r/PubTips

“Hey. There's a lot about this that grabbed me.
It's doing something different, and I love when writers take swings. But ultimately, I didn't feel confident I was the right person to champion it. Sometimes it's just gut, and I trust mine.
If you're working on something else in the future, I'd love to see it. In the meantime, you're always welcome in the ** community, whether that's through our socials. newsletter, or just quietly lurking. You don't have to do this alone.
Will be cheering for you from here,”

I queried an agent some months ago for a gothic literary speculative fiction novella and now I am rewriting it as a full-length novel, should I query this agent again as she highlighted or how should I approach this response?

Hi! I hope this is an appropriate question/discussion for this subreddit.

I followed a couple of agents on Instagram whose podcast I listen to and Meta's algorithm of course has recommended others and I have followed a few others. Some of the 'vibes' given off by the way some post are a bit off putting to me and I wonder if I am alone in this. My feelings are of course subjective.

The agents I initially followed post a lot of info for authors, which consist of a mix of information about how the publishing business works, motivational posts, tips for submission, etc.

Seeing updates from other agents, it is now clear that the bread-and-butter basis of agents who build online social media followings is tips about query-letter formulation. This topic seems exhaustively addressed to me for what is ultimately five or six short paragraphs written according to a strict formula in most cases, but the letter is the way to persuade gatekeepers to open the gate and let a stranger in and so I get that. Still, some agents seem to be completely focused on query letters to the full exclusion of ever addressing the writing and I see a lot of writers online seem to obsess over query letters now to the point that what I see practically suggests that any book-length manuscript is publishable if only you can create the ✨perfect✨ one-page letter to sell it. Does anyone else perceive that this is an imbalanced emphasis on query letter writing?

More to the point, I followed an agent a week or so ago who posts very 'curated' slides with tips for querying that all end with 'write this special word in the comments and I will DM you my magic formula for getting published.' OK, they don't use the words "magic formula," but stop just short of that. After seeing several of these, I looked up that agent expecting to find that they are some kind of scammer but they are listed as a legit agent on QueryTracker (although some recent commenters say they feel like the agent's friendly and inviting persona is very misleading given a tendency to ghost, etc.).

I guess my ultimate point beyond the is-it-all-really-solely-about-the-PERFECT-query-letter question is that the way some agents present themselves online feels...overly curated/branded/packaged in such a way that it ends up feeling not very human, not very authentic, and in some cases makes me feel like they are effectively presenting themselves more like online influencers for the sake of gaining followers, and I frankly don't really understand how this works in the interests of literary agents who, if they are good agents, probably already are in demand. I appreciate tips and insights and encouragement and all that good stuff. I get a little put off by scripted videos, branded slides, etc., because these feel like they've been created by a corporate entity to entice some kind of transaction from the audience, and I don't know what sort of transaction a legitimate literary agents is trying to conduct via social media given that their business involves largely fending off aspiring writers in as cordial a way as possible.

It also feels like the cultivation of aspiring writers as an online audience while ignoring and rejecting most emails are working a bit at odds in some ways, and so the attracting-to-repel strategy baffles me a bit.

I realize this post presents several different and only tangentially related thoughts but I am curious whether anyone else has had similar reactions...

Ok, looking for some thoughts here. I've received an offer from a small press in my second sub round and am debating whether or not to walk away. On one hand, it's my dream to see my book traditionally published and I connected well with the editor. On the other hand, they want all rights, have some parts of their contract I am not super comfortable with, and will not alter these or negotiate at all with my agent.

I'm also concerned about their ability to get my book out there. Regardless of the publisher, I'm aware that I'll need to put a lot of effort into marketing myself, however, I've never heard of any of their published books before and I know poor debut sales can make selling a second book very challenging. The authors I've spoken with there have had good things to say about the experience, though I have no idea about their sales. Has anyone been in the same position and had the small press experience go well? Any other advice?

