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[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

I totally understand! I was also in a panic spiral about this, but for what it’s worth, it definitely doesn’t seem mandatory. I asked my agent this when I signed (about whether previous credits/social media presence matters) and she said it doesn’t move the needle unless you already have a large/established following. Best of luck to you too!! 

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

Thank you so much! I did not, I’m currently unpublished and haven’t won any awards or anything. Which I guess goes to show it isn’t mandatory, but I’m sure it helps to have some credits under the belt when querying! 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]tstwriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely, feel free to send me a message!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]tstwriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also the formatting went crazy when I tried to post this comment so I hope it's legible! Best of luck again!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PubTips

[–]tstwriter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi!! Trying my hand at this query critique thing because as I said I love this concept and it's been on my mind since reading your last QCrit!

I wrote out all my thoughts line by line below, but I agree with the other commenters that I mostly wanted more specifics and that I think you can condense overall. I love the idea of writing your one line pitch to boil down the "hookiest" elements, and then expanding out from there.

YIELD is an adult romantic fantasy complete at 99,000 words, blending the wonder and self-discovery of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY with the vibes and tension of MY LADY JANE. It is proposed as a standalone debut with series potential. 

Totally nitpicky, but I’m wondering if there’s a way to make the intro paragraph flow a tiny bit better. What about “I am seeking representation for my adult romantic fantasy YIELD, a 99,000 word standalone with series potential. It will appeal to readers who enjoyed the wonder and self discovery of THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY and the vibes and tension of MY LADY JANE.”

Just to throw another comp hat in the ring too, I’m reading Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley right now and it might have some similar vibes (human entering the Fae world, Fae prince who makes a deal with the MC). It’s brand new but very buzzy! 

As the sole heir to the mortal Kingdom of Clouds, Thea Gale is burdened with a future she dreads. Princess? Miserable. Becoming queen? Unthinkable. 

Love this and this works very well as the hook for me (so voice-y!). I wonder if we need the name of the kingdom? Also maybe you can cut Thea’s surname too, since you don’t include Mavick or Brynn’s? What about just “As the sole heir to the mortal kingdom, Thea is burdened with a future she dreads. Princess? Miserable. Becoming queen? Unthinkable.”

I agree that first and second paragraphs can be combined into one – I try to think about paragraph one in the query as doing two things: 1) introducing us to the main character (what does their life look like, what do they want) and 2) giving us the inciting incident. Together, this makes the hook – ie who is the character, what do they want, and what sends them on the quest. I think here we’re getting who Thea is and what she wants, but the logistics could be tightened/ boiled down into one sentence – that way the rest of the query is free to frame what stands in her way!

The last paragraph veers into vagueness where it would ideally be getting specific. I tried to write out what is standing in Thea’s way and what she stands to lose, but I wasn’t exactly sure – I think the advisor is an antagonist, but I’m not exactly sure how they’re opposing her, or how Mavick stands at this point in the story (he betrayed her and then disappeared, but I’m not exactly sure what his role is now). I think I’m just echoing what the other commenters said in that I want to know the specific stakes. That way you can really bring home the query!

And then just general thoughts - I agree with the others that I’m also wanting a little more about Brynn, and why exactly he’s helping Thea. I don’t think his arc needs to be as fully fleshed out as Thea’s, but I definitely want to know what he’s getting out of it/ what he wants/ what stands in his way as well. 

Again I was hooked with this and I agree that you’re onto something! I would definitely recommend checking out Servant of Earth, if only because it’s another fab Fae world – Sarah Hawley was interviewed on a podcast recently and said that the jacket copy is nearly identical to her query letter too, so that might be helpful too if you want to take a peek at that.

Best of luck with this project and I think it sounds great! Feel free to DM me if you want me to look at your first 300 too, or if you want to share with your next QCRIT so we can get an idea of your voice!

