It's not every day that one of your favorite authors in Young Adult books sends a pitch your way, but, there I was, just a few months ago, with an email from Rebecca Podos in my inbox.

I inhaled those pages that very evening.

If for some reason you're unaware of Rebecca's gorgeous, lyrical, beautiful books, I highly recommend checking out The Mystery of Hollow Places or her LAMBDA award-winning Like Water. Or consider preordering The Wise & the Wicked, which comes out later this year.

And I'm just so thrilled to announce her next book, THE DUST ALPHABET, which will be published by Balzer + Bray in 2021. Here's a blip about it, from Publisher's Marketplace:

Lambda Literary Award-winning author Rebecca Podos's THE DUST ALPHABET, in which on her 17th birthday, a girl is cursed by a sheyd (a Jewish demon) as the price for a desperate bargain her mother made long ago; to break the spell, she and her brother must track down their mom's estranged family and discover a legacy they never dreamed of—one that traces back to the famous Golem of Prague, to Jordan Brown at Balzer & Bray, for publication in 2021, now represented by Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency (NA).

Goodness, I cannot wait. It's an incredible blend of genre, and I'm so honored I get to work on this.

Congrats, Rebecca. This book is a gorgeous work of art.

Hey there writers!

I'm opening up to queries again on MARCH 1ST! I've been closed for a bit while juggling my own writing, a major move back to the East Coast, a toddler, and you know, life. And I'm just so excited to read new work again!

New here? Have a look at my sales and list. That'll also give you an idea what kind of books I work on.

Here's what I'm looking for in 2019.

-#-

Genre Blending Literary & Commercial Fiction: If you love novels like Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson, The Last One by Alexandra Olivia, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneggerand, The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters, The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff, and every book by Colson Whitehead... then your work is a good fit for me.

I'm looking for genre-blending fiction... books that pull a bit of genre into the literary.

When it comes to my clients, Mike Chen's Here & Now & Then, Erica Boyce's The Fifteen Wonders of Daniel Green, and Alison Stine's The Grower, are the perfect example of this. Literary fiction with splashes of time travel, secret societies, and the apocalypse? Yes. Please.

I also really love literary fiction that takes you into small worlds and communities where I'm an outsider. A glimpse inside a complex family, or a workplace. One of my favorite novels of 2018 was Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li. I'd love to find a book like that.

As for weirdly specific things I'm looking for... I'm dying to find a great book about a cult or a survivalist or a plague... maybe all of them in one?

I'm hoping this will be a big focus for me this year and pushing forward, so please, query away!

-#-

Young Adult: Hey, it's that category I also write in! I'm always hungry to find bright new voices in YA.

As for what I'm specifically looking for, that's a hard thing to pin down. I read widely in YA, and enjoy just about every genre in it. I love moving contemporary reads, thrilling sci-fi, and lush fantasy.

To get a sense of my taste in YA, my favorite novels of last year were Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole, The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk, Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutski, Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston, The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding, and Contagion by Erin Bowman.

My favorite YA novel of all time is Hero by Perry Moore.

When it comes to my favorite YA authors, I've read every book by writers like Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, Nova Ren Suma, Mindy McGinnis, Zoraida Cordova, Meg Medina, Bryan Bliss, and Nina LaCour.

Very hungry to work on more LGBTQ+ YA novels and diverse, inclusive reads. I'd also love to see more YA non-fiction hit my inbox.

-#-

Select Science Fiction & Fantasy: I'm a bit picky when it comes to sci-fi and fantasy novels. I love them. I read a ton of them. But they have to be accessible.

What does that mean? It means that readers who don't traditionally pick up much sci-fi or fantasy, can pick up one of these novels, and enjoy it.

Some of my favorite recent sci-fi and fantasy reads include The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller, The Book of M by Peng Shepherd, and the Sleeping Giants series by Sylvain Neuvel. I also love anything Chuck Wendig, Kat Howard, and Delilah S. Dawson writes.

