1. Your query letter is generic [01:08] 2. You come across as presumptuous [03:42] 3. Your book has been self-published [04:35] 4. Your query letter looks unprofessional [05:40] 5. You use hyperboles or overstatements [07:19] 6. You expect a certain sized book deal [8:22] 7. Your opening pages are overtly sexual or violent [09:13] 8. Your book isn't a standard length [10:05] I realized that these are in the description after I made them. Oh well. Now you can find them in the comments.
Im in the process of querying right now. Its so refreshing to watch a youtuber that genuinely wants to see othets get published. Most channels on this topic, even some agents, i feel by the end of their videos, do not like writers or people who love to write.
There was a great deal of hatred for writers by agents. Agents wish they were better writers. So when they find good ones, they are strongly ambivalent in their feelings. They want to make money off of someone with a great ability, but they are angry that they do not have that ability. So their behavior becomes quite schizophrenic.
I’m amazed James Clavell got published with shogun at 1250 pages, and taipan over 1400 pages. Maybe that was a different time, maybe shorter books are the preference these days. But when I was finishing shogun, I certainly didn’t want it to end.
I'm late to the party for this, but this list is really for emerging authors rather than established authors. It has nothing to do with e-books. Historically, the larger a book, the more space it took up on a shelf. Bookstores had only so much room and they weren't keen on keeping a bunch of books in the stockroom. Books not on display are losing money. So, they had to make use of every square inch, and bigger books obviously take up more space, which also means bookstores are likely to order fewer of them or hold fewer of them in stock. Today, that's less of a problem considering you can order books through Amazon or wherever, but it is still a rule for agents because .... a lot of emerging authors haven't properly edited their novels. Longer word counts, for new writers, usually means there's too much fat in the narrative. That could be repetitive words and phrases that are needless, it could mean a bloated list of subplots and characters, it could mean the pacing is all off. Rarely it means the author wrote a well-crafted novel that just happens to be 130,000 words. That's not to say debut novels can't be lengthy. Plenty are. But agents only have so much time and they're moreso looking for red flags to dismiss your query than they are looking for reasons to read further.
Very helpful recommendations. I typically search for interviews or panel discussions on the particular agent to get a sense of who they are and what they are really searching for. It provides (I think) a nice entry point for the query letter.
I sent out a few queries twenty-two years ago, and got an agent with my fourth query. Now, in 2024, when I'm a much better writer, I've sent out twenty-three queries and haven't gotten an agent yet. Go figure.
I agree. I don't get this whole thing about having to suck up to the agent. From what I can tell, these days it us usually just an intern looking at the email, and within 30 seconds they'll say "Nah" and not even bother to respond to you. Where is the "human to human" if most can't even be bothered to spend 10 seconds sending a "No thanks" response. So we should be polite of course, and follow the admission guidelines, but why is anyone kidding ourselves that is anything but a mass emailing process of saying "here's a bit about my book. Get back to me if you are interested." This whole 'non generic' thing just feels like a needless step for stroking ego's.
Hi Alyssa, love your channel! I'd love to see a video about your personal experience working at an agency and how you decided which queries to pass on to the agents.
Is there a reason all the literary agents are all looking for one thing? Many times I’ve been trying to query and every single agent is looking for woman’s issues, or a theme in an around anything woman related. I don’t have a problem with it. It’s just 4 out of 5 agents? The last agent is looking for crime or drama? I’ve been through 20 or so literary agents and none of them are taking anything in regards to my subject matter. Despite using a book writers market that is the up to date version. I’m doing my research, I’m doing what is suggested and it’s become overwhelming to track down literary agents that specifically deal with say. Science fiction… Only to find they have 5 agents and none of them are looking for the genre that they said they cover.
Why do we have to personalize every query when they plan on sending a non personal form rejection? Querying and finding an agent open to your genre is time consuming. Also, I hear a lot of agents saying that if you don’t have a major connection to them they don’t want to hear a personalization.
Hello, Alyssa, I enjoy your content. Quick question about my content being previously published. I have a website and a page on Facebook that I write about parts of what will be in the book. Will this count against me when I want to traditionally publish the book? Thanks
I find these videos helpful and encouraging. I self-published my first two novels. I’m working hard to get my third novel published mainstream. My book takes place in the 60s and 70s. I needed to do extensive research in order to line up the story correctly. It took me three years of working almost full time on it to get it ready. Now that I’m querying, I get rejection after rejection. Some of the rejections are nicer than the rejections I received for the first two books-but they are still rejections.
Thank you, Alyssa. I'm completing my debut novel of a four-part series and have set up the website, trailers, teasers, excerpts, and social media sites. I initially sent a first pass at literary agents without responses. Your videos are helping me better comprehend the publishing industry and attract attention. After the development editing and copywriting are completed by early next month, I'll give the query letter and submissions another go. Thank you.
Still in process :) I've learned you need a completed book to really push the first phase. ;) Development edits don't attract attention. My development editor, with tough love, really pushed me to the next level. The copyediting is in process right now. Proofreading begins in two weeks. I'm currently typesetting and working on the interior design. To continue the social media thing, I've put together author snippets. My next phase is to work on the query letter while the proofreading is in process. I'm going to self-publish and see if that helps to attract agents. Thank you again for the reply and your wonderful videos.@@apocalypso3427
You're right. Though I found nothing more discouraging than to fully research the person and company I was submitting to. Taking the time to personalize what I was sending them and then still getting a generic rejection letter. I understand they get hundreds if not thousands of letters and it's overwhelming and so they can't send everyone they aren't interested in a full cover rejection detailing the "Bad fit" as I seen in the past. It's kind of why I just stopped submitting entirely.
You're also right; querying is a hard process! I commend you for putting your full effort in so far, and hope that you continue querying again after you take your break!
I'm so glad I discovered your channel! You are so very helpful, and I will be using all of the tips you've given when it comes time for me to start querying my novel. In truth, I don't have a lot of hope for success, but being traditionally published is my dream, so I'm going to give it my absolute best shot before I opt to self publish instead. Thanks again!
I've been pitching all wrong!!! Monday, I targeted 8 California agents with my first self published book that has gone extremely well but at the end mentioning my second book is ready for publication. It also just said their name and no other personal details about them. Thank you for this info you rock. Liked and Subscribed :)
Hi Alyssa, you touched a bit on book formats (novel, novellas). Could you make a video on that topic please. For instance, what are the challenges of getting represented/published for a standalone short story? What about a bunch of similar short stories bundled together? Looking forward to your insights.
Many of the points are common sense, but good to see them here. Agent research, I have to say would be so much easier if what they represent, who they've sold and where and if they're open to queries at all---First and foremost. Sometimes it feels like games of hide and seek to find what genres agents are willing to look at.
