SlushWire Weekly #12 – March 22, 2026
Sunday – March 22
writingcommunity
Reddit Posts
[PubQ] etiquette for parting ways with an agent following unsuccessfully sub Comments: 3, Upvotes: 10
If your agent doesn’t feel you should continue working together, following a book that died on sub, how does it work? You just part ways and pretend it didn’t happen? With contracts or with the book, the book is basically dead, yes? And nothing is binding and you can’t really reach out to the agent…
[QCrit]: “LUJAIN” – Literary Fiction, 81k. Comments: 5, Upvotes: 10
I finished this novel a year or so ago and I sent out about 30 or 40 queries but I didn’t get a single response, not even a rejection so I kinda gave up and it’s been sitting on the back burner. I think my biggest issue was my query letter. I spent a couple hours tonight re-writing it and I think it…
[QCrit] The Izzard Wizards- middle-grade fantasy – 51,000 words – first attempt Comments: 4, Upvotes: 6
Hello! first time poster, long time lurker. I have been querying my novel since January and received 24 rejections or no responses. any feedback on what I might be doing wrong? Hello, Given your interest in \[tailored to what the agent is looking for\], I’m excited to share my middle-…
Submission Status
Lauren Khan – FinePrint Literary Management
Submissions OPEN via QueryManager Form
Genres: art photography nonfiction, biography nonfiction, business finance nonfiction, commercial fiction, contemporary fiction, cookbook nonfiction, decorating design nonfiction, family saga fiction, fantasy contemporary urban fiction, fantasy fiction, fantasy magical realism fiction, food lifestyle nonfiction, health fitness nonfiction, history nonfiction, horror fiction, how to nonfiction, humor gift book nonfiction, journalism nonfiction, lgbtq+ fiction, literary fiction, memoir nonfiction, mystery fiction, new adult fiction, parenting nonfiction, pets nonfiction, pop culture nonfiction, psychology nonfiction, relationship dating nonfiction, religion spirituality nonfiction, romance category fiction, romance contemporary…
Maile Beal – Arc Literary Management
Submissions OPEN via QueryManager Form
Genres: memoir, childrens and ya nonfiction, health and lifestyle, business and finance, narrative nonfiction, food and cookery, history, childrens fiction, childrens picture books, young adult fiction, middle grade fiction, technology, politics, lgbtq nonfiction, current events, pop culture, true crime, art, film entertainment, gift novelty, cultural social issues, business books, journalism, cookbook cooking, science, lifestyle, photography, womens issues, picture book, humor nonfiction, biography, food drink, multicultural nonfiction
Saturday – March 21
Bluesky Posts
Reddit Posts
[QCrit] The Dragon’s Pearl – Adult Fantasy – 90k – 1st Attempt – plus 300 words Comments: 17, Upvotes: 5
Hey everyone. I just finished my first draft and am so stoked, so obviously I am here to be smashed to bits while my confidence is high lol. Here is my query. Please be kind, but honest. Dear Agent, THE DRAGON’S PEARL is a multi-POV Fantasy, complete at 90,000 words. In the world of AQUAMAN meets …
[QCrit] THE SHEPHERDESS Adult, Literary folk horror, 87k, First Attempt Comments: 6, Upvotes: 8
Hi all, I’m in the UK where all advice seems to be to keep queries much shorter than the US. This is my first ever post on Reddit so I hope I’m doing it right. Thanks so much in advance for comments. THE SHEPHERDESS is an 87,000-word accessible literary novel with a folk horror edge, set on a wil…
[QCrit] THESE DIVIDED SONS, Adult Epic Fantasy, 116k (First Ateempt) Comments: 9, Upvotes: 2
Mods lets me repost this because I accidentally had 166k as the word count in the title. 116k is the true word count. Hi all, feel free to tear me to shreds. Thanks in advance! There are 3 POVs: Elias, Calden and Julia. Elias is the main character and gets almost 50% of the chapters. Calden come…
[QCrit] Heart of Darkness, YA Fantasy (90k/First attempt) Comments: 7, Upvotes: 2
