Ask Me Anything (September 2024)

It’s Q&A day! 

You can submit questions for future months here.

Q. How can you ask an agent if they’ve had a book die on submission? And what is the protocol if my book dies on submission?

A. I went right to the source to answer this one for us. Literary agent Anne Boehner, founder of Pen & Ink Literary, says, “I would recommend simply asking up front, as you phrased it. Agents should take the time to answer any questions a writer has. I always try to mitigate a pass by taking the projects that I feel have the best chance of selling. However, the market has become rather narrow, so one never truly knows if you'll sell a project. Literary agents try very hard to pitch a submission so the editor will be enticed to read immediately, and we try to find those acquisition editors who have a good track record buying the kinds of books we're selling; but we cannot guarantee that the material will strike a chord with the editor or be right for their lists. I usually add a closing date to the pitch letter and make sure to follow up with each editor individually prior to closing. If the closing date comes and goes, then we know it's time to pivot. This may be widening the submission pool, a rewrite, or even self publishing if we've exhausted our efforts.” 

Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash

Q. I am a new writer. I’d love some guidelines on how much of my book should be dialogue and showing vs. telling. Can you help?

A. Here’s the thing. If there were true rules for how to write, every book would be a bestseller. Fiction is completely subjective. And I worry focusing too much on arbitrary rules only causes you to lose sight of your own voice and vision. The most important thing to keep in mind is how you feel about your book. If you’re hearing the same thing from more than two or three people (either agents or writers you really trust), I would consider implementing their advice in a way that works for you. But it’s really hard to give a blanket rule on how much dialogue you should have and on how much showing versus telling you should have. Every book is different. Every writer is different. When I edit, I don’t think about any rules. I think about what works for that writer & their story. And, especially when you’re a new writer, you need to kick out all of those other voices in your head telling you what you should do and find your own.

If you have any advice or thoughts to add, please share in the comments.

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