Amazing content! It'd be great if you could make a video about the trends in the book market in 2021, too. Like what are the dead and overdone genres and tropes, what tends to sell what does not, and how should we choose the correct genre for our books😊 For instance, as far as I heard, people are more interested in Egyptian, Arabian, or Indian-inspired mythical fantasy books than Greek-inspired ones these days. So how can we foresight the possible change in the trends for the next two years?
I'm now up to 6 full requests and 4 of those have turned into rejections. What sucks is, I've received no feedback other than a stock answer along the lines of "loved the work...can't offer representation" or "enjoyed the read...can't see an editorial vision" 😪 How do I interpret this?
Hi, thanks for the video! You mentioned towards the end of your video about batches of queries - would you have any advice on how to structure those batches, and how to maybe space them out? Any tips about organizing would be SOOO helpful, i'm a chaos-brain lol and you explain things very clearly!
pretty much you should be doing 10-15 max per batch. You do one batch then wait for results and you adjust your query package based on your results. For instance let's say you get a few 'personalized responses' that say a specific thing then you try to adjust that if possible. If your first batch gets all auto-rejections then you may want to consider rewriting your blurb to make the book sound more dynamic/exciting as often people's blurbs are written in a way that makes the plot sound fairly trite or derivative. With that said, most agents skip the blurb and read your sample chapter/pages first and this by far is most important to them. If they like what they read, they will double back to the blurb and check it. So in short, I would think that most rejections come from the writing sample itself not the blurb, because by far the most important thing at the end of the day to an agent is the writing sample. If your writing/voice/character blows the agent away, they will forgive a bad blurb and ignore it to continue reading. But if your blurb is incredible and the writing sucks, then they will reject immediately
Hi Alyssa! I'm writing a literary fiction... It's about 120, 000 words... But, it's got detective/crime scenes, it's about a serial killer Who, is spiritually driven, as in, my book has paranormal scenes as well! To make things more confusing, my book has a sequel. Oh Goodness, I don't know if it's a literary fiction, or an upmarket fiction Please, what do you think? My writing style is poetic, good quality, it reminds me of, jane eyre and, sometimes, pilgrims progress But I'm using multiple points of view I have characters in: I YOU HE SHE What do you think?
What does it mean to get a revise and resubmit request before the manuscript request? This is what the agent said after I sent the first 50 pages and a query letter. "Thank you for submitting [TITLE] and your patience. I liked the premise and thought [PROTAGONIST] was a character that readers would root for. Even so, I had trouble fully connecting with the characters and staying engaged in the story. In my opinion, the manuscript is not yet ready to be considered. But I think if you keep at it, it’ll get there. If you decide to continue working on it, I’d be happy to give it another look. Please feel free to resubmit through this site when it's ready, however, if I'm not open for submissions at that time, you can resubmit through my online form at: XX and please remind me that I'd offered to take a look at the revision in your query. Don’t give up; there are plenty of literary agents out there who may feel differently. I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors."
The advice to revise the manuscript again would still apply in this situation, although the fact that the agent mentioned this before seeing the full manuscript implies that they liked your idea, but also that your manuscript needs work all the way through. I would definitely take this response positively!
Hi, Alyssa! I am back after 3 months (I see my comment below). I have an agent who has my partial MS for 2 months now. Is 2 months sufficient time to follow up? Also, do you plan on making a video about checking up on agents? I'd love to see that one if you will! As always, you are very helpful and I hope your channel grows bigger!
I got the manuscript request with my first completed manuscript...20 years ago. And I never sent it because I decided it was all terrible and I would never want it published. In short, I panicked. This time around, I hope to get a little farther.
Thank you for your updated engagements with writers! >> Agent websites will say “if you don’t hear back from us, it means it’s a pass.” Is that 100% true? The Book Doctors say “maybe...” (depending on whether it was a cold submission vs. a personal contact). I took this as gospel nine months ago and never thought to follow up on a scary non-response ratio of 75%. Is it too late now? Where would you draw the line? Thanks 🙏🏼
If you haven't heard back in a number of months and the agency specifically says they can't get back to all queries individually, then it's likely a pass. However, if the agency indicates they do respond to all queries and you haven't heard back in a few months, by all means follow up!