-#-

Memoir and Essay Collections: I love powerful personal stories, especially from essayists. I'm lucky enough to work with Bassey Ikpi, whose novel I'm Telling the Truth But I'm Lying is out this year. Some of my favorite essayists include Nicole Chung and Michele Filgate, whose books are absolutely filed in "books I wish I could have worked on."

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung was my favorite memoir of 2018, and one of my favorite books of the year, period.

-#-

Cookbooks: I love quirky cookbooks that explore topics that are hard to find in the bookstore, or haven't been explored at all. Odd, single subject books tend to grab me really quickly. If you think your project is too niche, I might be right for you.

Recent projects of mine in this category include Eat to Feed by Eliza Larson and Kristy Kohler, a cookbook that dishes recipes that help mothers with breastmilk production, Are You Afraid of the Dark Rum? by Sam Slaughter, a cocktail book full of 90's inspired drinks, and Lindsey Smith's Eat Your Feelings, a mental health focus cookbook about pairing food with emotions.

Wildly different, right? But each are wildly unique and very specific.

Cookbook authors should be platformed... which doesn't necessarily mean a big ol' Twitter following. If you're writing articles for food-related places, doing speaking engagements, or run your own blog... that counts!

-#-

Non-fiction History & Pop Culture: I love love LOVE books that introduce readers to untold stories. My author Alex Rubens' 8-Bit Apocalypse is the perfect example, telling the untold story of the creation of the game Missile Command.

I've loved every single book written by Mary Roach, and would love to find a non-fiction book along those lines. One of my favorite non-fiction titles ever is The Secret Life of Lobsters by Trevor Corson.

-#-

And now, a quick rundown of what I'm not looking for, to save everyone's time.

What I'm Not Looking For:

• Middle Grade or Picture Books (pitch my colleague Maria!)
• Angel & demon love stories, Heaven / Hell stories.
• Adult epic fantasy or military sci-fi.
• Douglas-Adams-esque sci-fi.
• Non-fiction about sports or politics.
• Your thriller about terrorists.
• Portals.
• Novellas.
• Main-character-is-a-bigot-and-learns-a-lesson. Hard pass.
• Redemptive story arcs for abusers. Nope.
• New Adult books.
• Horror novels. I like them, but I don't know what makes a good one.
• Anything comped as "Lovecraftian" (he was racist, not interested)
• Anything comped to Orson Scott Card (if I have to explain this, we can't work together)
• Commercial fiction about sports (exceptions made for sports YA, I love sports YA!)

When Mike Chen's query hit my inbox, I was all kinds of excited. From his comp titles to the exciting plotline to his love of corgis, this was one awesome pitch letter.

But, it took me a while to get to it.

I think there's a bonus lesson in this pitch, as Mike followed up a handful of times about the manuscript, sending polite nudges that eventually got me on board to read the book faster. Remember, when you're pitching agents, that following up is an entirely normal thing to do.

I often hear from writers who are nervous about doing this, but agents have to follow up with editors ALL THE TIME. It's a big part of our job, really. So don't be afraid to do it yourself. Nudges are important, and sometimes, they end like this.

Mike's debut novel, HERE & NOW & THEN, hits bookstores everywhere this month via Mira, has netted two starred reviews, and some fantastic blurbs from some of the best writers in SFF.

Let's dig into his query, and remember, you can read more queries from authors I've worked with here on my Perfect Pitch page. And if you find this helpful, consider ordering the novel from a retailer of your choice. Let's see that query!

-#-

Dear Mr. Smith (or can I call you Agent Smith and pretend you’re Hugo Weaving?),

Kin Stewart thought parenting a teen couldn’t get any harder, but then he got separated from his daughter -- by a century.

Before that, he was a normal family man, working and parenting teenage Miranda -- a far cry from his old job as a time-traveling secret agent from 2142. Stranded in suburbia since the 1990s because of a botched mission, he’d spent the last 17 years thinking about soccer practices and family vacations instead of temporal fugitives.

But when his rescue team suddenly arrives, Kin is forced to abandon his family and return to 2142, where everyone -- including his fiancee, who’s unaware of time travel -- thinks he’s only been gone weeks, not years. Ordered to cut all contact with the past, Kin defies his superiors and attempts to raise his daughter from the future. Until one day he discovers that Miranda’s being erased from history...and it might be his fault.