Thanks so much in advance. This is an incredibly difficult decision because the idea of turning down an opportunity is crushing, but I also know that a bad deal can be worse than no deal and perhaps the strategic move is to pass, revise based on other feedback, and go back out on another round.

Howdy!

So I am preparing my latest manuscript for querying and a kind beta reader reminded oblivious me that song lyrics can't be reproduced in print without a license. I used quite a few in the manuscript (totalling about 20 classic rock lyrics) as a big part of one character's development, but now I realize that if the book does get published that will be a huge headache (and expense) for the publisher to use them.

The story is better with them, but I worry that even having the lyrics in the manuscript at all creates yet another hurdle and just one more easy reason for an agent or editor to say no. So: Remove, or roll the dice?

Anyone with experience along these lines, would love your insights.

Thanks.

So, I have been querying since around January, sending in batches to agents in the UK and US. I have received 4 full requests, two of these have sent kind rejections (solid writing, good concept and plot, just didn't give them that 'must have' feeling). So I have two fulls remaining out there; one of these agents is currently not in work due to personal circumstances, but has not closed to queries. The other has said it will take them approx. 3-4 months to read the full.

I have been writing the next book since I started to query and it is almost ready - it has been beta read, and I'm on my second edit. I love this book and think it is hookier than the book I've already queried.

My question is - can I query it once it is ready, despite book 1 still being under consideration? Or should I withdraw book 1 before querying book 2?

It seems like almost every agent or publisher claims they value diverse voices, but only when the theme of the book is diversity. To me, truly amplifying diverse voices means providing entry points for authors from diverse backgrounds to write on a VARIETY of topics, not just their own heritage.

I am proud of where I come from, and I want to be taken seriously as a writer and be allowed to write nature, humor, whatever the hell I like rather than sidelined into the category of "ok we'll publish you but only if you talk about how different you are."

Please tell me I'm not the only one feeling frustrated about this.

Edit: Wow these responses are amazing. Thank you all for sharing; I was initially reluctant to even post this because it can be such a sensitive topic but it's a huge relief to know I'm not alone.

[Insert Justin Timberlake meme here.]

No, not the new one. The old one.

Okay, now do the usual thing.

I know this has been asked a few times over the years, but if anyone has any recent experience in the querying trenches [say 2025-now], I'd love to hear.

I know traditional advice suggests querying 8-12 agents at a time, wait for responses to see if your query package is working, and then query another batch. But I'm also hearing people say query more (around 30ish) at a time due to such low response rates/being ghosted entirely.

I have my query letter, synopsis and manuscript ready. [I posted my query to the sub - any feedback is greatly appreciated and apologies if posting it this way is not allowed, I will remove if so] I'm wondering what has worked for others? Thank you!

ADVICE WANTED :
Hi everyone. I’ve just joined the group based off a recommendation on Threads and then this as I mistakenly put in writers subreddit 🙈 (thank you to everyone who suggested here ). I have just started submitting my first kidslit picture book in February and haven’t heard back from anyone yet.

I know there’s a high chance that the book is just not right for the agents I’ve submitted to, but I though my if I just checked in if anyone had any advice re my query letter that I’ll put under- I would really appreciate it 💛 I appreciate anyone who has stopped and read even this far- so no pressure for feedback!!
(I also include a paragraph at the bottom explaining my choice of that particular agent)

DEAR AGENT NAME

Please kindly find submitted for your consideration:
THE STOAT AND HIS YELLOW RAINCOAT
Children's Picture Book Ages 4-7
Word count approx. 840 words
Who would have thought that a bright yellow raincoat could cause so much drama? But when a beautiful and funny little Stoat chooses to express himself in this run of the mill item, his friends embark on a Yellow Coat Plan to steal it away. In their rush to force our Stoat into a more “natural” appearance, they discover he has a bald patch hidden under his jacket.  It would seem that this yellow raincoat is more than just a shout of colour amongst the bristle and dark wood of their forest. This story is a standalone book, that I feel would sit wonderfully within a further woodland universe I am developing with lesser-known British woodland animals that explore themes of neurodiversity, kindness and relationship repair. 
 