I have a question: I heard if an agent rejects you, it's best NOT to reply. It is done and you move forward. Allegedly, they don't even need a 'Thank you for your time' type of message. But what about when they send you the personalised response, saying you can fix your manuscript and send it again? Should you start a dialogue with them? Should you respond and politely ask for further advice etc. or even just thank them and promise to querry again? Or should you 'keep quiet' until you've fixed your work and are sending it again?
@@BurtTurboyou may be right, but I'd reply with a thank you, as well as a short yes i will, or no, i will not. Leaving the agent hanging is not my idea of establishing trust.
@@BurtTurboyou may be right, but I'd reply with a thank you, as well as a short yes i will, or no, i will not. Leaving the agent hanging is not my idea of establishing trust.
I got a few agents responding saying it's not "their genre" or not for them. Could that mean it's really not their genre, or do you think it just meant they don't like the idea itself?
Hi there, great content! My question is, is it ever okay to requery an agent after being rejected? Suppose a few months have passed and you've revised your query and edited your pages. Is it permissible to requery them? Also, what if you were rejected on query tracker but that agent will be open to hearing pitches at a writing conference. Would it be frowned upon to pitch to them despite having been rejected in the past?
I'm starting to consider having an agent, in my case, I'm a comic/graphic novel author and I had a doubt, in several submission forms they ask for 10 pages, in my case, would it be 10 comic pages? (Thank you very much for all these videos, they are really very helpful).
Yes, that would be a good equivalent of 10 prose pages! If they request a full manuscript, they potentially can ask for a written outline, but those sample pages are supposed to be a snapshot of your talents as an artist/storyteller.
Hi Alyssa! Love your videos. Thank you for the helpful tips! I have a question - I sent my first batch of queries and half of them are "pass for now" type. I am changing the POV of my MS from third to first, and changing my MC's name and gender. My question is - can I re-send to agents I've queried before [who sent rejections] the "revamped" version of my MS?
Hi! In my last 3 stories that I've queried, I mostly get the personalized rejection. All seem to be about not connecting with the work or the tone. I use beta readers and fixed my project based on their feedback. However, I'm still getting the same kind of rejection. Now working on my next story, I'm afraid I'm making the same mistakes. How would you suggest to fix this, because I'm feeling lost and I don't want to make the same mistakes?
I would think the problem is often that the concept/ideas themselves are not original enough. 95% of stuff submitted to agents is really derivative and I feel like they are looking for really quirky, original stories/plots that have a very unique/angle spin on things. If your story has a very basic quest or macguffin or something like 'tearing down an empire' for basic reasons then it's often an auto-reject. Most agents want tales about really inventive, rare, 'surprising' sort of things that truly give them pause in a good way. The other big thing is the writing itself has to come off the page and show very strong 'voice' which is just another way of saying 'personality, attitude, sass, etc.'
Definitely agree that a professional editorial assessment could help you diagnose the problems (but that is an investment that might not be feasible). I would also recommend taking a really close look at those opening sample pages. It sounds like the agents are reading them, but don't feel compelled to KEEP reading. Are you planting some seeds of suspense/intrigue in those opening pages? Are you giving them something to read FOR?
@@AlyssaMatesic Is paying for professional advice before you even get an agent a good idea? If you have to rely on that in order for your story to be trad pubbed, then aren't you stuck paying for something you should be able to do on your own when that same service will more or less be provided once the book is sold anyway? I'm asking as respectfully as possible, of course. You're great and I'm absolutely not attacking you. I've just never heard anyone in trad pub give that advice (in fact they advise the opposite) and was hoping for some clarity.
Is it standard to let other agents you have queried that you received manuscript requests or do you wait until you have an actual offer on the table? I received 3 manuscript requests. Is it unprofessional of me to not mention this to the others that requested as well as others that I have queried and not received answers back from yet?
I would definitely recommend telling other the agents! Since they don't want to lose out on a potential sale, they might push your query letter to the top of their priority list.
When you're offered rep, and you go to inform the other agents you're querying, do you give them a time frame? So if they don't answer back after 1 or 2 weeks, then you know they're not interested?
