Ask Jennifer Laughran! Tireless agent-in-residence!

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Jennifer_Laughran

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I'm hearing rumbles that YA paranormal is on the slide. What do you think in your humble opinion? For that matter what has been done to death?

I have just started on the slippery slope of agent query. SO far I have three rejections, *piffle* as my friend would say. But I worry that I'm doing something out out of the norm.

My YA book is about a girl who finds out she is a norse god and is the only person standing in the way of Ragnarok. She is an Australian but the book is set in the States. My worry is that I have seen very little on Norse gods and she is Australian. Do you think either of those could be deal breakers?
http://www.kellyethan.com

1. Meh, I don't know. There is a lot of terrible paranormal stuff out there. I think that ALL books need to be a lot better nowadays to sell - they have to be excellent and different enough to stand out.

2. You WORRY that you are doing something out of the norm? Sweetheart, if I saw something that was actually out of the norm, I'd kiss you.

3. I don't really get what her being Australian has to do with being a Norse god. I don't understand why it can't just be set in Australia or she be an American. But... I haven't read your book, I assume that would all make sense if I did.

4. There are books about Norse gods, but you are quite right that there are fewer than Greek. However the trope of "this is a normal modern kid who JUST HAPPENS to be descended from ______ " is kind of overdone - yours had better be awesome. It is, right? :)
 

Cyia

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Nah, not as far as I know - though as usual, grain of salt, I have never sold or been interested in a 'seasonal' book.

I do get a big uptick in the amount of HORRIBLE Christmas material in December -- but I don't know if I would try to submit then with the mindset that mine might stand out cause it is so much better and the agent might be in a Christmassy mood, or keep away from that time cause I might get mixed in with the bad stuff.

I don't have an answer for you.

LoL, that's okay. It seems to be the only answer out there.

(Of course mine is far from terrible ;) )

Thanks.
 

Jennifer_Laughran

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Jennifer,

I have consistantly been telling people to not worry about giving away the ending of their book in their query. That if it is necessary to tell the ending to show how unigue and well written the ms is then by all means go ahead and include the ending. Withholding the ending in an attempt to make the agent want to read the ms is a mistake. Agents read mss to confirm their original thought as to the salability of the ms.

Have I been wrong in this assesment of why agents ask for partials or fulls?

I read queries to see if I want to read the book. I read the book... to see if I like the book!

In my opinion, the pitch in a query letter should be brief and tantalizing, an intro to the story that makes me want to read more, like the copy on the inside of a book jacket. Personally I don't think you should give away the end here -- but if you feel like you have to, no big deal I guess.

Synopsis, on the other hand, should tell me all the important stuff including the end.
 

Jennifer_Laughran

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I've seen some to-and-fro on Twitter lately about what authors and what they should do to promote their books.

Apart from web-sites, blogs, twittering, etc. What would you like from your writers in terms of what they do to publicise their books?

I expect my authors to have some sort of website. If they WANT to blog and twitter and such, that is fine, though if they don't want to that is fine too. There are lots of online "marketing collectives" for writers in different genres, it might be an OK idea to join one of those, if it appeals. I also think it is nice if authors get out there and meet local booksellers and people who will potentially be "gatekeepers", do school visits for kids books, etc.

HOWEVER, the best thing an author can do for themselves is keep writing books. So if it is between writing the next awesome thing, or going on some weird self-publicizing spree, I would rather they shut off the internet, stay inside and KEEP WRITING.
 

popmuze

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Jennifer,
You touched a nerve with your debut author vs established author with poor track record comment. What would comprise a poor track record? I published three well reviewed but light selling YA books with a major house 20 years ago (pre-Bookscan). Since I've now finished a new one, am I better off sending it around under a pseudonym? (In the meantime I published a dozen non fiction books).
If under a pseudonym, would I also write my query to agents under the same pseudonym and only reveal my real name and track record later (or never)?
 

terrylynn

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Jennifer, I'm new to the forum and just read this entire thread making sure my question had not been asked before. I have to say KUDOS to your major frickin' time commitment here. You are awesome.

Quickly: been offered a contract for my middle grade novel. Had already queried an agent at your agency. Sent her an update and was asked for full ms. Over a week and no word. I'm desperately waiting due to my hanging contract that I have not signed yet. Shall I continue waiting, or assume it's a no, even though I already have a contract offer?

