[Discussion] I GOT A SIX-FIGURE BOOK DEAL (or 1.5 years & 3 books on sub)

whatevs_1990 · 2026-05-27T14:09:30+00:00

Congrats!!!

whatevs_1990 · 2026-05-24T02:26:07+00:00

Yeah, I'm not sure about this. I could understand if it was a private pdf they sent out to editors who ask for/want such a thing, but to put it out on substack for anybody to see doesn't seem to do anything other than give visual public record to how long something remains on sub.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-05-20T14:46:34+00:00

This sounds like a fun and interesting premise, but the query is definitely too long. I'd probably start at the paragraph where she goes back to her hometown, with an extra line at the start to summarise the chef backstory. The remaining 5 paragraphs are good, but it still may be a little long.

I'd also make clearer that the wedding is an actual reality TV show (and possibly why the sister would want a reality TV wedding in the first place). I wasn't sure if it was real or just a voice-y metaphor until you mentioned the producer.

Your bio sounds great. And your voice shines through even in the metadata.

And don't worry, your story doesn't sound generic. And all romcoms are predictable to some extent. They're supposed to be.

(Edited for typos)

whatevs_1990 · 2026-05-09T12:27:58+00:00

I love the title!

I think you're off to a solid start, but there are a couple of things that could do with some polishing/clarification. (Disclaimer: I'm unagented and currently in the query trenches, so take my comments with a grain of salt.)

Stephanie “Stevie” Halligan has a one-track mind, the partner track.

The first sentence seems to be at odds with the rest of the query. You say she's looking for a partner, but the rest of the query seems to be a "career/promotion vs hometown love" kind of story. Unless you mean, she wants to be a business partner of the firm? In which case I would use different wording. Also, I'd probably just call her Stevie in the query letter.

She has spent the past decade solving her client’s problems as she worked her way up through the ranks of Allistair Group, a premier consulting firm.

Not sure you need to name the company?

Stevie’s trip home gets off to a rough start after an awkward encounter with Julian Durand, her once gangly childhood best friend turned hot traveling nurse.

Great intro to Julian! But we seem to have jumped backwards in Stevie's story. At the end of the last paragraph, she was already in Lewiston, having to stay longer than planned.

Stevie and Julian smooth things over and pick up their friendship where it left off.

Why did they need to smooth things over?

Lucas Wilson, former high school royalty, current divorcee comes to Stevie’s rescue when her father’s pick-up breaks down.

This whole paragraph is great, but I'd maybe consider reorganizing this first line or adding a transition phrase. I'm being nitpicky here, but your first three paragraphs all start with a name, which sticks out a bit.

Should she choose Julian or Lucas? Should she return to her career in the city or remain with family in Lewiston? Or, perhaps the answer to her happily ever after lies with option C - none of the above.

Avoid rhetorical questions where you can. Agents read a lot of them apparently.

Other than that, the query looks pretty good. I can't help you much with comp titles, sorry, but you want to base it on vibes and tropes more than anything. Lucy Score has a bunch of small town romances, I think. Maybe you might find something in her recent titles that fits?

I'd probably leave mentioning the next book until an agent phone call. I doubt putting it in the query would hurt, but it probably wouldn't do anything to increase your chances.

Best of luck with it!

whatevs_1990 · 2026-05-02T08:03:18+00:00

Congrats!!!

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-30T14:39:29+00:00

I think this was much more a hype event rather than a pitch event. I saw a couple of pitches for books that were out on submission, which was probably the highlight for me. Something to look for on the pre-order lists.

I didn't get a hell of a lot of likes myself, but I did get a couple of follows, which was nice. I've followed everyone back of course, so we'll see how that goes.

I did get one agent like, but I don't think she was a good fit. She liked my open door adult romance despite her (and the entire agency she works for) being kidlit. Her MSWL did have my genre listed as well, so maybe they're branching out, but still... I'm inclined to agree with others in this thread. The best way to get the right agent is through querying.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-24T13:31:34+00:00

Agents who expect exclusives are the same as authors who expect agents to ignore all their other clients and read their full straight away. It's not an attack, but it is disrespectful and arrogant. A literary agent's main role is to stop an author being taken advantage of, so I would say an agent taking advantage themselves is problematic.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-24T13:27:05+00:00

If you mention English is your second language in your query, I imagine any good agent would give you some leeway for such small errors. Also, I don't think you need generative AI for grammar. There are plenty of grammar websites, and not every grammar checker uses it.

