Paula Weiman

This is vital. Writing helps us think. So many students are saying they turn to LLMs because they don’t know what to say, and need to hear that not knowing is normal as one starts to write.

I'm so excited to be working with Linnea and her joyful illustrations!

Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.

This is a bit of a cop out, but I would say pick the books whose readers you think would be MOST excited to read yours. It's less about capturing the perfect spectrum and more about showing that you know your intended readership. #AskDV

Sarah is very good at this! Every virtual event I've worked has run very smoothly when Sarah is involved.

To not pitch those agencies. That’s absurd. #AskDV “But I’m an agent who does that!” Great. This is for you then, buddy.

WHEW that's the end of the hour. Thanks to all who participated with thoughtful questions. I believe there's another #AskDV event with another group of agents next week, so if your questioned wasn't answered tonight, you can ask again then.

My big dialogue tips are 1) Say the lines out loud while you revise. You'll see what sounds awkward and what sounds like people actually talking. 2) Break it up with breaths and pauses and digressions and fidgets. Overly perfect dialogue will sound stilted, like a rehearsed speech. #askDV

Napkin math*: If it takes 1 yr to write a book, 6 mos to query, 3 mos for your agent to get the book on submission, 6 mos for a publisher to offer, and 2 yrs for the book to be released, that's 4.5 years (*optimistic timeline). Trends will change by then so don't worry about writing to trend. #askDV

The rules are a little looser for pitch events because you have so little space. I'd say for pitch events, go for specific vibe match and striking combos with your comps. In your query letter, use comps in your genre that are recently published and from newer authors. #askDV

If the story arc could feel complete at the end of Book 1 even if Book 2 is never published, use "standalone with series potential." If not, misrepresenting a trilogy as a standalone will hurt your chances because agents will see the unfinished narrative arc as a craft issue. #askDV

This will depend on the agent. I like working with authors across multiple genres when those are all genres I have experience with. I recommend researching agents who represent all the genres you write, not just the genre of the project you're currently querying. #askDV

Series are still popular, but it can be hard to get a publisher to invest in multiple books for an unknown author. That's why I recommend querying standalone projects the majority of the time. #askDV

I think it's always helpful to think about what purpose a scene is serving. For example, is it moving along a main plotline, subplot, character development? If it's not serving multiple purposes, it's a good candidate for being combined with another scene. #askDV

I want to have a clear understanding of the setting and the character's place in it from the first page. If an opening does that, the next thing I'm looking for is some kind of interesting action to happen right away. #askDV

Absolutely! There are readers mg/ya who prefer grounded fantasy and there are readers who prefer second-world fantasy and there are readers who enjoy both equally. I'm not seeing more difficulty in one category vs. the other. #askDV

I don't rep adult contemporary fiction so apologies for going off-topic, Ruth, but you reminded me of one comp I HAVE been seeing over and over for adult high fantasy, which is The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. #askDV

This gets at the commercial/literary divide. A good hook/plot can mean the book is high concept and more commercial. Strong voice tends to mean the book is more literary. Different agents have different preferences. Which is "better" depends on your goals for your project. #askDV

Because picture book texts are so short, I ask to see additional manuscripts to get a better sense of the author's writing style. I'm more likely to request this for text-only PBs because I get some of that information about storytelling style from an illustrator's portfolio. #askDV

If you anticipate questions about intentional choices you've made with the narrative voice, I recommend flagging it with a one-sentence explanation in your query letter. #askDV

This will depend on the individual agent. Check each agent's submission guidelines to see their preferences for updates and nudges. When agents ask to be updated on "movement," they usually mean offers or calls from another agent/indie publisher. #askDV

MG romance often tends to be first-crush storylines, and more often as a subplot. #AskDV

I recommend waiting until you have a complete, polished draft. Most agents won't offer rep on a partial for several reasons (unless someone is an established author). One is that drafting, finishing a book, and revising are 3 different skills. Prove you can do all 3 in your query! #askDV

The thing that makes a pitch stand out to me is specificity--comps tailored to aspects of the work, a synopsis that establishes character/setting/stakes right away (loglines are a bonus), and a concept that's different from other queries in that subgenre. #askDV

Not at all! To be honest, I don't think much about the author's name until I'm copying it over in a message to schedule an offer call, and even then my main priority is avoiding typos. #AskDV

I think this is actually two different questions. There are so many ways to approach story structure, but a pitch serves a different purpose. Pitches should convey information as efficiently as possible in order to attract industry attention, so being formulaic helps. #askDV

I wish I knew! I'm seeing a lot of interest in interactive and gameified formats for kidlit and adult genre fiction. Editors seem tired of stories about AI gone wrong. Maybe 2027 is the resurgence of YA sick lit? #askDV

Not the maximum, but I do need extra convincing when a MG fantasy query has a word count above 50k. #askDV

I've seen publishers requesting shorter and shorter word counts. The guidelines I give my clients are 45k or under for MG fantasy, 60k or under for upper MG fantasy, and 95k or under for YA fantasy, which is on the conservative side so nothing is rejected on word count alone. #askDV

The industry as a whole is still figuring out best practices regarding AI. I understand being wary of AI detection software; one thing authors can do is research the agencies you choose to query, and avoid any that disclose AI detection practices you're not comfortable with. #askDV

I'll be answering questions tagged with #AskDV for the next hour. If you have questions about writing, about the industry, about querying, about pitch contests--ask away! (If you saw my initial post where I used the wrong tag... don't worry about it)

The Trader Joe's cashier complimented the bag I brought to carry my groceries (it was my Frog and Toad bag (my frog and tote))

1. So, at the Worldcon this year there was a person who was going from panel to panel, bothering panelists by trying to get them to "collaborate" with them on a project and sliding the proposed project to them on a piece of paper. Folks, I cannot stress to you how obnoxious this sort of thing is.

DVpit is back! I'll be doing a Q&A on Bluesky on September 17 along with some stellar agents. Use the tag #AskDV. Rare that I've agreed in advance to respond to social media messages because I normally daydream about throwing my phone in the ocean if I receive more than 5 notifications in a day.

I attended one of the micro-mentorship sessions at Flame Con last year and found it really helpful!

Once again it's August 6th, otherwise known as Summer Sons day in this household

“I always get asked, ‘Why do you turn around?’ And I always answer, ‘So you don’t have to.’” With HADESTOWN a box-office smash, I asked three of its original Broadway principals—Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada and Amber Gray—to discuss their experiences filming it, for @letterboxd.social: boxd.it/3hW

For our author friends, a helpful resource on what to do if your book is challenged from @authorsguild.org authorsguild.org/resource/boo...

Reminder that my query inbox will be closing this week. I'm looking forward to catching up on the exciting stories in my inbox that I haven't had time to consider yet!

“it crashed the LRB site” just sounds like something someone made up five replies deep on bluesky and yet

Writers & authors, with all the nonstop scams going around, you should be aware of @victoriastrauss.com's heroic work at Writer Beware. It's sponsored by SFF by has great info for writers of all genres.

"Anything is affordable // when temporary. What thoughts I have of God / divide themselves by expiration: agony and goldenrod." Lauren Delapnha's "Supermarketing" is a prayer for the vegetable aisle. Read it online with the link below: