I have a messy version of a post that is not coming together, and at the bottom of that draft it says “be sure to get back to posting about nuts and bolts stuff” because one of the main things I want to do with this newsletter is pass on useful and valuable knowledge about publishing and writing. I don’t want to just write everything sucks because of capitalism sorry!!!! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ posts. SO, let’s have a little check-in thread where we talk about all the stuff you don’t know yet. Tell me what you’d like me to explain to you! Agents & Books has been around for over five years (!!!) so there’s a good chance we’ve already talked about the stuff you want to know. I’m happy to revamp, revisit, and update things, but don’t forget to search the archives. Here are some tried and true posts I bet a lot of you can use.
I've sent the "what's a book proposal" post to dozens of people! I love that you don't overcomplicate it. Instead it's: here are the sections, here's what you have to do, go do it. Feels very achievable for people who are overwhelmed.
I am seeing "romantasy" referred to a lot along with cozy fantasy, light fantasy, speculative, etc. in agent wishlists. Then, there seems to be some debate on magical realism and who can consider their work as such. Because of this, I'm having a lot of difficulty deciding how to identify my particular story in query letters. Maybe a post on some of the newer genre terms and descriptors? Thanks for all you do!
Please also reconcile this with my understanding that publishers/editors absolutely freak the f out when they cannot perfectly “shelve” a pitch so if it crosses genres they will reject it on that basis alone!
Oh, I have not heard this! I have heard that if a book kinda straddles two genres (which is different than cross-genre) that it can be hard to market that book. I see this a lot with like memoirs with recipes. Is it a cookbook with a lot of story and fits nicely on a cookbook shelf or is it a narrative memoir with some recipes inside? Does a reader know what to expect inside and/or know if it's the kind of book they might want? A book that isn't wearing the uniform of at least one clear genre (that readers of other genres still might also like!) can be hard to field.
I've noticed over the last few years that more authors seem to be using an LLC...like, when you look at the copyright page, instead of the author's name, there is an LLC listed. What's up with that? Is setting up an LLC something that writers should do when they get a book deal?
I saw someone else asking about fantasy subgenres below... maybe you can do a post about SFF subgenres in general? I have so many questions about sci-fi vs military sci-fi vs space opera vs space fantasy, and then ofc there's the eternal question of: when does fantasy become sci-fi or vice versa? (E.g. why is Dune often exclusively described as sci-fi, Iron Widow often described as fantasy only?)
Military sci-fi in particular is of interest to me, considering many agents specifically say they don't want it - I've had discussions where some people simply define it as sci-fi that has a particular focus on people in a military, whether that focus is of a positive or critical nature; others define it as sci-fi with a military focus that glorifies the military, cool explosions, patriotism, etc. So, Red Rising is military sci-fi, as is every sci-fi action movie like Edge of Tomorrow or Battleship because they are all heavily glorified... except I've seen Some Desperate Glory labelled military sci-fi as well, despite it being about a girl being deradicalised after being raised in a heavily glorified military environment. Which definition is generally seen as true within the industry?
Oh yeah for sure, there are certainly no objective answers for stuff like when something becomes fantasy vs sci-fi but it's always great to hear how some professionals think about it! I'm looking forward to seeing the post (assuming you don't have other things you're more interested in writing haha)!
Hi Kate! I have a question – after sending an initial query to an agent, is it okay to follow up if you haven't heard back within a certain timeframe? Some agents mention that it can take 8-12 weeks to reply, while others say that if you don't hear back after x weeks, it means the submission has been rejected. What would be the general guidelines for follow-ups in this situation? (I hope I don't ever have this problem, but I want to be prepared for anything 😅)
I'm sorry to say that you absolutely will have this problem, because everyone does! If an agent says no response means no after x weeks, mark that in your spreadsheet. If they say 8-12 weeks, you can follow up after that (always choose the long end). If they don't say, I think 12 weeks if a good benchmark.
Hi, Kate. I’m not sure if anyone else has asked this, but do you have any suggestions for finding comp titles? Short of reading every single book in my genre to find good matches, how can I find the right ones?
A few questions I would love answered: 1. what happens if an agent is interested in representing my book? What will they want to know? What questions should I ask them? Do I negotiate and if so over what issues? Or do I just throw myself at their feet and say please, I am yours?
2. and moving backwards - I know I'm supposed to research agents, but other than if they are accepting queries and what they are currently interested in, what other research should I do? thank you.
Hi Kate. I have a question. When, if ever, does a writer need an agent? I have a publisher who is kind, supportive and fights my corner. I don’t want an agent and am going to stand by my publisher, but am I missing something? Would I be insulting her if I got an agent and, more importantly, would I upset her?
I promise your editor will NOT be insulted if you get an agent. PROMISE. Most editors (I guess I can't speak for all) see agents as people who HELP authors, not people who gum up the works. You might not need an agent, but your primary concern shouldn't be what your editor will think about it. You can also ask your editor what she thinks, especially if you have such a good relationship. Here's a post that might help, too: https://katemckean.substack.com/p/what-happens-if-the-offer-comes-before
I've sent the "what's a book proposal" post to dozens of people! I love that you don't overcomplicate it. Instead it's: here are the sections, here's what you have to do, go do it. Feels very achievable for people who are overwhelmed.
