The Novel That Got Me A Literary Agent/My Advice On Getting Published!
Hi everyone, and happy first day of March!
It feels like just yesterday that it was New Year's, and now we're into the third month of 2020. Time really does fly -- and I'm trying to enjoy each moment while I still have it.
I've received a lot of messages since I posted I signed with a literary agent, Jessica Reino of the Metamorphosis Literary Agency. She is fabulous and I'm so happy she made an offer! She's currently reviewing my manuscript before we send it off to publishing houses/editors. (Fingers crossed it finds a home!)
A lot of readers are wondering what novel inspired an agent to offer me representation, so I thought I'd make a blog post about it. At the end, I'll also be giving my advice to querying writers, so stay tuned!
JESSICA PRINCE AND THE CRIMSON CAPER is a young adult mystery novel, the first in a series. I'd describe it as a mix between Nancy Drew, Legally Blonde, and Veronica Mars with some Murder, She Wrote thrown in for good measure. (Some of my favorite stories!)
As many of you know, I predominately write fantasy and science fiction, but I've read mysteries since I was a child. Jessica Prince was a character that wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to write the novel -- not thinking it would be the one to get me a literary agent!
Here's what I queried with:
I originally queried it to a different agent at the agency before it was forwarded to my agent for a better match. I'm glad it was! It intrigued her enough to ask for a partial, and then finally the full manuscript. This all happened around July/August 2019 before she sent me an email right before Christmas, asking to set up a phone call to discuss my manuscript. We spoke in early January 2020 and that was when she offered representation!
I had no idea what to expect through the whole process. I'd had agents interested enough to ask for full manuscripts before, but the replies were always "this is good, just not what I'm looking for". Imagine my surprise when she offered rep!
My best advice when it comes to getting an agent:
1. Make sure your manuscript is polished, formatted correctly, and well edited before submitting to any agent.
Edit it several times and have friends or beta readers go through it and point out grammatical errors and plot holes. Hiring an editor is valuable, but not everyone can afford it. A second pair of eyes -- whether it's a professional editor or not -- is very important. You can't learn and get better without feedback!
2. Choose which agent to send it to carefully.
Make sure they represent your age group (picture book, MG, YA, Adult), and your genre. Ensure your word count is reasonable for your genre/age group (anything over 100,000 words for a debut is a little too much in my opinion, BUT exceptions have been made for incredible books.) Checking out the agency website and the agent's social media is a good idea on how to get a feel for what they want and if they're open to submissions. To find which agents to submit to, I highly recommend the Manuscript Wishlist website and QueryTracker. Also, searching the #MSWL hashtag on Twitter is a good idea as many agents send out Tweets on what they want. (MSWL stands for Manuscript Wishlist.)
3. Venture outside your comfort zone.
My first mystery novel is what got me an agent, but it wasn't my first novel. I had written fantasy, sci-fi, and horror in the past and got close with agents, but never close enough. If you aren't making progress, try venturing beyond your genre or age group. I believe writing is the perfect medium to explore, so experiment with different ideas. You never know -- if you write something different, you might get lucky!
4. Read similar books (both old and recently published).
Before writing ANY novel (I've written 18 so far, currently writing my 19th), I read books in the same genre and age group. Before I wrote JESSICA PRINCE, I read a BUNCH of adult mystery and YA mystery novels. I do that to give myself a feel for the genre and age group and see how other writers did it. It also helps to get inspired. While reading the classics in your genre is a good start, make sure to read similar books published within the last five years. Why? The publishing market changes quickly, and so does the tastes of agents. You want to see what's popular now/what agents are looking for.
Reading is so important to a writer. I consider it to be a part of my job and make time for it every day.
(For YA mystery, I recommend 'One of Us is Lying' by Karen McManus! I recently read that before my current mystery novel and I was blown away by the plot twist at the end.)
5. Finally, remember that rejection isn't the end.
It took me three years and HUNDREDS of rejections to get an agent. My first novel/story was terrible and I needed those years to learn and evolve -- both as a writer and thinker. Keep writing, keep reading, and stick with it. Rejection isn't fun, but it's never the end. There are thousands of agents out there and billions of hungry readers waiting for your story. Don't give up on yourself or your novel. Keep going and stay strong!
As always, I'm open to any questions you may have regarding writing, querying, and agents. Disclaimer though: I'm still new to all of this, so I might not have ALL the answers, but I'll certainly try to help!
Remember: despite rejection, you wrote a whole book. That's impressive! You should be very proud of yourself. Many people say they want to write and never do. Just writing/showing up for work puts you ahead of the crowd. I can't say exactly when you'll get published, but I believe every writer will if they work hard to improve their craft and stay persistent.
And finally: you have to enjoy what you're writing. Making up stories and characters gives me a thrill, and I hope that gets translated onto the page. Writing Jessica Prince is just plain fun! If you don't like what you're writing -- or if you're writing solely to get published or satisfy a trend -- agents and readers will be able to tell. Always write from the heart and have fun with it! Don't worry about what's hot right now, either. A good story will attract agents and readers!
As always, thanks for reading. If you're querying agents in hopes of getting published, I wish the best of luck to you. The world needs more stories from passionate writers and voices of all backgrounds. May our novels sit beside each other on a shelf one day!
Sincerely,
Dana
It feels like just yesterday that it was New Year's, and now we're into the third month of 2020. Time really does fly -- and I'm trying to enjoy each moment while I still have it.
I've received a lot of messages since I posted I signed with a literary agent, Jessica Reino of the Metamorphosis Literary Agency. She is fabulous and I'm so happy she made an offer! She's currently reviewing my manuscript before we send it off to publishing houses/editors. (Fingers crossed it finds a home!)
