This episode is also a video! If you'd like to view our agent's screen as she works, click here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/mystery-agent-september

We love this experiment! We asked you to send in your queries, pages, and questions--all in the hopes of a meeting with our mystery agent. 

This month, our mystery agent chose a beautiful, intricate thriller--and spoke with the writer about optimizing for how agents read. The edits include reordering, swapping out descriptions, and making sure she makes the best use of her limited query real estate.

Our First Mystery Agent Consultation!

The Manuscript Academy brings you conversations with agents, editors, and writers who can help you on your publishing journey.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Please note: This episode contains mentions of alcoholism, recovery, and sobriety. 

We are so happy to welcome author Jessica Guerrieri and agent Ismita Hussain (Great Dog Literary) to the podcast. 

They're a great example of what to look for in an author-agent relationship--they're creative, collaborative, supportive, and successful (Jessica's debut book club fiction, Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea, comes out 2025 with HarperCollins). 

We also discuss re-querying, facing rejection, and the healing power of storytelling and personal narrative.

Meet with Ismita here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/ismita-hussain

Find the transcript and show notes here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-ismita-hussain-jessica-guerrieri

00:44 Introducing Jessica Guerrieri
00:54 Ismita Hussain's Journey from Healthcare to Literary Agent
01:55 Jessica Guerrieri's Writing Journey and Sobriety
03:04 The Power of Perseverance: Jessica Guerrieri's Path to Publication
04:18 The Editorial Process: From Query to Preempt
06:58 Understanding the Preempt and the Publishing Process
10:50 Revising with Resilience: Jessica Guerrieri's Approach to Feedback
17:13 Building Trust and Thickening Skin in the Publishing World
21:31 Looking Ahead: Plans After the Book Deal
22:02 Embarking on a Unique Memoir Journey
22:13 Exploring Motherhood and Recovery
22:48 The Power of Sharing Personal Stories
27:02 The Role of Fiction and Nonfiction in Recovery
29:42 The Importance of Representation in Literature
39:57 The Value of Specificity in Storytelling
43:15 The Memoir Market and Connecting with Agents

Finding Your Perfect Agent Fit with Agent Ismita Hussain and Author Jessica Guerrieri

We are so grateful to Emmy Nordstrom Higdon, agent at Westwood Creative Associates, who has offered to teach a free workshop for you all about the elements of querying—interest, emphasis, tension—that keep a busy agent reading in 2024. 

Get your free ticket (or replay ticket!) here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/emmy

The event is Tuesday, May 7, 8:30pm ET—and comes with a replay, in case you can’t make it live. 

This workshop is appropriate for all experience levels—whether it’s your first query or your 100th draft, come for the 101 basics, the checklists, the how-to’s—and leave with a real understanding of how you can use these skills to give an agent a 360 “I can’t wait to read more” reading experience. 

Emmy (they/them) represents across age categories + genres, specializing in identity-driven works. They work in both fiction and non-fiction, from PB to adult, including commercial, upmarket, book club & literary. They specialize in contemporary books grounded in reality, with and without speculative elements. Mystery, thriller, suspense, romance, romcom, women’s fiction, LGBTQ2S+, magical realism, fabulism, horror, graphic, narrative non-fiction, true crime, religion + spirituality, humanities + science.

Tuesday, May 7, 8:30pm ET: Free Query Workshop With Agent Emmy Nordstrom Higdon

We are thrilled to introduce Ali McLafferty, author, teacher, and most recent winner of the as-yet-untitled (Manuscript) Academy Awards. 

Ali was nominated by agent Melissa Edwards (Stonesong Literary) for this gorgeous fantasy novel that brings up a lot of issues in our world as well. 

We discuss how she polished her query, how many drafts she did of her first page--and what she learned along the way.

Learn more about Ali at https://www.alimclafferty.com/.

Full transcript at https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-ali-mclafferty

TIMESTAMPS: 
Feedback on Ali's query letter and first page (00:10:09) Julie and Jessica provide feedback on Ali query letter and first page, discussing its strengths and areas for improvement.

Ali's revision process for the query letter (00:15:24) Ali discusses her process of revising the query letter, including feedback from friends and an editor, and the changes she made.

The query letter (00:20:22) Discussion on the effectiveness of the query letter's opening and structure, focusing on the emotional impact and the feedback received.

First page of the manuscript (00:21:44) Analysis and feedback on the opening page of the manuscript, highlighting its grounding effect and the portrayal of the character and setting.

Writing process and first draft (00:24:04) Discussion about the unique experience of the book's creation, the absence of significant revisions, and the influence of personal connection and understanding of the material on the first draft.

Genre and target audience (00:35:28) Challenges in defining the genre and target audience for the book, particularly in conveying the blend of fantasy and imagined scientific systems, and the potential for pitching to adult audiences.

Rejection and perseverance (00:34:15) Acknowledgment of the emotional impact of rejections and the importance of perseverance, as well as the advice on finding rewards in the process and maintaining determination.

Pitching and query letter adjustments (00:38:05) Consideration of pitching the book as adult fantasy and the potential adjustments for the query letter to cater to an adult audience without compromising the narrative drive.

Author's website and future queries (00:39:25) 

Advice for Writers (00:41:49) Ali shares her advice for aspiring writers, emphasizing the joy of writing and the importance of perseverance.

Touching Moments (00:44:03) Ali recounts a touching moment when her husband was moved by a part of her first book, emphasizing the impact of writing on loved ones.

Writing Fantasy That Mirrors Our World With (Manuscript) Academy Award Winner Ali McLafferty

We love this creativity-packed episode with Melissa Vogan (née Melissa Warten), former editor at Macmillan, current editor at Epic For Kids. 

We discuss: 
*“Just enough” art notes - and how they’re useful for every genre 
*How you can guide the focus of your reader through sensory language 
*How to get to the heart of your story 
*How to disagree with an editor or agent's feedback
*How to create your first visual work after writing only text-based projects 

And much more!

Transcript and timestamps here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-melissa-vogan

Book a consultation with Melissa here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/melissa-warten

Melissa Vogan (Warten) is an editor at Epic for Kids, the leading digital reading platform for children, where she works on IP comics development projects for readers ages 12 and under, including the smash hit series Cat Ninja. Prior to Epic, she spent more than five years on the editorial team at Farrar Straus Giroux Books working on picture books, middle grade, young adult, and select nonfiction and graphic novel projects.

Her notable editorial work includes the popular Cat Ninja and Bright Family franchises, New York Times bestselling titles We Hunt the Flame and We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal, and award-winning titles by Maurene Goo, Barbara O’Connor, Sarah Allen, Hanif Abdurraqib, Tegan and Sara Quin, and Tillie Walden. Melissa is a graduate of Boston College and the Columbia Publishing Course. Find her on Twitter: @melissa_warten

Details, Focus and Visual Storytelling To Bring Any Genre To Life with Editor Melissa Warten Vogan

You may remember Julia Alexandra from our episode in the fall when we went over three query versions with her (good, better, best): Well, she now has an agent! Ellen Goff (HG Literary) joins us with Julia to discuss balancing plot, character, and world--if your fantasy novel will hold up without your fantasy elements, which we're now calling "The Goff Test"--and how you can optimize your queries for your most likely success. 

Julia now not only has an agent but a book deal as well! 

Listen to her earlier episode here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-julia-alexandra

Learn more about Ellen here: https://www.hgliterary.com/ellen

Our First Mystery Agent Consultation!

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