The Stoat and His Yellow Raincoat is a whimsical, heart-warming modern fable, that would sit happily on the shelf with Matilda Rose’s Magical Pet Shop series and Rachel Brights DinoFeelings books- aiming to help support children with the social/emotional world of today. 
 
As a late diagnosed ADHD mother of two small children, it has been so important to me to create accessible stories to help children navigate the confusing and often overwhelming modern world we live in. I write rhyming texts as I have gained a genuine love for them since engaging in a musical vocal tuition which helped me to really find my own voice. I have a small but actively growing social media platform which I will link at the bottom of the page and also a web page dedicated to sharing my writing and progress. Over the coming months, I have 2 school visits booked in to read my story with the year one and two children as well as a wonderful full day booking with the Together Trust to read and engage with children 10am-4pm; crafting and discussing my book at their annual Together Festival (where the team are expecting upwards of 2000 visitors). 

MY AGENT SPECIFIC INFO HERE

My Instagram: REMOVED SO I COULD POST HERE
My TikTok: REMOVED SO I COULD POST HERE
Heather McKenna
My website: REMOVED SO I COULD POST HERE

Anyway… is it awful? Is it okay? I have no clue 😭😭

I’m new to the world of Reddit and querying, and yesterday I sent my final query in my first round… to my dream agent. Now comes the agonizing part: wondering whether I actually have a shot.

My manuscript is an adult rom-com with what I hope is broad commercial appeal, though it does have a distinct Disney-adult backdrop and sensibility. My beta readers have responded really positively to the humor, emotional arc, and overall accessibility of the story, but I’d love honest feedback on whether the query itself is working.

I’ve queried most of the agents currently open specifically to rom-coms, and my next step will likely be expanding into the broader romance category. I’d truly appreciate any thoughts or constructive critique. Thank you!

Dear Dream Agent,

At thirty-three, Vivian Murphy is about to check the final box on her life's to-do list: marrying her fiancé, Daniel. Instead, he leaves her at the altar, stranding her with a nonrefundable Disney honeymoon she is too practical to waste and too humiliated to enjoy. She goes anyway.

Within hours, everything falls apart. Florida storms, wardrobe malfunctions, and a series of increasingly public mishaps leave her unraveling in the most magical place on earth, all witnessed by a calm, annoyingly handsome stranger named Nic. Convinced he is a YouTube vlogger documenting her spiral for viral content, Vivian is determined to avoid him. Unfortunately, he keeps reappearing at her worst moments.

Back in Atlanta, things do not improve. She is forced to work alongside her ex, who seems to have processed the breakup at record speed. Vivian moves back into her childhood bedroom, and lies awake beneath a ceiling of Jonas Brothers posters that feel aggressively optimistic given her current situation. After a Christmas party meltdown turns her into an HR cautionary tale, she takes a new job in Orlando for a fresh start, only to discover her first client is Nic. He is not a vlogger at all, but a doctor of nutrition science building a wellness brand inspired by his Greek family. As they work together, Vivian mistakenly believes Nic is unavailable, which makes her growing attraction feel safely irrelevant.

But working with Nic begins to shift something. Vivian starts to want a life that is not perfectly planned, but one that actually feels right. When a high-stakes campaign sends them to Greece, her luggage, last seen strapped to the roof of a van, never arrives, leaving her in his grandmother's clothes and far outside anything she could have planned.

When a family emergency pulls her back to Atlanta, Vivian must decide whether she is willing to let go of the life she planned for one that is messier, uncertain, and a little bit more magical.

SINGLE RIDER is a 72,000-word contemporary romantic comedy that blends the vacation chaos of The Unhoneymooners, the romantic tension of The Hating Game, and the emotional reinvention of Beach Read.