A lot of readers are wondering what novel inspired an agent to offer me representation, so I thought I'd make a blog post about it. At the end, I'll also be giving my advice to querying writers, so stay tuned!
JESSICA PRINCE AND THE CRIMSON CAPER is a young adult mystery novel, the first in a series. I'd describe it as a mix between Nancy Drew, Legally Blonde, and Veronica Mars with some Murder, She Wrote thrown in for good measure. (Some of my favorite stories!)
As many of you know, I predominately write fantasy and science fiction, but I've read mysteries since I was a child. Jessica Prince was a character that wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to write the novel -- not thinking it would be the one to get me a literary agent!
Here's what I queried with:
"Sixteen-year-old heiress Jessica Prince
flies to Milan to see the show of an up-and-coming fashion designer…but someone
calling themselves the Crimson Caper is out for revenge.
Jessica Prince, the niece of
billionaire businessman Henry Prince, goes with her uncle to Milan to see Carla
Valentine, an old flame of Henry’s and a popular new fashion designer. But the
night of the show, the lead model is hurt, the lights go out, and a threatening
note is left behind. Worst of all, Jessica sees a person in a red trench coat –
the Crimson Caper - who seems to be out to destroy Carla’s life if she won’t
quit fashion.
With only her trusty notebook and
love of mystery novels, Jessica sets out to solve the crime. But as she delves
deeper, she realizes there’s more going on beneath the surface and she can’t
trust anyone. When Uncle Henry is framed and arrested for the sabotage, Jessica
must rely on her intuition and observational skills before she loses her uncle
forever…"
I originally queried it to a different agent at the agency before it was forwarded to my agent for a better match. I'm glad it was! It intrigued her enough to ask for a partial, and then finally the full manuscript. This all happened around July/August 2019 before she sent me an email right before Christmas, asking to set up a phone call to discuss my manuscript. We spoke in early January 2020 and that was when she offered representation!
I had no idea what to expect through the whole process. I'd had agents interested enough to ask for full manuscripts before, but the replies were always "this is good, just not what I'm looking for". Imagine my surprise when she offered rep!
My best advice when it comes to getting an agent:
1. Make sure your manuscript is polished, formatted correctly, and well edited before submitting to any agent.
Edit it several times and have friends or beta readers go through it and point out grammatical errors and plot holes. Hiring an editor is valuable, but not everyone can afford it. A second pair of eyes -- whether it's a professional editor or not -- is very important. You can't learn and get better without feedback!
2. Choose which agent to send it to carefully.
Make sure they represent your age group (picture book, MG, YA, Adult), and your genre. Ensure your word count is reasonable for your genre/age group (anything over 100,000 words for a debut is a little too much in my opinion, BUT exceptions have been made for incredible books.) Checking out the agency website and the agent's social media is a good idea on how to get a feel for what they want and if they're open to submissions. To find which agents to submit to, I highly recommend the Manuscript Wishlist website and QueryTracker. Also, searching the #MSWL hashtag on Twitter is a good idea as many agents send out Tweets on what they want. (MSWL stands for Manuscript Wishlist.)
3. Venture outside your comfort zone.
My first mystery novel is what got me an agent, but it wasn't my first novel. I had written fantasy, sci-fi, and horror in the past and got close with agents, but never close enough. If you aren't making progress, try venturing beyond your genre or age group. I believe writing is the perfect medium to explore, so experiment with different ideas. You never know -- if you write something different, you might get lucky!
4. Read similar books (both old and recently published).
Before writing ANY novel (I've written 18 so far, currently writing my 19th), I read books in the same genre and age group. Before I wrote JESSICA PRINCE, I read a BUNCH of adult mystery and YA mystery novels. I do that to give myself a feel for the genre and age group and see how other writers did it. It also helps to get inspired. While reading the classics in your genre is a good start, make sure to read similar books published within the last five years. Why? The publishing market changes quickly, and so does the tastes of agents. You want to see what's popular now/what agents are looking for.
Reading is so important to a writer. I consider it to be a part of my job and make time for it every day.
(For YA mystery, I recommend 'One of Us is Lying' by Karen McManus! I recently read that before my current mystery novel and I was blown away by the plot twist at the end.)
5. Finally, remember that rejection isn't the end.
It took me three years and HUNDREDS of rejections to get an agent. My first novel/story was terrible and I needed those years to learn and evolve -- both as a writer and thinker. Keep writing, keep reading, and stick with it. Rejection isn't fun, but it's never the end. There are thousands of agents out there and billions of hungry readers waiting for your story. Don't give up on yourself or your novel. Keep going and stay strong!
As always, I'm open to any questions you may have regarding writing, querying, and agents. Disclaimer though: I'm still new to all of this, so I might not have ALL the answers, but I'll certainly try to help!
Remember: despite rejection, you wrote a whole book. That's impressive! You should be very proud of yourself. Many people say they want to write and never do. Just writing/showing up for work puts you ahead of the crowd. I can't say exactly when you'll get published, but I believe every writer will if they work hard to improve their craft and stay persistent.
And finally: you have to enjoy what you're writing. Making up stories and characters gives me a thrill, and I hope that gets translated onto the page. Writing Jessica Prince is just plain fun! If you don't like what you're writing -- or if you're writing solely to get published or satisfy a trend -- agents and readers will be able to tell. Always write from the heart and have fun with it! Don't worry about what's hot right now, either. A good story will attract agents and readers!
As always, thanks for reading. If you're querying agents in hopes of getting published, I wish the best of luck to you. The world needs more stories from passionate writers and voices of all backgrounds. May our novels sit beside each other on a shelf one day!
Sincerely,
Dana
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