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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Опубликовано:

28 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 307

@Hayes611 2 года назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

This is a great addition!

@ashleypaige1631 3 года назад

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.

@creeton 2 года назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

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!

@jeffholman2234 2 года назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

I wish you the best of luck with your querying!

@legalfictionnaturalfact3969 5 месяцев назад

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.

@BigHeadBob 2 года назад

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 :)

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Haha, glad this video helped!

@sheldonjacobs817 2 года назад

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!

@A-Nonnie-Mouse 3 года назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

Thank you for your support, Jennifer! I appreciate it :)

@drd_theSPORTSdoc 2 года назад

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..,

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Best of luck!

@drd_theSPORTSdoc 2 года назад

@@AlyssaMatesic Luck, timing n divine order.... Thank you, love your videos...*

@jamesalaniz5148 2 года назад

I've been binge Watchung these videos today at work; best info so far regarding publishing.

@amorak223 Год назад

Really glad I've found this channel. I'm finally going for it, trying to get traditionally published. Now I just need to finish my book =)

@jeancorriveau8686 2 года назад

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.

@rosalindtatewriter Год назад

Thank God I’m indie published (and keeping most of my royalties)

@JonathanLopez-rl2ji 2 года назад

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

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Best of luck!

@kaitemarie5404 4 месяца назад

Just sent out my query and I love it even more after watching this.

@CurstSaden Год назад

I often wrote things like "I noticed you are seeking adventure novels..." in my query letter...so glad to know not to do that!

@ashleythomas6313 2 года назад

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?

@Megasunami 2 года назад

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.

@cherylannwrites 7 месяцев назад

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.

@danieljbockman 2 года назад

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?

@SaraJaneTriglia Год назад

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.

@blackhawksfan2525 Год назад

It sometimes seems like a flip of a coin, whether or not you're constructing the query letter correctly. For instance, you recommend placing the personalization at the top, to show the agent you're not just spamming the letter to dozens of agents. Makes sense. Hovever, I've seen elsewhere that you should dive right into the blurb, and add personalization at the end because you want to grab the agent's attention right off the bat, rather than taking the chance that they're in a hurry and don't make it to the end. Obviously these are two completely different methods. Honestly, it's the most frustrating part of querying, as ultimately the quality of the work ends up becoming secondary to the procedure of crafting the query letter itself.

@zylerzyzyx7333 9 месяцев назад

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.

@shinbooks 3 месяца назад

Very helpful. I noticed some of my mistakes after seeing this video.

@WizardKingMinato 4 месяца назад

I've been speedrunning all your videos now that I found you as a resource. Greatly appreciate you for putting this info out.

@jameshansen7108 2 года назад

So, is writing a query letter something akin to writing a high quality cover letter for a job? Just a slightly different format??

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

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!

@brandonchampney 8 месяцев назад

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

@guiomardart 7 месяцев назад

This is good advice, thanks 👍

@PurrthaKit 11 месяцев назад

I'm just beginning. Thank you.

@damalavanda 6 месяцев назад

I do need all the help I can get finding and actually getting an agent

@philnewton2011 Год назад

Thanks. Very helpful video.

@doncotti_certi4ever 5 месяцев назад

Thank you for the advice 😊

@fiddlefeller 5 месяцев назад

I loved the advice, but was totally distracted by the vocal background.

@wmichael78 2 года назад

You neglected to mention science fiction-fantasy have longer formats, 100k to 120k---aside from that, solid thoughts!

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

A good clarifying point!

@staciahoke9365 2 года назад

First of all, thank you for your videos! I only just started watching you today, but I’m 7ish videos deep and it’s already been a major help😅what about word count for YA Fantasy specifically? I’ve done a lot of research on this and have found answers extremely opposite from one another. One source even said a 100k word count minimum. My finished manuscript currently sits at 77k and I have a few scenes I’d like to add, but from what I’ve found online, that’s on the very short end of the spectrum.

@dreacrudup 6 месяцев назад

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?

@TheSendakite 2 года назад

Thank you for your insight.

@stebbigunn7690 7 месяцев назад

I look at it like this, agients are people who are seeing writers so that they can work. When someone posts a job applocation he just states the facts, and its only the question of if the person wants the job or not when it is offered.

@karisgalloway8946 3 года назад

Hey Alyssa! This is one of the most useful channels out there for publishing. Thank you!! Do you know anything about Wattpad / if having your full manuscript on there is a turn off for an agent? I would take it down afterwards, but don’t know if I should take it down before I query. Thank you for your time!

@douglaswickard3286 Год назад

Great work! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@timfisher5925 4 месяца назад

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

@knghtmajic 5 месяцев назад

I'm currently at 114,000 words, and I'm just getting to the final act. Should I shorten the novel?

@TheWideGateToFreedom Год назад

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?

@anthonysartori 7 месяцев назад

Super informative!

@A-Nonnie-Mouse 3 года назад

Question: is it okay to pilot your work on WattPad? Does that count as self-publishing?

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

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.

@A-Nonnie-Mouse 3 года назад

@@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!!