When you request a full manuscript how long does it normally take (on average) to receive a response and if it's been awhile should the author send a follow up email or take no response as a no even after a full request
I would say waiting anywhere between three to four weeks is standard, although recently I've heard of some authors waiting months before hearing back. If it's been a while, sending a follow-up to check in totally makes sense! I also recommend, if other agents request to see your full manuscript, updating all the agents you are actively querying so that they can prioritize reading your manuscript higher.
I’m writing an lgbtq book at the moment, and I’m just wondering that the current book ban about lgbtq and the rise in violence of it, would that effect the demand or not? Are there websites of the current trends that literary agents are interested in?
I certainly won't be giving up, as heartbreaking as it is to get constant rejections. If you or anyone knows any other sites to find agents, besides QueryTracker, who look for adult fantasy, that would be great. Manuscript wishlist is fine but they show agents who aren't even working for the mentioned agency. Also, if pretty much every agent rejects your project without really stating why, how would you know what is wrong when many beta readers fleshed out your book?
querytracker has pretty much every agent in the entire industry (a few outliers here and there are not listed for individual reasons). For the most part this constitutes about 300 or so total fantasy-accepting agents from what I can recall. Realistically speaking out of that ~300 you should probably only find 100-150 at most that truly fit your criteria of your book. So you pretty much have only those 100-150 chances at the most, if your book is rejected by that lot, then unfortunately you're S.O.L. as they say. If every agent rejected your MS then the culprits are most likely in the overall concept/plot is not creative/original enough, or the writing itself in the sample pages (first chapter etc) is simply not good enough. The most likely answer is it's both of those things. However to truly get to the bottom of it, it's best to upload the writing to places with specific instructions for critiquers to give 'tough love' no holds barred feedback and if there are some things critiquers agree on over and over then you may well find your problem
@@etluxaeterna Thanks. I selected on QueryTracker that it should only show available agents. Of course several of them only want YA, while mine is aimed at adults, so this draws back a few too. the ones who do not accept queries, sound very promising too and hope that one day they will reopen again. I was very persistent with my betas that they should be brutally honest about the beginning (and book as such), including my editor. So my first chapter had 4 rewrites until everyone was happy, including me.
@@jesbrimer3096 Getting an agent is really not an easy task. It's impossible to know what draws them in. What is current they know will sell better. But you mention yours were more personal so what did they say which led them to reject your work? With my last book, my first chapter was about the protagonist being chased through the woods, only to be revealed it was a trap for the hunters. Only one agent told me that the beginning didn't drew her in, so I worked really hard with my current one to make it more interesting. Introducing the main characters and the stakes. Hope this will get an agents attention.
What if you write stories that are like a snowball, the further you get into it the more it builds to an unexpected conclusion. The first ten pages are not the most exciting. It seems like queries are like a snapshot, when the book is more like a film. Or to quote Lizzo: baby I’m not a snack/baby I’m a whole damn meal.
Good writing is undeniable, even if narratives start slowly. If the beginning is too slow and doesn't garner interest or make a reader want to keep reading, then it might be worth revising. Good luck!
with making videos. Best thing to do is either re record mistakes or use transition effects. The sudden cuts your doing causes annoyances to watch due to the sudden sound cuts and the quick clip change. Makes it sound like a skip on a cd or something and its more distracting and hard to watch videos that do this. I never finished your video because of this. No offense intended at all. Just a friendly tip .
In my experience, as a writer, whatever feedback annoyed me the most... was invariably the best and most accurate feedback.
It's almost funny how it works! Thank you for sharing your experience as a writer!
Thanks. I just got a request for full MS, so this was timely to watch. I've watched many of your videos. And they're all helpful.
That's awesome - fingers crossed for you!
Great video and extremely timely for me :)
First like and first view! :D Thanks for the interpretations!
Great content and done in an engaging unique style, as always. Love your work, keep producing great content, we’re all behind you.
Thank you so much!
Amazing content! It'd be great if you could make a video about the trends in the book market in 2021, too. Like what are the dead and overdone genres and tropes, what tends to sell what does not, and how should we choose the correct genre for our books😊
For instance, as far as I heard, people are more interested in Egyptian, Arabian, or Indian-inspired mythical fantasy books than Greek-inspired ones these days. So how can we foresight the possible change in the trends for the next two years?
Love this idea, thanks so much for sharing!
