STATUS: Today I took a reading day at home and voila, queries done.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? BENT by Matchbox Twenty
I actually didn’t time it but it sounded catchy. Not to mention I can’t type up everything I saw.
I asked for sample pages:
1) a YA cyberpunk novel set in India
2) a coming of age literary novel
3) and 2 wildly different YA novels that were both inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel (the latest trend?)
4) A YA novel set in a zoo
5) an SF novel with a very cool premise
I passed on:
1) a literary novel about a disillusioned man in his 40s as there didn’t seem to be a clear plot. (You need plot to make it commercially driven.)
2) a multicultural middle grade novel (which I always like to see!) but had a plot where four characters inexplicably find themselves in another world. Actually there were several MG novels with portals. This only works if the portals actually mean something to the story. They aren’t solely a door to another world. In other words, it can’t just be a vehicle that starts the novel–not original enough.
3) a mystery that was based on someone’s life (by the way, I tend to pass on queries that highlight the “based on my life” fact. I’m just suspicious that the author could really fictionalize it. It’s fine to have a story based off of a real occurrence or series of events. No need to highlight that in your query letter. Let your writing speak for itself.)
4) A dystopian YA or SF that actually sounded more like an adult novel than anything YA. It also had “memory” as a key component and we’ve actually seen a lot of that lately.
5) Several romances under 50,000 words (which is category length and not something we’d really represent).
6) A novel that had a lot of mysticism at the core of the story. Not really my thing.
7) Several YA novels that begin or hinge around a brutal murder. Hum… a bit dark for me.
So glad to see you back! Don’t get me wrong, i love your Facebook posts also. We just get more here. 🙂
I was wondering, you mentioned seeing a lot with “memories” lately. Do you mean like others memories, lost memories, etc?
Thanks for all your posts!
Middle aged disillusioned man in his forties? Say, that sounds more like most of our biographies. Thank you for the info.
I’m usually a lurker, but I’m going to try to comment more. I love when agents do these types of lists, it’s very helpful to see what you see 🙂
Thank you so much for doing this! It’s very, very helpful to see what agents are seeing and requesting. (Especially as my own MS is based very loosely on THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, it’s good know that it’s a trend.)
I’m wondering what is the very cool premise of the SF novel that got your attention.
Interesting to read what your’re getting in the mail.
So would a YA novel with a ‘Lisbeth Salander’-like about-to-be-growed-up heroine, who sets out on a quest across Mumbai (on a multi-colored motorized rickshaw during the feast of Diwali, naturally) to free a pair of Indian Elephants from the clutches on inter-planetary animal specimen collectors, work Kristin?
Wahahaha.
I do have to say I like lists from agents like this also. It is nice to be able to see trends, what it eye catching to you, what is out of fashion, and so on. Thanks!
In regards to the Romances under 50,000 words, what does ‘category length’ mean? Is that how many words romance novels should ideally have?
What was the mysticism book you passed on? Was it a fantasy story with magic? Or something else? Do you usually pass on the high fantasy stuff?
Like Nicole, I’d love for you to elaborate on your comment about memory as a key element. Thanks!
Thanks for posting this. It it so helpful to see things through the lens of an agent. As I write, I work so hard to just tell the story that I want to tell. But you can’t ignore the marketplace, and you have to know how best to pitch your work. This post goes miles for helping in those areas.
Blogger D Writer said…
Thanks for posting this. It it so helpful to see things through the lens of an agent. As I write, I work so hard to just tell the story that I want to tell. But you can’t ignore the marketplace, and you have to know how best to pitch your work. This post goes miles for helping in those areas.
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