Helpful! The length issue is a big one, and the answer to the question isn't just a fiction/nonfiction issue but also a genre issue. My understanding is that speculative fiction has some more leeway in terms of acceptable length, up to 120k, whereas romance novels should fall in the 80k-100k range. The answers to these questions are rarely consistent for more than a couple years at a time, as the market is always shifting. I've seen talk recently that new speculative fiction novels can be closer to 140k. Best, DRM
I hired a company called Writer's Branding who claim to be experts at preparing query letters and book proposals. I saw the first draft, and it seems to respect all your advice, except that it is a generic letter to be sent to 60 literary agents (they told me that). I self-published my work previously. I'm not satisfied with this, for I wish some traditional validation from the publishing industry. It's not a novel. It's nonfiction.
Today, is Query letter day one research for me. It begins, I want a shot at the title, lol. I am a fighter looking for a manager and trainer in the world of books, movies and t.v. series to inspire and teach others to win the fight against fear and anger. Then to share the flame of inspiration until the whole world catches fire and is ruled by love again...* Great video Alyssa..,
Yes, it's essentially a cover letter but for an author seeking representation from an agent. You're not necessarily asking them for a "job," but for them to take you on as a client--so making sure that you're friendly but professional goes a long way!
Hi Alyssa! Thank you for all of your wonderful advice on your channel. I've been working on a novel about narcissistic abuse for five years now, and having written, revised, and edited various drafts and worked with beta readers who have critiqued my whole manuscript, I'm gearing up to move towards the querying stage. I wanted to make a comment because I would like some clarity on the seventh point you make concerning overly violent or sexual scenes. As my novel deals with narcissistic abuse, there is some violence in the opening scenes, whether it be physical or emotional, but it is ultimately relevant to the plot and the character arcs. I realise that beginning the novel in the middle of the abuse may jar the reader, or it may spur them to read on; it doesn't seem to have been an issue with the vast majority of the beta readers I have worked with so far. Do you feel that this point refers to when the sex or violence is gratuitous or when it's used to aid the atmosphere rather than being relevant to the plot? I'm not sure this point is applicable to my project. Once again, thanks for your incredible insight and advice; I'm sure I'll be using your channel a lot. :) Please take care of yourself (and sorry for the length of my comment!).
It sometimes seems like a flip of a coin, whether or not you're constructing the query letter correctly. For instance, you recommend placing the personalization at the top, to show the agent you're not just spamming the letter to dozens of agents. Makes sense. Hovever, I've seen elsewhere that you should dive right into the blurb, and add personalization at the end because you want to grab the agent's attention right off the bat, rather than taking the chance that they're in a hurry and don't make it to the end. Obviously these are two completely different methods. Honestly, it's the most frustrating part of querying, as ultimately the quality of the work ends up becoming secondary to the procedure of crafting the query letter itself.
While I agree with you that each query should be personalized to the specific agent, I also find this hypocritical as every response from agents is copied and pasted, the same for every writer with a "mail-merge" that pastes in my name and the title of the manuscript. In several responses, I have received "Dear G" as I use my first initial and middle name. That means the reviewer did not even read the query to know that I go by my middle name for writing. I understand volume, I do. But when I spend a whole day or two researching and working on my query letter and materials and submitting it, I would like to know that - at the very minimum - my entire query letter was read. It's less than 400 words.
So awesome, borne educator (and this is from an educator and writer). Very helpful even for non-fiction writers - would appreciate some more coverage of the non-fiction genre - thanks!
Interesting. I didn't even know that a query letter goes through an additional filter before it gets to a literary agent. Is it fair, thought, to judge about the book by the query letter?
Helpful indeed! My ms is with a literary agent currently and am waiting for response. Had an English prof as my editor. It is a political philosophy novel for these uncertain times in which we find ourselves.
I really like the quality of your videos. They look very professional. I subscribed even before I finished watching the 1st video and I've been watching videos on writing a LOT... so good job. 😃👍
I subscribed to you only a while ago, and have found myself watching so many of them. My book was written nearly a decade ago. And here I am now in 2023 trying to find an agent again. Hopefully this time will be different.
Hi Alyssa! I'm so glad I found you! I've just started the querying process after... like 7-8 years of working on a novel. My urban fantasy manuscript is at 130,000 words, and this is my first novel. Do you think agents will balk at that word count? I've heard fantasy has more leeway in word count, but would love to know if there's a solid line I should shoot for?
Mine is 150k and I will start quering this month. It's your work and if you think it needs the words, even after multiple edits, and none of them are unnecessary, then go for it. Rest is fate.
Higher word counts are okay when you've proven your books sell. If you're a debut author, you need to stick within the genre standard word counts. 120k max for debut fantasy, maybe a few thousand more. This is because if you're too far over, the agent knows they will have lots of editing work to do with you to get the word count to an appropriate amount to take on submission. The hard fact is, acquiring editors at publishing houses are thinking about their commercial margins. It simply costs more money to print a longer book. They'll do that if they know the author has a solid fan base, but for debut authors, they have no guarantee they'll make the money back, so they will want to keep the word count as low as possible. The only agent I know of that's more flexible regarding word counts, is Jim McCarthy, but even he has a limit. Takeaway - It's got nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the story you're telling, it's all about the publisher's need to maximise profits and the agent's desire to give publishers what they're looking for. Good luck.
If this is true then that would mean agents are pretty dumb. All that should matter is if your book is going to make them money not whether your letter panders to their ego.
@AlyssaMatesic My first query, by email, is going to the Don Conglan Agency, with my first chapter. Thanks again! I subbed as I have a very great deal to learn...
I’m just beginning the Query process and your content is incredibly helpful. Unfortunately I self-publish the book I want to get traditionally published at a later time. Self-publishing is so easy and I just wanted a book produce. I’m a little disheartened by learning this, I just didn’t know it was a turn off. Do you have a suggestion how I can handle this in my query letter now I have already self published?
I have violence in the beginning pages because part of the theme of the story is violence. I think im rather decent in description when it comes to violence. There is a sweet spot of enough to understand the violence but not to the point of grimdark glorification. It also is important for the growth of the main characters.
Do you have a video on how to research agents and determine what attributes makes an agent a good fit for you and your book, and how to discover the necessary information from their agency's website and other sources?
Hi Alyssa, thanks for the upload very informative. I have subscribed and will check out your other uploads. I self published 8 books all cookery and specialising in pastry subjects. I am not going to do this any further as the print quality is nowhere near the quality I am looking for, also the print costs make this untenable for making decent money so I now want to go through a traditional publishing house. I have a high skill level and profile in my field but if I understand your point about self publishing what I should now do is declare i have self published these books and I should not try and use anything in these books i have already published but only use new material. Have I got that right? Kind regards Tim
This is the first time I've heard that previously self-published works will be denied. Is this very common? Wouldn't a book with a successful Kickstarter, good sales, and great ratings be attractive?
Great stuff. My outline and first quarter of the book hint I might run a bit short at around 60K words. I´ve heard that historical fiction is expected to be around the 80k mark. Would you recommend to go the extra mile and reach the 80k, or would something around , let´s say 70k, make an acceptable length for a debut author historical fiction title.