I am seeing "romantasy" referred to a lot along with cozy fantasy, light fantasy, speculative, etc. in agent wishlists. Then, there seems to be some debate on magical realism and who can consider their work as such. Because of this, I'm having a lot of difficulty deciding how to identify my particular story in query letters. Maybe a post on some of the newer genre terms and descriptors? Thanks for all you do!
Good idea!
I second the latest genre request.
Please also reconcile this with my understanding that publishers/editors absolutely freak the f out when they cannot perfectly “shelve” a pitch so if it crosses genres they will reject it on that basis alone!
Oh, I have not heard this! I have heard that if a book kinda straddles two genres (which is different than cross-genre) that it can be hard to market that book. I see this a lot with like memoirs with recipes. Is it a cookbook with a lot of story and fits nicely on a cookbook shelf or is it a narrative memoir with some recipes inside? Does a reader know what to expect inside and/or know if it's the kind of book they might want? A book that isn't wearing the uniform of at least one clear genre (that readers of other genres still might also like!) can be hard to field.
I've noticed over the last few years that more authors seem to be using an LLC...like, when you look at the copyright page, instead of the author's name, there is an LLC listed. What's up with that? Is setting up an LLC something that writers should do when they get a book deal?
I saw someone else asking about fantasy subgenres below... maybe you can do a post about SFF subgenres in general? I have so many questions about sci-fi vs military sci-fi vs space opera vs space fantasy, and then ofc there's the eternal question of: when does fantasy become sci-fi or vice versa? (E.g. why is Dune often exclusively described as sci-fi, Iron Widow often described as fantasy only?)
Military sci-fi in particular is of interest to me, considering many agents specifically say they don't want it - I've had discussions where some people simply define it as sci-fi that has a particular focus on people in a military, whether that focus is of a positive or critical nature; others define it as sci-fi with a military focus that glorifies the military, cool explosions, patriotism, etc. So, Red Rising is military sci-fi, as is every sci-fi action movie like Edge of Tomorrow or Battleship because they are all heavily glorified... except I've seen Some Desperate Glory labelled military sci-fi as well, despite it being about a girl being deradicalised after being raised in a heavily glorified military environment. Which definition is generally seen as true within the industry?
Thanks so much for all you do!
I don't think there are hard and fast answers here but I can definitely dive deeper in the wild world of genre distinctions!
Oh yeah for sure, there are certainly no objective answers for stuff like when something becomes fantasy vs sci-fi but it's always great to hear how some professionals think about it! I'm looking forward to seeing the post (assuming you don't have other things you're more interested in writing haha)!
Hi Kate! I have a question – after sending an initial query to an agent, is it okay to follow up if you haven't heard back within a certain timeframe? Some agents mention that it can take 8-12 weeks to reply, while others say that if you don't hear back after x weeks, it means the submission has been rejected. What would be the general guidelines for follow-ups in this situation? (I hope I don't ever have this problem, but I want to be prepared for anything 😅)
I'm sorry to say that you absolutely will have this problem, because everyone does! If an agent says no response means no after x weeks, mark that in your spreadsheet. If they say 8-12 weeks, you can follow up after that (always choose the long end). If they don't say, I think 12 weeks if a good benchmark.
That makes sense - thank you so much!
Hi, Kate. I’m not sure if anyone else has asked this, but do you have any suggestions for finding comp titles? Short of reading every single book in my genre to find good matches, how can I find the right ones?
Here ya go! https://katemckean.substack.com/p/dont-be-dr-frankenstein?utm_source=publication-search
Awesome, thank you!
Is it ever ok to reach out to an agent after they’ve requested and received your full MS? And if so, how long do I wait?
Yes! I need to write more about this one. But you can follow up! I think three months is a good first follow up bench mark.
A few questions I would love answered: 1. what happens if an agent is interested in representing my book? What will they want to know? What questions should I ask them? Do I negotiate and if so over what issues? Or do I just throw myself at their feet and say please, I am yours?
2. and moving backwards - I know I'm supposed to research agents, but other than if they are accepting queries and what they are currently interested in, what other research should I do? thank you.
These links will help in part!
https://katemckean.substack.com/p/questions-to-ask-agents?utm_source=publication-search
https://katemckean.substack.com/p/where-are-all-the-agents?utm_source=publication-search
https://katemckean.substack.com/p/how-to-read-a-literary-agency-agreement?utm_source=publication-search
https://katemckean.substack.com/p/what-to-do-if-an-agent-likes-your?utm_source=publication-search
thanks - that is most helpful
So helpful--thank you!
Hi Kate. I have a question. When, if ever, does a writer need an agent? I have a publisher who is kind, supportive and fights my corner. I don’t want an agent and am going to stand by my publisher, but am I missing something? Would I be insulting her if I got an agent and, more importantly, would I upset her?
I promise your editor will NOT be insulted if you get an agent. PROMISE. Most editors (I guess I can't speak for all) see agents as people who HELP authors, not people who gum up the works. You might not need an agent, but your primary concern shouldn't be what your editor will think about it. You can also ask your editor what she thinks, especially if you have such a good relationship. Here's a post that might help, too: https://katemckean.substack.com/p/what-happens-if-the-offer-comes-before
That’s very helpful, Kate. Thank you. 🙏