We are sisters writing romantic comedies under the pen name Annie Hart. After Annie's second battle with breast cancer, we turned to humor as a way through difficult seasons and bonded over the kind of laughter that carries you forward. When we struggled to find books that truly made us laugh out loud, we decided to write our own. We live in Florida, minutes from Walt Disney World, which inspired the setting of SINGLE RIDER.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Warm regards,

Annie Hart

Hey everyone! Last year I made this post that described my journey from querying to agent-obtaining to book-dealing for my debut novel The Minute Givers (originally: Continuity). In that post, I wrote about how a crucial turning point in my success was re-writing the first page of my writing sample. So that's what I'm going to talk about in this post.

To quickly summarize: I wrote a manuscript, wrote an accompanying query, posted it here, got a ton of encouragement and then began querying. Despite the strong query, I got zero full-requests.

Thus, I was forced to confront the weak link: the writing sample.

Now, to be fair, a lot of what I'm going to talk about here are assumptions. I cannot ever be fully sure why the first batch of agents all rejected me, whereas the next batch resulted in an offer. So take everything I say with a grain of salt.

I'm going to start off with the original query (feel free to skip if you've already read it) and then move into the two writing samples. From there, I'll explain what changes I made that I think improved the outcome.

The Minute Givers Query

Renee has the ability to turn back time by one minute for every man she’s ever loved. She uses this power in her job as a film continuity supervisor, never missing a detail in each scene. She gains her eighth minute when she sets eyes on Dash, the lead actor in her latest film. Now there's a new purpose for her powers—making sure their every interaction is picture perfect.

Just as Dash is within her grasp, Renee loses a minute of her rewind powers for the first time in her life. It doesn’t take her long to connect this loss with the sudden death of her high school crush. Soon, her past lovers are dropping dead in quick succession, taking her precious minutes with them. Renee uses her remaining powers to investigate by breaking into houses in short bursts and questioning her list of suspects without arousing suspicion.

Renee finds herself thrust into the spotlight when a prominent film producer is murdered—a man with whom Renee had a secret affair years earlier. With her dwindling powers, Renee must not only clear her name but also protect Dash from a killer who seems intent on erasing every one of her lovers from existence. In her search for the killer, Renee confronts her own dark past and decides how far she is willing to go to obtain true love.

The Original (Rejected) Writing Sample Opening

Seven minutes—that’s how far I can rewind time. One minute for each person I have loved, and will fall in love with, the moment they enter my life. My extra sliver of time comes at a cost.

After Seven left, trailing my shredded heart in his wake, the world shrunk down to my one-bedroom apartment. For over a year my sky was a dust-collecting ceiling fan. My ground, the clothing-covered hardwood floor of my loft bedroom. My body felt as broken as my heart

As grim as this year has been, deep down I know one day someone will step into my life, give their gift of time and never leave—my forever person, my last new minute. It's this belief that convinced me to accept the job at the studio I shouldn't return to. It’s this hope that reanimates my sludge limbs and pulls me out of bed.

It’s the first day on set of the latest Decrypt Productions straight-to-streaming film Santa's Secret and not even the candy-cane-striped gun props can lift my mood. Once you’ve been on one shit Christmas film, you’ve been on them all. At least our last one, Mrs. Claus Gets Revenge, received a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes (audience, not critics).

[From here I continued with the story on the film set...]

As you can see it's an okay intro. Nothing terrible. But let's move onto the successful writing sample to see how this can be improved.

The Revised (Successful) Writing Sample Opening

I have a bad habit of picking at reality until it bleeds. With infinite opportunities to turn back the clock, it’s hard to resist scratching at a moment until it's raw. 

The first time Seven broke up with me, I laughed it off as a joke (“Has my expiry date passed already?”) and waited for reassurances that never came. The second time, I collapsed onto the sunflower-patterned carpet in his guest bedroom and buried my face in those soft yellow petals. As I sobbed, he pulled on his trousers and buttoned up his dress shirt, explaining it's been nice, but it's over now. 

