Robert Kopp is querying

@LeeAnnCooperrr I don't have a critique partner/group. My sister is the only one who gave me any meaningful feedback (she loved the book). I know she didn't b.s. me, but objectively, why would anyone else believe that? She is my sister, after all.

@LastSinistral Do you have a critique partner? I have a critique group and honestly, it’s been invaluable. Obviously, not all advice is golden but more often than not, it hits. We helped each other with our queries and pitch materials, too.

Alright, #questpit! I’m thrilled to share my new agent guide with you! Here’s Lana Simpson Can’t Keep a Secret. She’ll be in the query trenches soon! #a #t #w

@LeeAnnCooperrr I think all those prospective employers were actually turned off by hearing me mention my book. I would never have bring that same passion to a job that just pays the bills. Maybe that's the point of asking about your interests:: to see who's dumb enough to sabotage themselves.

@LastSinistral I rarely tell people in real life. I’ve told my husband, my sister, my Aunt and one friend. And now the person who found me online. It’s so weird. I just don’t want a lot of input. I know my work isn’t going to be for everyone, and some people I know definitely will not like it.

So someone close to me discovered I’ve been living a secret double life as a writer on the internet. Only a few of my real life family/friends know I’ve been writing a book for almost two years. Why do I feel like I’ve been caught doing something AWFUL? This is so weird.

@PilotingSR A lot of agents' tutorials I've watched on YouTube say they will pass on a book that sounds too similar to something they already represent. I guess they don't want to feel like their clients are competing with each other. Like they view selling books as a finite, zero sum game.

Id like to think im super tough with rejections but man, its a special kind of emotion when an agents MSWL aligns with my book so closely yet still lands as a form in the inbox 😭

@lhallwriter Left-handedness: Rare. Powerful. Terrifying. Deadly.

Writers, in 5 words describe your book below 👇 Be sure to include links and I will happily repost some 👇

@CrazyVibes_1 If this is meant as an insult, it seems to be having the opposite effect.

Dear Gen X, I’ve been watching 80s movies and I just need to know…WHERE WERE YOUR PARENTS?? Every child was just wandering the earth unsupervised like a raccoon with house keys. Riding bikes across town at midnight, fighting ghosts, investigating murders, befriending cryptids, hacking government computers for funsies… And the parents were ALWAYS “out of town” or “working late” while the only adult-adjacent supervision was some random 16-year-old who got dragged into the chaos. No cell phones. No helmets. No adult supervision. Just vibes, life lessons, and several near-death experiences. You all weren’t “raised.” You were lightly monitored feral creatures with a bike and unresolved trauma. I’m genuinely shocked there are enough of you left to populate an entire generation.

@LeeAnnCooperrr I think my query is the problem: only half the agents I hit up ask for a synopsis, but they all get the QL. I've rewritten it so many times and watched so many YouTube agent tutorials, I thought I finally had it figured out.

@LastSinistral Thank you! And I know, queries are so hard! Writing a synopsis is even worse. 😣

@NotYourTaxGuy @7why__ydm Or the title music when each new episode comes on.

@7why__ydm Yes! And it is aggravating. The dialogue is too quiet to hear but the explosions rattle the windows.

Does anyone else spend the entire modern movie turning the volume up and down because there is zero sound consistency in movies anymore?

@LitAgentKatieM How important are subgenres? A lot of agents on QT only have Magical Realism or Urban Fantasy or something similarly specific in their WL.

Author: Please research agents before querying. If they don’t represent your genre, sending it anyway — or labeling it incorrectly — won’t improve your chances. Querying the right fit helps everyone, and I don’t like sending rejections as much as you don’t like receiving them. 🙂

@lyssa_whitt *facepalm* of course! Yes, I love hearing those stories and I'd love to hear yours. Gives me hope that'll I'll have one of my own to share.

@LastSinistral How I Got My Agent

Do querying authors still like seeing HIGMA through a query breakdown? Debating on doing my own this week!

@oliviamemerick @_KellyMarieB Mine is 112K, and that is after a significant revision. I think I was hitting a wall when it was 125K+.

@_KellyMarieB Every agent is different, but for me, debut fantasy queries with word counts a bit over 110k don't raise any concerns.

I've had so many people ask about word counts, so I thought I'd share the standard word counts for published books in the genres I represent! Word counts are one of the first pieces of information an agent looks at in your query, so they may be more important than you think!

@MadisonScalera Hi @MadisonScalera, I sent you a query in November and received a rejection, but have since done a complete revision of my fantasy novel #SPANFALL, including a brand new opening chapter better explaining the titular event. May I resubmit to you?

Hi #amquerying crowd! New wish list dropped‼️More in-depth interests are on my site (link in bio)

@stephenRB4 On Aerthas, the fantasy world of my book #SPANFALL, people are always uttering "Good God" when shocked or disgusted, while the devil worshippers say "Dark Father" to convey the same surprised reaction

What’s your favourite swear word that isn’t really a swear word? Some personal favourites of mine: - Blimey - Crikey - Golly Gosh

@ElChandler Lol no, but it takes a while to catch up to him with his supernatural constitution; he doesn't feel the effects of sleep deprivation until his fourth sleepless night. As the story begins, he is on day three: still good for one more day. Of course, a p'yute trip doesn't help.

For writers: does your main character get enough sleep? 😴

@StevenTBoers63 * theme

@StevenTBoers63 I find that naming chapters is not only satisfying but usually easy, too. My chapter titles tend to come directly from the text, either as a direct quote, a repeated them, or a reference to something near the end.

Writing thought: I like naming chapters. I don't do it for every book, but there's something satisfying about it and trying to come up with a theme or something to connect them so they feel on brand. Do you prefer naming chapters? Or is numbering enough?

@lvoaks I opened a new email address linked to QT, and kept it off my phone to eliminate the "I'm sorry buts" from my work day. People stopped looking at me like they wanted to ask who died

Removed query tracker premium and OH MY GOSH it’s so freeing 😭 I’ve stopped checking it obsessively and I’m actually writing more! 🎉

@lvoaks Wow, I thought I was making waves with my six-hour rejection. Tipping my hat your way

Set my new record! 4-minute rejection 😂