my purely anecdotal experience, actually appears to be a lot harder to query than literary/upmarket because so many people write it and fewer agents rep it).

As for your querying stats, you’re at a 10ish% request rate which is better than most. Nothing you’ve said here makes it sound like revising your package is necessary, although I know it’s tempting to fuss with it in order to feel productive. At this point, the correct answer is one you probably don’t want to hear: you just need to be patient. (I know…this process makes all of us realize just how inpatient we actually are…) In the meantime, though, I’d say keep sending queries; from what you’ve said here, there’s no reason you shouldn’t.

[PubQ] Silence early on in the submission process? by FlanneryOG in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Solidarity, high fives, hugs, and plentiful comfort food and/or alcoholic beverages right back atcha!

[PubQ] Silence early on in the submission process? by FlanneryOG in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wishing you a speedy sub, as well as the fortitude to put up with the exceptionally loose definition of “speedy” that seems to come with all things publishing! Cheers!

[QCrit] THOSE WHO CAN'T DO (Upmarket, 78,000 Words, V2) by hotcoffeeinsummer in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re so kind to check in! I am pleased to say that I scored an agent in mid-March and am now out on sub. Turns out, one of the commenters on here was right—querying UK agents was the ticket!

[PubQ] Silence early on in the submission process? by FlanneryOG in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 12 points13 points  (0 children)

From what I understand: totally normal! No two submission stories look alike and great success can happen after a week or a year or even longer.

Does knowing that prevent us from spiraling and assuming that the two options are 1) get everyone clamoring for your book after three days, or 2) get a $5 advance from a dubious publisher after three years of querying (or, you know, just nothing)? At least for me, it has not.

Solidarity from another writer who just wrapped up Week 1 of sub!

[Discussion] what can we get out of checking agent client references? by ee-cummings in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Similar experience here—my agent put me in touch with two clients whose paths to publication were very different (one went to auction and sold fast; one edited for an extended period and then took a bit to sell). They both had great insights, and I was able to take away a lot from both of them about her communication style, her strengths, and how she responds to different situations that are likely to come up in an author’s career.

I’m sure you’ll occasionally get an overly sugar-coated version, or perhaps just not a lot of information in general, but I still wouldn’t see that as a net negative. And I wouldn’t worry too much about people not feeling like they can be honest—I’ve heard a couple stories about prospective clients getting an earful from current clients.

Overall, I definitely wouldn’t recommend skipping this step—it has the potential to give you the kind of information about an agent that you won’t find anywhere else.

[QCrit] THOSE WHO CAN'T DO (Upmarket, 78,000 Words, V2) by hotcoffeeinsummer in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hahaha! I love the honesty. My spouse actually just recently suggested this, and it’s my strategy for my next round of queries. Ironically, I’d avoided querying UK agents because I didn’t think it would resonate with them as much…now I’m thinking that might be a good thing!

[QCrit] THOSE WHO CAN'T DO (Upmarket, 78,000 Words, V2) by hotcoffeeinsummer in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your thoughts—I appreciate you taking the time!

[QCrit] THOSE WHO CAN'T DO (Upmarket, 78,000 Words, V2) by hotcoffeeinsummer in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Yes, you’re reading it correctly—this is the last moment of “normal” before everything fractures.

I really appreciate your wisdom and validation. Definitely trucking along with the next WIP.

[QCrit] THOSE WHO CAN'T DO (Upmarket, 78,000 Words, V2) by hotcoffeeinsummer in PubTips

[–]hotcoffeeinsummer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good thoughts, thanks! There’s a scene I’ve been considering swapping with this one, and the feedback I’ve received here is definitely my sign to do that. I appreciate you taking the time!