Querying Literary Agents, Part 4: What Happens After You Hit Send
Writing Break24 Jul 2025

Querying Literary Agents, Part 4: What Happens After You Hit Send

In the final installment of our four-part series on querying literary agents, we break down what to expect when a literary agent replies to your email. From form rejections and useful feedback to the coveted request for more materials, today’s episode is all about helping you navigate agent responses.

Plus, in publishing news:

  • A $44 million scam targeting writers has resulted in federal charges
  • Fan fiction hits the bestseller lists with Dramione-inspired debuts
  • A bestselling memoir-turned-film faces accusations of fraud and fabrication

🛋️

Overthinking Couch Topics:

  • The 3 types of literary agent responses
  • How to recognize a personalized rejection
  • What it means when agents request more materials
  • The difference between execution and market viability
  • What to do next—whether it’s a “yes,” “no,” or radio silence

📫 Also, I share a personal update on my surprise stint in Google Purgatory, and why you may not have heard back from me via email.

🎧 Catch up on the full Literary Agent series:

Part 1: Should You Query a Literary Agent?

Part 2: How to Research Literary Agents

Part 3: How to Write a Query Letter


Music licensed from Storyblocks.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(173)

Voice vs. Style vs. Tone vs. Mood

Voice vs. Style vs. Tone vs. Mood

Welcome to Season 10 of Writing Break! This season is all about voice, which is the thing literary agents, publishers, and readers fall in love with. In this premiere, we're setting up our makeshift O...

6 Aug 12min

New Literary Agent Rules to Know Before You Query

New Literary Agent Rules to Know Before You Query

Season 10 is on hold because the rules for literary agents just changed, and not necessarily in the author's favor. This episode tells you exactly what questions to ask before you sign (or pay for) an...

30 Jul 12min

Goodbye to Genres: Parting Words for Writers (Clip Show #17)

Goodbye to Genres: Parting Words for Writers (Clip Show #17)

We're closing the book on genre, two seasons, dozens of subgenres, and a lot of overthinking later. This week we revisit some highlights: novel architecture and the dreaded middle-of-the-book slump, w...

23 Jul 13min

How Genres Change Over Time: From Castle Walls to Femgore

How Genres Change Over Time: From Castle Walls to Femgore

Genres and subgenres are ever-evolving. This week, we trace one horror lineage from a crumbling 1764 castle all the way to today's femgore boom, dig into a detective fiction metamorphosis that spans t...

16 Jul 16min

The Two-Minute Wait: Time Management and Storytelling Around the World

The Two-Minute Wait: Time Management and Storytelling Around the World

How much can you really accomplish in two minutes?This week on Writing Break, I share a simple exercise I call The Two-Minute Wait, which can help you better understand your relationship with time and...

9 Jul 16min

The Kitchen Table Test: What Writers Can Learn from Film, Theatre, and Video Games

The Kitchen Table Test: What Writers Can Learn from Film, Theatre, and Video Games

Everyone in your life thinks your book would make a great movie, play, or video game. But adaptation isn't a copy-paste job because every medium solves storytelling problems differently. This week, we...

2 Jul 24min

Who Owns the Story? AI, Copyright, and Authors

Who Owns the Story? AI, Copyright, and Authors

AI continues reshaping publishing, and writers cannot afford to ignore what's happening. In this week's news episode, we explore the growing legal, ethical, and professional questions surrounding AI, ...

25 Jun 27min

Writing What You Want vs. Writing What Sells

Writing What You Want vs. Writing What Sells

Should you write what you love or write what sells? Is it possible to do both?In this episode of Writing Break, we explore how writers can stop chasing trends and, instead, find the overlap between pe...

18 Jun 10min

Populært innen Fiksjon

snipp-snapp-snute
erotikkpodden
uvirkelig
litteraturhusets-podkast
rss-smaltalk
den-siste-hytteturen
rss-kokosbananas
skrem-deg-bort
jediradet-en-star-wars-podcast
edgar-allan-poes-skrekkverden
rss-privatgranskeren-2
rss-skrekk-norske-noveller
rss-snorksnakk
rss-hemmelig-liga-av-dode-menn-lydbok
radioteatret
rss-nodsamtaler
jorgen-og-nina-prater-om-manus
god-natt
hjernen-og-stemmen
borte-i-boka