Absolutely helpful. I’m currently writing a novel to query and hopefully share the other mysteries I’ve written and safely haven’t self-published because I know if I want an agent that’s not the thing to do at this moment 🇬🇧🇺🇸
Hi Alyssa, your videos are so enriching and to the point, so thank you for such great effort. I've a question regarding the third turnoff "self-publishing", as I've self-published a non-fiction book on amazon, and because I am a plastic surgeon you can tell that I had no experience marketing the book there and now I looking forward to publishing it the traditional way, and I need your advice for that, should I proceed?. Thanks for your time and your consideration.
I've written a novel that is (unfortunately) totally unique: a Rom-Com between a priest and a woman who owns a Catering Hall (think Fran Drescher). When agents ask for "similar books," I have no answer. How can I overcome that? As soon as I given the plot, I'm assuming my query gets deleted.
A good technique in this case is to use the format "my book is X meets Y." So think of two books/films/TV shows that, when meshed together, produce something in line with yours!
Next week I should be able to query agents and again, thank you so much for helping me out writing a good one. What a difference it is to what I originally had. This should hopefully get some more positive responses, even if they reject my book. Your videos are very informative. Should have found you years ago.
Hi! Thank you so much for all your valuable tips. Question though, do literary agents accept queries with just the first few chapters and the plot outline? I'm currently drafting a speculative, psychological fiction... and it's time-sensitive.
For fiction, no - you will typically need to have a completed manuscript prior to querying. I talk a bit more about that in this video: ruclips.net/video/BxZ5TNMxXI0/видео.html I hope that helps!
Hello Alyssa! Thank you so much for sharing such great info and tips. I've only watched three videos so far, and you've already answered so many questions I've had. A question I have now is pertaining to a children's book I desire to have published. Both the manuscript and illustrations are done. I know you mentioned agents for traditional publishers preferring not to deal with books that have been self-published. Is it possible for me to still go the traditional route and not lose/have to change my illustrations? Or, will I have to give that up and use the publisher's choice of illustrations?
Hi Alyssa, Thanks for your comments on personalizing a query letter. I have written a thriller. Of course, the first thing I look for are agents that have thrillers on their wish list. However, many agents in their profiles say "thrillers" but little or nothing else about that genre. I always look for additional comments and many agents say anything more but many don't, so I have nothing to respond to. Thus I am limited to just saying "I'm querying you because of your interest in thrillers." Do these agents understand this? I feel I do a good job presenting my thriller but it feels like I'm kind of "fishing." Is this an okay way of going forward?
Hi Alyssa, I'm loving your channel! You're so knowledgeable and I learn something valuable with each video. I have a some questions: 1) Is self-publishing a previous novel seen as a positive or negative when an author is querying? 2) I'm writing an epic fantasy novel, and I've seen that word count expectations in this genre are higher than most - would 120,000 words be okay for this genre then? 3) Since querying takes so long, is there any benefit to starting to process early (before my manuscript is finished) and sending out my first 50 pages? Or should I wait until it's completely finished?
Thanks so much for the kind words! Some agents may be biased against self-publishing (as they work in the traditional publishing industry after all), but my feeling is that most are probably neutral on it. For fantasy, you're right that the length is often longer - if you're reading similar books in the genre that fall around 120k words, that should be OK! You should wait to query until it's completely finished, because the next step would be for an agent to request the full manuscript, and you need to have it ready to send to them.
One of your first points is that agents don’t take people on if it’s obvious that the author sent the query without regard for the genre they wanted- but if the agent doesn’t rep that kind of story to begin with then weren’t they never going to reply to begin with? Like the action of generic blanket-querying didn’t spoil it, however it does provide the minimum respect an agent deserves to not be spammed with queries they are publicly not looking for, I totally agree that you’re wasting both your time and the agents by blanket-querying. With regards to the comment about agents being turned off by the wrong name- in my (worthless) opinion, agents should be aware that writers are sending out hundreds of queries. Theres going to be mistakes and that kind of stubbornness just seems unprofessionally fickle. I also feel that it’s absurd to expect a personalized blurb about every agent when there’s already a 90% chance of not being a match. Story should come above everything. The agent is going to know if they like this query very quickly and then either move on or read more. There's no reason to expect writers to waste time personalizing queries when they are likely going to pass on it statistically speaking anyways. If you like the query, then it's time to find out if I'm awful or rude or careless.
I think your perspective as a writer/non-agent is valid! Yes, agents are aware that author hopefuls are sending out hundreds of queries. However, listing the wrong agent's name provides an easy decision to toss the query, especially when there are twenty others in their submissions inbox 😅 I'd hate for that to happen to anyone, especially when they've worked hard on their manuscript, so this video is just a small reminder/checklist for anyone querying. Thanks for sharing!
You said we shouldn’t use hyperboles or overstatements. I’ve done some research, and I know the children’s book series I’m writing is both needed and wanted by parents and teachers. It’s a series about a child growing up with Hydrocephalus. We (my co-author and I) are attempting to answer parents questions through the eyes of this child. Is it overstatement or hyperbole to say that I’ve done research and I know it’s a series that people want out there?
This is more of a generic question. I'm querying publishers rather than going through an agent, especially since my novel would only appeal to a certain audience. Is this the right approach?
Interesting comments and helpful. In other words, it's not about the book or the content, it's all about the literary agent's ego. I get it. Not unusual.
I have written my book. Presently it's with a beta I worked with for a lot of fan fiction. I then plan to pay for an editor to work on it out of pocket. When sending a querying letter, should I mention that I've worked with a specific editor and it's professionally edited already?
Hello Alyssa, I’ve watched several of your videos and I love them! My book is done and I’m looking into the querying process. I have a prologue, epilogue, appendix and glossary. Should I include these in my word count?
I wish that I have you here in Lebanon so we can establish a publishing house as I tried one to present my papers with a friend a lawyer but could not continue both of us due to many reasons including governmental issues, but this dream will be in my heart for souch time and I will do it even it's not in Lebanon.
You'll query agents under your real name, but you can mention in your letter that you write under a pen name. It shouldn't make much of a difference to the agent.
@@AlyssaMatesic Cool. Two more questions. 1 - Do you have to give the first chapters of your novel? I've seen several agents' query expectations asking for a sample of like 10 pages (gawd help me, what is that... 2500 words; that like a chapter and a half) with no specifications on where those pages come from. I mean, my prologue - while pertinent - has no direct impact on the story, much less the start of it; and my first chapter is politics, while the story itself is largely military sci-fi. 2 - If I can pull those 10 pages from anywhere (as a single piece of course), what would be of particular interest? What I mean is, should I go with an action scene, a character scene, a cultural scene, etc.
Thank you so much for this video as well as the offer to assist in answering any questions. I am writing a non fiction book about working as a civilian Informant for the ATF on a high profile case. I've had some great publicity, through a couple interviews with journalists as well as publicity during the trial. I am interested in who you'd recommend for this project. I've written 100's of pages, I'm in process of editing my first proposal. I'm open to suggestions or advice on how to proceed forward. Thank you for taking time to read this. R Williams
My book is 170k words. I bet I could trim maybe 10k with a great editor, but not much more. I don't like short books. Why are publishing houses so hard-pressed to 90k?