With time running out, Miranda’s very existence depends upon Kin taking a final trip across time, no matter the cost. Break time-travel rules, tell his fiancee about Miranda and his secret family, even put his own life on the line; those are risks Kin will take because there’s only one thing more important than the past and the future: doing right by his daughter.

HERE AND NOW AND THEN (90,000 words) is science fiction for people who hate science fiction. An intimate character-driven look at how far people will go for the ones they love, I believe the blend of sci-fi elements and traditional themes can go beyond genre readers and into the mainstream. Think The Time Traveler’s Wife as written by Nick Hornby with a dash of Torchwood.

A lifelong writer, my published credits include contributions to Thirsty? San Francisco, Fox Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo Sports, NYTimes.com, Maple Street Press, and various local arts magazines. I also run a freelance writing business.

May I send you the complete manuscript? Or can my corgi (who is snoring at my feet right now) deliver the completed manuscript to your corgi?

Thanks very much for your time and consideration!

Regards,

Mike Chen

-#-

Alright, so let's talk about this query.

Mike jumps right in with some personal hooks, making a playful joke about my name, which I loved and have frequently tweeted about. He also offers up pictures of his corgi, which he included in his followup nudge emails. He knew exactly how to catch my eye, and those little flourishes were nice.

Comp wise, he has FLAWLESS comparative titles. We ended up using these in the pitch to publisher.

And when it comes to the whole "book" section, summing up his novel, he manages to dig into a complicated plot in just three paragraphs. Queries should be able to do this, sum up something complex really succinctly.

Lastly, we have his bio, where he talks about previous writing credits. Remember, debut novelists. If you don't have writing credits, it's okay. You can still tell the agent a little something about yourself. I was already sold on story alone, but the fact that he had buy in regarding his writing was a nice bonus. But even if he didn't, and just mentioned being a geek with a corgi, I'd have read this.

And there you have it!

Here & Now & Then comes out January 29th!

My friend Katherine Locke worked on a client's manuscript a while back, and the result? A published book that scored two starred reviews, and has a companion novel due out in 2020. Be sure to check out Kati Gardner's Brave Enough, please.

And the iconic fantasy author Kat Howard? She worked on Mike Chen's upcoming, starred debut novel Here & Now & Then, and her guidance helped get the book where it needed to be.

But wait. Why have someone else looking over the manuscripts by the authors I've been signing?

Well, here's the thing, writerly types. I can still miss things that need work. Generally when I'm picking up an author, I'll have read through their manuscript pretty quickly (if I'm in love with a manuscript, I read it like I read any book... by devouring it), and when it comes time for edits, I'll read it again, slowly, making notes. Then usually another time. And then again.

By the time we're ready for sub, I've likely read the book four, maybe five times. At that point, I'm probably missing stuff. If I didn't catch it by the fourth or fifth read through, I'm not going to. And if that book isn't quite landing with editors I'm subbing it to, another set of eyes becomes so key. This goes for my work process as an agent and as a writer, as well as any author working on a query letter or a rough manuscript. A new set of eyes will catch things you might have missed, and pick up on issues that are closer to them.

TL; DR: More eyes, means a better letter or a better book.

After getting such fantastic results from Katherine and Kat, I thought it might be a good idea to roundup other authors and editors that offer up freelance editorial work. Because who better to help you work on that query / manuscript, then someone who has been there before? Authors and editors know what solid queries and manuscripts should look like, having read and written so many.

So... here we go!

This roundup was last updated in January of 2019.

