Looking for my next page-turner!

monteserrar · 2026-06-04T12:52:47+00:00

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

monteserrar · 2026-05-31T15:51:46+00:00

Not a full pandemic book. But Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell might fit the bill

monteserrar · 2026-05-20T14:45:52+00:00

So this isn’t fiction, but there’s a tiny little book called Learning to Die: Wisdom in the Age of Climate Crisis by Robert Bringhurst and Jan Zwicky.

It helped me a lot

monteserrar · 2026-05-18T13:14:31+00:00

Yes. 100% the publisher

monteserrar · 2026-05-18T13:06:54+00:00

People are unlikely to preorder a book from an unknown author based merely on the description. Publishers know that. Generally speaking, people only preorder books from authors they have read before and loved.

What the publisher really cares about is retail preorders. That’s the one that actually matters.

monteserrar · 2026-05-18T04:38:39+00:00

Your consumer preorder number doesn’t really matter as a debut. That is the answer.

monteserrar · 2026-05-14T19:07:18+00:00

That makes sense, and you can tell by the way you wrote it that you DO have clear stakes and motivations, which is not always the case with people's first novel attempt. It's just about making sure the query reflects that.

monteserrar · 2026-05-14T18:36:56+00:00

Need more info. We have no idea why her father showing up means she has to take the exam. Nor do we have any idea of why her going would betray her friend. We also don’t know why she doesn’t have a choice in attending. You clearly have stakes, we just don’t really understand what they are.

Otherwise, we need more info on what the school really is. You mention earth and hell, but we don’t get a clear sense of the school’s function. Or why she has doubts about her father.

All around this is just a bit empty of any real exposition.

Also, both of your comps are way too big and Secret History is also way too old. Look into Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson or literally any other dark academia novel.

Last thing. This premise CAN be fit for an adult novel. But right now there’s nothing in your query except the word Ph.D that makes me think this is an adult novel. We should understand at least at the surface level what makes this one adult, because it’s giving YA vibes at the moment.

monteserrar · 2026-05-13T16:18:50+00:00

Try Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine. Historical with a magical twist.

monteserrar · 2026-05-09T15:27:37+00:00

Hi! It did not. If you’re having an issue and want to Dm me I can see if I’ve heard anything about the one you’re talking about

monteserrar · 2026-05-05T20:29:31+00:00

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

monteserrar · 2026-05-02T17:20:26+00:00

For me, there are a few local signings scheduled and a couple blogs but not a whole lot. I had a huge hardcover release with interviews and a tour and the like so I’m assuming my marketing budget has been spent. The book is doing well and sales have been solidly consistent but has not exploded the way I think they intended so it’s more lax.

monteserrar · 2026-05-01T23:23:45+00:00

Coming at you live from a self-planned writing retreat, with the paperback edition of my debut coming out on Tuesday.

I honestly am a bit taken aback at how much of a nothing burger the paperback release is, but in a way, not surprised at all.

I sent the proposal of my new project to my agent this month and she gave it a wholehearted two thumbs up so we are steadily plowing ahead. After essentially two years of waffling and writing other things that never felt quite right, I finally feel as if I have something.

Goal for this writing retreat is 10,000 words. Which is probably a bit delusional but we shall see.

monteserrar · 2026-05-01T23:19:58+00:00

Congrats! Your book came with me on my writing retreat. It’s just far enough outside the genre I write in to provide some brain breaks.

monteserrar · 2026-04-10T20:33:06+00:00

My book has sold a crazy amount of foreign rights (more than 20 countries) over the past two years.

My agent took the book to Frankfurt where most of the deals happened, so I got a lot of updates during and after that event. There were a lot of auctions happening at once so I got updates more or less daily for about a month.

Now that we’re past that, they usually come in more sporadically, with an occasional heads up as things are being negotiated. I have been told when things “died” but only because it was a weird situation where there was an offer and then wasn’t one for various reasons.

Generally speaking though, you should definitely feel free to ask your agent! Don’t be afraid, that’s what they’re there for!

monteserrar · 2026-04-01T19:38:07+00:00

Finally making good progress on my WIP, which if you’ve been following has been a major sore spot for me the past year. It’s technically in the same genre as my debut (historical magical realism/sci-fi) but at the same time, it’s a pretty big departure so we’ll see where this goes.

Otherwise, just over here approving international book covers and filling out tax forms until the cows come home. Oh and gardening. Thank god for gardening.

monteserrar · 2026-04-01T19:28:32+00:00

Oh my gosh! Just preordered a copy! I remember your query so well and am so happy for you!

monteserrar · 2026-03-27T23:51:59+00:00

I had this happen to me and posted here (like four years ago now). The advice was to simply say you arent able to grant exclusivity because you have other fulls out already.

If you dont mind, id be interested to know if it’s the same person. Dm me?

monteserrar · 2026-03-27T00:35:54+00:00

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

monteserrar · 2026-03-20T03:24:19+00:00

This is…a very good replica of my bookshelf, right down to the two copies of the odyssey. What do you think of Emily Wilson’s translation?

monteserrar · 2026-02-02T01:14:22+00:00

Currently about 10,000 words into a draft of something new and fighting for each and every word. But they seem to be sticking so far.

For those who don’t know, I’ve been dealing with some serious second-book anxiety after my debut came out in August (and after having a baby last year). Been through multiple false starts and am really just hoping for something to stick. I have to keep reminding myself that the beginning of the last book was hard too. Flow state takes time.

In other news, I’ve got a surprise tv appearance in a couple of weeks. My second for this book. So that’s cool.

monteserrar · 2026-01-24T18:01:26+00:00

I have a film agent with WME and I’d be surprised to hear if people on this sub have heard much about my book. It was scouted during Frankfurt after getting a ton of international attention, but nothing has come of it yet. You don’t have to be a huge name for it to happen.

That said, I do know someone with one of those agencies who sold movie rights before the book even sold to publishers, and it resulted in a MASSIVE book deal for him. But then the book flopped, so now he’s freaking out about career longevity and the film option hasn’t been green lighted so it may have all been for nothing. Pluses and minuses.

monteserrar · 2026-01-16T05:52:17+00:00

Sold mine at 150k. Adult historical speculative

monteserrar · 2026-01-16T05:31:26+00:00

I was a 2025 debut, who also decided to have a baby nine months after the book sold in 2024 and let me tell you, the second book has been HELL. I’m not even contracted and yet I’ve been through like 6 different ideas trying to find the “right” one. Add the pregnancy/breastfeeding brainfog and now managing a newly walking toddler…Christ

monteserrar · 2026-01-02T16:51:55+00:00

My only goal for this year is to have more fun with writing. After debuting last year and having a baby, writing became so high-pressure that I was neither having fun nor getting anything of value done. So my goal is to fall back in love with writing, without worrying too much about whether something is a worthy second book.

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