The next dozen or so iterations, I reasoned with him as if I were a slimy salesman, peddling myself as the must-have product (“No one else can make you happy like I can! No one will love you as deeply!”). In one Hail Mary rendition, I tried slipping out before he could say the words. He managed to deliver an abridged version of the speech before I could even make it to the staircase. 

It took until the hundredth rewind for me to get mean. Spit the nastiest insults my mind could conjure in the hopes of finding a vulnerability in this inscrutable man. His abrasive personality. His failed marriage. His selfishness in bed. His dick size. But none of these low blows, even elicited a furrowing of his brows.

Only in my dizziest state did it occur to me that I could live out a violent iteration of this moment without consequence. It would've been cathartic—just one time—to smash the tiffany lamp to the ground, grab a colourful shard of broken glass and jam it into that soft place beneath his chin. Sit on the sunflower carpet and watch Seven attempt to patch the wound with his fingers, blood staining his white dress shirt. Savour him collapsing to the floor staring with that sweet, sweet realization that I’d been the one in control all along.

But I never did it. I swear I didn’t. And even if I did, there’d be no evidence remaining.

The Differences

Moving my strongest sentence to the top

Originally my opening line ("I have a bad habit of picking at reality until it bleeds") was buried somewhere in Chapter 16 of my manuscript. And honestly, I loved its original placement! It worked really nicely in that section! The obvious problem: no one was going to even get to this line if they couldn't even get through the first five pages...

First lines are important. They need to be attention-grabbing, curiosity-inducing and original. So why not steal my favourite line and promote it to number one position?

This won't work for everyone. It's not even really working for me with my latest book. But I bring it up in case someone's struggling with a first line, and it's already in the manuscript, buried in an unassuming chapter.

Removing the info-dump of the speculative premise (and working with the book flap copy)

For those of us writing speculative, finding the balance between explaining a story and keeping the reader immersed is extremely difficult. As you can probably tell with my original draft, I was so so eager to explain my premise as quickly as possible.

In some ways, that made sense: I know my premise is good, why not start out with it? Well, the answer is starting with an info-dump is rarely a fun way to start a story.

Instead, I realized that usually the book flap copy can usually work to do the heavy lifting of explaining a premise. Before most readers start a book, they'll take a quick look at the synopsis so they know what they're getting into. That's where they get the straightforward explanation of the premise.

In the case of querying, the query provides this same function. By the time the agent gets to the pages they will already understand the premise, and thus you can start building from there.

Realizing this took away the pressure from my pages to give the sales pitch and dive right into the story.

Showing over telling

I mean, we've all heard it a million times over, so I feel bad for even adding this to the list. However, I think my writing sample is a pretty good example of how moving from telling>showing can really strengthen a first page.

My original sample acts as a quick telling of a breakup. Like oh, yeah, this happened and it sucked and I'm sad about it, now let's get on with the story.

The successful sample, however, put the character in the scene of the break-up. It showed what actually happened so we feel the character's desperation and heartbreak.

Now when writing an opening scene, I always place my main character in a scene right away.

Making it hookier

My first version communicates the 'sad girl got dumped' background, which tells us a bit about the character, but nothing about where the story is going. There's no reason to keep going and find out what happens.

The second version has a clear hint that someone murder-y is coming, which is a lot more fun.

In the to-be-published version of the manuscript, the ending of this section is expanded and further refined to make the stakes clearer.

That's about it!

Hopefully this comparison is helpful to those struggling their way through their first few pages. I find this to be the hardest part of the book to write (currently struggling with this exact part of my Book 2), so I'll be happy if anyone can take even the smallest lesson from my mistakes to get to their perfect first page. Thanks for reading!

