Esty

quick links, friends MSWL : manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/esty… Query : QueryTracker.net/query/query_li… Pinterest : pinterest.com/estywrites/tit…

@J_McCaffrie WHAT THE HELL THAT IS TERRIBLE!!

some men improve the world only by leaving it — Oscar Wilde

Fuck ICE

@JaniliseLloyd Selling a gorgeous pair of books? Fantastic. Signing the major contract on your birthday??!! PRICELESS. Forever glad to have been party to this amazing journey! ♥️

A huge thank you to acquiring editor Holly West for giving me this yes and to my agent @estywrites for all her hard work and guidance! 🫶🏼

I’ve been keeping a secret, and I’m so excited to finally share!!🎉 I’ve signed a two-book deal with @FeiwelFriends for a YA fantasy series to be released in early 2027!🥳 #BookDeal #yafantasy #fantasyauthor #authorlife #amwriting #amwritingfiction

🔔 Congratulations to my amazing client @JaniliseLloyd on her 2-book deal with Feiwel + Friends 🎉 So over the moon for this wonderful author! 🔔 Congratulations, Janilise ♥️ Can’t wait for the world to read these books!🪄💕📖

@MadisonScalera Not my meme arsenal paying off 😭🎉 thanks Mads

@estywrites This is the best use of the picture👏

Everybody’s closing to queries for the year soon. Not me.

@KateAltonWrites 🫶🏼

@estywrites I'm working on a series that has a romance subplot, but not really sure it counts as romantasy. Think you're awesome though. :)

@KateAltonWrites I do YA romantasy if that helps!

@estywrites If only you were after teen fiction/cosy horror/shady fantasy!

@Rynpwrites No rush! Enjoy your holiday 🥰

@estywrites Also, I’m going to try to get it to as soon as possible. Hope you have a lovely holiday too (CANNOT believe it’s turkey day next week. This year has flown) Ps I just commissioned art for my FMC and it’s giving me life ❤️

Cannot emphasize enough: what I’m looking for in queries are *stakes*. Why is this happening? What if it goes off the rails? Why care? What’s at risk? Everyone’s queries have themes. Themes alone don’t sell agents, editors, publishers, or the reading public. 1/2

@Rynpwrites Hey Ryn! Idk honestly, but you specifically are welcome to email me a query if I’m closed. Sound good? Thanks for saying hi! Have a great weekend and a sweet holiday 🥰

@estywrites Hey @estywrites ! Can you share your timeline for how long you’ll be open on query tracker? (I’m a revising maniac and my beta writer friends are 👀 it!)

@BookFairyAngus Thanks my friend

So excited for this and @estywrites !!!

@writerickallden A pass from me means neither necessarily—only that I don’t know of the ideal editor to whom I’d submit your manuscript.

Let me quickly foreshadow - this is probably nonsense! But, if for some reason, you’ve read on - I’ve been thinking about the #amquerying process and how hard it is to know where you actually stand. It’s tough to tell whether a “no” means “not for me” or “this isn’t ready.” 1/3

@GabrielleSaraP @PenguinTeen Let’s gooooooooo! 💃🏻

Finally can spill the beans on this! I can’t wait for you all to meet Molly and Tom ❤️❤️❤️🐈‍⬛🤦🏻‍♀️✨ Thank you @estywrites and @penguinteen

📣 Deal Announcement Time! 📣 Ecstatic for my brilliant client @GabrielleSaraP whose next fantastic YA romance arrives from @penguinrandom soon! Happy to finally let this cat out of the bag 😉 Feeling so lucky to have read this gem. Can’t wait for you to read, too! Congrats, G!

sitting on some deal announcements

@ECLChristy It’s a great pitch! I hope you’ll consider sending my way when it’s polished.

@estywrites Thank you so much for your like and for your comment. Thank you also for being the first agent ever to like one of my pitch posts. It means a lot.

Pride & Prejudice x The Lord of the Rings An ugly princess must marry to protect her kingdom, while an arrogant prince must marry to avoid exile. Forced into a betrothal, can they learn to love before war engulfs their world? #questpit #W #A #F #R

@author_clentz I’m gonna be honest, I don’t really care where you put plot details as long as I can tell you put together a complete story with a beginning, middle, and ending + change + stakes which is satisfying to genre reader expectations. I want to know you can land the plane. Period.

I’ve done some research and I’ve seen back-and-forth on this question, but are we supposed to give every plot twist away in our query synopsis?

@HK00896259 This is a great resource: janefriedman.com/query-letters/

@estywrites I have a question, how long should a query letter be? And what type of hook is good for query?

@RandyZabel When I’m reading a query, I’m looking to understand what the main character stands to lose and why and how they’re compelled to move the plot forward. I’m not sure how those stakes shift. But it’s something to make sure the author can identify, amplify, and answer with action.

@estywrites Does shifting the stakes work? eg. The reader sees the first layer and thinks ah, possibly intrigue and thriller, but it is revealed that the stakes are much higher and more eternal.