Katherine Locke (@Bibliogato): The author of The Girl with the Red Balloon duology (please read these books!), Katherine knows her genre well, and works on Young Adult, Romance, and middle grade books. She offers up help on query letters, full reads, and line edits of manuscripts. [Website]

Blair Thornburgh (@ATallOrder): An author of Young Adult novels and pictures, Blair is a prolific talent, having worked at a publishing house (with me, at Quirk, once upon a time) and writing her own books. She offers up editorial services and has a podcast about querying. [Website]

Lilly Dancyger (@lillydancyger): An author with Seal Press and an essayist for sites like Catapult, Lilly offers up a bundle of editorial services. [Website]

Laura Lee Anderson (@LLAWrites): Laura, like me, is an author with Bloomsbury's digital imprint Bloomsbury Spark. Her novel, Song of Summer... well, you're going to have a lot of feelings after reading it. Have tissues ready. She looks at query letters and full manuscripts. [Website]

Helene Dunbar (@Helene_Dunbar): Helene is one of my favorite YA authors, and has a short story of her's in my adoption anthology, Welcome Home. She writes heartbreaking reads, published with Flux, Sky Pony, and Source Books, and is available to work on your manuscripts! Details can be found on her site. [Website]

Lauren Spieller (@laurenspieller): Lauren's one of my favorite book people on Twitter. She's interned in publishing and worked on a number of manuscripts for authors that have books due out soon and works as a literary agent, with some huge sales to her name. You can check out her testimonials here, and of course follow her on Twitter. [Website]

Sangeeta Mehta (sangeeta_editor) A former acquiring editor of children’s books at Little, Brown and Simon & Schuster, Sangeeta is now a full-time freelance book editor specializing in middle grade, young adult, and commercial women’s fiction. She also writes articles featuring literary agents she admires, including this Q&A about how agents approach diversity. Visit her website for more information.

Nicole Frail (@nfrail17): Nicole's an editor over at Sky Horse Press (who has handled two of my authors' books), and she's also written a few non-fiction titles of her own. You can check out her rates here. [Website]

Amanda Foody (@AmandaFoody): A YA author repped by Folio Literary, Amanda does query critiques, for free! She specializes in YA and MG queries, so only send her those. Details on her blog. [Website]

Meredith Rich (@MeredithJHRich): Meredith is the superstar editor over at Bloomsbury Spark, and acquired my YA novel! If she made that readable, you better believe she can work on your book. She's available occasionally, particularly for query edits and genres outside what she acquires. Contact her for availability.  [Website]

E.C. Myers (@ecmyers): The author of Fair Coin, Quantum Coin, and The Silence of Six, Eugene is an awesome YA author that I'm a big fan of. And guess what? He offers up some freelance editing services! Manuscript critiques and the like. Drop him a note regarding availability. [Website]

Jon McGoran (@jonmcgoran): An author with Tor, Jon's DRIFT series is a favorite of mine. Drift, Dead Out... all killer thrillers, that you should be reading. He's taught a number of writing courses and novel editing classes, and is available for select projects. Drop him a line, especially if you're working on thrillers or mysteries. [Website]

Caitlin R. O'Connell (@Caitlin_Renata): A freelance editor, Cait works on query letters and full manuscripts, and she's got some super reasonable rates! Check out her site for more details. [Website]

Kat Howard (@KatWithSword): Kat's an author with Saga and a published short story writer with over 30 shorts out there in the world. And she has a Ph.D in literature, you guys. Check her site out for more info regarding what she edits and her rates. [Website]

Anna Banks (@byannabanks): So Anna is one of my favorite YA authors. I adored her Of Poseidon trilogy, and her standalone, Joyride, is... well, a joy. She's offering up critiques, from manuscripts to query letters. Check out her rates on her site. [Website]

Ilana Masad (@ilanaslightly): I was lucky enough to work with Ilana early in my agency career, and I am such a massive fan of her work. And hey, she critiques and edits. She's won scores of awards for her short stories, and you definitely want to work with her. Drop her a line regarding her rates via her website. [Website]

Lara Willard (@larathelark): Working on comics? Graphic novels? Picture books? Lara's the gal for you, specializing in work with a visual angle, though she does other stuff too. You can learn more about her via her site. [Website]

Kate Heartfield (@kateheartfield): Kate and I are actually represented by the same agency! She's a Red Sofa Client, and writes speculative fiction, and is available to work on non-fiction and fiction manuscripts. [Website]

Jocelyn Bailey (@thebookhooker): A former editor at Thomas Nelson and a freelance editor for places like Pegasus, Jocelyn's a rockstar. You can see what she offers up on her website. [Website]

Lyla Lawless (@lylalawless): Lyla's worked with P.S. Literary, Entangled, and a whole bunch of great folks doing edits. You should definitely check her out and her rates. [Website]

Megan Manzano (@megan_manzano):  Has worked with some PitchWars folks. Check out her website for her rates and details [Website].