I know this question might sound like a troll, so I just wanted to preface that I am a queer, POC, male writer and asking from a genuine--but conflicted--place. I'm not looking to ragebait or cause any controversy, I just want to get out of this publishing limbo.

I'm formerly agented, been querying a book, and noticed the only agents that have expressed interest are non-white agents, particularly when they know what I look like (more on that later). Even then, they've passed with market concerns. I know this manuscript is high-concept, and I can't help but wonder if maybe it's the characters' ethnicities that drew agents back? For context, I'm writing in a pretty trendy, cross-genre space that isn't "oversaturated" at the moment.

There's also the fact that my first name is very "white-passing" and my last name is ethnically ambiguous (also some of my background might be stereotyped as white, such as the university I went to for undergrad has a very "elite" association that's basically wealthy, white-male-coded).

I know agents claim they want BIPOC voices and many of them do a lot of work in conveying and proving that, but at this point, I just want a book to sell. I've had enough "great prose, but market" comments in the trenches and (previously, with another book) on submission to make me not care if I just have to write a book with white leads to make it to the publication line.

I will say this was *not* an issue querying-wise with my last manuscript that got me an agent (my former agent was white), so idk if it's just a combination of an increasingly "risk-averse" market leading to subconscious preferences on the basis of race (white leads are I guess more popular and arguably a more likely/"safer" sell in the market), and the way I seem to present in queries (name, credentials, etc.). I know POC writers have had to write white leads in the past to get published (not always, especially if the story had to deal with race, which mine don't really), so idk if that sort of decision-making is having a comeback.

TL;DR: Would it be okay as a POC writer to write a book with white leads? Would it make marketable sense? Would I face any controversy for doing so?

Throwaway, but long-time lurker.

ETA: typo

Hi all, I am a longtime lurker of this sub looking for feedback on this query letter. I appreciate any and all comments! Thanks!

Dear AGENT,

I’m seeking representation for SANCTIFIED, an 85,000-word literary family drama novel that traces the fractured evolution of a Haitian-American family as they cope with the death of their patriarch. It combines the sweeping intergenerational storytelling of Min Jin Lee’s PACHINKO and the poignant condemnations of religious institutions explored in Addie E. Citchen’s DOMINION.   

On a late summer night in 2014, Enoch Dorsainvil, a charismatic Haitian pastor, drops dead in his Brooklyn apartment, leaving behind a trail of regrets. Namely, regrets on how he’s raised his three adult children, who drove him crazy when he was alive. There’s Patrick, the eldest, who everyone thought would become a pastor like his father, but is now an unemployed, middle-aged alcoholic atheist; Forgotten middle child, Ronald, whose dreary personality and emasculating marriage is the source of his quiet rebellion; Vanessa, the American born, and the only one to follow in her father’s footsteps, is too sanctimonious and keen to receive her father’s blessing to succeed him.

In the aftermath of his death, Vanessa’s glee at taking over the church is brief when she realizes she’s inherited a church in deep debt and a congregation that hates her. As she struggles to keep the church afloat, Patrick returns to the church and his estranged family to assuage the guilt he feels for his terrible last moments with his father. Ronald’s frequent romantic affairs end in blackmail and the possible dissolution of his marriage. And in Vanessa’s quest to gain respect from her congregation, she becomes further entrenched in a religious delusion that she may be a god. 

Told in alternating chapters that weave between Enoch’s beginnings in 1930s Haiti to his migration to 1960s New York City, SANCTIFIED explores the pitfalls of the American Dream, the allure of power, and the fragility of religion. 

BIO

I recently learned that my 2027 novel will have a special edition made for it, and we are just getting started on early discussions about what is needed from me in the coming months. This will include some kind of bonus content.

I'd love to hear from other authors about their experience being asked to produce bonus content for a SE. Did it have to be a bonus chapter / different POV chapter? Did whoever is producing the SE tell you what they wanted it to be, or did you get to choose? Were you given a tight timeline to turn around the material, or did you have a longer lead time to get it finished? Did it ever feel overwhelming to have to dig back into a book that is, in every other way, already done?

