![[Discussion] Article from a literary agent](https://external-preview.redd.it/NBVCKoEEhdJs-kLiLk5lLjH_ZRSsIdCwZLpq2jb_h7Q.jpeg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f73e92457c0cd1f547d6024c5ba25c305824f7c6)
Just stumbled across this article from a literary agent which is quite interesting reading and not too long to read https://news.sky.com/story/im-a-literary-agent-heres-what-makes-me-sign-a-writer-instantly-and-what-most-authors-actually-earn-13542628
Hello r/TradPublish!
Who else can’t believe it’s May already?
Welcome to our Seventh monthly check-in thread!
Here’s this month’s prompt: How do you cope with waiting for anything in the querying process, whether that’s feedback or agent responses?
This monthly pinned post aims to help the writing community connect with other writers interested in traditional publishing!
Share how your WIP draft is going, or how your current querying is doing, or other relatable traditional publishing topics in this thread!
This is a great thread to talk about writing, reading, updates, accountability, trends, vents, and more.
Do NOT advertise any editor services here, and no free samples to later ask for payment are allowed. You can try r/hireaneditor or other applicable subreddits instead.
We also ask that self promotion of completed works do not contain links. Mentioning success is completely fine!
We’d like to take this opportunity to remind people that works generated with AI, and AI generated feedback is not allowed here, either. r/writingwithAI is a better subreddit for that, and you can also try r/betareadersforAI.
I’d also like to note that we have additional flairs available to all: querying, drafting, editing, and some writing genres/age categories. Please consider using them to help people match with you. Industry experts can modmail to verify for a flair if they wish.
Also, it’s best to subscribe to our sub before commenting or posting to help avoid Reddit’s filters sending your content into the spam queue.
Please ensure you comment in good faith and do not break any other r/tradpublish rules.
Thank you, and happy writing/reading/editing!
More guides coming soon!
Hello r/BetaReaders!
Who else can’t believe it’s May already?
Here’s this month’s prompt: what usually springs to mind when you get beta feedback back? Do you take your time with the feedback or immediately jump in to revise?
Welcome to our sixth monthly check-in thread!
These monthly pinned post aims to help the community connect with other writers and betas!
Share how your WIP is going, or how your current beta read is going, or other relatable beta reading topics in this thread!
This is a great thread to talk about writing, updates, accountability, trends, vents, and more.
It is not the right thread to post first pages as there’s another pinned thread for that, but you can link to your beta post if you wish.
Do NOT advertise any beta/editor services here, and no free samples to later ask for payment are allowed. You can try r/hireaneditor or r/paidbetareaders instead.
We also ask that self promotion of completed works do not contain links. Mentioning success is completely fine!
And we’d like to take this opportunity to remind people that works generated with AI, and AI-generated feedback is not allowed here, either. r/writingwithAI or r/betareadersforAI are better subreddits for that.
And because scammers are now targeting GDocs: please DM them and not leave them up on the sub publicly to avoid harassment
I’d also like to note that we have additional flairs available to help people know what specialty you have: traditional publishing, self-publishing, and fanfic. Please consider using them to help people match with you.
Also, it’s best to subscribe to our sub before commenting or posting to help avoid Reddit’s filters sending your content into the spam queue.
Please ensure you comment in good faith and do not break any other r/betareaders rules.
Thank you, and happy writing/reading/editing/beta matching!
Something I’ve said hundreds of times when giving query feedback is “Please specify” because agents specifically requested it
Here’s a link to Manuscript Academy’s link to back me up on that
It’s as comprehensive as my other guides pinned to the top of this subreddit!
I’m sharing one section in particular:
> Here’s what they absolutely need to understand:
> What your book is about (not just what happens, but what it’s ABOUT)
> Who your protagonist is, what they want, and why they can’t have it
> What happens if they fail (real stakes, not vague consequences)
> What the world looks like (hardest, of course, in speculative genres)
> If an agent can’t confidently answer those questions after reading your query, they’re probably passing.
> Another way to think of this is the common pitch formula: CHARACTER wants to GOAL but can’t because of CONFLICT so they do X which results in Y.
> And here’s the tough love part: it’s not because your book is bad. It’s because they can’t sell what they don’t understand.
It mentions “more than 3 characters” but no more than 5 is the hard rule, especially if you have a multi-POV query
If you’re new to querying, be sure to:
In your queries!
Hope everyone’s querying or writing or editing is going well!
Hello r/TradPublish!
Who else can’t believe it’s April already?
Welcome to our sixth monthly check-in thread!
Here’s this month’s prompt: What kind of humor have you encountered on your querying journey? Any funny feedback notes or form rejects or stories from meeting other authors or agents or such?
This monthly pinned post aims to help the writing community connect with other writers interested in traditional publishing!
Share how your WIP draft is going, or how your current querying is doing, or other relatable traditional publishing topics in this thread!
This is a great thread to talk about writing, reading, updates, accountability, trends, vents, and more.
Do NOT advertise any editor services here, and no free samples to later ask for payment are allowed. You can try r/hireaneditor or other applicable subreddits instead.
We also ask that self promotion of completed works do not contain links. Mentioning success is completely fine!
We’d like to take this opportunity to remind people that works generated with AI, and AI generated feedback is not allowed here, either. r/writingwithAI is a better subreddit for that, and you can also try r/betareadersforAI.
I’d also like to note that we have additional flairs available to all: querying, drafting, editing, and some writing genres/age categories. Please consider using them to help people match with you. Industry experts can modmail to verify for a flair if they wish.
Also, it’s best to subscribe to our sub before commenting or posting to help avoid Reddit’s filters sending your content into the spam queue.
Please ensure you comment in good faith and do not break any other r/tradpublish rules.
Thank you, and happy writing/reading/editing!
More guides coming soon!