After editing my query letter more times than I can count, my confidence is dropping lower than I’d ever thought possible. I’ve been querying since January of this year and have since collected 25 form rejections. This has brought me here, as I’m more than sure that something is fundamentally wrong…
Submission Status
Morgan Hughes – FinePrint Literary Management
Submissions OPEN via QueryManager Form
Genres: adult rom com, adult romantasy, book club, childrens, commercial middle grade, commercial womens fiction, commercial young adult, contemporary romance, contemporary young adult, family drama, fantasy romance, magical realism, middle grade fantasy, middle grade graphic novels, picture book, ya fantasy, ya romcom, campus novel, dark academia, family saga
Julie Gourinchas – Bell Lomax Moreton Agency
Submissions are CLOSED
Genres: contemporary,fantasy, fantasy, magical realism,historical,horror,science fiction,western
Friday – March 20
Bluesky Posts
Reddit Posts
[PubQ] If I receive an offer from a dream agent, do I need to give 2 weeks? Comments: 2, Upvotes: 1
I have a call scheduled with a dream agent and am ecstatic/anxious/breathing-in-a-paper-bag excited. Several other agents have my full manuscript but none that I’d want as much as this one. If they make me an offer, should I still give the other agents 2 weeks? I know it’s proper etiquette and proba…
[QCrit] NOBODY PANIC, Upmarket, 95k, First Attempt Comments: 21, Upvotes: 26
Hi! I’m still quite a ways off from having this project query-ready, but wanted to get some eyes on the pitch/first 300 words while I’m working through developmental edits. Thanks so much! Dear \[Agent\], I’m excited to introduce NOBODY PANIC, a multi-POV upmarket novel complete at 95,000 words. W…
[QCrit] MONSTERS IN THE CLOSET, middle grade horror, 30K words, Third attempt Comments: 9, Upvotes: 8
Alright, attempt number three, here we go. For the curious, you can see the second attempt (which, likewise, contains a link to the first attempt) here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/PubTips/comments/1rmwdce/qcrit\_monsters\_in\_the\_closet\_middle\_grade\_horror/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PubTips/comme…
[QCrit] BUDDYMOOON, Contemporary Romance, 75,000 words 2nd Attempt Comments: 8, Upvotes: 6
Hi All, Thanks for the invaluable feedback on my previous query. On reflection, my last (first) query was vague which is shocking considering I tend to overwrite. Anyway, I know it’s still not perfect but hopefully it’s improved? Appreciate any and all feedback 🙂 Montana Harding has spent the …
[QCrit] THE SONG OF THE SACRED VEIL, Adult Fantasy, 101k, First Attempt Comments: 8, Upvotes: 5
THE SONG OF THE SACRED VEIL is a standalone adult fantasy novel with series potential, complete at 101,000 words. It will appeal to readers of THE KNIGHT AND THE MOTH by Rachel Gillig and A STUDY IN DROWNING by Ava Reid. In the dying village of Navia, two rules govern all: never compose new music a…
Submission Status
J.L. Stermer – Next Level Lit, LLC
Submissions OPEN via QueryManager Form
Genres: young adult fiction, bipoc fiction, commercial fiction, contemporary fiction, family saga, humor fiction, lgbtq fiction, multicultural fiction, romance, upmarket fiction, general nonfiction, art, beauty fashion style, bipoc nonfiction, business, cultural social issues, current events, health wellness, humor nonfiction, law legal, lgbtq nonfiction, lifestyle, memoir, mind body spirit, money finance, multicultural nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, photography, pop culture, psychology, science, self help, spirituality, sports, technology, womens issues, drama music, cookbooks, award winners, big idea think, ownvoices, accessible literary fiction, activism, adult horror,…
Laurie Dennison – Creative Media Agency
Submissions are CLOSED
Genres: young adult fiction, romance, suspense fiction, thriller, upmarket fiction, womens fiction, cultural social issues, lifestyle, memoir, narrative nonfiction, pop culture, psychology, science, womens issues, fiction: debut, fiction: womens romance, fiction: general other fiction, nonfiction: lifestyle, nonfiction: memoir, nonfiction: narrative, nonfiction: pop culture, childrens: young adult fiction
Elana Roth Parker – Laura Dail Literary Agency, Inc.
