Literary Agents: The Best Pitch Letters They Have Received

[@tzimmerhakl]

Every agent receives thousands of queries every month. None of them have time to read every manuscript. If you are a good writer, prove it by writing a good pitch or query letter.

[@tretucker8004]

the hell is going in in these comments? lol

[@aldebaran8307]

What gets me is all these agents and publishers acting like only they can pick which books are 'that good' and then most books flop. They don't know, they just have the job.

[@BurtTurbo]

Exactly. Zero personality. Just a bunch of suits following "trends". Not a subversive bone in any of them.

[@ianfosterUSA]

Hi guys, I've written a children's book series that hasn't gone to any agents yet. Im in the UK and in December 2020 will be ready to send it to agents and I have a question. I now live in the UK, I was born here but I also lived in the USA and this is a place I love very much. I'm just wondering if I am best placed to contact US agents first and what the legal implications are? ie. copyright etc.? many thanks Ian

[@ofmuseandmen]

“....yeah that was a good one...” lol

[@ce666isa3]

Dude 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂🤕

[@apope06]

that got ppl signed? ???

[@stormtrooper3381]

I’m reading the comments and not listening to the panel.

[@StephanieBourbon]

This is an old video but so great!!!

[@TheatreofSymphony]

These people... Oh, these vipers...

[@10percentDan]

As a talent manager myself and having been a talent agent for years I must say this is GREAT. Thank you!

[@KingsofCowan]

hay guys i just won state for mrs Cowan but i don't know if these are going to sell

[@louiskates841]

Beautiful Is America is one of a kind book. If you love to travel this is the book for you. Come travel with Louis & Deloris and see profiles of all 50 State and the Districts of Columbia (D.C.) Author Louis Kates

[@SysterYster]

I wonder what that last one was called. F**c that ... something. I hate bleeps. It's so stupid. And it actually draws more attention to the fact that someone swears.

[@SysterYster]

I see a lot of ignorance in the comments. Do people not realize that agents can get hundreds of query letters every week, some even get over a hundred in a day! Of course, most are not gonna get read, reviewed and published. You have to stick out. And the agents don't have time to look at all of them. And if you were to choose between a hundred books each week, you'd probably only pick the ones that interested you. Because you wouldn't have time for the rest. Book publishing is a very objective thing. You have to get to the right agent. You need luck.

[@whisperthafreak7101]

I think you meant 'subjective' thing...

[@SysterYster]

@@whisperthafreak7101 Ssshhh... you didn't see the typo.

[@davidjaxontartaglia8]

Please see: DJ Tartaglia...please~*

[@kendonnelly3248]

I am nowhere near being a writer. I am looking for someone to write one. I have a great story based on a true story.. If interested let me know. Its about a family in Florida who were terrorized by ex cons. Shooting and Violence and southern justice. It was my family. they all lived in separate homes in Mims Florida.

[@AlkoWasAlreadyTaken]

What's the story exactly

[@harrypotter2764]

I am interested tell me, please.

[@whisperthafreak7101]

I didn't get enough material to form a judgement concerning the majority of these agents. However, the lady who name dropped Anthony Bourdain is the quintessential example of whom to avoid in the entertainment industry. Even if she had a brain, which i severely doubt based on her lack of self-awareness, i don't think i could ever get over that self satisfied smile. The agent sitting next to her who actually reads manuscripts might have a brain, though.

[@jesuispigro]

they all seem so boring and snobby

[@stevesalt2921]

More useless anecdotes.....And useless information! Grrr......

[@Joeyal123]

Elitist snobs.

[@joybrautigam9529]

no, just literate, well read people talking who appreciate good writing

[@borninprovidence2965]

So ...know famous people, international royalty or f%# it? Ha!