@@AlyssaMatesic You’re welcome. Can’t wait to see your insights about it!
I'm now up to 6 full requests and 4 of those have turned into rejections.
What sucks is, I've received no feedback other than a stock answer along the lines of "loved the work...can't offer representation" or "enjoyed the read...can't see an editorial vision" 😪
How do I interpret this?
Thank you SO MUCH, Alyssa! Your beautiful smile, upbeat spirit, and clear instruction is just what we aspiring novelists need! God bless!
Your videos are really helpful. I have been rejected three times so far.
Hi, thanks for the video! You mentioned towards the end of your video about batches of queries - would you have any advice on how to structure those batches, and how to maybe space them out? Any tips about organizing would be SOOO helpful, i'm a chaos-brain lol and you explain things very clearly!
pretty much you should be doing 10-15 max per batch. You do one batch then wait for results and you adjust your query package based on your results. For instance let's say you get a few 'personalized responses' that say a specific thing then you try to adjust that if possible. If your first batch gets all auto-rejections then you may want to consider rewriting your blurb to make the book sound more dynamic/exciting as often people's blurbs are written in a way that makes the plot sound fairly trite or derivative. With that said, most agents skip the blurb and read your sample chapter/pages first and this by far is most important to them. If they like what they read, they will double back to the blurb and check it. So in short, I would think that most rejections come from the writing sample itself not the blurb, because by far the most important thing at the end of the day to an agent is the writing sample. If your writing/voice/character blows the agent away, they will forgive a bad blurb and ignore it to continue reading. But if your blurb is incredible and the writing sucks, then they will reject immediately
@@etluxaeterna thank you!!
Completely agree with this, thanks!
Ty..this is very helpful! I like your positive encouragement!
Hi Alyssa! I'm writing a literary fiction...
It's about 120, 000 words...
But, it's got detective/crime scenes, it's about a serial killer
Who, is spiritually driven, as in, my book has paranormal scenes as well!
To make things more confusing, my book has a sequel.
Oh Goodness, I don't know if it's a literary fiction, or an upmarket fiction
Please, what do you think?
My writing style is poetic, good quality, it reminds me of, jane eyre and, sometimes, pilgrims progress
But I'm using multiple points of view
I have characters in:
I
YOU
HE
SHE
What do you think?
I'm at the beginning on my query process, really helpful insights, thank you.
So glad you found it helpful - best of luck with querying!
What does it mean to get a revise and resubmit request before the manuscript request? This is what the agent said after I sent the first 50 pages and a query letter.
"Thank you for submitting [TITLE] and your patience. I liked the premise and thought [PROTAGONIST] was a character that readers would root for. Even so, I had trouble fully connecting with the characters and staying engaged in the story.
In my opinion, the manuscript is not yet ready to be considered. But I think if you keep at it, it’ll get there. If you decide to continue working on it, I’d be happy to give it another look. Please feel free to resubmit through this site when it's ready, however, if I'm not open for submissions at that time, you can resubmit through my online form at: XX and please remind me that I'd offered to take a look at the revision in your query.
Don’t give up; there are plenty of literary agents out there who may feel differently. I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors."
The advice to revise the manuscript again would still apply in this situation, although the fact that the agent mentioned this before seeing the full manuscript implies that they liked your idea, but also that your manuscript needs work all the way through. I would definitely take this response positively!
@@AlyssaMatesic thanks so much Alyssa!
Hi, Alyssa! I am back after 3 months (I see my comment below). I have an agent who has my partial MS for 2 months now. Is 2 months sufficient time to follow up?
Also, do you plan on making a video about checking up on agents? I'd love to see that one if you will!
As always, you are very helpful and I hope your channel grows bigger!
I got the manuscript request with my first completed manuscript...20 years ago. And I never sent it because I decided it was all terrible and I would never want it published. In short, I panicked.
This time around, I hope to get a little farther.
Best of luck!
@@AlyssaMatesic Thank you!
Question: if requested to send a manuscript, should it be in finished, formatted condition? Thank you!
