Top 8 Turnoffs for Literary Agents (AVOID These When Querying!)
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Are you trying to figure out why literary agents rejected your book? Here are some of the top turnoffs for literary agents that may be holding you back from scoring agent representation and getting traditionally published. Use these tips to refine your approach to writing your query letter and you'll improve your chances of getting a literary agent!
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RELATED LINKS:
Literary Agent Responses Explained: • Literary Agent Respons...
How to Choose Literary Agents to Query: • How to Choose Literary...
How Do Literary Agents Sell Books?: • How Do Literary Agents...
TOP 8 TURNOFFS FOR LITERARY AGENTS:
01:06 - 1. Your query letter is generic
03:46 - 2. You come across as presumptuous
04:35 - 3. Your book has been self-published
05:40 - 4. Your query letter looks unprofessional
07:19 - 5. You use hyperboles or overstatements
08:21 - 6. You expect a certain sized book deal
09:12 - 7. Your opening pages are overtly sexual or violent
10:04 - 8. Your book isn’t a standard length
ABOUT ME:
My name is Alyssa Matesic, and I’m a professional book editor with 7+ years of book publishing and editorial experience. Throughout my career, I’ve held editorial roles across both sides of the publishing industry: Big Five publishing houses and literary agencies. The goal of this channel is to help writers throughout the book writing journey-whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
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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.
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!
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.
You may not read this Alyssa but the close captions on this particular video were AI nonsense. Most of your videos are well captioned. I think you spoke this much faster than others. Keep giving the strong info but know Cc is not helping your information to help writers.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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 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?
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!
Hey Alyssa! What about if it is a children’s tale. Shouldn’t be shorter than 60.000 words?
Thank God I’m indie published (and keeping most of my royalties)
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!
I'm currently at 114,000 words, and I'm just getting to the final act. Should I shorten the novel?
I started thinking: Do you offer coaching?
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!
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?
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!
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?
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 :)
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?
Your closed captioning is way off, weirdly, on this video, just as fyi. I was trying to watch without sound and it is a strange random AI generated stream of unconnected words.
Love your channel! Cannot comment on the content of this video until later.
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.
The rule of counting words in my opinion and agents should take in consideration, it's useless because one author is talented he should more and more to attract the readers eyes, so this limit that they put is nothing towards a successful author. From my experience as a children author my stories goes to 36 to 56 pages long of course with the illustrations and I am glad that my stories show some a great appreciation from readers and they didn't tell me why it's long, they've just enjoying the story as it should be.
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?
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.
Do literary agents like it if you've previously ran a successful Kickstarter for your book?
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.
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 :)
I loved the advice, but was totally distracted by the vocal background.
Oh Crap! I thought my novel was on the short side but the word count is over 135 thousand!
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!
I just realised how robotic my query letter was ... ouch
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 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.
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.
Question: is it okay to pilot your work on WattPad? Does that count as self-publishing?
Honestly, I'm not too familiar with WattPad, but if the manuscript is accessible to the general public then that'd likely be considered publishing. If it's just a closed forum where a small group is providing critique, that likely wouldn't be considered publishing.
@@AlyssaMatesic: Thank you for the guide! It sounds like it will be considered published then, particularly as the platform has grown so large. One last question: what if you post the first few chapters but not the entire book? Is that something you would need to disclose in the query letter, and would it still turn agents away?
Once again, thank you so very much for your insights!!
@Samara Hamilton Lol--thank you, but it's a little too late now... For others considering it, here is what I found:
Wattpad is great for exposure for debut authors. I've built up a small following of very loyal readers who will read anything I post within hours and who have followed me to FB as I've started building my page, groups, etc.
If they ever see any plagiarism, they'll expose the offender. My work is everywhere online now, and it's easy to track that I'm the author and where/when the work began. There are mirror sites that scrape Wattpad data, but they attribute the work to the proper author and are outdated by a few months usually.
I've now taken my manuscript off the site as I'm releasing on Amazon in Nov, but I had over 40,000 reads between April and August when I took it off. I left the first few chapters up as a preview, and they've earned me a few preorders thus far.
How traditional publishers and agents overall would view it seems to vary. Some agents I found explicitly stated online that they would or would not consider previously posted work, but most were silent on it. I abandoned that avenue once I researched the self vs traditional paths more thoroughly and saw my type of story was highly unlikely to win traditional approval.
Its gonan be hard to get a 220k book off the ground. I shoukd rethink a little.
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?
Incredibly helpful video. Many of your videos are and I thank you!
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.
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.
Alyssa your TH-cam channel is very informative and helpful!
I’m French and writing a book in English (not a novel) Is it an issue to seek an American literary agent when you’re foreign? Do you know some literary agents working with France? Would it be better to seek a Canadian one because of their double language/culture? (My book is oriented to the English speaking world in general but I have a preference for the US) Thank you and keep the good work, you’re doing so well✨
Thanks for the kind words! I'd say go ahead and try agents based in the US, UK, and Canada. It may be that UK agents are more likely to take European clients, but no reason not to try some in North America as well.
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
do you own the rights of a book with a literary agent?
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!
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.