Submissions are CLOSED
Genres: childrens fiction, middle grade fiction, young adult fiction, adult contemporary fiction, commercial fiction, romance, mystery, thriller, fantasy, science fiction (light), contemporary romance, contemporary ya, diversity, fantasy ya, magical realism, multicultural, psychological thrillers, speculative fiction, ya romance, childrens and ya nonfiction, childrens picture books (author illustrators only)
Gabrielle Demblon – Watson, Little Ltd
Submissions are CLOSED
Genres: crime police,horror,lgbtq,literary fiction,speculative,thrillers suspense,upmarket
Thursday – March 19
Bluesky Posts
Reddit Posts
[PubQ] Querying etiquette: two agents at the same agency, unusual circumstances Comments: 12, Upvotes: 4
Repost. Hopefully I’ve got it right this time. So, I’m in a bit of a quandary. I’ve submitted to one agent at an agency aware they are very behind on responses but I’ve discovered there’s a second agent at the agency who’s open to my genre. This is a dream agent, someone who is never open and I’v…
AMA with Jon Oliver, professional fantasy & sci-fi editor with 20+ years of experience Comments: 1, Upvotes: 1
[QCrit] Isana’s Bargain, Adult, Fantasy Romance (118K, first attempt) Comments: 11, Upvotes: 4
Dear Agent, *Isana’s Bargain* is a clean, fantasy romance inspired by Rumpelstiltskin, complete at 118,000 words. It blends the cunning fairy bargains and cozy atmosphere of the *Emily Wilde* series by Heather Fawcett with the class difference romance and healer main character of *Salt and Broom…
[Qcrit] METAL AUGUST, adult speculative fiction, 85,000 words, second attempt Comments: 5, Upvotes: 4
Hey y’all. Thanks for looking at my latest query letter. I’ve censored personal details in the last paragraph, hopefully the ideas there still get across. \— Dear \[AGENT\], I found your website while researching publishing agencies. Given your interest in high concept fiction I think you could…
[QCRIT] DIG, Adult fiction Thriller 120,000 (1st attempt) Comments: 4, Upvotes: 2
This is my first attempt, please let me know if it’s alright or needs a major change. Dear \[Agent Name\], ‘A dead medic is a useless medic.’ Fisher, a paramedic barely holding himself together, measures time not in minutes but in the narrowing distance to his own planned death. When he is calle…
Submission Status
Danielle Chiotti – Upstart Crow Literary
Submissions OPEN via QueryManager Form
Genres: juvenile nonfiction, middle grade fiction, young adult fiction, commercial fiction, crime fiction, general fiction, graphic novel, historical fiction, horror, humor fiction, lgbtq fiction, literary fiction, mystery, new adult fiction, short story collection, upmarket fiction, womens fiction, general nonfiction, cookbook cooking, crafts, cultural social issues, current events affairs, dating relationships sex, food drink, health wellness, humor nonfiction, illustrated, journalism, lgbtq nonfiction, lifestyle, memoir, mind body spirit, narrative nonfiction, parenting, pop culture, psychology, science, self help, childrens books, african american
Kemi Ogunsanwo – The Seventh Agency
Submissions OPEN via Online Form
Genres: action adventure, comedy humour satire, commercial, contemporary, cross over fiction, fantasy, general fiction, literary fiction, reading group fiction, religious inspirational, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, thrillers suspense, upmarket, womens fiction, autobiography biography, business, cultural social issues, current affairs politics, food lifestyle, gift novelty books, humour, lifestyle (inc fashion), memoir, relationship dating, religion spirituality theology, self help, true crime, wellbeing, womens issues, young adult, childrens fiction, popular culture, crime, thriller
Alex Reubert – HG Literary
Submissions are CLOSED
Genres: young adult fiction, contemporary fiction, family saga, fantasy, humor fiction, lgbtq fiction, literary fiction, magical realism, multicultural fiction, romance, satire, short story collection, upmarket fiction, art, biography, business book, cultural social issues, current events, dating relationships sex, film entertainment, food drink, history, how to, humor nonfiction, journalism, lgbtq nonfiction, lifestyle, memoir, music, narrative nonfiction, psychology, self help
Nicole Cunningham – Trellis Literary Management
Submissions are CLOSED
