Yes, agents love debuts!

Don’t get down if you’re querying with a debut. Agents love finding and working with undiscovered gems.

Yes, a fantastic track record is great, but an inconsistent track record can muddle editors’ decisions, while debuts have such fresh market appeal. A debut has potential you can carve out of it and start a new brand. It’s exciting for authors, agents and editors.

Yes, debuts are the most difficult to query an agent with, but have faith if you have a fresh concept and terrific writing–you will be found.

Yes, you have a lot against you in order to stand out from the pack, but a lot of the ‘big books’ from the past couple years have been stand out debuts that have found their way.

Yes, you will get shot down by beta readers and some agents if the concept is new and no one knows what to do with it. But rest assured that someone recognize this. Agents and editors often pass on good writing only because they don’t think they’re the person to bring it to the market and know what to do with it–consider this a favour because you’re waiting for the team that does believe.

Yes, larger agencies have full lists and take longer to get back to you. So, why not try agents that are building their list? They’ll get back to you quicker and have more time to devote to your manuscript and you if they take you on.

Yes, the market is tough right now and it’s hard for anyone to get a deal, published authors included, but it’s times like this that electrifying debuts are looked upon to breathe new life.

Updated: What I’m looking for

Many frequent visitors to this blog know about what I’m looking for in queries and new projects. Here is an updated list of things I’m dying to see come in to me:

• Upmarket women’s fiction (high stakes, family issues, love, troubled heart, travel) with a new fresh concept
• Small town romance
• Historical fiction (i.e. The Tudor period, Regency, in the tradition of Philippa Gregory)
• Platform based non-fiction: must have a demonstrable expertise and know your quantifiable market
• Pop science and pop psychology proposals (i.e. brands, consumer behaviour, creativity, business with a commercial spin)
• Gritty contemporary YA
• High concept YA with a fresh new concept that hasn’t been done (i.e. light fantasy)
• High concept picture books that stand out from the pack

When material is requested, get it in the agent’s hands!

If/when your work is requested by an agent it’s in your best interest to get it to them ASAP.

If you take a long time to get your work to an agent (I’m talking 1 to 2 weeks) it says that:

a) You haven’t edited your work and you queried too soon

b) You haven’t finished your work and you’re finishing it now

c) You aren’t taking this process seriously and aren’t checking your query emails

Q: An agent says they’re looking for commercial fiction and they pass on my ms. What’s the deal?

Agents say they are open to certain genres, but we pass on the majority of content that comes in. So what are we really looking for? Honestly, we don’t know why we fail to connect with work. It could very well be the quality of writing as it often is, but sometimes it’s more elusive than that: we don’t love it. Here are some of the behind the scenes answers for why we fail to connect:

• You might have caught us at a bad time. We’re human. We’ll sign a contemporary YA one week, and pass on one the next week. We are driven by emotional connection and we might be missing that *feeling* that we’re looking for.
• Our interests are more complex than genre labels. We, like everyone, have interests that intersect in a variety of ways. I like everything from irish history, to light women’s fiction, to pop science, to commercial literary fiction, to gritty YA, to romantic YA, to whatever falls on my desk or ereader that moves me.

Competition. It’s tough. Are you prepared?

The competition to get published is greater than ever before.

Us in the trenches will let you know that the expectations are very high, editors are on the lookout for specific books, and querying with something good won’t cut it; you need to go on submission with things that are great.

Yes, agents can help you get your novel into tip top shape, but when we get your manuscript and start reading we don’t know if this is the best you’ve got or whether we can push you. Getting back in touch and suggesting revisions takes time, and we don’t have a lot of it. So never, ever, send out something that is ‘good’.

Hook, Synopsis, Pitch: What’s the difference?

Something that can be very confusing is the terminology agents and industry professionals use in the submission and query process. Many agents and editors ask for different things so how do you know what is what?

Hook

One or two sentences on how your book is different from other books on the shelf and in your genre.

Synopsis

A detailed description of the plot points and the ending.

Pitch

One to three lines that describe your book in a sales-y way. How are you going to tell what your book is about, sell your book, attract attention, and stand out? It is a focused angle introducing the heart, high stakes and conflict of the story.

Q: What should I do while my book is on submission?

So many authors get anxious while their book is on submission to editors, as they should be! This is an exciting time. However, you can really work yourself up so here are 5 tips to keep your head above water:

1. Find a writers group to vent with. You’ll need to talk to people who know what you’re going through.
2. Learn more about the process by asking good questions: Which editors are looking at my book? What imprint and publishing house do they work at? You know about your genre, now learn about the publishing side of it. But let your agent do their job. This is their expertise.
3. Keep writing. Whether it’s new material, blog posts, journalism, etc. But don’t track the submission process. You need to show editors that you are active online, but leave some mystery.