Jessica Waite's Bold Approach to Querying Might Shock You! 👀😲

Plus, thriller writer Yasmin Angoe's in our Q&A hotseat, Carly Watters returns with more on finding that perfect agent fit, and two new query critiques!

Happy Tuesday Sh*tlets!

If you’re out there querying, about to start, or are even just huddled in a corner somewhere, rocking as you consider the prospect of it on some distant horizon, have we got an issue for you! Yes, there are more options than ever before in the publishing world for getting your book into readers’ hands, but for a lot (probably even most) writers, a traditional publishing deal is the dream—and querying agents is the nightmare that necessarily accompanies it. 🫣😱 So we’re happy to be able to offer a lot of great insights on querying in today’s issue. (Editor’s note: Show me someone who claims they enjoy querying and I’ll show you a masochist with tastes to rival anything Taffy Brodesser-Akner had poor Beamer get up to in Long Island Compromise).

First up, we’ve got an essay by debut memoirist Jessica Waite, who shares the “bold approach” (it really was) that landed her an agent literally overnight and ultimately landed her memoir The Widow’s Guide To Dead Bastards (one of the best titles for a memoir ever, in this editor’s humble opinion) on the Toronto Star bestseller list. It was also called a notable book by The Washington Post, so we’re paying attention to what she has to say! (And while it might not be an approach that will work for everyone, Jessica breaks down the rationale for how she positioned her book and herself in her query in a way that anyone can apply to their own.)

This week’s Author Q&A with Yasmin Angoe, author of the thriller Her Name Is Knight and the forthcoming Not What She Seems, is also full of useful and encouraging insights about querying—including the fact that she’d received nearly 100 rejections and was about to give up on writing when a friend encouraged her to submit her rejected manuscript to a writing a contest. To find out what happened next, you’ll have to read the Q&A (but here’s a hint: Her Name Is Knight and the two sequels that followed it have been optioned for television!).✨📺👏

Continuing what she started in last Tuesday’s edition with her essay on what to look for in an agent, our very own Carly Watters is back with another advice- and insight-packed piece this week in which she flips the script—read on to find out if you’ve got what agents look for in a client. 🤩

And, of course, we’ve got two more brand-new written critiques of queries from our listeners by CeCe and Carly—this time featuring a romantic thriller and a contemporary novel—while recording of new 📕Books with Hooks🪝 is on pause.

Phew! That feels like a lot to absorb for a Tuesday morning, but in case you hadn’t realized it, no matter where you are on your writing and querying journey, your friends at The Sh*t are here for you!

Happy reading!

❤️ The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Team