Thank you for your updated engagements with writers! >> Agent websites will say “if you don’t hear back from us, it means it’s a pass.” Is that 100% true? The Book Doctors say “maybe...” (depending on whether it was a cold submission vs. a personal contact). I took this as gospel nine months ago and never thought to follow up on a scary non-response ratio of 75%. Is it too late now? Where would you draw the line? Thanks 🙏🏼
If you haven't heard back in a number of months and the agency specifically says they can't get back to all queries individually, then it's likely a pass. However, if the agency indicates they do respond to all queries and you haven't heard back in a few months, by all means follow up!
I have a question:
I heard if an agent rejects you, it's best NOT to reply. It is done and you move forward. Allegedly, they don't even need a 'Thank you for your time' type of message.
But what about when they send you the personalised response, saying you can fix your manuscript and send it again? Should you start a dialogue with them? Should you respond and politely ask for further advice etc. or even just thank them and promise to querry again? Or should you 'keep quiet' until you've fixed your work and are sending it again?
If they're asking you to fix it and send it again, fix it and send it again. Don't waste their time.
@@BurtTurboyou may be right, but I'd reply with a thank you, as well as a short yes i will, or no, i will not. Leaving the agent hanging is not my idea of establishing trust.
@@BurtTurboyou may be right, but I'd reply with a thank you, as well as a short yes i will, or no, i will not. Leaving the agent hanging is not my idea of establishing trust.
I got a few agents responding saying it's not "their genre" or not for them. Could that mean it's really not their genre, or do you think it just meant they don't like the idea itself?
Hi there, great content! My question is, is it ever okay to requery an agent after being rejected? Suppose a few months have passed and you've revised your query and edited your pages. Is it permissible to requery them? Also, what if you were rejected on query tracker but that agent will be open to hearing pitches at a writing conference. Would it be frowned upon to pitch to them despite having been rejected in the past?
I'm starting to consider having an agent, in my case, I'm a comic/graphic novel author and I had a doubt, in several submission forms they ask for 10 pages, in my case, would it be 10 comic pages? (Thank you very much for all these videos, they are really very helpful).
Yes, that would be a good equivalent of 10 prose pages! If they request a full manuscript, they potentially can ask for a written outline, but those sample pages are supposed to be a snapshot of your talents as an artist/storyteller.
@@AlyssaMatesic Awesome, this is really helpful, thank you so much!
Hi Alyssa! Love your videos. Thank you for the helpful tips!
I have a question - I sent my first batch of queries and half of them are "pass for now" type. I am changing the POV of my MS from third to first, and changing my MC's name and gender. My question is - can I re-send to agents I've queried before [who sent rejections] the "revamped" version of my MS?
Thanks so much for the kind words! Yes. You can definitely resubmit if you've substantially revised the manuscript - and I encourage you to do so!
@@AlyssaMatesic Thank you so much! You're so awesome for taking the time to reply to your subscribers 🥺 I hope your channel grows bigger! 💗
Hi! In my last 3 stories that I've queried, I mostly get the personalized rejection. All seem to be about not connecting with the work or the tone. I use beta readers and fixed my project based on their feedback. However, I'm still getting the same kind of rejection. Now working on my next story, I'm afraid I'm making the same mistakes. How would you suggest to fix this, because I'm feeling lost and I don't want to make the same mistakes?
I would think the problem is often that the concept/ideas themselves are not original enough. 95% of stuff submitted to agents is really derivative and I feel like they are looking for really quirky, original stories/plots that have a very unique/angle spin on things. If your story has a very basic quest or macguffin or something like 'tearing down an empire' for basic reasons then it's often an auto-reject. Most agents want tales about really inventive, rare, 'surprising' sort of things that truly give them pause in a good way. The other big thing is the writing itself has to come off the page and show very strong 'voice' which is just another way of saying 'personality, attitude, sass, etc.'
Definitely agree that a professional editorial assessment could help you diagnose the problems (but that is an investment that might not be feasible). I would also recommend taking a really close look at those opening sample pages. It sounds like the agents are reading them, but don't feel compelled to KEEP reading. Are you planting some seeds of suspense/intrigue in those opening pages? Are you giving them something to read FOR?
@@AlyssaMatesic Is paying for professional advice before you even get an agent a good idea? If you have to rely on that in order for your story to be trad pubbed, then aren't you stuck paying for something you should be able to do on your own when that same service will more or less be provided once the book is sold anyway? I'm asking as respectfully as possible, of course. You're great and I'm absolutely not attacking you. I've just never heard anyone in trad pub give that advice (in fact they advise the opposite) and was hoping for some clarity.
