Q&A Thursday

Borrowing Trouble Edition

Hi friends!

Let’s answer some questions.

Q asks: My MS is centered around being mixed race. Most of the detailed passes (not form responses I think) I receive mention not being able to relate/connect to the characters or that they don’t think they’re the right person to represent. Which I totally understand that’s a part of receiving a pass, and that agents have to fall in love with a story to champion it. But it’s got me wondering if part of not being able to relate has to do with the agent’s own experience. Am I scaring off agents that don’t want to represent a touchy subject of mixed race characters going through generations of trauma from both white and Black communities? For context, I myself am mixed race and pulled from my own experiences for my novel. Could some agents not want to represent a book because they didn’t think it was their place to do so (thinking along the lines of #ownvoices)? Or is my querying anxiety getting the better of me and I’m overthinking it?