@A-Nonnie-Mouse 3 года назад

@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.

@grantstewart457 2 года назад

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?

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

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 :)

@tomst.pierre3771 3 года назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

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!

@tomst.pierre3771 3 года назад

@@AlyssaMatesic Interesting. Thanks.

@cloudtheavegner1000 9 месяцев назад

Do literary agents like it if you've previously ran a successful Kickstarter for your book?

@LeMichaelJordansPoleRiders Год назад

Hi Alyssa, I love your channel! This is very helpful for aspiring authors and those that are struggling to market their book. I do have one question though. Specifically on number 3. If my books have already been self-published. So does that mean they are automatically disqualified from being acquired by a traditional publisher if I show it to a literary agent? What's the workaround on this? Your response would mean a lot to me. More power to you and your channel.

@EddyMerlyBorja 3 месяца назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 3 месяца назад

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: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BxZ5TNMxXI0.html I hope that helps!

@EddyMerlyBorja 3 месяца назад

@@AlyssaMatesic thank you so much!

@RobertGraphics 2 года назад

I found this helpful, especially the word length part of your explanation. May I ask about querying a longer novel that I am willing to break into two (120k down into 2x 60k novels), with the capacity to write a third novel, each the content within the 60k word range?

@markbracegirdle7110 3 года назад

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?

@joshuaolsen6509 2 года назад

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.

@makingbooktalk3082 Год назад

Thanks for the tips! I have a question about agents not wanting self published books. If an author self published a book but then rewrote it completely and and tries to query it, do you think an agent would be interested in it then? Especially with a new author pen name or book title?

@noraamel2124 2 года назад

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

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

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!

@Nyonpa_art 3 года назад

Can you give advice about query hooks?

@Space_Writer Год назад

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?

@ClaireStibbe 2 года назад

Do you have any examples of great bonding opens (first para) to write to agents which would include why you're submitting to them?

@NathanGregoryAuthor 2 года назад

Hi Alyssa, Love your channel; thanks for your highly educational material. I do have one question. I have been self-publishing for a few years now, with moderate success, but now deeply desire to take things to the next level and break into traditional publishing. I write both fiction and non-fiction. I have an existing Science Fiction/Fantasy series (3 stories in the series). I am in the process of writing the 4th book, which is positioned as a prequel, an origin story of the main character, and which otherwise has very little overt connection to the others beyond some commonality of characters. My non-fiction is Internet history; I have two books on the origins of the Internet and plan to do a 3rd book on that topic. Here's my question: Would an agent be turned off by a 4th book that is tangentially connected to a self-published trilogy? Can I interest an agent in this 4th book of the fantasy trilogy? Or would I be better off shelving this book for now and focusing on the new non-fiction as my debut into the traditional market? I hope to finish the fantasy by the end of the year, whereas the non-fiction might be a year or more away, so my bias is to use the one closer at hand. Thanks

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Since you mention that the fantasy book could stand by itself, I would stress that when querying agents (ex. Although it is a prologue of my currently published trilogy, it can stand alone and be read without the context of the others). Good luck with the querying process!

@BobbyDeneke 2 года назад

You mention working with an editor now. How do you find an editor?

@lofotenrunes Год назад

Thank you!

@benjaminbjrklund743 3 года назад

this is gold

@KrisKosach Год назад

I hear that post-COVID a lot of standars to the query process are out the window. Is this true?

@valiofthesun1685 2 года назад

So If i have already self published on kindle the likelihood of them wanting to represent me is very low? At least for that novel?

@koulio5931 3 года назад

Thank you for the video. Is it a turnoff if you live in another country?

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

Not necessarily!

@melindahoneychild5133 2 года назад

Alyssa, i am going to start doing query letters. What i need to know is, since these are going out via email, the sample pages should be sent as an attachment, right? you mentioned not to send attachments in this video, but i am guessing you didn't mean the sample pages. Also should the sample pages be a couple of chapters? Knowing this kind of stuff will help me to narrow down what I think would be good pages to send. Thank you.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Yes, the sample pages should be attached! In this video, the 'attachments' I mean are non-requested information, such as images, synopses, or any other documents. And if the agent didn't specify what the sample pages entail, it's safe to assume they mean the first chapter/first 10 pages of your novel! Thanks for the questions!

@TheAlex808 Год назад

When sending a query letter, do we need to attach it as a PDF, or must we paste it as is in the e-mail?

@basilrene7688 Год назад

It continues to baffle me how much authors need to schmooze an agent so the agent can turn around and take a 15% commission. This is the only place where this madness happens. In every other industry, the employee is the one that needs to impress the employers. Agents are a huge egocentric group that annoys the sh!t out of me. Hence I am self-publishing.

@natashasantos892 2 года назад

Hi Alyssa, my Novella is currently being edited at 39, 666 words. Do you think a publisher would accept that word count?

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Novellas are hard to publish, since they're so short. I'd try seeing if there's any room for expansion within the story, and if not, then making sure you query agents that have represented novellas before! Best of luck!

@mdaniels6311 Год назад

I personally don't get why it matters very much if the person is sending out loads of queries. Isn't that just a given?