Alyssa when you say “query letters” is this covered by sending a “query email”? That is, can our email double as our query letter? Or do we have to write a letter and attach it to the email?
Yes, the body of the email can be the query itself! Some agents accept paper submissions, though, so that's where the distinction for query 'letters' comes from. Thanks for commenting :)
this has been helpful. I've been writing a lot of short stories that fall right around 1000 words, and my first book that was supposed to be a short story ended up being a novela. It naturally fell around the 50K word count. But I don't think I'd have trouble expanding an area that would give me the extra 10-15k words.
Very helpful...thank you. You stated that 60K to 90K words are the sweet spot for fiction. My question: is there any kind of further breakdown of word length within all the different categories of fiction? Or is 60 to 90 thousand words the equally preferred length for middle grade, young adult, adult, etc. My middle grade/young adult novel is around 97K words. Thank you for your time.
What about if you have self-published a bunch of smaller works and wanted to trad publish a collection? Will that still be a turn off to agents? It is not like you can't pull the work from Amazon an then make a deal on the rights.
Do you have a video concerning Cover Letters? There's an agency I'm interested in contacting but they require a cover letter and I'm not entirely sure how to go about it. A good example like the one you presented for blurbs would be just perfectly nice.
Can you list some sources for research? I use Writers Market and the agents' social media. I find most of these list the agents' life experience like a CV. Worse, they use terms like "I love characters who stick with me and plots that blow my mind." Um... Does anyone dislike those things? How do I find less generic, more professional/personal information about an agent?
I don't do work with poetry, so it would be hard for me to speak to that part of the industry. However, there are many poetry resources available both here on RUclips and on Reedsy.com, a site where you can hire freelance editors!
Hello Alyssa. I see that this video is already 2 years old. I don't know if you'll see this or not. In any case, your insights are very helpful. I do have a question. When you said that self published titles were a turnoff, I figured I'd better ask you about a book of mine. I have recently published the first book in a new series. I fell in love with the main charachter. I want to write her from this point forward. Would any literary agent be interested in helping me continue on this path? I still own all rights to all of my books. They can all be published in the traditional manner. Thank you for any feedback.
If the agent requests the manuscript to be attached, then you definitely should. However, most will ask for the first chapter or first 10 pages to be pasted at the bottom of the query email. Just follow their specific instructions!
Hello Alyssa I am a new author and just reviewed your above video on "Turnoffs'. It was very helpful. I have completed my first fiction novel. Initial readers of the manuscript have given in A+ reviews. My query letter and synopsis are finished and all set to take the plunge into finding an agent. Though I have been told it is a fast paced and easy read, the issue would be the length at 250K+ words (crime / supernatural thriller). Should I first see if there is any level of interest or start chopping it down before making the submissions. Thank you.
I was thinking of combining two fictional stories of 40, plus thousand words together. Would that be something that would work, or would it be better as one novel
Seems like most agents and editors get twitchy if you've got over 100,000 words if you're new to the business. A chapter with 8,000 words MIGHT need to be broken up a little but I don't imagine by much. You definitely don't wanna remove it if it fractures your narrative.
My manuscript is a memoir that includes traveling it is 86,888 words - 260 pages - 21 chapters. It has several components to it. Does it sound like it is too long?
Hi Alyssa, thanks for all the info. I have a question which is maybe not typical for you but i hope worth considering. Is there an adult market ( adult as opposed to juvenile ) for a novella with illustrations - not a graphic novel, but a serious themed fiction piece with realistic illustrations as opposed to super hero fantasies. Thanks for the response. Garry
Hello, I discovered your channel through the blessing of the algorithm! 🎉 It's interesting to discover an insider channel like this that explains a bit more about the industry and how it works. That's good, as there isn't really a reason to sugarcoat or hide anything. It's how business works. So, I have a question, since I'm quite new to the writing and publishing world. I have looked into a lot of resources about where might be the best way to publish, how the industry operates with its different paths, whether it's the more fluffy side of self-publishing, watch out for vanity publishers, or go traditional (old-fashioned way). I want to know how the querying process works for books that are not only experimental in nature, but weave multiple genres into the story as it progresses, and start to blur the lines between being in spirit of a memoir but is written entirely as a novel. That is the nature of what I'm working with, and I'm not sure exactly what agent I would look for or find, given its broad scope. I'm still writing it, so it's the beginning of the journey! I'm just curious and looking into it now where I should go when I finish it.
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1. Your query letter is generic [01:08]
2. You come across as presumptuous [03:42]
3. Your book has been self-published [04:35]
4. Your query letter looks unprofessional [05:40]
5. You use hyperboles or overstatements [07:19]
6. You expect a certain sized book deal [8:22]
7. Your opening pages are overtly sexual or violent [09:13]
8. Your book isn't a standard length [10:05]
I realized that these are in the description after I made them. Oh well. Now you can find them in the comments.
Hugs😊
Im in the process of querying right now. Its so refreshing to watch a youtuber that genuinely wants to see othets get published. Most channels on this topic, even some agents, i feel by the end of their videos, do not like writers or people who love to write.
I wish you the best of luck with your querying!
There was a great deal of hatred for writers by agents. Agents wish they were better writers. So when they find good ones, they are strongly ambivalent in their feelings. They want to make money off of someone with a great ability, but they are angry that they do not have that ability. So their behavior becomes quite schizophrenic.
I’m amazed James Clavell got published with shogun at 1250 pages, and taipan over 1400 pages. Maybe that was a different time, maybe shorter books are the preference these days. But when I was finishing shogun, I certainly didn’t want it to end.
Shorter books are a new trend, as ebooks become a larger share of the market. Most Ebooks typically are under 200 pages.
@ wow, 200? Sounds oversimplified. 🤷♂️
@GuruOfwisdom I agree. Shorter isn't necessarily better. ebook readers are impatient.
I'm late to the party for this, but this list is really for emerging authors rather than established authors. It has nothing to do with e-books.
Historically, the larger a book, the more space it took up on a shelf. Bookstores had only so much room and they weren't keen on keeping a bunch of books in the stockroom. Books not on display are losing money. So, they had to make use of every square inch, and bigger books obviously take up more space, which also means bookstores are likely to order fewer of them or hold fewer of them in stock.
Today, that's less of a problem considering you can order books through Amazon or wherever, but it is still a rule for agents because ....
a lot of emerging authors haven't properly edited their novels. Longer word counts, for new writers, usually means there's too much fat in the narrative. That could be repetitive words and phrases that are needless, it could mean a bloated list of subplots and characters, it could mean the pacing is all off. Rarely it means the author wrote a well-crafted novel that just happens to be 130,000 words.
