I’m in a different position because my debut novel comes out next month, but I don’t have an agent. (In Australia you can often get a publishing contract without an agent). I’ve been thinking more and more about querying my next book because I would like an agent.
I'm currently back in the query trenches (my agent left the biz, so no awkward breakup, at least) and knowing more about the industry makes it so much more brutal than it was the first time around.
I just don't know where to find these mysterious trusted author discords or slacks - it seems like everyone started them when I was taking a break and now I don't know where to find anyone to commiserate with.
Jess, I’m part of the most amazing Discord community, but it is part of a paid Patreon for Laini Taylor. It might not be what you’re after, but we have a channel for querying, and other for submissions, one for parents who write etc etc. It’s honestly the best space.
Hi Jess! It can definitely be tricky to find the right groups. I'm active in three, mostly because that's all I can stay on top of. Two of those groups are VERY small/intimate and deliberately work to keep them that way. The other is a local-level group where new folks are added all the time; the only requirement is to be in the general geographical area of the group (Boston). I tend to jump around genres, so I'm not in any genre-specific groups, but I know those exist too (eg: thriller writers! ya romance! etc)
I would start your hunt by focusing on location- or genre-based groups. What do you write/where are you located? I'm happy to ping some of my groups and ask if anyone knows of groups that would be a good fit, and then I can pass that along again here.
As for smaller more tight-knit discords/slacks? Those tend to form when a subset of very close friends decides to create one. One of mine only has about a dozen writers in it; it's basically a group chat, only instead of text, we're using discord. Once you form some close friendships in a larger group, you may find yourself breaking off with certain writers to form those smaller communities.
I've been thinking about this topic a lot and was delighted to see your post about it! I recently heard from a literary agent friend that to get signed writers should basically query everyone under the sun just to sign with SOMEONE and get your foot in the door, then switch to your dream agent once you're actually published. This kind of blew my mind because I feel like all the writer-to-writer advice I've heard is to query very selectively.
"query everyone under the sun" sounds borderline reckless to me. Not all agents are created equal. And we've all heard the "no agent is better than a bad agent" advice. I know it is tempting to "just get your foot in the door," but there is no guarantee an author's dream agent will sign them later once published, either. Especially if they only have lackluster sales of one published book. Authors need to be with an agent who can help build a career, even from the start. That way if/when they need to query again midcareer, they have a strong backlist and look desirable to new agents. Being able to write/finish/edit a book is only part of the process! Any agent looking to sign a mid-career author still needs to a) love the writers work and b) want to work with them. (I know you know all this, Sav! I'm with you, that "advice" is pretty mind-blowing to me too, and I'm honestly surprised it came from a literary agent!)
I may be misquoting, I don't recall if they said exactly "everyone under the sun" but the meaning was definitely to treat it like a numbers game. You can see why I've been really turning this over in my mind!
Thanks for this, Erin!
I’m in a different position because my debut novel comes out next month, but I don’t have an agent. (In Australia you can often get a publishing contract without an agent). I’ve been thinking more and more about querying my next book because I would like an agent.
Definitely a unique situation, but hopefully some of the tips outlined here will still prove useful! Good luck if/when you query!
I'm currently back in the query trenches (my agent left the biz, so no awkward breakup, at least) and knowing more about the industry makes it so much more brutal than it was the first time around.
I just don't know where to find these mysterious trusted author discords or slacks - it seems like everyone started them when I was taking a break and now I don't know where to find anyone to commiserate with.
Jess, I’m part of the most amazing Discord community, but it is part of a paid Patreon for Laini Taylor. It might not be what you’re after, but we have a channel for querying, and other for submissions, one for parents who write etc etc. It’s honestly the best space.
Hi Jess! It can definitely be tricky to find the right groups. I'm active in three, mostly because that's all I can stay on top of. Two of those groups are VERY small/intimate and deliberately work to keep them that way. The other is a local-level group where new folks are added all the time; the only requirement is to be in the general geographical area of the group (Boston). I tend to jump around genres, so I'm not in any genre-specific groups, but I know those exist too (eg: thriller writers! ya romance! etc)
I would start your hunt by focusing on location- or genre-based groups. What do you write/where are you located? I'm happy to ping some of my groups and ask if anyone knows of groups that would be a good fit, and then I can pass that along again here.
As for smaller more tight-knit discords/slacks? Those tend to form when a subset of very close friends decides to create one. One of mine only has about a dozen writers in it; it's basically a group chat, only instead of text, we're using discord. Once you form some close friendships in a larger group, you may find yourself breaking off with certain writers to form those smaller communities.
I've been thinking about this topic a lot and was delighted to see your post about it! I recently heard from a literary agent friend that to get signed writers should basically query everyone under the sun just to sign with SOMEONE and get your foot in the door, then switch to your dream agent once you're actually published. This kind of blew my mind because I feel like all the writer-to-writer advice I've heard is to query very selectively.
"query everyone under the sun" sounds borderline reckless to me. Not all agents are created equal. And we've all heard the "no agent is better than a bad agent" advice. I know it is tempting to "just get your foot in the door," but there is no guarantee an author's dream agent will sign them later once published, either. Especially if they only have lackluster sales of one published book. Authors need to be with an agent who can help build a career, even from the start. That way if/when they need to query again midcareer, they have a strong backlist and look desirable to new agents. Being able to write/finish/edit a book is only part of the process! Any agent looking to sign a mid-career author still needs to a) love the writers work and b) want to work with them. (I know you know all this, Sav! I'm with you, that "advice" is pretty mind-blowing to me too, and I'm honestly surprised it came from a literary agent!)
I may be misquoting, I don't recall if they said exactly "everyone under the sun" but the meaning was definitely to treat it like a numbers game. You can see why I've been really turning this over in my mind!
Absolutely!!