With Query Roulette only two days away, see what Literary Agents Julia Kardon and Aimee Ashcraft have to say! Below, you’ll find details of their literary interests, and what they like to see in a query letter.
If you haven’t already, sign up for the event here! Don’t miss this chance to speak to an agent and receive personalized feedback on your query letter! With 11 agents to choose from, we’re sure at least one of them will match your interests!
Julia Kardon
CATEGORIES: Literary and Upmarket Fiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Journalism, History
AGENCY: HSG
What do you pay the most attention to when reading a query letter?
Negatives that cause an immediate delete: anything outside the genres I represent, anything that has an uncritical sexist premise or terminology (e.g. the word “hooker”). Positives are: comparative titles to recent books that I really liked, a familiarity with my list.
Tell us about your favorite characters from books and TV?
Favorite characters from recent books: the narrator from Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend, the narrator from Sarah Moss’s Ghost Wall, Sally Rooney’s characters. I love insightful, incisive women.
Aimee Ashcraft
CATEGORIES: Upmarket and Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and YA
AGENCY: Brower Literary and Management
What do you pay the most attention to when reading a query letter?
First, when I read a query, I’m simply paying attention to whether or not the subject matter piques my interest. Is this within a genre I like? Is the overall story intriguing? Many times, whether or not I request more comes down to simply liking what the query is about.
If the subject matter is for me, then I’m paying attention to the summary and trying to discern if there’s a strong hook to the story. Can it be boiled down into a few sentences? And is the query showing me how this book stands out – what makes it different from all the other books out there? As an agent, it’s my job to show editors that the story I’m selling has all of these aspects, and if I’m not seeing them in a query, I’m going to be less inclined to read more.
And of course, I spend time with the writing sample (my agency requests that authors send the first chapter). I’m always looking out for voice-y, well told stories, so a strong, engaging narrative voice is so important, and often makes the difference between requesting more and passing. The occasional typo doesn’t bother me – as long as the overall writing is strong, then I’m usually inclined to keep reading.
A personal pet peeve: when an author spends too much time talking about something other than the book they’re querying. I’m of course so happy to read about the author and get a feel for their personality and experience, but at the end of the day, I want to read about their book, and the majority of the query should be about that. After all, that’s what they’re pitching!
Tell us about your favorite characters from books and TV ?
It’s so hard to choose! I will say that Jo March from Little Womenwill always have my heart. She’s smart and passionate, and so determined – but doesn’t shy away from her vulnerabilities either. She has flaws, of course, but learns from her mistakes and is always growing. And isn’t that the best part about literature: seeing our favorite characters grow? I also love witnessing female friendships play out – think Ann and Leslie fromParks & Recreation,where we see two very different women who support and love each other, even when they disagree.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the participants?
Finally, I think it’s important for authors to remember that their book may not be for every agent – and that’s okay! What’s important is finding an agent to clicks with their work on a personal level and will champion them with all the passion they deserve.
Don’t think Julia Kardon and Aimee Ashcraft are the right agents for you? To see a full list of participating agents, click here!
To see our precious agent posts, click here!
Don’t see you’re genre represented? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll work to fix that for next year!