That's not to say debut novels can't be lengthy. Plenty are. But agents only have so much time and they're moreso looking for red flags to dismiss your query than they are looking for reasons to read further.
@ great comments, thx. I would agree. Probably most times a book is that big is because it hasn’t been trimmed properly as you suggest.
Very helpful recommendations. I typically search for interviews or panel discussions on the particular agent to get a sense of who they are and what they are really searching for. It provides (I think) a nice entry point for the query letter.
This is a great addition!
I sent out a few queries twenty-two years ago, and got an agent with my fourth query. Now, in 2024, when I'm a much better writer, I've sent out twenty-three queries and haven't gotten an agent yet. Go figure.
I agree. I don't get this whole thing about having to suck up to the agent. From what I can tell, these days it us usually just an intern looking at the email, and within 30 seconds they'll say "Nah" and not even bother to respond to you. Where is the "human to human" if most can't even be bothered to spend 10 seconds sending a "No thanks" response.
So we should be polite of course, and follow the admission guidelines, but why is anyone kidding ourselves that is anything but a mass emailing process of saying "here's a bit about my book. Get back to me if you are interested." This whole 'non generic' thing just feels like a needless step for stroking ego's.
Hi Alyssa, love your channel! I'd love to see a video about your personal experience working at an agency and how you decided which queries to pass on to the agents.
Is there a reason all the literary agents are all looking for one thing? Many times I’ve been trying to query and every single agent is looking for woman’s issues, or a theme in an around anything woman related.
I don’t have a problem with it. It’s just 4 out of 5 agents? The last agent is looking for crime or drama? I’ve been through 20 or so literary agents and none of them are taking anything in regards to my subject matter. Despite using a book writers market that is the up to date version. I’m doing my research, I’m doing what is suggested and it’s become overwhelming to track down literary agents that specifically deal with say. Science fiction… Only to find they have 5 agents and none of them are looking for the genre that they said they cover.
Why do we have to personalize every query when they plan on sending a non personal form rejection? Querying and finding an agent open to your genre is time consuming.
Also, I hear a lot of agents saying that if you don’t have a major connection to them they don’t want to hear a personalization.
Hello, Alyssa, I enjoy your content. Quick question about my content being previously published. I have a website and a page on Facebook that I write about parts of what will be in the book. Will this count against me when I want to traditionally publish the book? Thanks
I find these videos helpful and encouraging. I self-published my first two novels. I’m working hard to get my third novel published mainstream. My book takes place in the 60s and 70s. I needed to do extensive research in order to line up the story correctly. It took me three years of working almost full time on it to get it ready. Now that I’m querying, I get rejection after rejection. Some of the rejections are nicer than the rejections I received for the first two books-but they are still rejections.
Good luck on your querying process!
This is actually free information. Wow.
Thank you, Alyssa. I'm completing my debut novel of a four-part series and have set up the website, trailers, teasers, excerpts, and social media sites. I initially sent a first pass at literary agents without responses. Your videos are helping me better comprehend the publishing industry and attract attention. After the development editing and copywriting are completed by early next month, I'll give the query letter and submissions another go. Thank you.
How did it go? Did you get any responses? Wishing you all the luck on your debut novel and your series!
Still in process :) I've learned you need a completed book to really push the first phase. ;) Development edits don't attract attention. My development editor, with tough love, really pushed me to the next level. The copyediting is in process right now. Proofreading begins in two weeks. I'm currently typesetting and working on the interior design. To continue the social media thing, I've put together author snippets. My next phase is to work on the query letter while the proofreading is in process. I'm going to self-publish and see if that helps to attract agents. Thank you again for the reply and your wonderful videos.@@apocalypso3427
Excellent as ever. In every one of your videos there's at least one thing you cover that I hadn't considered previously. Generally there's several! :)
You're right. Though I found nothing more discouraging than to fully research the person and company I was submitting to. Taking the time to personalize what I was sending them and then still getting a generic rejection letter. I understand they get hundreds if not thousands of letters and it's overwhelming and so they can't send everyone they aren't interested in a full cover rejection detailing the "Bad fit" as I seen in the past. It's kind of why I just stopped submitting entirely.
You're also right; querying is a hard process! I commend you for putting your full effort in so far, and hope that you continue querying again after you take your break!
I'm so glad I discovered your channel! You are so very helpful, and I will be using all of the tips you've given when it comes time for me to start querying my novel. In truth, I don't have a lot of hope for success, but being traditionally published is my dream, so I'm going to give it my absolute best shot before I opt to self publish instead. Thanks again!
I'm so glad you're finding my channel helpful! Wishing you all the best with querying!
I've been pitching all wrong!!! Monday, I targeted 8 California agents with my first self published book that has gone extremely well but at the end mentioning my second book is ready for publication. It also just said their name and no other personal details about them. Thank you for this info you rock. Liked and Subscribed :)
Haha, glad this video helped!
Hi Alyssa, you touched a bit on book formats (novel, novellas). Could you make a video on that topic please. For instance, what are the challenges of getting represented/published for a standalone short story? What about a bunch of similar short stories bundled together? Looking forward to your insights.
That's a great idea! I will add it to my list!
I do need all the help I can get finding and actually getting an agent
Many of the points are common sense, but good to see them here. Agent research, I have to say would be so much easier if what they represent, who they've sold and where and if they're open to queries at all---First and foremost. Sometimes it feels like games of hide and seek to find what genres agents are willing to look at.
Incredibly helpful video. Many of your videos are and I thank you!
Helpful!
The length issue is a big one, and the answer to the question isn't just a fiction/nonfiction issue but also a genre issue. My understanding is that speculative fiction has some more leeway in terms of acceptable length, up to 120k, whereas romance novels should fall in the 80k-100k range.
The answers to these questions are rarely consistent for more than a couple years at a time, as the market is always shifting. I've seen talk recently that new speculative fiction novels can be closer to 140k.
Best,
DRM
It's definitely true that certain genres like speculative and fantasy tend to be a bit longer, on average.
How many pages is that?
Do you have a conversion formula?
I hired a company called Writer's Branding who claim to be experts at preparing query letters and book proposals. I saw the first draft, and it seems to respect all your advice, except that it is a generic letter to be sent to 60 literary agents (they told me that). I self-published my work previously. I'm not satisfied with this, for I wish some traditional validation from the publishing industry. It's not a novel. It's nonfiction.
Today, is Query letter day one research for me. It begins, I want a shot at the title, lol. I am a fighter looking for a manager and trainer in the world of books, movies and t.v. series to inspire and teach others to win the fight against fear and anger. Then to share the flame of inspiration until the whole world catches fire and is ruled by love again...* Great video Alyssa..,
Best of luck!
@@AlyssaMatesic Luck, timing n divine order.... Thank you, love your videos...*
So, is writing a query letter something akin to writing a high quality cover letter for a job? Just a slightly different format??
Yes, it's essentially a cover letter but for an author seeking representation from an agent. You're not necessarily asking them for a "job," but for them to take you on as a client--so making sure that you're friendly but professional goes a long way!