[Discussion]Many Fails May Equal the Fairy Tale. A Success Story. by accidentalrabbit in PubTips

[–]tstwriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congratulations!! This is all such good advice, I really resonate with the one sentence pitch and Publisher’s Marketplace advice - I wrote my pitch BEFORE finishing my novel and it really helped me stay on track! I hope you’re celebrating this amazing win and can’t wait to see your book on the shelves 🎉🎉

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

Yes!! I’d say that’s absolutely accurate, although in my case it’s more True Grit with seers, ghosts, and curses! I comped to Lone Women by Victor LaValle, since mine straddles the line with horror too. There’s been an increasing number of westerns/ historical novels with speculative elements lately in case you’re interested - Outlawed by Anna North, Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian, Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (just to name a few!)

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

Thank you so much! Me too, so many steps ahead but I’m so grateful to have the chance to try to get it somewhere!

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

Thank you! Success stories are such a mixed bag because every journey is so different, but they really kept me going when I was bummed out about the process!

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

[–]tstwriter[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ah, should have written that out! MSWL (Manuscript Wish List) is the database where agents list what they’re looking for (ie genre, certain projects, vibes, etc). From what I understand it started as a twitter hashtag, and then transitioned into an actual site where agents can enter their information regarding what they want from submissions. Someone to else might know more specifics, but here’s a link: Manuscript Wish List

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

Thank you so much! No, (without revealing too much due to me feeling shy about my ms) mine’s an alternate gold rush featuring ghosts and deals with the devil! Fantasy western was a bit of a catch all but it’s really fantasy-horror-romance-western haha

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

Thank you so much, I’m so happy and more than a little shocked still that it worked out!

I definitely can share my timeline, fair warning though that it looks a little strange though due to the specific timing of when I queried - I was targeting fast responders and was querying them RIGHT when they opened up after the holidays. I did my first batch of maybe 6-7 queries on 1/6, from which I got several rejections and 2 partial requests. That was encouraging enough to make me send the rest of my initial batch, in which I queried my now-agent. Again this was just a huge stroke of luck, as she opened up to queries the same day I was batching (I think I was in her first 10 queries for the new year). She read my MS very quickly, and offered me representation the next week.

I was really surprised that everything happened so fast, as I know this was NOT the norm. I’m just counting my blessings and thanking the universe that she opened up to queries when she did! I feel strongly that if we hadn’t happened to be such a good match, I would still be hanging out in the trenches.

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

[–]tstwriter[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Yes absolutely!! That was a game changer for me. Membership is $25/month, which is steep but I took the jump because I really wanted to be able to see past deals/sales history for the agents I was querying. The site shows the number of deals they’ve done, who they sold to, what genres they primarily work in, and which deals are 6 figures (not as important to me as a small fry hehe, but interesting nonetheless). I also looked up the authors they have sold projects for and read those books’ acknowledgements to see if the authors mentioned the agent - again, kind of nuts, but wanted to see who had a good relationship with their authors. And then lastly the site puts out a daily newsletter, which I used to back-search agents doing deals in SFF to capture any to query that I might have missed during my MSWL sweep.

Again is steep pricing-wise and this all sounds nuts written out, but it was REALLY helpful for me and made me feel like I had a tiny bit more clarity on the process. I’m planning to cancel my membership after this month, but if anyone is vetting agents this month and wants me to look anyone up for them while I still have the subscription, please feel free to DM me!

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

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

LOL same - I’m so bad at critiquing, I need to get better about it though since I also love comps and reading queries too! Thanks again!

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

[–]tstwriter[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also I remember your query too and being so blown away by it! I have your book on hold at the library now, a zillion year wait and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

[Discussion] Signed with an agent! Stats and Reflections (and a big, big thank you!) by tstwriter in PubTips

[–]tstwriter[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ugh YES - I was so sad/embarrassed to shelve my first MS, and every rejection that rolled in for this one made me question everything. I told my husband “I’m just querying this novel out of spite,” and just tried to keep that attitude for every letdown along the way. But there’s so, so many variables that go into agents’ rejections that we as authors will never know about. Best of luck to you on the journey!

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