I know my experience will likely not mirror anyone else's exactly, but having never done something like this before, I'd love to hear how it went for others. All SE types are welcome — retailer, book box, etc.

I'm asking more in regards to newer agents, to be clear. I know the intern and then associate process takes time (building a list, connections, making deals), so I was wondering what a decent trajectory looked like within the first 2-3 years. What level of mentorship/agency reputation might buffer this?

Thank you!

I'm a Self-published author, which I know isn't what this sub is for but I need advice from trad published authors and industry professionals that might have more experience with bookstore events

A bookstore I'm visiting next weekend created an ad for the event using AI and it has my face AI pasted on a body that's not mine. I'm a very anti AI author and very pro bookstore. I don't want of offend the bookstore but I really don't love that my face and my book are in an obvious AI ad. Would it be horrible to ask them to remove it?

It's out of state (but near where my mom lives) so it's also a family visit but I really don't want to be that person to throw a fit but I also don't want me and my book associated with AI.

How would you approach this?

Edit: thanks for all the advice. The ad is gone and I sent some alternative materials, including a Canva post and a link to the post for the bookstore to play with. It's all fine and the event is still on..

Hello all,

We had four requests from the original query but it stalled and folks on here pointed out clear issues with the original. Hopeful that this next version shines. Thank you for any and all feedback!

Dear Agent,

Please consider representing MOTHER TEETH, a 70,000-word literary horror novel told in alternating past and present timelines. It will appeal to readers of The Devil Takes You Home and Boys in the Valley, combining literary horror, rural decay, and supernatural dread.

Daniel Burr has spent twenty years trying to outrun Rowley, Pennsylvania, a decaying lake town steeped in addiction, poverty, and old rumors best left buried. Once the town’s golden boy and now its alcoholic chief of police, Daniel survives on routine, denial, and cheap gin. Then a town selectman is found murdered outside his home, his face mutilated and every tooth ripped from his mouth.

The killing forces Daniel to confront what happened one summer when he was fifteen. In 2005, Daniel and four friends broke into the abandoned Morehead Manor, a crumbling estate once owned by the Order of the Golden Twilight, a wealthy occult society rumored to have summoned something called Mother Teeth, a whispering presence said to lurk behind mirrors, all shifting teeth and endless hunger.

Inside the manor, they discovered the rumors were true. For weeks, Mother Teeth pursued them through mirrors, dreams, and darkened reflections, appearing as a writhing mass of jagged teeth pressing against the glass. She demanded devotion and servitude, taking a special interest in Daniel. Desperate to escape her, the teenagers performed a ritual they believed sealed the entity away forever. As adults, they buried the experience beneath therapy, addiction, and denial, convincing themselves it had all been a collective hallucination.

Then the killings begin again.

Drawn back toward Morehead Manor and the secrets buried beneath it, Daniel must confront the possibility that the entity he spent twenty years dismissing as trauma and delusion was real all along. Because whatever waited behind the glass that summer was never gone. It was only sleeping. And if Daniel cannot stop it now, Mother Teeth will consume everyone he has left before finally pulling him into her service forever.

My previous work has been published by independent presses, and I was previously represented. I reside in (my town).

All best,
(my pen name)

Hey all. Looking for any guidance you can provide. I've tried a few times to parlay my unique professional and lived experience into nonfiction works (memoir, self-help themed related to the lessons and transitions from poverty to my current job). This time focusing more so on an issue book. Not sure how this would be received or looked at so anything helps!

Dear agent,

I am seeking representation for DE-NIHLISM, a work of accessible philosophical psychology and cultural criticism exploring why modern society feels increasingly fragmented, tribal, reactive, and disconnected from authentic meaning despite unprecedented access to information and connection.