@mobeenrehman2379 8 месяцев назад

This industry is upside down. Why are writers expected to chase the agents? The writer is the person who has put in all the work. The agent has done nothing. Just a middle man pretending to be the main link of the chain.

@annpippin6388 Год назад

All these videos are too discouraging Will. Just have my novel printed .I ve read mystery novels for many years, and many don t get interesting for several charts , but don t care because are just as good .I always finish reading what I started .And I ve read novels which happened to.have Bern the author s first book , and just.as. Good. Opinoon

@annpippin6388 Год назад

I texted word chapters, not charts

@annpippin6388 Год назад

Captioning needed

@Gaywatch 2 года назад

If you happen to know an editor who can help you hit the right word count, that's great. But trad pub aspiring authors should NOT be paying for an editor in order to land an agent. It misrepresents what you are capable of, and that leads to trouble. Find a good critique partner instead. As much as I respect all of the great info Alyssa provides, I'm not exactly comfortable with her implying people should be hiring editors, especially when she offers freelance editorial services herself. I doubt she's doing it maliciously, but it's not a good look.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

You bring up some important points here! You're absolutely right that it is not a requirement to hire an editor if you want to be traditionally published. I definitely advocate for enlisting the help of strong beta readers/critique partners, and for some writers, that feedback will be enough to help them get their manuscript in strong shape for agents. But not everyone has access to strong critique partners, and sometimes the feedback writers get from critique partners can be confusing or contradictory. In those cases, having someone with a trained editorial eye can be helpful. Traditional publishing is competitive, and agents will respond more positively to a story that is as polished as possible. A book is typically substantially edited prior to submission to editors at publishing houses, and there are cases where agents refer clients or potential clients to freelance editors to shape up their manuscripts. That's not to say the writer isn't skilled - even bestselling authors work with editors! In the same vein, working with a developmental/structural editor prior to querying should not misrepresent your abilities as a writer. The editor will provide feedback and guidance, but it is the author's responsibility to utilize their skill to implement any changes to the story. If an editor is rewriting the manuscript for them, then they are not working as an editor, but perhaps as a ghostwriter - and I agree that that could lead to trouble. I hope that helps to clarify what I meant to convey. I really appreciate your feedback and perspective as I continue growing this community!

@matthew4497 9 месяцев назад

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.

@janellerollins5893 2 месяца назад

Hugs😊

@irenetanzman3976 2 года назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

Good luck on your querying process!

@danielkelley7548 2 года назад

This is actually free information. Wow.

@larkinlover 3 года назад

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?

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

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.

@larkinlover 3 года назад

@@AlyssaMatesic Brilliant! Thank you for your expertise!

@DesmoDreams 2 года назад

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! :)

@Vaerrh 3 года назад

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.

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

That's a great idea! I will add it to my list!

@djwastling1507 10 месяцев назад

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.

@theboz24 2 года назад

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.

@kirtiomart 3 года назад

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. 😃👍

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

Thank you so much, the kind words mean a lot!

@ColorsofHopeCraftsASMR 6 дней назад

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?

@danielmartin8913 3 года назад

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

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

It's definitely true that certain genres like speculative and fantasy tend to be a bit longer, on average.

@alancook9102 2 года назад

Yes thank you. It is important to know these things because without someone like you who has been on the other end you're just guessing how to present. If you can lessen the amount we're learning the hard way it's all to the good.

@megreads9 2 месяца назад

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.

@megreads9 2 месяца назад

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.

@basedontruestoriesduringat1101 3 года назад

I started thinking: Do you offer coaching?

@ΚωνσταντίνοςΣταθερός 16 дней назад

Hey Alyssa! What about if it is a children’s tale. Shouldn’t be shorter than 60.000 words?

@bastraore3996 2 года назад

Highly informative. Makes me rethink querying that 142,000 word fantasy debut novel … 🤔

@AlyssaMatesic 2 года назад

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 :)

@elizabethstump4077 2 месяца назад

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?

@IrinaFlowers Месяц назад

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?

@kpro7697 2 года назад

Incredibly helpful video. Many of your videos are and I thank you!

@adriang6259 3 года назад

Oh Crap! I thought my novel was on the short side but the word count is over 135 thousand!

@KevvoLightswift 10 месяцев назад

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?

@KatSchlitz 8 месяцев назад

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.

@VaJHUNTER69 3 года назад

Hi Alyssa, are you saying that one should not attach the manuscript in the initial email?

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

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!

@keithcarey6312 3 года назад

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?

@ja6737 3 месяца назад

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.

@MariaMilenovasArt Год назад

I just realised how robotic my query letter was ... ouch

@clintcarpentier2424 3 года назад

You got something about finding an agent while keeping a pen-name?

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

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.

@clintcarpentier2424 3 года назад

@@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.

@garryhamilton8245 2 года назад

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

@karine191 3 года назад

Alyssa your RU-vid 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✨

@AlyssaMatesic 3 года назад

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.

@blackiemittens 6 месяцев назад

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.

@drshenoudaabdelmasseh2509 10 месяцев назад

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.