Bethany Jett
C.Y.L.E. Agency
My Manuscript Wish List®
**I’m currently closed to unsolicited manuscripts but remain open to referrals and requested materials.**
I represent authors in both the CBA and ABA markets.
Overall, I’m interested in:
- Well-crafted tension
- Slow burn
- Noblebright
- Nobledark
- Grimbright
I’m not interested in:
- Curse words
- Vulgarity
- Grimdark
- Science Fiction
- Sex “on the page”
- Erotica
- Extreme violence
- Horror (with the exception of MG)
I appreciate trigger warnings in the query for suicide.
Fiction:
I’m hooked on stories written in extremely deep POV and I appreciate writing that provides just enough information to the reader while letting their imagination take over…very “Master of Suggestion” Alfred Hitchcock-esque, if you will.
- Commercial, upmarket, and literary fiction.
- Historical.
- Time travel and time slip (but not sci-fi or time travel to the future). I loved the time travel element of 11/22/63 by Stephen King (probably the only book by him that I could handle).
- Romantic Comedies. Low spice. Slow burn. Sweet. HEA. (see Amazon categories like Clean & Wholesome Romance).
- Cozy Mysteries with depth.
- Cozy Fantasy / Magical Realism. I love stories where magic and the supernatural permeate our own world.Regarding cozies: please make sure that your cozy mystery is actually a cozy mystery before submitting it. If you’re not sure, please check out this article: “What is a Cozy Mystery?” to ensure you’re hitting the crucial elements that set cozies apart from other mysteries.
Not looking for in fiction:
Although these books and authors are amazing, I’m not looking for books where the comps are LOTR, ACOTR, or anything by Rick Riordan. I loved The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black, but it’s at the upper echelon of my comfortability level with teen “romance.”
Nonfiction:
- COOKBOOKS!!!!!
- How-to, Self-help, Christian Living
- Lifestyle, Home & Garden
- Business, Leadership
- Inspirational/Gift, Devotionals, Bible studies
Specifically for nonfiction, I’m looking for writers who are living the messages in their books. This is reflected in their platform (which is not solely dependent on social media numbers, although that plays a part). With regard to platform, engagement means more to me than the number of followers.
Picture Books
I’m open to both text-only manuscripts and author-illustrator.
- PB Fiction: strong story arcs, #DIS
- PB Nonfiction: I like books that provide back matter. STEM, STEAM, (I am a bit full with SEL projects at the moment, but I am open to them).
To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme:
Rhyme has to be done beautifully and perfectly. One thing to consider when debating if your manuscript should be in rhyme or prose is that rhyme can make it harder to translate into other languages.
In a rhyming PB, I look for true rhyme (not near or slant rhyme) that follows correct meter beats. The rhyme should not dictate the story, meaning that sometimes lines in rhyming PBs are only there because of the rhyme.
Truthfully, most of my PB rejections for rhyming books are because the writer is forcing a true rhyme (which makes the line sound “weird” to the ear), or because their meter is off.
Fun facts about me:
I’m married to my college sweetheart Justin Jett and we have three teen/tween sons. I’m quite outnumbered! I adore my Pomeranian Sadie, who is my spirit-animal. Justin says Sadie is me, trapped in a dog’s body, and he’s right. We’re both a little anxious and a lot introverted.
I love The Office and have an obsession for planners and crime shows.
Why I Do What I Do
My life changed in 2012 when I attended my first writers conference. I walked away with the title of Writer of the Year, two literary agent offers, plus several interested publishers. I signed with an agent that week and my debut book sold three months later.
Life has never been the same.
Since then, I’ve worked within the publishing industry as an author, ghostwriter, proposal creator, editor, and marketing strategist. I have been published traditionally with all my books, both within the inspirational Christian market, as well as in the ABA general market under a pen name.
My passion for marketing came after reading Sally Hogshead’s How the World Sees You. I went back to school and graduated with my master’s degree in communications where I got to focus on both marketing and PR.
One of my businesses within the writing and publishing industry focused on proposal creation and marketing strategy for writers, as well as conducting marketing strategy for authors with a traditional publishing house. My business partner opened her own children’s imprint (she’s a bestselling children’s author in her own right) and I chose to move into the agenting side of the industry.
I’ve won multiple awards for my books, as well as my marketing campaigns, and am excited to champion other writers and help strengthen their journeys and careers.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions are only accepted via Query Manager. I try to keep both this page and my website’s submission guidelines page in sync, but if there is ever a discrepancy, please go by what my website says.
For nonfiction, I ask for a complete proposal that can be uploaded via QM.
The proposal must include:
- One-Sentence Hook
- Back cover copy
- Genre and Word Count
- Completion Date
- Bio
- Marketing Plan
- Comps (5-8 within the last 3 years)
- Detailed Synopsis
- First three chapters
**Please note: Query Manager has fields for audience, synopsis, and comps. You can type “included in proposal” in those sections to be able to bypass them.**
For fiction & picture books, Query Manager has fields for these areas:
- Bio
- Synopsis
- 1-paragraph pitch
- Target audience
- Comps
To submit fiction, please include the first 50 pages.
To submit picture books, I ask for a portfolio package. Please include the completed manuscript you’re querying, broken down by spreads, as well as 3-5 additional manuscripts. These 3-5 manuscripts can be included in the same Word or PDF document. Using a page break between can help distinguish them.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
#Dis, #ownvoices, Business, Christian Living, Inspirational/Gift, Leadership, Lifestyle, Magical Realism, Upmarket Fiction, commerical, literary
I’d like the next…
Nonfiction:
- Brunch with Babs cookbook
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- The Home Edit books and workbooks
YA / MG Fiction :
- The Clackity by Lora Senf
- City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab,
- The Selection Series by Kierra Cass
- Caraval series by Stephanie Garber
Picture books:
- The Rough Patch by Brian Lies
- Stella’s Stellar Hair by Yesenia Moises
- Glitter Everywhere by Chris Barton, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat **new fave!**
My favorites include…
These are childhood fiction favorites that made me fall in love with books and writing:
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
- The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
- Christy by Catherine Marshall (I read this so many times the paperback cover fell apart.)
- The Mouse on the Motorcycle and all of the “Ramona” books by Beverly Cleary
Nonfiction Faves
- How the World Sees You by Sally Hogshead changed my life, followed by Grit by Angela Duckworth
- All of Gary Vaynerchuk’s books
- You are a Brand! by Catherine Kaputa
- Dancing on the Head a Pen by Robert Benson pulled me out of my one-and-only writer’s block slump.
