We had the best time! Thank you to those who attended.
The replay will be available for those on the list Monday, and will turn into content for this season.
Happy weekend!
I think people often feel rules = I do nothing wrong = nothing can go that wrong = it works out.
But to me, that sense of carefulness of prose often makes me nervous.
I’m convinced we are finely tuned after years of reading to feel what the writer is feeling.
Great voice > free of “mistakes.”
RSVP if you’d like the whole recording, please. It will be ready a few days after the event.
It will also be turned into podcasts and YouTube videos and similar over the next few weeks/months.
We should do a post on Rules You Can Ignore!
There are a lot of them.
Join the wait list! Spots are limited but we'll do our best to get everyone in.
Confirmed attendees get the link at 8pm ET tomorrow; wait list attendees get the link at 8:30pm ET. 🎟️
Sign up if you want the recording.
Hope to see you there!
I'm not sure why there is so much tension around prologues!
It seems like anything: if you do it badly (like rhyming in a picture book or using illustration notes), then don't do it.
If you do it well, the rules no longer apply.
Anyway. Glad you feel better! Nothing to fear here.
If a rejection says "I'd love this, but it's too close to another client"--that is a HUGE vote of confidence.
It means they took on something similar because they loved it.
And someone is likely to love yours, too.
The right agent is still out there. Keep looking.
Happy #MSWL day, writers! I rep MG, YA, and adult and am open to contemporary, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, and horror. I'm a BIG graphic novel person and I also do nonfiction as well! You can see my wish list & submission guidelines here: manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/ja...
Monica is open to queries! 🎉 Check out what she's looking for this year... #mswl @loveleemonicaa.bsky.social
"I'm looking for voicey kid lit! For adult fiction, I'm still looking to grow my horror list and identity-driven book club fiction. I want to learn something new in non-fiction and find a project that helps others learn things in digestible ways." @loveleemonicaa.bsky.social #mswl
![If that sounds like your manuscript, please send a short description and short bio (your query) + 5-10 pages of text pasted into the body of the email to querymonica[at]contextlit.com (no attachments).
-for illustrators & graphic novels-
Please send a bio/artist statement + IG and/or other social links + website link to your portfolio. If you have a pitch packet for a graphic novel, please include a query letter and a link to the packet online. Monica will only request a PDF if she wants to see more.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:v5csnb5we76bstmv65ho7mrl/bafkreih66g6wlusc5ytnldwqn52jy4xnyqwrjssaslnrdthxp6fjozmhtm)
If this sounds like your manuscript, check out our submission guidelines: buff.ly/RPriQ4l @loveleemonicaa.bsky.social #mswl
Do agents actually hate prologues? 🤔
Agent Eric Smith @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social sets the record straight--and the real answer is much more nuanced than the advice you've been hearing.
View here: youtu.be/qld5V7VeD3E
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #Querying #LiteraryAgent
@alomshaha.bsky.social Thank you for the share! We're so looking forward to this event.
THIS THURSDAY: Five of publishing's sharpest minds are giving slide presentations about things writers actually need to know.
Comp titles. Queries. Book bans. The market.
It's FREE, it's live, and it's going to be great. 🎉
RSVP here: presentation-party.manuscriptacademy.com
Members, we can't wait for tomorrow's Live Agent Feedback Panel with Alyssa Jennette!
Alyssa's been with us since the beginning--10 years in September!--and a fan favorite.
Submit your work and join live or watch the replay. Same odds of feedback either way.
Hope to see you there! 📚
We often remind our friends that writing is not Olympic gymnastics—you don’t need to be young to succeed.
If anything, like sourdough starter, your skills grow naturally over time.
Here’s some delightful proof in a first book at 71: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/b...
Of course! But it’s probably really good for you to have this wonderful thing you’re creating. I was listening to a book this morning that said your purpose is usually in what gives you energy.
So simple, yet so hard to do in modern life.
But it sounds like you’ve found something special.
@catherinewinters.com After Work looks really fun! Very cool!
Not really! Wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with them.
But those are also the people who probably have the lowest request rate of anyone.
Remember that, in life and in work, the bad guy often doesn't think they're the bad guy.
Writing a villain? They may see themselves very differently.
That tension--never quite knowing if you, the reader, can trust what you're being told--adds wonderful nuance to your characters.
We are doing our best! There's so much to learn.
This week, I spoke with a college class of publishing hopefuls--writers and would-be agents/eds.
I had to tell both groups that it's an industry you learn over *years*--there is absolutely no way to learn it all faster.
You absorb over time.
Success and anxiety often go together in our industry.
After all, it's the carefree people whose entire pitches are "Take my book or your agency will fail."
I'm so sorry it's so stressful!
I know this isn't necessarily helpful, but eight weeks in publishing is (these days) the blink of an eye.
Many writers are anecdotally reporting wait times of around six months.
Here's something agents don't always say out loud: the writers who are nervous are almost always the ones who care the most, polish the most, and write the best.
So, if you're anxious? Probably a good sign.
manuscriptacademy.com/nervous-about-querying-agents
@alexandragrana.bsky.social Thank you for the share, Alexandra! Hope you're staying well and warm in this seemingly never-ending winter!
Agents don't just read for quality.
They read for urgency.
New post on how to make your query feel like a book they need to read Right! Now!--before someone else gets it first.
manuscriptacademy.com/what-makes-a-query-feel-like-a-big-book
Hot take: a technically correct query can still get you rejected.
In an inbox of ~40 submissions a day, "correct" isn't enough--you need vivid, memorable, and emotionally clear.
New post with exactly how to do that. 💙 manuscriptacademy.com/how-to-write-a-query-letter
#WritingCommunity #AmQuerying
If you're enjoying #MSWL today and want to keep the energy going, our educational sister company @manuscriptacademy.bsky.social is throwing a FREE Presentation Party on March 12.
Five agents + editors, five 10-minute talks, real publishing insights. RSVP: presentation-party.manuscriptacademy.com 🥂
It will be great! We can't wait!
Plus, we are nerds who like slideshows.
This looks like an evening full of information. I'm going. Are you? #WritingCommunity #booksky #amwriting