[@paulwallis7586]

Bottom line is that they can ring a friend and get a book published. They don't go looking for talent. For the price of that phone call, you get bureaucracy, patronizing treatment, and have to pay them 20% of whatever you earn. The alternative is to play post office with interns who are paid to say no to everything. The "go to the copyright office" is quite right. Register your book/MS as a literary work, and it only costs about $45 US. You also need to register to contest copyright claims. IMPORTANT - See Writer Beware for literary scams including publishers and agents: www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/

[@janesimmons1963]

Imagine all the manuscripts that are gold mines worth millions that could have been sold, but because of a not so impressive pitch letter, cover letter, query letter the work didn't get any attention. Literary agents need to stop acting like they are holding the keys to the kingdom and expecting authors to impress them. I call such lit.agents "vanity agents" Stop focusing on the query letters, read the damn story instead and not just the first few chapters.

[@janesimmons1963]

Right on.

[@jacksongary]

Jane Simmons I see what you're saying, but these people don't have all day to read manuscripts. They read the ones that look interesting to them.

[@devanshigupta7567]

Yeeah, I mean some agents get dozens of mails A DAY. If they sat down to read every book in its entirety, they won't be able to function as human beings. If you have an interesting story, it'll show in the query letter anyway.

[@ReadingRaven019]

Did you...did you just agree to your own comment? Also, why do you go around posting this on every channel about querying? Do you think you'll change something you don't even understand?

[@whisperthafreak7101]

@@devanshigupta7567 I'm sorry; but, no it won't. Writing a query letter and writing an excellent piece of fiction, of any length, are entirely different exercises requiring different mentalities with different goals in mind. There are many excellent blurb writers who can't write a novel to save their lives. There are many screen writers who can't write novels either, and those two forms require far more similar skill sets than writing a novel and writing a query letter. The only reason query letters exist is because agents are too lazy to risk reading potentially bad material and they feel entitled by the industry to avoid this essential part of their job.

[@kishalaysinha3019]

Why can't I stop being sarcastic? Why can't I stop shedding My Crocodile tears? Don't know. - G

[@hudiehu5265]

?

[@anthonyperry7296]

No need to put the lights on in the room with this bunch of hustlers.

[@J.lhunter19]

Dear aspiring writers, myself included, this is TERRIBLE advise. Do not listen to them at all.

[@whisperthafreak7101]

Agreed. This made me feel much better about self-publishing.

[@jazjoyner932]

why are they all white and old

[@KiKifulton]

The lack of racial diversity 😩

[@advancedraymondology2914]

Oh my gosh! Someone start a Twitter thread! I'm not even white and I think your comment is ridiculous. Edit: and I believe the emoji. Haha. You probably did literally cry.

[@williamwells1862]

I am not sure how to pitch this in a short form. It is a monumental story changing history. On July 17, 1996 at 11:15 p.m., I was working in overnight security dozing when my wife telephoned and asked if I had heard about the plane crash over Long Island. Immediately, I envisioned an enormous fiery explosion and told her all the people are dead. What happened can only be described as a psychic phenomena that was channeled to me that lasted on and off for three weeks. My book proves that a bomb blew the plane up. The government did not want an international conflict. Khobar Towers had just occurred and turmoil raged in the Middle East so no way the government wanted to report that a bomb blew up the plane. Clinton was far ahead in the polling for the Presidential Election only months away and wanted no Mid-Eastern confrontation to affect his popularity. The CIA made a documentary supporting the government's findings that a spark in the Center Wing Tank caused the plane to blow up which was totally fallacious which is disproved in my book. I hope that a movie can be made from my book. Randall Brooke is my pseudonym. Kindly advise me your thoughts about my movie proposal. TWA Flight 800 WHAT REALLY HAPPENED July 17, 1996 Randall Brooke

[@BurtTurbo]

delete your post, dude.

[@crackheadsthemovie5201]

Yuck

[@kishalaysinha3019]

When I see smiling females, why do I imagine they are crying? I have a wonderful imagination slash insight. - G

[@anthonyperry7296]

Kosher collusion

[@sunbeam42]

Excuse me?

[@anthonyperry7296]

Pimps.