Genres: nature, parenting, environment, literary fiction, bipoc fiction, general fiction, pop culture, narrative nonfiction, family, health wellness, lgbtq fiction, cultural social issues, commercial fiction, photography, womens issues, upmarket fiction, health and lifestyle, politics, society and current affairs, memoir and autobiography, history, womens fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, family saga, art, contemporary fiction, magical realism, crime fiction, general nonfiction, fiction fantasy, fiction historical, fiction literary fiction, fiction speculative, fiction upmarket, nonfiction health fitness, nonfiction memoir, nonfiction nature ecology, nonfiction womens issues
Jessica Berg – Rosecliff Literary
Submissions are CLOSED
Genres: commercial fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, speculative literary, thriller, upmarket speculative, womens fiction, memoir, self help, commercial womens fiction, domestic suspense, domestic suspense thriller, gothic, gothic horror, historical fantasy, fantasy grounded in reality, historical romcom, historical womens fiction, literary crossover, literary fiction, literary noir, literary thriller, paranormal romance, upmarket commercial fiction, upmarket fiction, upmarket womens fiction, dark academia, upmarket book club with female protagonist
Wednesday – March 18
Bluesky Posts
Reddit Posts
AMA with Victoria Harris, literary agent at THE CALDWELL AGENCY
Comments: 156 | Upvotes: 276
Hello, I’m Victoria (they/them)! I started my job as an agent in August 2025 and I have been working in the publishing industry for seven years. I specialize in literary fiction, upmarket fiction, and queer romance by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors. You can find out more about me [here](https://www.victor…
[Discussion] Frustrated by a boilerplate rejection disguised as personalized feedback. Do I call them out?
Comments: 78 | Upvotes: 0
So, in my heart I know it’s probably not a good idea, the publishing world being so small and all the agent talk, but I am salty. Some background: I sent out my first batch of queries a few months ago. It really was more of a test-the-waters type of thing, just excited to get my work out there. Mos…
Does word count matter to agents?
Comments: 29 | Upvotes: 0
I just finished writing a novel and I’m ready to start sending it to agents. It’s a romance story about a girl who falls in love with a celebrity and is about 200,000 words. I think it’s a tight story regardless of that, but seeing some testimony from others who have submitted to agents in similar g…
[PubQ] Call with my dream agent: need advice!
Comments: 8 | Upvotes: 15
Hi! I’m a non-fiction author, and have received a response from my dream agency saying they think my project is really interesting and has potential. I’m very green to the world of publishing and only started sending out my proposal a couple of weeks ago, so this is exciting, surprising, and also a …
[QCrit] Young Adult Thriller HANGMAN (83k first attempt)
Comments: 11 | Upvotes: 4
Dear Agent, Eighteen year old Hazel Dewitt has barely started her first day at college when a hooded figure hangs a scarecrow with a URL pinned to it in the middle of the cafeteria. The link leads to a game of Hangman. The rules are simple: Guess the sentence. Every twenty-four hours a letter wil…
[QCrit] CATSKIN Psychological Suspense (80k words, Attempt #1)
Comments: 7 | Upvotes: 6
Hi all! Start fiddling around with an old idea while my last book is off with a beta reader (that I met through this sub, so cool!) and now I have an edited second draft of a whole new book. Going to continue to edit but hoping to get some initial feedback on my query so I can spot any manuscript i…
[QCrit]: THE BLACK BEAR INN, mystery, adult (85,000 words, 3rd attempt)
Comments: 7 | Upvotes: 6
Hope I’m getting closer here, thanks for all the feedback so far! Dear XXX I am seeking representation for *The Black Bear Inn,* an 85,000-word mystery set on Minnesota’s rugged North Shore. For readers who enjoy *Listen for the Lie* by Amy Tintera and *None of This is True* by Lisa Jewell, this n…
[QCrit] Adult thriller CONFESSIONS OF A FINAL GIRL (94k, second attempt)
Comments: 4 | Upvotes: 6
**Dear \[Agent\],** **CONFESSIONS OF A FINAL GIRL, a 94,000 word psychological thriller and suspense novel, combines the action of a slasher with the complex process of post-traumatic healing. While it would comfortably sit between MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW and THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP, CONFESSIO…
Tuesday – March 17
Bluesky Posts
Reddit Posts
Started out with ideas for a series, how to go about making them work as standalone novels?