Hi Alyssa! Thank you for all of your wonderful advice on your channel. I've been working on a novel about narcissistic abuse for five years now, and having written, revised, and edited various drafts and worked with beta readers who have critiqued my whole manuscript, I'm gearing up to move towards the querying stage. I wanted to make a comment because I would like some clarity on the seventh point you make concerning overly violent or sexual scenes. As my novel deals with narcissistic abuse, there is some violence in the opening scenes, whether it be physical or emotional, but it is ultimately relevant to the plot and the character arcs. I realise that beginning the novel in the middle of the abuse may jar the reader, or it may spur them to read on; it doesn't seem to have been an issue with the vast majority of the beta readers I have worked with so far. Do you feel that this point refers to when the sex or violence is gratuitous or when it's used to aid the atmosphere rather than being relevant to the plot? I'm not sure this point is applicable to my project. Once again, thanks for your incredible insight and advice; I'm sure I'll be using your channel a lot. :) Please take care of yourself (and sorry for the length of my comment!).
I have learned so much from your ideas. By far, the best advice and your delivery isn’t condescending (like some others I e seen). Thank you!
Thank you so much, this means a lot! I really appreciate it. :)
It sometimes seems like a flip of a coin, whether or not you're constructing the query letter correctly. For instance, you recommend placing the personalization at the top, to show the agent you're not just spamming the letter to dozens of agents. Makes sense. Hovever, I've seen elsewhere that you should dive right into the blurb, and add personalization at the end because you want to grab the agent's attention right off the bat, rather than taking the chance that they're in a hurry and don't make it to the end. Obviously these are two completely different methods. Honestly, it's the most frustrating part of querying, as ultimately the quality of the work ends up becoming secondary to the procedure of crafting the query letter itself.
While I agree with you that each query should be personalized to the specific agent, I also find this hypocritical as every response from agents is copied and pasted, the same for every writer with a "mail-merge" that pastes in my name and the title of the manuscript. In several responses, I have received "Dear G" as I use my first initial and middle name. That means the reviewer did not even read the query to know that I go by my middle name for writing.
I understand volume, I do. But when I spend a whole day or two researching and working on my query letter and materials and submitting it, I would like to know that - at the very minimum - my entire query letter was read. It's less than 400 words.
So awesome, borne educator (and this is from an educator and writer). Very helpful even for non-fiction writers - would appreciate some more coverage of the non-fiction genre - thanks!
Interesting. I didn't even know that a query letter goes through an additional filter before it gets to a literary agent. Is it fair, thought, to judge about the book by the query letter?
Helpful indeed! My ms is with a literary agent currently and am waiting for response. Had an English prof as my editor. It is a political philosophy novel for these uncertain times in which we find ourselves.
Thanks so much for putting this material up. Extremely helpful. I appreciate your straightforward approach-as well as your optimism.
Glad it was helpful!
I've been binge Watchung these videos today at work; best info so far regarding publishing.
Thank you so much this is VERY helpful!
I'm so glad!
Highly informative. Makes me rethink querying that 142,000 word fantasy debut novel … 🤔
Haha, I'm sure you can query it! But make sure you've thought well on whether it needs to be 142,000 words long. Thanks for commenting :)
I really like the quality of your videos. They look very professional. I subscribed even before I finished watching the 1st video and I've been watching videos on writing a LOT... so good job. 😃👍
Thank you so much, the kind words mean a lot!
This is good advice, thanks 👍
I subscribed to you only a while ago, and have found myself watching so many of them. My book was written nearly a decade ago. And here I am now in 2023 trying to find an agent again. Hopefully this time will be different.
Hi Alyssa! I'm so glad I found you! I've just started the querying process after... like 7-8 years of working on a novel. My urban fantasy manuscript is at 130,000 words, and this is my first novel. Do you think agents will balk at that word count? I've heard fantasy has more leeway in word count, but would love to know if there's a solid line I should shoot for?
Mine is 150k and I will start quering this month. It's your work and if you think it needs the words, even after multiple edits, and none of them are unnecessary, then go for it. Rest is fate.
Higher word counts are okay when you've proven your books sell. If you're a debut author, you need to stick within the genre standard word counts. 120k max for debut fantasy, maybe a few thousand more. This is because if you're too far over, the agent knows they will have lots of editing work to do with you to get the word count to an appropriate amount to take on submission. The hard fact is, acquiring editors at publishing houses are thinking about their commercial margins. It simply costs more money to print a longer book. They'll do that if they know the author has a solid fan base, but for debut authors, they have no guarantee they'll make the money back, so they will want to keep the word count as low as possible.
The only agent I know of that's more flexible regarding word counts, is Jim McCarthy, but even he has a limit.
Takeaway - It's got nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the story you're telling, it's all about the publisher's need to maximise profits and the agent's desire to give publishers what they're looking for. Good luck.
If this is true then that would mean agents are pretty dumb. All that should matter is if your book is going to make them money not whether your letter panders to their ego.
Thanks, very helpful! My query letter is finished, beginning the daunting process of trying to research agents who've handled similar material...
Glad you found the video helpful! Good luck in your querying journey!
@AlyssaMatesic My first query, by email, is going to the Don Conglan Agency, with my first chapter. Thanks again! I subbed as I have a very great deal to learn...
I’m just beginning the Query process and your content is incredibly helpful. Unfortunately I self-publish the book I want to get traditionally published at a later time. Self-publishing is so easy and I just wanted a book produce. I’m a little disheartened by learning this, I just didn’t know it was a turn off. Do you have a suggestion how I can handle this in my query letter now I have already self published?
I have violence in the beginning pages because part of the theme of the story is violence. I think im rather decent in description when it comes to violence. There is a sweet spot of enough to understand the violence but not to the point of grimdark glorification.
It also is important for the growth of the main characters.
Do you have a video on how to research agents and determine what attributes makes an agent a good fit for you and your book, and how to discover the necessary information from their agency's website and other sources?
Hi Alyssa, thanks for the upload very informative. I have subscribed and will check out your other uploads. I self published 8 books all cookery and specialising in pastry subjects. I am not going to do this any further as the print quality is nowhere near the quality I am looking for, also the print costs make this untenable for making decent money so I now want to go through a traditional publishing house. I have a high skill level and profile in my field but if I understand your point about self publishing what I should now do is declare i have self published these books and I should not try and use anything in these books i have already published but only use new material. Have I got that right? Kind regards Tim
I'm just beginning. Thank you.
This is the first time I've heard that previously self-published works will be denied. Is this very common? Wouldn't a book with a successful Kickstarter, good sales, and great ratings be attractive?
Great stuff. My outline and first quarter of the book hint I might run a bit short at around 60K words. I´ve heard that historical fiction is expected to be around the 80k mark. Would you recommend to go the extra mile and reach the 80k, or would something around , let´s say 70k, make an acceptable length for a debut author historical fiction title.