DE-NIHLISM argues that modern society is not suffering from a collapse of information, but from a collapse of authentic belief. Human beings are not primarily rational creatures guided by objective principles, but emotional and social beings who construct identity structures for survival beginning in childhood. Political, religious, ideological, and social identities increasingly become extensions of the self rather than consciously examined principles. As a result, people often defend beliefs emotionally while experiencing themselves as rational and morally consistent. Challenges to worldview feel threatening not simply because ideas are being questioned, but because the constructed self itself feels at risk of unraveling.

Drawing from psychology, existential philosophy, and contemporary culture, I examine how technology, social media, consumer culture, and modern tribal systems intensify this process by continuously reinforcing emotionally satisfying narratives while reducing the need for introspection, ambiguity, or existential struggle. People increasingly inhabit separate identity-reinforcing realities, mistaking outrage, certainty, and performance for conviction while becoming more fragmented and disconnected from authentic meaning.

Ultimately, DE-NIHLISM argues that without deeply examined belief and some form of shared orienting meaning, societies drift toward nihilism, resentment, distraction, and identity warfare while mistaking all of it for conviction. The book offers a path beyond nihilism not through rigid certainty or ideological purity, but through self-examination, tolerating uncertainty, loosening attachment to ego structures, and consciously constructing meaning rooted in authentic engagement with existence.

DE-NIHLISM will appeal to readers of The Righteous Mind, The Coddling of the American Mind, Stolen Focus, and The Denial of Death.

I am a mental health therapist and performance coach at an upper-tier practice in New York City, where I work with high-profile clients including executives, elite athletes, entertainers, politicians, and hedge fund managers. Raised in generational poverty by parents struggling with mental illness and substance abuse and beginning my career working exclusively with low income trauma populations, my perspective is informed both by clinical work and firsthand experience navigating identity, meaning, trauma, and social mobility. I also previously secured literary representation for fiction works.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Me

Hi all,

I have my first call with an agent coming up tomorrow and I'm equal parts excited and nervous. For those who have gone through the process, either as author or agent, do you have a list of "pet peeves/don'ts" or "this is appreciated/dos"? Any other advice is appreciated as well

I am a debut author, and have two agents I'm trying to choose from. Both have a track record with Big 5 (using Publisher's Marketplace), I think they'd both be called heavy hitters, but neither has sold a book in my particular genre (Agent A has more recently placed books in an adjacent genre). Both seem confident about my book's prospects at top tier presses (without promising), and expect. Agent A is at a large agency (but is not personally based in NYC), and Agent B is at a self-named boutique based in NYC. I had a good and productive convo with both. I realize this is a great problem to have, but as a debut author, I feel uneasy about the riskiness of my position, and I am afraid if I go with A, and it doesn't work out, I'll wish I went with B, and vice-versa.

I believe Agent A is the most sensible choice. They feel practical. I sometimes had a "hm" feeling when they talked about (relatively minor) changes to the proposal, but I also got the feeling that I would have veto power, they were just suggestions. But it made me wonder a bit. If it doesn't fly, I may kick myself for not going with the one who was happier with my original vision.

Agent B is much more trusting of my original vision "as is", and would just help me tighten it up. I like their calm confidence. I also think they'd be good at helping me find the right next book idea. But I also worry that I am possibly enticed by an easier/ more flattering vision for my project. They feel a little riskier, perhaps because their vision for tightening is more polishing than adjusting, if that makes sense. I feel like if I go with Agent B, and it doesn't go well, I'll kick myself for not going with the (slightly more) cautious/editorial agent.

Agent B is known to be a powerful deal-maker, great at setting up auctions; they want to cast a wide nest initially. But Agent A also has lots of auctions in their record, and they want to start a little more cautiously and see how it is received first, so as not to "burn" more than needed.

I'd like input on how to better navigate this choice. I keep going around and around. I think it's just because it's a high stakes choice, they're both solid on paper, and my emotions have room to whirl around and confuse me. Thank you!