Terry Lynn

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http://terrylynnjohnson.blogspot.com
 
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meddyK

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Newbie agents?

Hi Jennifer and thanks for all the great advice! I don't think this question has been asked yet but...

I have several partials out with agents at reputable agencies, but some of the agents themselves seem to have none or only one sale under their belt.

Do you think they will have the backing of their senior agents to help them? Is it worth taking a chance if they were to ask to rep me? After all, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!
 
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Mahesh

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hi I'm from the UK, i hope this isnt a stupid question but when i query, should i query to only UK agents? or can i also query to US agents? because i have a few Us ones that i really want to query too.
 

waylander

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Plenty of UK writers have US agents. Someone from my writing group just signed with Don Maass. Just make sure your novel is something that will work in the US market
 

Mahesh

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but isnt it the agent that organises the tour's and signings? would it be more difficult to organise that if thier in the us?

thanks for replying to me though :D
 

waylander

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but isnt it the agent that organises the tour's and signings? would it be more difficult to organise that if thier in the us?

thanks for replying to me though :D

No.
That is usually done by the publisher's publicity dept. Or organised by the writer with a little assistance (sometimes a very little) from the publicity dept.
And generally new writers don't go on tours, that is for the mega sellers only
 

Annmarie09

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Hello Jennifer,

My question is: would an agent refuse to represent a book because a small part of it has already been published on the internet? At the moment, I have 10% of my completed novel up on a site called 'Wothy of publishing' which claims that you keep your copyright. I don't know how true this is, but would it worsen or completely crush my chances at being accepted by an agent? Should I take it off now?

Thanks
 

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Hi Jennifer-

One of my husband's clients is a producer for a fairly well known company. She asked to read my ms and because I know and trust this woman, I said sure. (Although I still had her sign an NDA) She read it in 2 nights and then called me to make me an offer on the rights.

I respectfully declined as I knew it wouldn't be prudent and I know my agent (if I ever get one!) will be key in these types of things.

My question: my writing group thinks I should add that I received an offer from X company for film rights (unaccepted of course) to my query. They're telling me to use anything I've got to pique interest.

I don't agree. I think an agent will read my query / pages and decide for themselves, regardless. And it feels a bit narcissistic to me.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
 

Mia Moore

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Hello Jennifer -

I am curious as to how the process goes when an agent in a mid to large sized agency wants to sign a new (unpublished) client. Does the agent make the decision herself? Is she required to consult with anyone else within the agency? Is the manuscript read by just the one agent it had been forwarded to or is it passed around to others for a second opinion?

I suppose I'm a "peek behind the curtain" girl, dying to have at it.

Thanks for your patience and time here!
 

sveltskye

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Hi Jennifer. Thank you so much for being so helpful and informative, I've just read through several pages of this thread and I've truly enjoyed hearing what you have to say.
I am currently working up a group of query letters for my first novel. I have a couple questions about queries. These may be a bit particular, but I want to give the best first impression I can and its hard to know what is most appropriate sometimes.

1) Do you advise stating that a novel is your first in a query letter? Does it matter as long as the query is solid?
2) I have read been reading many different guidelines for agencies regarding the length of a query synopsis, and they usually say less than two pages for an entire query. I have read a few successful queries that run about one and a half to two pages, but I've also heard that a query synopsis should be extremely concise. In your opinion, is it better to flesh out your synopsis within those two pages, or to aim for a shorter query letter? If a query has a strong hook, will it turn off a potential agent if the query is in the 1 1/2 to two page range?
 

houndrat

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Hi Jennifer-

Thank you so much for answering our questions! This has been very informative so far.

My quick question--as far as you know, is it still a tough sell to write a college-based YA novel? My apologies if I missed a previous question related to this.

Thanks again!
 

tempered_steel

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Hi there, Jenifer,

Thanks so much for doing this! Just a quick question...

My novel is a fantasy adventure, with a main character who is fifteen. The book is very much targeted to the Middle Grade market. Do you think my main character is too old to be Middle Grade?

Thanks so much for your time!
 

popmuze

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My quick question--as far as you know, is it still a tough sell to write a college-based YA novel? My apologies if I missed a previous question related to this.

