As a “serious” writer for only a few years, there’s much I still need to learn. I’m hoping to be traditionally published, which comes with its own suite of exciting and nerve-wracking challenges. Though I’ve only queried two books, I’ve learned several (painful) lessons about querying too early. Every writer’s path differs, but I’d like to share what I’ve learned in hopes it will help someone else. Below, I’m sharing...

Hi there, Scribbler! If you’re a querying writer looking for different ways to connect with literary agents, you may be interested in Twitter pitch contests. What are Twitter pitch contests, what are the benefits and when do they occur? Find all the answers in this article. What are Twitter pitch contests? Twitter pitch contests are an avenue for unpublished writers to virtually pitch agents their completed manuscript(s), vie for coveted...

On January 30, 2021, I took the plunge and pitched live to a literary agent for the first time! It was a huge rush and I’m so glad I did it. For about a year, I’ve been thinking about going to writing conferences and pitching an agent, but a few things stopped me: Money: Most of the writing conferences I looked at were a few hundred dollars, not including travel. Time:...

Mastering the elevator pitch is a must for published and unpublished authors alike. Put simply, an elevator pitch is a quick set of sentences that describe your novel and intrigue the listener. If you were to enter an elevator with an interested literary agent, for example, how would you describe your manuscript in the time between entering and exiting the elevator?  This pitch is an excellent marketing tool to have...

So you’ve finally finished that manuscript, congratulations! Now it’s time to turn that story crafted from months of blood, sweat, and tears (and love, of course) into a book on the shelves, but where to even start? If you’re pursuing the traditional publishing route, the first step is to find yourself an agent who loves your story as much as you do. In order to land an agent, however, you...

Welcome to the second of my two-part series of tips for querying literary agents! If you haven’t read the first part, take a gander (so we’re all on the same page): Tips for Querying Literary Agents (Part 1). For debut writers looking to be traditionally published, querying literary agents is a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute you can feel on top of the world and the next could be crushing devastation....

Querying literary agents is an exciting, nerve-wracking process for debut writers looking to be traditionally published. At times it’s also complex and down-right confusing, which is why I’ve put together some tips for querying literary agents that I’ve learned through personal experience. On July 25, 2019, I sent my first-ever query for the first book I’d ever written. I was positive it would sign in a heartbeat. Five months later, I received...

It had been a year and a half since I finished my first novel. I edited this baby until I couldn’t, and so had my critique partners, beta readers, and sensitivity readers. I sent out one round of queries. All rejected.  I revised, then sent out more.  More rejections.  I revised again, feeling like I was banging my head against a brick wall. I’d fixed everything I could think to...