Comments: 19 | Upvotes: 0
Pretty self explanatory title, I have a story idea that I had originally planned for 3 books, possibly 4. I’m halfway through the first draft of the first book (about 65k pages). I came across a post in this sub that stated that publishers are leery of series’ if you don’t have a proven track record…
[PubQ] what can I query?
Comments: 3 | Upvotes: 6
Hi everyone! I received a book deal from an indie publisher for my first romance novel. It is a the first in a series of 3 stand alone novels. However, I was wondering if I could try to query my 2nd novel? Or would agents/editors be less likely to take it on because the 1st book is with a different…
[PubQ] Understanding Tail Clause in Agenting Contract
Comments: 5 | Upvotes: 3
Hey everyone, I recently found myself unwillingly unagented mid-submission and I’m trying to understand the “industry standard” interpretation of tail clauses so I have a clear picture of my obligations. My contract states that if I sell the manuscript to “any third party to whom the agent submi…
[QCrit] Young Adult Contemporary (Romance), UNTITLED, 70k* (first attempt)
Comments: 16 | Upvotes: 3
*Hi everyone! After years of lurking and commenting, I am finally posting my first query. This is for a novel I am just beginning to write, so if it isn’t working at all, I’d rather know now. It’s also the first time I’m writing the query before pantsing the whole book, so who knows what will happen…
[QCrit] ADULT, Literary Fiction – OPE (60,000 words/First Attempt + 300)
Comments: 12 | Upvotes: 4
I’d love to offer for your consideration OPE, a 60,000-word literary satire told across eight days. It will appeal to readers of Alexander Sammartino’s darkly comic Last Acts and the working-class ensemble of Adelle Waldman’s Help Wanted. John stands in line for a hot dog at Lambeau Field when the …
[QCRIT] The Safehouse 18+ romantic thriller 68k words first attempt
Comments: 9 | Upvotes: 2
Right, this is the second book I queried after querying an internal stakes romance last year that crashed and burned. I was sure that this second stab at the querying trenches was going to be it and I’d at least get some full requests. Fast forward 8 weeks and I’ve only had rejections. I’m hoping …
[QCrit] Adult, Political Fantasy, THE EQUINOX COURT (85,000 words/first attempt)
Comments: 8 | Upvotes: 2
\[intro\] Princess Solene has spent her life as the perfect heir to the Day Court: radiant, obedient, and carefully controlled. But Solene has a dangerous secret. Though Day Court magic is supposed to sleep at night, hers does not. Worse, she carries a hidden thread of night magic her father has sp…
Monday – March 16
Bluesky Posts
Reddit Posts
[Discussion] Megathread: The State of Querying
Comments: 209 | Upvotes: 67
Welcome back to another megathread, r/PubTips! Last month we hosted one on the [state of being on sub](https://www.reddit.com/r/PubTips/comments/1r6gmfq/discussion_megathread_the_state_of_submission/). This month’s is dedicated to the joy that is querying (we all love querying, right???). This meg…
[Discussion] Does anyone get feedback on (declined) fulls?