Is it standard to let other agents you have queried that you received manuscript requests or do you wait until you have an actual offer on the table? I received 3 manuscript requests. Is it unprofessional of me to not mention this to the others that requested as well as others that I have queried and not received answers back from yet?
I would definitely recommend telling other the agents! Since they don't want to lose out on a potential sale, they might push your query letter to the top of their priority list.
When you're offered rep, and you go to inform the other agents you're querying, do you give them a time frame? So if they don't answer back after 1 or 2 weeks, then you know they're not interested?
pretty much yeah
When you request a full manuscript how long does it normally take (on average) to receive a response and if it's been awhile should the author send a follow up email or take no response as a no even after a full request
I would say waiting anywhere between three to four weeks is standard, although recently I've heard of some authors waiting months before hearing back. If it's been a while, sending a follow-up to check in totally makes sense! I also recommend, if other agents request to see your full manuscript, updating all the agents you are actively querying so that they can prioritize reading your manuscript higher.
I’m writing an lgbtq book at the moment, and I’m just wondering that the current book ban about lgbtq and the rise in violence of it, would that effect the demand or not? Are there websites of the current trends that literary agents are interested in?
I certainly won't be giving up, as heartbreaking as it is to get constant rejections.
If you or anyone knows any other sites to find agents, besides QueryTracker, who look for adult fantasy, that would be great. Manuscript wishlist is fine but they show agents who aren't even working for the mentioned agency.
Also, if pretty much every agent rejects your project without really stating why, how would you know what is wrong when many beta readers fleshed out your book?
querytracker has pretty much every agent in the entire industry (a few outliers here and there are not listed for individual reasons). For the most part this constitutes about 300 or so total fantasy-accepting agents from what I can recall. Realistically speaking out of that ~300 you should probably only find 100-150 at most that truly fit your criteria of your book. So you pretty much have only those 100-150 chances at the most, if your book is rejected by that lot, then unfortunately you're S.O.L. as they say. If every agent rejected your MS then the culprits are most likely in the overall concept/plot is not creative/original enough, or the writing itself in the sample pages (first chapter etc) is simply not good enough. The most likely answer is it's both of those things. However to truly get to the bottom of it, it's best to upload the writing to places with specific instructions for critiquers to give 'tough love' no holds barred feedback and if there are some things critiquers agree on over and over then you may well find your problem
@@etluxaeterna Thanks.
I selected on QueryTracker that it should only show available agents. Of course several of them only want YA, while mine is aimed at adults, so this draws back a few too. the ones who do not accept queries, sound very promising too and hope that one day they will reopen again.
I was very persistent with my betas that they should be brutally honest about the beginning (and book as such), including my editor. So my first chapter had 4 rewrites until everyone was happy, including me.
@@rowan7929 what's your MS total wordcount?
@@etluxaeterna a bit over 90k. I made sure I was within their acceptance.
@@jesbrimer3096 Getting an agent is really not an easy task. It's impossible to know what draws them in. What is current they know will sell better. But you mention yours were more personal so what did they say which led them to reject your work?
With my last book, my first chapter was about the protagonist being chased through the woods, only to be revealed it was a trap for the hunters.
Only one agent told me that the beginning didn't drew her in, so I worked really hard with my current one to make it more interesting. Introducing the main characters and the stakes. Hope this will get an agents attention.
What if you write stories that are like a snowball, the further you get into it the more it builds to an unexpected conclusion. The first ten pages are not the most exciting. It seems like queries are like a snapshot, when the book is more like a film. Or to quote Lizzo: baby I’m not a snack/baby I’m a whole damn meal.
Good writing is undeniable, even if narratives start slowly. If the beginning is too slow and doesn't garner interest or make a reader want to keep reading, then it might be worth revising. Good luck!
with making videos. Best thing to do is either re record mistakes or use transition effects. The sudden cuts your doing causes annoyances to watch due to the sudden sound cuts and the quick clip change. Makes it sound like a skip on a cd or something and its more distracting and hard to watch videos that do this. I never finished your video because of this.
No offense intended at all. Just a friendly tip .
Whatever you did in this video, it really muffled the audio.