Not an agent, but I do have one.
We started sending around my college YA novel a few months ago and three of the four editors who rejected it said specifically that although they liked the novel, their publisher required that the main characters still be in high school. It took some doing, but I've since rewritten the book.
 

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Hi Jennifer,

I have an etiquette question. I sent out 6 queries about a week ago. I received an immediate request for a two week exclusive on a partial, which I granted. Two weeks seemed reasonable, and given my pessimistic nature, I doubted I would receive any others. Of course, now I have.

What is the best and most appropriate way to let the other agents know that I will send them the requested materials once the exclusive is up in one week? I have heard that some agents will cross you off their list once you admit to granting another agent an exclusive (even if there is only one week left), yet I don't want to leave them hanging for a week without any kind of response. Please help!
 

Jennifer_Laughran

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I published three well reviewed but light selling YA books with a major house 20 years ago (pre-Bookscan). Since I've now finished a new one, am I better off sending it around under a pseudonym? (In the meantime I published a dozen non fiction books).
If under a pseudonym, would I also write my query to agents under the same pseudonym and only reveal my real name and track record later (or never)?

Don't worry about it. Lackluster sales are not optimal, of course, but they aren't a "kiss of death" either.

You'll get an agent based on the strength of your manuscript now, not based on ancient sales history. Your agent can help you decide how to shop the ms to publishers.

And you can't hide your identity from your agent, if you actually publish under a pseudonym... otherwise who would she make the checks out to?
 

Jennifer_Laughran

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Hi Jennifer and thanks for all the great advice! I don't think this question has been asked yet but...

I have several partials out with agents at reputable agencies, but some of the agents themselves seem to have none or only one sale under their belt.

Do you think they will have the backing of their senior agents to help them? Is it worth taking a chance if they were to ask to rep me? After all, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

You've answered your own question, I think.

All I can say is my own experience. I am an associate agent. When I started two years ago, I had no sales. Everyone has no sales to start with.

If they are at a reputable agency, they will be working with senior agents. In that case, you kind of have the best of both worlds -- the expertise of the senior agent and the energy and time of a newer agent with far fewer clients.
 

Jennifer_Laughran

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My question is: would an agent refuse to represent a book because a small part of it has already been published on the internet? At the moment, I have 10% of my completed novel up on a site called 'Wothy of publishing' which claims that you keep your copyright. I don't know how true this is, but would it worsen or completely crush my chances at being accepted by an agent? Should I take it off now?

I don't think it would be a "dealbreaker" if they really fell in love with your book. I personally prefer my clients not put large book excerpts online and ask them to take it down before we shop the book to editors. To me, posting things online makes the book look "used" already when editors get to it -- I'd rather the first impression that they have of the book is the one that I give them.

But that is just my personal preference.
 

Jennifer_Laughran

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One of my husband's clients is a producer for a fairly well known company. She asked to read my ms and because I know and trust this woman, I said sure. (Although I still had her sign an NDA) She read it in 2 nights and then called me to make me an offer on the rights.

I respectfully declined as I knew it wouldn't be prudent and I know my agent (if I ever get one!) will be key in these types of things.

My question: my writing group thinks I should add that I received an offer from X company for film rights (unaccepted of course) to my query. They're telling me to use anything I've got to pique interest.

I don't agree. I think an agent will read my query / pages and decide for themselves, regardless. And it feels a bit narcissistic to me.

I agree with you, I'd probably skip it. Not that it would come off as braggy, just because it is an unnecessary bit of info that will not affect an agent liking or not liking the query/pages.

But it wouldn't HURT you, either, so no worries.
 

Jennifer_Laughran

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I am curious as to how the process goes when an agent in a mid to large sized agency wants to sign a new (unpublished) client. Does the agent make the decision herself? Is she required to consult with anyone else within the agency? Is the manuscript read by just the one agent it had been forwarded to or is it passed around to others for a second opinion?

I can only speak for my agency. At my agency, if we fall in love with the book and want to offer representation, we will run the decision past the boss, and if there are any objections, address them... but it would be rare for there to be objections, she trusts our judgement.

We also pass around manuscripts to get second opinions if we are conflicted / on the fence. Or if something is good but not for US, we will pass around to see if anyone else is interested.
 
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