Kaitlyn Johnson (@kaitylynne13): Freelance editor and agency apprentice at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Check her website for details and rates [Website].

Mary Dunbar (@MaryCDunbar): YA author and editor! Details on her rates can be found on her site. [Website]

Liana Brooks (@LianaBrooks): An author with HarperVoyager and loves science fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, romance, and crime fiction for any age group. If it goes boom, bang, kiss, or crash, she can help. Check out her rates on her website.

Celeste Paed (@CelesteReads): A writer who has served as EIC behind two literary magazines, Celeste offers freelance editing, copyediting, and other services with query letters and manuscripts. First her websites and contact her for rates and information. [Website]

Adalyn Grace (@AdalynGrace_): A Young Adult author who is now open to critiques and editing services! Check out her offerings, here on her website. [Website]

Holly Ingraham (@holly_ingraham): A former editor at St. Martin's Press and a former literary agency assistant, Holly has experience across the industry! Check out her rates here. [Website]

Sam Brody (@samjbrody): An editor that's worked on all sides of the industry, you can see her rates via Reedsy. [Website]

Julia A. Weber (@JAWeberEdits): A former literary agent gone freelance editor? Yes! Julia works across categories and genres, check out what she offers on her personal site. [Website]

Have someone you'd like to add to the list? Are YOU that someone? Email me! ericsmithrocks at gmail dot com!

This was a good year for books. On the books? For the books?

I was lucky enough to see several of my authors' books hit bookshelves everywhere, many of which you should purchase for your friends and family this holiday season, such as:

• Love Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
• When the Beat Drops by Anna Hecker
• Brave Enough by Kati Gardner
• The Girl You Thought I Was by Rebecca Phillips
• A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna
• 8-Bit Apocalypse by Alex Rubens
• Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

Oh, and Rebecca Phillips' These Things I've Done went into paperback!

Some starred reviews, a movie deal, a New York Times bestseller... it was a good year. And in my author life, The Girl & the Grove came out over the summer, and Reclaim the Sun sold to Inkyard Press (aka Harlequin Teen). It'll be out in 2020, which means we'll probably see a cover soon and ARCs sometime in 2019. I'm already sweating.

A busy year, with a lot of lessons. Let's chat.

-#-

THE BOOK FOR YOU VS. THE BOOK FOR THEM

I think with every book I write, at some point, I've muttered something along the lines of "this is THE book" to a friend, and almost always, to my wife. Honestly, I think she's heard me ramble that far too many times. I've got a new book into the hands of my agent, and off I go, prattling on about how this will be the one. Or I'll point at a house while we're wandering downtown, and say something ridiculous like "the next book" while nodding at it.

When I say THE book, it's usually not about a book just being published. It's THE book that launches you into that mysterious, magical successful place. Where yes, I will buy this adorable house with this advance and royalties and foreign sales and-

I can already see all my author and agent and industry friends shaking their head at me. What? Let me dream.

Earlier this year I got some sales numbers on some of my books that were... well, less than I was hoping. And it hurt a lot. And I was pretty crushed about it. And I kept wondering what I'm doing wrong. Where is THE book I keep promising myself and the people I care about?

And then at a book festival this year, a little girl came up to me with two of my books, and said in a small voice, that she was adopted too. And how much these stories I wrote, and stories I collected, meant to her. And it broke me apart. I got similar stories over the past few months since The Girl & the Grove came out, from adoptees and teens, discussing what the book meant to them.

It turns out, the joy isn't always found in writing a book that is THE book for you.

That really, it's less about a book being THE book for you, and more about it being THE book for someone else.

Yes, yes. It's a business and we all need to make money and get paid. But sometimes, it doesn't quite happen in the way we daydream it will. And there are other ways to look at it. Maybe the next book, maybe Reclaim the Sun, will be that book for me, that breakout one. Maybe.