Alyssa said about making sure your book isn't self-published, but I've published mine on Wattpad 😬 Is it okay to try to get trad published if my book has been on Wattpad before (obvs I would take it down from Wattpad if I got it trad published)?
I think this depends somewhat, and there have been exceptions, but I believe that usually anything published online, including Wattpad, will be hard to sell. Maybe if you make enough changes to it by the time you query? Not sure about that.
Love this!
If the first chapter of a novel is published in a contest, is the entire novel considered published? Could you still query the project, or would it be an automatic rejection?
Great question! If it's just the first chapter, then no. You could still query this project, and I'd mention the contest win in the query letter!
I do need all the help I can get finding and actually getting an agent
Can you give advice about query hooks?
Dear Alyssa, thanks for all the content! It's great, very generous (and I love it!). I've just started querying so really any help from you would be wonderful! Let me know if you need my e-mail address or something please. Thank you again and I hope you see this! MJ
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.
You neglected to mention science fiction-fantasy have longer formats, 100k to 120k---aside from that, solid thoughts!
A good clarifying point!
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!
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
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.
Am on query tracker
Thank you so much this is VERY helpful!
I'm so glad!
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: th-cam.com/video/BxZ5TNMxXI0/w-d-xo.html I hope that helps!
@@AlyssaMatesic thank you so much!
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.
I got an offer from a publishing house to republish my self-published book ... so that is not a definate "no".
Wow, congrats!
I can't imagine why you got a downvote. You are so unbelievably helpful! Thank you so much for this. I think some info is hard for some would-be authors to swallow.
Thank you for your support, Jennifer! I appreciate it :)
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!
Hi!
I wanted to ask about the "cook" section of the query letter. I have published 2 fantasy novels on a reading platform recently and they did okay (5 stars rating, but only about 3k reads in the past 2 years) and I was wondering if mentioning that in my query would be a positive addition or would it be a turn off.
Ps: I love your videos. I discovered your channel yesterday and I'm bingewatching all of them rn
Thank you for your kind comment! :) Ultimately the decision is up to you and how you frame it--you could mention them as proof that you've been writing seriously for several years!
I value your straight-forward, direct, friendly videos. Thank you so much!
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. :)
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.
Hi Alyssa, thanks for all your videos. They are helping me a lot!
Just one question: I´m sending queries to a few literary agencies at the moment and I´m not sure how exactly I should write my salutation (sorry if my English isn´t perfect, I´m from Germany). So until now I´ve always addressed the whole team, but never put all the agents names into the salutation as in my opinion there would have been way too many (up to 8 agents or more...). Do you think that this could also be a turnoff? Or is it fine to address the team in general as I don´t know who will receive the email?
If you have a particular agent in mind, it would be best to address them directly so that they know you are serious about working with them!
@@AlyssaMatesic okay thank you!!
This is good advice, thanks 👍
this is gold
Hello, you spoke about violence being a turnoff. In my opening, I talked about how a kid hit another kid (bully) with a stick. I started there then went back. He had been dealing with a lot of trauma and took it out on a bully. Are there levels to opening like this? Should I consider changing it?
I have written 3 children's poetry story books, the first 508 words complete. I sourced my own editor and illustrator. I was advised recently that ecuase I intend to traditionally publish, this was a waste of time 🙈 I thought it would benefit me, is this a huge mistake??
It wasn't necessarily a mistake! The editor (I'm sure) helped you refine and strengthen the story. I'm less familiar with illustration, but there's nothing stopping a publisher from using those visuals.
If you intend to traditionally publish these stories in the Picture Book format, DO NOT hire your own illustrator. You can hire an editor to help you polish the MS to become ready for query/submission. But refrain from spending money on illustrations because 1) the publisher will select their own illustrator if they buy your book; 2) submitting illustrations (that are not done by yourself) with your MS will hurt your chance of being picked up by agents/traditional publishers because you would appear like an amateur who has not researched the children's publishing industry
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
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?
I really dislike the assumption that once an agent says "yes" to you that you will always publish everything through them in the future. Seriously? It's a business relationship. If an agent can't deliver or is terrible to work with then they don't deserve your work. It so clearly says that agents think that they own you and that you owe them. In this day and age literary agents and publishers just sound more and more like parasites who offer very little and take a lot. I say that having watched a friend and multiply published author fighting to get their latest novel published. Everything is on the agent and publisher's terms. If you aren't exactly what they want and a sure fire money maker then there's no reciprocity.
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?
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, 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?
Thank you for the video. Is it a turnoff if you live in another country?
Not necessarily!
Just so informative
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.
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?
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...*
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 TH-cam 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.
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
Hi Alyssa - :-) Are you working with and connected to the publishing industry today?
I have a children's book I want to sell. Getting to that sixty-thousand-word limit is going to be tough!
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?
Thank you so much 😊!!
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?
I'm uncertain about personalization. How do come off that you researched the agent's tastes without being too personal?
As far as turning off an agent with pre-published work, how do agents view pre-released stories featured on Amazon's Kindle Vella? I'm using the platform to get a following as well as to get feedback from readers. Since it can be removed/unpublished 30 days after the final episode of the series, would it still count as a fresh piece of unpublished work?
I'm wondering if knowing that it has got some traction (through Vella) would be compelling evidence that it is sellable? or if its considered used material?