Twitter Treats: #AskAgent Addition

Not all of you have time to stalk Twitter, but the beauty of hashtags like #askagent is that you can browse agent advice/opinion in your free time. I think of it as general research and never fail to find a few tidbits that interest me and apply to a genre I’m writing (or that might apply to future writing).

Below I’ve posted a few questions and responses from a recent #askagent session with the lovely Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary.

Question: where do you draw the line on use of slang in YA? and what's the best YA slang term you've heard recently? #askagent

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: I draw the line on slang in YA when it starts impeding the story and being disruptive. Have to think about the other q #askagent

~~

Question: would you think 60k is too short for an epic fantasy, even if it's YA?

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: Well "epic" implies an epic scope, to me. If it's short, maybe just calling it fantasy is more accurate. #askagent

~~

Question: What are your thoughts on the "New Adult" genre? #askagent

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: Re: New Adult. I am not sure it really exists in this market. NY doesn't really acknowledge it at this point. There are definitely some outlier books out there that would technically qualify as "new adult" #askagent

~~

Question: what's the worst mistake you've ever seen a writer make? #askagent

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: The "worst" query mistake is hard to define. Maybe when the author is downright rude and offensive. #askagent

~~

Question: What's easier to sell...a new play on an old trope, or a unique story w/ awesome voice? (romance genre) #askagent

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: Probably a unique story with an awesome voice. Awesome voice usually wins the day. #askagent

~~

Question: What's your agent wish list?

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: I want some US-set historicals. Historicals from unusual time periods/settings. A really intense YA thriller. A really intense adult thriller ala Chelsea Cain.

~~

Question: What book can u remember reading at a young age, that pulled U in and made u fall in love with books? #askagent

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: Hard 1 to answer. I don't long to be a sword-wielding UF character or a detective. I'd pick a char w/ a happy life #askagent

~~

Question: what is your favorite part of being a literary agent? #AskAgent

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: Fave part about being a lit agent: having a mutually rewarding relationship w/ an author I like, admire & respect #askagent

~~

Question: what do you like to see most in a query?

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: What I mst like to see in a qry: Something exciting, what I have't seen 7 billion x before. A new twist or voice.

~~

Question: do you look for books that can be turned into a series, or are you okay with stand alone fiction?

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: I'm fine w/ a standalone or a series. A standalone is not a turnoff. And each ms in your series shld standalone, ideally #askagent

~~

Question: Does a trilogy up the attractiveness of a fiction proposal if the entire series is complete (as opposed to "in the works")? Thx.

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: It makes me wonder if you tried & failed to sell book 1, then book 2 & kept doing the same for bk 3 #askagent

~~

Question: When pasting sample pages with a query, should an author leave the formatting as is? I see conflicting advice on this.

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: I think formatting often gets screwed up when pasting in a sample into the body of an email. It isn't unexpected. #askagent

~~

Question: What happens when you can't sell manuscript?

Agent Response by @bradfordlit: I rend my garments, shake my fists at the sky. WHYYYYYYY?!