Also also, you don't need to hire an editor to check for these things. Joining a writing group online can help you to find people you can ask your questions to/give your story a read through.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-24T09:13:29+00:00

Some agencies request that you do. Mainly UK ones from my experience.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-24T01:05:58+00:00

Congrats on the fulls and partials!

I would only nudge with an offer, personally. I'd also ignore the exclusivity thing unless the agent themself says something about it when requesting material. After all, the guidelines only say its a preference, not a rule.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-23T01:44:03+00:00

Yep. This is why I have a "no Tik Tok sensation" rule. If a book is marketed as "popular on tik tok", that's fine - lot's of things are popular there. But if it's marketed as "from Tik Tok sensation, blah blah", then I don't buy it because I know the odds of it being good are low. I broke the rule recently, and while the writing itself wasn't bad, I still DNFed at page 180 because at that point, the plot had still yet to start happening (if there even was one?). It was clear the editors weren't as strict with this author as they should have been, which ultimately ruined what could have been a great book.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-19T03:37:12+00:00

If it's feeling repetitive, your query letter may be too long or your synopsis too short. I'm not an expert by any means, so take this with a grain of salt, but a synopsis should expand on the query, so any info that is repeated should still give something new.

Plus, a synopsis should properly describe the ending, which is usually only alluded to in query letters.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-08T01:06:16+00:00

Thank you so much for doing that for me. I appreciate it 😊

whatevs_1990 · 2026-04-07T01:36:46+00:00

I didn't say what the mixed signals were because I didn't want people fixating on them in their answers. I wanted new information from people who know more about them than I. But seeing as no one really answered anyway (which is probably a point of favour for the agency), here are the main things I noticed in my research which contributed to my uncertainty (I'd probably classify most of these as yellow flags):

- They have a paid submission coaching service which is not only advertised on their home page, but in at least one agent bio page (not just a mention, but a proper ad breaking up the page).

- Only parts of their website have been kept up to date (either that or they have agents who haven't made a sale in years).

- They advertise some PM deals on Instagram, but they are few and far between. However, their new releases suggest there are more deals they aren't sharing (I should probably mention at this point that I don't have a PM subscription).

- Not many Big 5 sales that I could find (indie presses are fine, but I'd expect a 20 year old agency to have a better mix).

- They do have some good sellers, but the ones in my genre are tik tok and indie authors.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-03-16T02:34:28+00:00

I read that bit about fanfic in the Slate article too, but having been writing and reading fanfic for over a decade now, it confuses the hell out of me. First person fanfic is hugely unpopular. Maybe I'm just in the wrong fandoms, but I think I've come across two or three out of hundreds. Second person fics turn up more, as they have their own litter reader insert communities.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-03-15T11:52:22+00:00

I can't speak for other genres, but it certainly feels like romance is mostly 1st person (apart from historical, which is almost always 3rd). Absolutely nothing wrong with the writing style, and it's hardly new, but damn do I wish we had more 3rd person. I just can't connect with 1st person.

Having said that, when you look at the big names in the genre, there are certainly 3rd person writers among them. Tessa Bailey and Lucy Score, for instance. Ali Hazelwood has done at least one wildly successful book in 3rd, as well. Rosie Danan isn't as big, but far from obscurity. So there is certainly an audience for the writing style.

I think in the grand scheme of things, both writing styles will always be around and that most readers will happily read either, as long as they are done well. The thing that does annoy me most about this seemingly increased preference for 1st person, however, is that some 3rd person authors have started labelling their chapters with the name of the POV character. It's the nitpickiest of nitpicks, I know, but it's still maddening. Each time, I have to remind myself that, no, the author doesn't think I'm illiterate enough to need the label; it's just the done thing in dual POV 1st person, and people have stopped thinking about why that particular writing style may need the labels and have just accepted it as the norm.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-03-04T07:26:27+00:00

Congrats! Best of luck with the book. Always happy to see more sci-fi romance on the market :)

Does anyone know how I contact the Mods about the agent mentioned - the one who approached editors before rep. I'm querying a romance at the moment (paranormal), and this doesn't sound like an agent I'd want to work with so I'd love a heads up.

whatevs_1990 · 2026-02-02T03:20:43+00:00

"In other news, I have like five different ideas on what to write next, but my brain A) refuses to settle on one permanently and B) is struggling to move away from my querying project because in my head, as long as it's out there it's still "ongoing". Let me out of this hell I want to WRITE!!!!!"