But what I really hope, is that it's THE book for a young reader who needs it.

-#-

MAKE THE MOST OF EVERY EVENT, PLAN AHEAD

I've started rethinking the ways I treat festivals and conferences. I went to a number of them this year, and I almost always end up texting my wife and friends (both bookish and pals at home) from signing lines, about how maybe I've signed a single book, and I'm left sitting there for an hour.

Now, I know this happens to authors of all types. I'm used to it, it's fine. And I always wrote off that experience because festivals are great networking opportunities. You spend time with booksellers and with fellow authors. Other publishing people.

But... there's also no guarantee that's going to happen? People are busy. Everyone has their own itinerary and schedule.

When it comes to festivals and conferences... I'm still learning that it's important to plan ahead. Schedule meetings. Reach out and make sure you've got a plan to hangout and chat. Whether it's for professional reasons, like meeting up with editors, agents, authors you want to collaborate with... or just for social reasons, to chill with writers you love on social media. Make plans.

Because if you've flown across the country for a book festival, signed one book, and then you're in your hotel watching Netflix right after dinner... you might have wasted a trip. And if I'm going to leave my one-year-old and my wife behind for three days, you best believe I want to get everything I can out of a trip.

At a festival this year, I made solid plans to hang out with one specific author, and while we were out and about, we plotted out an idea. Fast forward a few months, and we've got a proposal ready, and are hoping to pitch around a new book next year. One we're working on together.

If I hadn't thought ahead, I'm not sure we would have been able to sit down and hash this out, the way we did at this festival. Take the time.

-#-

THE ONLY ONE WHO SEES YOU WORKING YOURSELF TO TEARS, IS YOU

With the big move back to the East Coast quickly approaching, I found myself hurling myself into work at the end of the summer through the rest of the year. This wasn't just client based, but had a lot to do with my teaching. I took on a full course load at a community college here in Ann Arbor, closed to queries, and while I adored all of my students (if you're seeing this, hi!), that combined with my agent life, my writing life, my MFA mentoring...

There were definitely some stress-induced shower cries.

But, I kept going, saved up, and hooray, we're going to be just fine when it comes to the move. But I didn't have to do a lot of it. I was stubborn and pushing too hard. And now I've got these strange pains in one of my hands, and I'm off to the doctor to figure out what's going on, likely from late nights typing away until I absolutely should have been in bed.

Listen.

No one else is going to know about those late work nights. About the sleep you lost. About the pushes to relax that you ignored. There's no trophy for it. Your medal isn't in the mail. So take a breath, take care of yourself. No one else is going to, especially if you're not willing to let them try.

Self care is just as valuable as working hard.

-#-

It's okay when they don't choose you, and vice versa

NOT EVERY BOOK IS FOR YOU, AND THAT'S OKAY

This bit is a little more agent-specific. This year I've passed on some books that went on to sell in a big way. And I've had some near misses with projects I absolutely adored, that are going to be coming out in the next year or two. I see them, on the ol' social media and publishing newsletters, and sometimes it stings a bit. I won't lie.

I think about this tweet from Saba Sulaiman (one of my favorite agents in this industry, she's amazing, follow her please) fairly often.

It's an interesting alchemy, publishing. While a lot of it is certainly based on talent and creativity, and a lot of it based on knowing the market and the people behind-the-scenes, there's just... so much luck to it. Pitching the right book to the right person at the right time...

I think about the books that I tried to get, or the books that I passed on, and when the "what if" comes up... if I had taken a chance on them, or they had taken a chance on me... what would have happened? There's that odd something you can't quite define in the business.

Would I have pitched this book to the right person? Would I have made edits to the project that changed it, and made it into the wrong kind of book? Would I have found it a home someplace that maybe didn't make it a big book?

There are just so many what if's, so many things up in the air. It's wild, and it's okay.

Just because you didn't get the book, doesn't mean you weren't good enough.

And just because you passed on something big, doesn't mean you were wrong.

-#-

YOU CONTINUE TO MATTER MORE THAN EVERY BOOK

And I'll keep making sure you know it.