Comments: 26 | Upvotes: 35
I have queried a couple of books, one of which got a reasonable amount of interest from agents: 10 full requests (from about 80 queries: Adult SF 95k). All were declined. Disheartening, but I can conclude from this that my query/first chapter is pretty strong, but there’s something wrong with the ov…
[Discussion] Received what appeared to be a personalized rejection, but…
Comments: 14 | Upvotes: 10
So I’ve been querying my first novel and I’ve gotten some personalized rejections, but never one that was very long. Receiving an incredibly long one today, I was excited for some detailed feedback. However, as I read the letter, I started feeling like it was more long than personal. They said m…
[QCrit] Adult Speculative Thriller – THE SENESCENCE ETERNAL (70k words, 1st attempt)
Comments: 8 | Upvotes: 7
Hi friends, I’m about a third of the way into my newest project and working on my query package in tandem as I felt my last project suffered a bit by waiting til the end to put it all together. Very much appreciate you all!! I’m seeking representation for my 70,000-word speculative thriller THE SEN…
[Qcrit] Stone & Sanctity: Echoes of Elysion, Dark Fantasy Mystery, 134k, 1st attempt
Comments: 12 | Upvotes: 1
Hello, good people! Here’s my first attempt at a query letter, any critique is appreciated! Dear [Agent], Visions. Visions in the flames. Visions in dreams. Visions under broad daylight. Echoes that are plaguing the region of Lorna and soon the entire continent. They show a truth, buried under pi…
[QCrit] Adult Dark Fantasy Romance – THE CROOKED PATH (120k/First Attempt)
Comments: 10 | Upvotes: 3
Hi all, first time poster here! I’m hoping for some feedback on my query draft below. The manuscript is currently on draft 2 and out with beta readers so I’m working on my query before tackling draft 3. Thank you so much to anyone kind enough to read and leave any comments. I really appreciate it! …
[QCrit] YA Fantasy – TREMORS (104K/Attempt 2)
Comments: 6 | Upvotes: 3
Hello! I want to thank everyone for the first round (a year ago!) for all of the amazing feedback on my query. I have made some huge changes and I look forward to hearing more critiques. Thank you all in advance! Dear \[agent name\], Even the man with nothing can have hope. Fifteen-year-old pe…
Sunday – March 15
Bluesky Posts
Reddit Posts
[PubQ] R&R etiquette
Comments: 4 | Upvotes: 6
Hi all!! I sent back my R&R this weekend after three months of editing – ahh!! My question is mainly around etiquette. In the email, the agent said they would be “very very keen” to see a new draft if I was willing to do a little bit of work on the manuscript. But added at the end that of cou…
[QCrit] Captivity thriller – HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN [70K, 1st attempt]
Comments: 8 | Upvotes: 15
Hello. I would appreciate critiques of my query letter. Thank you. Dear \[agent\] HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN is a captivity thriller novel complete at 70K words. Pennie Timmons is close to completing her studies and plans to spend a year abroad travelling and enjoying life before adulthood kicks in. …
[QCrit] Contemporary Fantasy, NINE TO FIVE IN THE AFTERLIFE, (78k words, third attempt)
Comments: 12 | Upvotes: 10
Hi everyone! I’m about two months into my querying journey for my first novel, and sent out around 35 queries. I’ve gotten 1 partial request that I’m still waiting to hear back from, but for the most part I’ve just received form rejections. There’s a couple queries I don’t have a response to yet, b…
[QCrit]: Adult Thriller 70k First Attempt
Comments: 6 | Upvotes: 9
This is the primary query letter I’ve been using. I’ve had two requests from it, but about fifteen rejections. I know that’s not the worst rate, but it makes me hestiant to keep using it. My biggest concern is that it describes too much of the plot without enough character description. I wrote anoth…
[QCrit] Adult Romantic Horror – AS ABOVE (70,000/Attempt #2)
Comments: 6 | Upvotes: 3
Hello to the infinitely knowledgeable and kind people of PubTips. I’ve made some adjustments based on the wonderful feedback I received in my [first attempt](https://www.reddit.com/r/PubTips/comments/1roadyu/qcrit_adult_horror_as_above_70000attempt_1/) and have changed the genre to romantic horror …
Hall of Fame
Reddit Writing Community Discussions
Latest from r/PubTips
Bluesky Writing Community Updates
Trending on #WritingCommunity
Literary Agent Submission Status
Agent Activity Updates
Share this week’s intel with fellow writers
Follow @writequeryhook for daily writing community updates