70k is perfectly acceptable - the worst thing you can do is add unnecessary words just for the sake of it!
Absolutely helpful. I’m currently writing a novel to query and hopefully share the other mysteries I’ve written and safely haven’t self-published because I know if I want an agent that’s not the thing to do at this moment 🇬🇧🇺🇸
If only I would have found your channel sooner! Great info. .
So glad you're finding it helpful! Thanks for commenting :)
Hi Alyssa, your videos are so enriching and to the point, so thank you for such great effort. I've a question regarding the third turnoff "self-publishing", as I've self-published a non-fiction book on amazon, and because I am a plastic surgeon you can tell that I had no experience marketing the book there and now I looking forward to publishing it the traditional way, and I need your advice for that, should I proceed?. Thanks for your time and your consideration.
I am loving these videos. Im taking so many notes. Thank you Alyssa. ❤
I'm so glad! Thanks for commenting :)
I got an offer from a publishing house to republish my self-published book ... so that is not a definate "no".
Wow, congrats!
I've written a novel that is (unfortunately) totally unique: a Rom-Com between a priest and a woman who owns a Catering Hall (think Fran Drescher). When agents ask for "similar books," I have no answer. How can I overcome that? As soon as I given the plot, I'm assuming my query gets deleted.
A good technique in this case is to use the format "my book is X meets Y." So think of two books/films/TV shows that, when meshed together, produce something in line with yours!
@@AlyssaMatesic Interesting. Thanks.
Next week I should be able to query agents and again, thank you so much for helping me out writing a good one. What a difference it is to what I originally had. This should hopefully get some more positive responses, even if they reject my book.
Your videos are very informative. Should have found you years ago.
Congratulations, and good luck with querying! I'm so glad my videos were helpful!
@@AlyssaMatesic Thanks. Have begun searching for agents. The ones I want, have been queried. All I can do is wait. A painful wait.
Hi! Thank you so much for all your valuable tips. Question though, do literary agents accept queries with just the first few chapters and the plot outline? I'm currently drafting a speculative, psychological fiction... and it's time-sensitive.
For fiction, no - you will typically need to have a completed manuscript prior to querying. I talk a bit more about that in this video: ruclips.net/video/BxZ5TNMxXI0/видео.html I hope that helps!
@@AlyssaMatesic thank you so much!
Thanks so much for this video.
Hello Alyssa! Thank you so much for sharing such great info and tips. I've only watched three videos so far, and you've already answered so many questions I've had. A question I have now is pertaining to a children's book I desire to have published. Both the manuscript and illustrations are done. I know you mentioned agents for traditional publishers preferring not to deal with books that have been self-published. Is it possible for me to still go the traditional route and not lose/have to change my illustrations? Or, will I have to give that up and use the publisher's choice of illustrations?
Hi Alyssa, Thanks for your comments on personalizing a query letter. I have written a thriller. Of course, the first thing I look for are agents that have thrillers on their wish list. However, many agents in their profiles say "thrillers" but little or nothing else about that genre. I always look for additional comments and many agents say anything more but many don't, so I have nothing to respond to. Thus I am limited to just saying "I'm querying you because of your interest in thrillers." Do these agents understand this? I feel I do a good job presenting my thriller but it feels like I'm kind of "fishing." Is this an okay way of going forward?
Thanks. Very helpful video.
Hi Alyssa, I'm loving your channel! You're so knowledgeable and I learn something valuable with each video. I have a some questions:
1) Is self-publishing a previous novel seen as a positive or negative when an author is querying?
2) I'm writing an epic fantasy novel, and I've seen that word count expectations in this genre are higher than most - would 120,000 words be okay for this genre then?
3) Since querying takes so long, is there any benefit to starting to process early (before my manuscript is finished) and sending out my first 50 pages? Or should I wait until it's completely finished?
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Some agents may be biased against self-publishing (as they work in the traditional publishing industry after all), but my feeling is that most are probably neutral on it.
For fantasy, you're right that the length is often longer - if you're reading similar books in the genre that fall around 120k words, that should be OK!
You should wait to query until it's completely finished, because the next step would be for an agent to request the full manuscript, and you need to have it ready to send to them.
@@AlyssaMatesic Brilliant! Thank you for your expertise!
One of your first points is that agents don’t take people on if it’s obvious that the author sent the query without regard for the genre they wanted- but if the agent doesn’t rep that kind of story to begin with then weren’t they never going to reply to begin with? Like the action of generic blanket-querying didn’t spoil it, however it does provide the minimum respect an agent deserves to not be spammed with queries they are publicly not looking for, I totally agree that you’re wasting both your time and the agents by blanket-querying.
With regards to the comment about agents being turned off by the wrong name- in my (worthless) opinion, agents should be aware that writers are sending out hundreds of queries. Theres going to be mistakes and that kind of stubbornness just seems unprofessionally fickle. I also feel that it’s absurd to expect a personalized blurb about every agent when there’s already a 90% chance of not being a match. Story should come above everything. The agent is going to know if they like this query very quickly and then either move on or read more. There's no reason to expect writers to waste time personalizing queries when they are likely going to pass on it statistically speaking anyways. If you like the query, then it's time to find out if I'm awful or rude or careless.
I think your perspective as a writer/non-agent is valid! Yes, agents are aware that author hopefuls are sending out hundreds of queries. However, listing the wrong agent's name provides an easy decision to toss the query, especially when there are twenty others in their submissions inbox 😅 I'd hate for that to happen to anyone, especially when they've worked hard on their manuscript, so this video is just a small reminder/checklist for anyone querying. Thanks for sharing!
You said we shouldn’t use hyperboles or overstatements. I’ve done some research, and I know the children’s book series I’m writing is both needed and wanted by parents and teachers. It’s a series about a child growing up with Hydrocephalus. We (my co-author and I) are attempting to answer parents questions through the eyes of this child.
Is it overstatement or hyperbole to say that I’ve done research and I know it’s a series that people want out there?
This is more of a generic question. I'm querying publishers rather than going through an agent, especially since my novel would only appeal to a certain audience. Is this the right approach?
Interesting comments and helpful. In other words, it's not about the book or the content, it's all about the literary agent's ego. I get it. Not unusual.
I have written my book. Presently it's with a beta I worked with for a lot of fan fiction. I then plan to pay for an editor to work on it out of pocket. When sending a querying letter, should I mention that I've worked with a specific editor and it's professionally edited already?
Thank you Alyssa, this friday I'm going to meet a "might be" publisher, so I am super excited and thanks for the tips & trick (L) love and light
Exciting! Good luck with your publisher meeting!
Thank you so much for the great Intel. I’ve written 21 chapters over 21,000 words of my first novel. Really looking forward to the process. Jonathan
Best of luck!
Hello Alyssa, I’ve watched several of your videos and I love them! My book is done and I’m looking into the querying process. I have a prologue, epilogue, appendix and glossary. Should I include these in my word count?
Thank you for your insight.
Thank you so much 😊!!
