MSWL Admin 
by Leila Campoli, Literary Agent, Stonesong Literary Whether you’re shopping around a personal memoir or a prescriptive guide, having the perfect pitch for your book is the most essential tool you have in crafting a wow-worthy proposal. This seems obvious and easy, right? Not always. Pinning down pitch and positioning can prove very difficult for … Read more
by Roseanne Wells, Agent at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency In last week’s post, we talked about the history of magical realism. The components of this slightly nebulous genre can seem daunting and intangible, which makes it hard to determine if your book actually fits in this style. These are elements that I have … Read more
by Roseanne Wells I grew up reading Francesca Lia Block, passionately following Weetzie Bat and her band of misfits through this atmospheric, strangely delirious land called Los Angeles. I was swept away with Bless Me, Ultima, and I fell hard for Love in the Time of Cholera, The House of the Spirits, and Eva Luna. … Read more
by KK Hendin *sets some celebratory fireworks* (what, do the people in your neighborhood wait for the actual fourth of July to set off fireworks? Huh.) Happy #MSWL day, everyone! We’re so excited you’re here, and we’re so excited for another day of potential writer-agent-editor matches! Some friendly reminders so that today goes as smoothly … Read more
Tonight, #MSWL and #WDC16 (the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference) bring you a chat on pitching at conferences, how to use #MSWL–and how to find the right agent for you. Have questions about anything to do with publishing, agent compatibility, and giving your manuscript its best possible chance? Follow us on these hashtags tonight at 7 … Read more
by Jessica Reino Although I am a freelance editor with Pandamoon Publishing, which acquires adult fiction in a variety of genres, I am also a kidlit writer. As a writer, I have been in the query trenches and out on submission to publishing houses just like many of you probably are now. Tackling the query … Read more
Ladies and gentlemen, writers and agents, editors + readers: The next #MSWL day will be Thursday, June 30, 11-5 EST. We invite all agents and editors to tweet their wishes–to post links to their updated profiles–and to interact with each other (“Yes! Brilliant idea!” “Yes! Just like this, but with robots!”) on this day. As … Read more
MOLLY: Can you cast your mind back to the dark days of the query trenches and tell me about how you decided which agents to approach? When you thought about the kind of agent you wanted, what skills or experience or other qualities were most important to you? KAT: Ah, the trenches. Those were fun … Read more
by Sierra Godfrey Hello, Sierra here, the designer behind Manuscript Wish List® and one half of Atmosphere Websites (along with Mike Chen). I’m here to talk to you today about the way to present yourself on your website or blog. Present myself? you might be wondering. Well…I put on pants today, anyway. No, I’m referring to … Read more
by Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger Inc. I love receiving queries. There is such a wonderful sense of unlimited potential—perhaps this is the next manuscript I’ll fall in love with! Perhaps this will be my next bestseller! Of course, my excitement is somewhat tempered by the fact that I receive a lot of queries, and I can’t … Read more
