Your Query Guide (and my MSWL) Everything you need to write a query that works, plus what I'm personally looking for right now. If you've been wondering whether your book is something agents actually want — hi, here's your answer.
3-Sentence Query Template The query letter is not supposed to be the hardest thing you've ever written. Here's a template that actually works — three sentences, your story, done.
Stop Guessing What's Wrong With Your Query Rewriting your query over and over without knowing what's actually broken is the most exhausting thing. This gives you a way to diagnose the real problem so you can fix it once and move on.
The Because Test If your character's stakes aren't landing, this is probably why. One sentence, one test, and you'll know immediately whether your story has the tension it needs to pull someone through 300 pages.
Query Letter Formatting Cheat Sheet Before you send a single query, make sure the formatting isn't the thing tanking you. This is exactly how a query should look on the page so you can stop second guessing it and just send.
This One Sentence Frames Your Entire Query There is one sentence in your query that does more work than everything else combined. This shows you what it is, what it needs to do, and how to get it right.
Stop Guessing What's Wrong With Your Query Rewriting your query over and over without knowing what's actually broken is the most exhausting thing. This gives you a way to diagnose the real problem so you can fix it once and move on.
Personalize Your Query in 60 Seconds A personalized query stands out, but most writers either skip it or do it wrong. Here's exactly how to research an agent and add a line that actually means something, in under sixty seconds.
Query Like You Know What You Made A lot of writers struggle to write their query because they haven't fully figured out what their book is yet. This helps you get clear on that so you can pitch it like you believe in it.
Querying Terms Authors Need to Know You can't navigate the query process if you don't speak the language. This is the glossary I wish every writer had before they started — MSWL, R&R, exclusive, partial, full — all of it, explained like a real person said it.
Your Manuscript & Pages
Revise Your First 10 Pages Your first ten pages are doing more work than any other part of your manuscript and most writers don't realize they're not ready. This is what I actually look at when I open a full request. Let's fix them before you send another query.
6 Questions to Ask Your First 10 Pages The six things a literary agent is asking of the first ten pages. Work through these before you hit send and you'll know exactly where you stand.
Read Your Full Like an Agent Getting a full request is exciting. Sending pages that aren't ready is heartbreaking. Here's how to read your own manuscript the way a literary agent would read it, so you can catch the problems ahead of time.
You're Probably Not Ready to Query I know. Harsh title. But this is the guide I wish existed when writers come to me having queried too early . It's a checklist of the real signs that your manuscript is ready, not just the ones you want to be true.
Ready Isn't a Feeling Waiting to feel ready before you query is how writers stay stuck for years. This breaks down what "ready" actually means so you can make the call with your brain instead of your nerves.
When Characters Don't Listen If your characters feel flat, inconsistent, or like they're doing whatever the plot needs instead of what they'd actually do, this is for you. A guide to getting back in sync with the people you made.
Your Submission Package
Find Your Comps in 20 Minutes Bad comps can sink a great query. Good comps make an agent feel like you understand the market and that makes them trust you. Here's exactly where to find them and how to know when they're working.
Conquer the Dreaded Synopsis No one wants to write the synopsis. I know. But a bad one can cost you, and a good one is honestly simpler than you think. Here's how to write yours without wanting to quit publishing entirely.
Pitch Like You Know Your Story One sentence. That's all you get before an agent decides whether to keep reading. This is how you find the version of your story that makes someone stop scrolling and actually pay attention.
Comp Titles, Finally Explained What comps actually are, what they're for, and why agents care so much about them. If "find two recent comparable titles" has ever made you want to close your laptop, start here.
Write Your Hook in 60 Seconds Your hook is the first thing an agent reads and the thing they're most likely to quote back to you — or not. Here's how to write one that does its job in sixty seconds flat.
Write Your Author Bio in 60 Seconds The author bio trips up so many writers because they don't know what to include or how to sound like a real person and a professional at the same time. Here's the formula. Sixty seconds. Done.
The Offer & Beyond
Prep for Your First Agent Call The offer of representation call is one of the most important conversations of your publishing career and most writers go in completely unprepared. Here's exactly what to ask, what to listen for, and how to show up knowing what you're doing.
What You're Actually Getting When You Sign Signing with an agent is a big deal and most writers don't fully understand what the relationship actually means : what your agent does, what they don't do, and what you can expect going forward. This breaks all of it down.
Deal Terms Authors Need to Know When the book deal happens, you need to understand what you're looking at. This is the plain-language breakdown of the deal terms that matter most, so you're not nodding along hoping it's fine.
The Bigger Picture
Tiny Results Plan Querying is a long game and most writers burn out because they're measuring the wrong things. This helps you build a plan around what you can actually control so you can keep going without losing it completely.
How to Create a Feed that Actually Helps You Query Your Instagram can either be a tool or a distraction during the query process. This one's for the writer who wants to actually use it to find agents, read the room, and show up in a way that helps.
Publishing Terms Authors Need to Know If you've ever nodded along in a publishing conversation and had absolutely no idea what anyone was saying, this is for you. The terms, explained like a human being, not a textbook.
The Roadmap If you're not sure what order to do any of this in — the writing, the revising, the querying, the waiting — this is the map. What comes first, what comes next, and what you can stop worrying about until you get there.
Author Branding (Without Becoming a Brand) You don't have to have a personal brand to be a writer. But you do have to show up somewhere online, and it should feel like you. Here's how to build an author presence that's actually sustainable, without turning yourself into a content machine.