I wish that I have you here in Lebanon so we can establish a publishing house as I tried one to present my papers with a friend a lawyer but could not continue both of us due to many reasons including governmental issues, but this dream will be in my heart for souch time and I will do it even it's not in Lebanon.
Thank God I’m indie published (and keeping most of my royalties)
Really glad I've found this channel. I'm finally going for it, trying to get traditionally published. Now I just need to finish my book =)
You got something about finding an agent while keeping a pen-name?
You'll query agents under your real name, but you can mention in your letter that you write under a pen name. It shouldn't make much of a difference to the agent.
@@AlyssaMatesic
Cool. Two more questions.
1 - Do you have to give the first chapters of your novel? I've seen several agents' query expectations asking for a sample of like 10 pages (gawd help me, what is that... 2500 words; that like a chapter and a half) with no specifications on where those pages come from. I mean, my prologue - while pertinent - has no direct impact on the story, much less the start of it; and my first chapter is politics, while the story itself is largely military sci-fi.
2 - If I can pull those 10 pages from anywhere (as a single piece of course), what would be of particular interest? What I mean is, should I go with an action scene, a character scene, a cultural scene, etc.
Thank you so much for this video as well as the offer to assist in answering any questions.
I am writing a non fiction book about working as a civilian Informant for the ATF on a high profile case. I've had some great publicity, through a couple interviews with journalists as well as publicity during the trial.
I am interested in who you'd recommend for this project. I've written 100's of pages, I'm in process of editing my first proposal. I'm open to suggestions or advice on how to proceed forward.
Thank you for taking time to read this.
R Williams
My book is 170k words. I bet I could trim maybe 10k with a great editor, but not much more. I don't like short books. Why are publishing houses so hard-pressed to 90k?
Alyssa when you say “query letters” is this covered by sending a “query email”? That is, can our email double as our query letter? Or do we have to write a letter and attach it to the email?
Yes, the body of the email can be the query itself! Some agents accept paper submissions, though, so that's where the distinction for query 'letters' comes from. Thanks for commenting :)
Hey Alyssa! What about if it is a children’s tale. Shouldn’t be shorter than 60.000 words?
this has been helpful. I've been writing a lot of short stories that fall right around 1000 words, and my first book that was supposed to be a short story ended up being a novela. It naturally fell around the 50K word count. But I don't think I'd have trouble expanding an area that would give me the extra 10-15k words.
Thank you!
Very helpful...thank you. You stated that 60K to 90K words are the sweet spot for fiction. My question: is there any kind of further breakdown of word length within all the different categories of fiction? Or is 60 to 90 thousand words the equally preferred length for middle grade, young adult, adult, etc. My middle grade/young adult novel is around 97K words. Thank you for your time.
I often wrote things like "I noticed you are seeking adventure novels..." in my query letter...so glad to know not to do that!
What about if you have self-published a bunch of smaller works and wanted to trad publish a collection? Will that still be a turn off to agents? It is not like you can't pull the work from Amazon an then make a deal on the rights.
Do you have a video concerning Cover Letters? There's an agency I'm interested in contacting but they require a cover letter and I'm not entirely sure how to go about it. A good example like the one you presented for blurbs would be just perfectly nice.
Just sent out my query and I love it even more after watching this.
Can you list some sources for research? I use Writers Market and the agents' social media. I find most of these list the agents' life experience like a CV. Worse, they use terms like "I love characters who stick with me and plots that blow my mind." Um... Does anyone dislike those things? How do I find less generic, more professional/personal information about an agent?
Can you post content for poetry books/manuscripts
I don't do work with poetry, so it would be hard for me to speak to that part of the industry. However, there are many poetry resources available both here on RUclips and on Reedsy.com, a site where you can hire freelance editors!
Hello Alyssa. I see that this video is already 2 years old. I don't know if you'll see this or not. In any case, your insights are very helpful. I do have a question. When you said that self published titles were a turnoff, I figured I'd better ask you about a book of mine. I have recently published the first book in a new series. I fell in love with the main charachter. I want to write her from this point forward. Would any literary agent be interested in helping me continue on this path? I still own all rights to all of my books. They can all be published in the traditional manner. Thank you for any feedback.
Hi Alyssa, are you saying that one should not attach the manuscript in the initial email?
If the agent requests the manuscript to be attached, then you definitely should. However, most will ask for the first chapter or first 10 pages to be pasted at the bottom of the query email. Just follow their specific instructions!
I'm currently at 114,000 words, and I'm just getting to the final act. Should I shorten the novel?
Hello Alyssa
I am a new author and just reviewed your above video on "Turnoffs'. It was very helpful. I have completed my first fiction novel. Initial readers of the manuscript have given in A+ reviews. My query letter and synopsis are finished and all set to take the plunge into finding an agent. Though I have been told it is a fast paced and easy read, the issue would be the length at 250K+ words (crime / supernatural thriller). Should I first see if there is any level of interest or start chopping it down before making the submissions. Thank you.
Hi! Not a professional yet, just an aspiring author, but read this and thought, what about splitting it into two novels? Or even making it a trilogy?
I'm uncertain about personalization. How do come off that you researched the agent's tastes without being too personal?
Whats a standard length?
I was thinking of combining two fictional stories of 40, plus thousand words together. Would that be something that would work, or would it be better as one novel
Super informative!
My novel is almost 100,000 words long, and includes a chapter of 8,000 words that is tangential to the main plot. Would you advise me to remove it?
Seems like most agents and editors get twitchy if you've got over 100,000 words if you're new to the business. A chapter with 8,000 words MIGHT need to be broken up a little but I don't imagine by much. You definitely don't wanna remove it if it fractures your narrative.
My manuscript is a memoir that includes traveling it is 86,888 words - 260 pages - 21 chapters. It has several components to it. Does it sound like it is too long?
Hi Alyssa, thanks for all the info. I have a question which is maybe not typical for you but i hope worth considering. Is there an adult market ( adult as opposed to juvenile ) for a novella with illustrations - not a graphic novel, but a serious themed fiction piece with realistic illustrations as opposed to super hero fantasies. Thanks for the response. Garry
Hello, I discovered your channel through the blessing of the algorithm! 🎉 It's interesting to discover an insider channel like this that explains a bit more about the industry and how it works. That's good, as there isn't really a reason to sugarcoat or hide anything. It's how business works. So, I have a question, since I'm quite new to the writing and publishing world. I have looked into a lot of resources about where might be the best way to publish, how the industry operates with its different paths, whether it's the more fluffy side of self-publishing, watch out for vanity publishers, or go traditional (old-fashioned way). I want to know how the querying process works for books that are not only experimental in nature, but weave multiple genres into the story as it progresses, and start to blur the lines between being in spirit of a memoir but is written entirely as a novel. That is the nature of what I'm working with, and I'm not sure exactly what agent I would look for or find, given its broad scope. I'm still writing it, so it's the beginning of the journey! I'm just curious and looking into it now where I should go when I finish it.
Very helpful. Thanks.