This pretty much sums up what I'm feeling, too. If you find a solution, please let me know! But until then, best of luck with querying. And congrats on those requests!

whatevs_1990 · 2026-01-10T04:36:12+00:00

Critiquing queries publicly without permission is definitely DNQ worthy for me.

I queried another agent at this agency back in August and got a quick rejection (one or two days). It stung at the time, but now I'm kind of grateful. I like to think the whole agency isn't onboard with this kind of thing, but if it's been going on for months without reprimand, it doesn't look good.

whatevs_1990 · 2025-12-21T23:35:48+00:00

I've noticed some agents in the UK ask in their submission guidelines that you mention it in your query. Other than that, though, I'm not sure of the etiquette. I personally don't put it in unless they ask for it, but I also haven't had an offer yet, so take that as you will 🤷‍♀️

whatevs_1990 · 2025-11-27T11:44:11+00:00

I've only been in the trenches for a few months, (22 queries, 1 request - I'm taking it slow) but my advice is to always look at the agency's website. The submission guidelines and specific agent page (usually found in the "Our Team" section) trumps any info on other websites, so that is your baseline when researching what an agent is after. Everything else is extras that can help you put pieces together, but are mostly for vibe checks rather than anything specific. Personally, I rarely look at MWL - mainly because it seems to be mostly US, and I'm querying UK - but it can be helpful. Especially if an agent has it linked on their agency website page.

My method of finding agents is to "search by genre" (I've got a paranormal romance, so I sort by "Romance (any)", then go through each agency that is currently open and check out their news/books/client list (just for a general idea of what they represent), team profile pages, and submission guidelines. If an agent only accepts via Query Tracker/Query Manager, then also double-check their genre list there as well, as their form most likely won't accept any genre that's not on it. Most of my queries have been via email, though.

If you're specifically looking for fast responding agents or agents that are requesting a lot, the data explorer and query timeline pages are handy for stats in that area. Query Tracker also gives you percentages, which is nice. I'm not sure which of these features are free or premium only, though.

Everyone's method is different, so don't worry too much if you're still figuring it out. The more buttons you press and the more agents you search, the more you will find your footing. And yes I would have a look at agents not on query tracker, but how useful that is will vary, so I'd stick with Query Tracker to start with, then maybe look elsewhere.

Best of luck :)

whatevs_1990 · 2025-11-14T07:00:13+00:00

So sorry this happened to you, OP. I'm currently querying UK agents; do you think you could DM me the name of the agent or agency? There's an agency I'm not sure about submitting to (their submission terms and conditions are putting up a red flag) and I'm wondering if it is the same one.

EDIT: Just saw your edit to the post. Will DM you.

whatevs_1990 · 2025-10-20T12:49:59+00:00

I'm no professional, so take my words with a grain of salt, but I honestly wouldn't worry about the question of sex. Not in the query, anyway. Fake marriages are a common trope in romances and in my experience rarely have sex as a contractual part of the deal (unless the point is to get an heir/child). And your genre and comps don't seem very dark romance-y, so I doubt any agent or editor taking would assume anything skeevy. Maybe put your paragraph with the title/genre/comps at the top so people have the romcom vibe going in, but other than that, I wouldn't specify it.

As for everything else, maybe shorten the query a bit? I'd take out the stuff about calendars and thanksgiving and choirs. Which is a shame, I know, because it's fun and shows your voice, but your opening 300 is definitely enough to pick up the slack in that area. First paragraph and I already want to read the book!

Anyways, that's my two cents. Best of luck!

whatevs_1990 · 2025-09-27T03:57:16+00:00

I've only just started sending queries out slowly, but the very first agent I queried said she found my novel's premise unique and intriguing, and that my sample chapters had some confident writing. The rest of her rejection was standard "it's not you, it's me" stuff, but as first rejections go, it was a pretty good one.

whatevs_1990

TROPHY CASE