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It& #39;s time! Head over to http://www.instagram.com/janklownesbit ">https://www.instagram.com/janklowne... (search @janklownesbit on your phone) for tonight& #39;s live Q&A with @angiecthomas and @byobrooks! If you have questions, tag #askJNA and #AngieBrooksAMA and tune in! #JNAonline https://twitter.com/JanklowNesbit/status/1247293189465288704">https://twitter.com/JanklowNe...
Q from @angiecthomas to @byobrooks on behalf of everyone watching: what IS a literary agent? Brooks says it& #39;s sort of a "jack of all trades" job, but modern agents have become more editorial, helping make sure a book is polished for submission #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Once the agent sells a book to an editor, @byobrooks personally tries to take a step back, letting an author develop their own relationship with an editor -- but he stays in a supportive role while focusing more on career management. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Big laugh from @angiecthomas as she admits that part of her working relationship with @byobrooks involves sending a lot of memes back and forth. 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Face with tears of joy" aria-label="Emoji: Face with tears of joy"> #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"Why is it better to have an agent rather than promoting a book yourself?" @angiecthomas clarifies that an agent& #39;s job is NOT to promote ( @byobrooks adds, "That& #39;s a publicist!"), but to get your books in the hand of an editor. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Firm response to "What& #39;s an agent& #39;s fee?" @byobrooks says nothing! Agents get paid when authors get paid. "If someone charges you a fee, that& #39;s a BIG red flag." @angiecthomas says if that happens, "Run!" #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
More laughs as @angiecthomas admits that working with Brooks editorially on #TheHateUGive gave her some perspective into being a white guy, "since I& #39;ve never been one." @byobrooks says he was happy to speak for his people in portraying Chris. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"Where do aspiring authors look for agents?" @angiecthomas tackles the question first: "You NEED to write a manuscript [for fiction] and a query letter," which has a short summary of the book, "just enough to pull someone in." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"The general format for cover letter is 3-4 paragraphs; the majority should read like the jacket copy of a book." @byobrooks also shouts out Janet Reid @QueryShark, who will "eviscerate" your draft of a query letter but ultimately make it better. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
The secrets come out! @angiecthomas says @byobrooks actually rejected her TWICE before #TheHateUGive, but points out that her story shows that sometimes a book won& #39;t resonate with an agent, but the next one might! #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
And @byobrooks wasn& #39;t the only one to reject @angiecthomas at first: she received "300 rejections" for #TheHateUGive! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😲" title="Astonished face" aria-label="Emoji: Astonished face">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😲" title="Astonished face" aria-label="Emoji: Astonished face">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😲" title="Astonished face" aria-label="Emoji: Astonished face"> #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
On writers& #39; conferences, @byobrooks says he won& #39;t often sign a new client upon first meeting them, but he may have a conversation that sparks further communication. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
A question for Brooks: "What catches your eye in queries, good and bad?" @byobrooks: "I understand...it seems like we say no all the time, but at the end of the day, we are dedicated readers. We& #39;re looking for something that hooks us." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
When the query grabs @byobrooks, he says he& #39;s "rooting for you" as he starts to read, thinking, "& #39;Please be good, please be good...& #39;" Agents want to like your work as much as you want them to! #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAliveletter
A big query DON& #39;T: "Don& #39;t bash all the other books out there! Don& #39;t say, & #39;I wrote this because all the other books are bad, and I& #39;m fixing that!& #39;" @byobrooks #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
A query DON& #39;T from @angiecthomas: "Don& #39;t say something is the next Harry Potter!" @byobrooks adds, "These are phenomenons. The ideal books you want to compare your books to are popular, and well-written, but not ones that break the mold." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Some good news from @byobrooks: publishing "LOVES debut authors! They& #39;re shiny and new" and everyone gets excited about fresh voices. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Don& #39;t try to write a bestseller, @byobrooks warns, because publishing is "built on subjective opinion." Instead, "write what you like!" #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"Even if I& #39;m not sure this is a genre I want to work in...if the voice is compelling, I& #39;ll follow you anywhere." @byobrooks on how to get -- and keep! -- his attention. However, he personally "needs a story to go with the writing." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
On being "a white guy from the North telling a Black woman from the South how to write her story about police brutality," @byobrooks says he would share his thoughts, but asked that @angiecthomas tell him if he ever crossed a line. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"If an agent is like, & #39;I don& #39;t connect with this,& #39; don& #39;t feel like you have to change your story," @angiecthomas says; @byobrooks emphasizes that you should actively seek out a literary agent who DOES connect with your story for the right reasons. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"Your agent is your first champion. You want that person who& #39;s championing you to understand your story and what you& #39;re driving at with your story. You don& #39;t have to be best friends...but have a shared vision for [the book]." - @byobrooks #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Some q& #39;s rolling in about the book-to-film process: literary agents don& #39;t cast the movie! Authors don& #39;t cast the movie! @byobrooks personally says he has NOTHING to do with the film side: "I know enough about Hollywood to know I know nothing." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Explaining the role of a film agent, as opposed to a literary agent: @angiecthomas& #39;s film agent at United Talent Agency "had all the connections" in Hollywood, but @byobrooks was the one who connected Angie to her film agent. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"How do you become an agent?" @byobrooks makes clear, "There& #39;s no license," & everyone& #39;s path is different. Lots of English majors, but Brooks was a film major, joined the Peace Corps, wanted to be a writer...and was 30 before he tried publishing. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
For more practical advice on getting into publishing, @byobrooks advises students to try for internships, and even those who are well out of school (like he was). Internships are "necessary, because there& #39;s so much you& #39;re expected to know." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
It& #39;s easier to get an internship if you live in NYC, @byobrooks acknowledges, but there are other paths, e.g. remote opportunities. @angiecthomas shouts out @diversebooks & their grants for underrepresented candidates seeking pub internships. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Confused about what @angiecthomas means when she refers to the "Big Five" in publishing? There are five major publishing companies in the book industry: HarperCollins, Hachette, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Random House. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Audience question to @byobrooks: "Do you accept scripts?" Nope. "I work exclusively with books...I leave [the film side] to people who know what they& #39;re doing." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
What books IS @byobrooks looking for? YA and children& #39;s, yes but also: "I have a particular love for adult speculative fiction...fantasy, science fiction, horror, and the like. Not abandoning children& #39;s books, but branching out a little more!" #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Did @byobrooks "pat [him]self on the back when [he] signed @angiecthomas, because [he] knew what [he] had?" Well, sort of! "EVERY author I sign, I pat myself on the back, because every author I sign is something I& #39;m excited about." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Brooks ( @byobrooks) reiterates what he told @angiecthomas in their first Twitter interaction about whether publishers would ever say no outright to sensitive subject matter: it& #39;s not about the subject, it& #39;s about how you write about it. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
After @angiecthomas sent #TheHateUGive to @byobrooks, he loved it...but by that point, so did plenty of other agents. "I had to fight for you!" #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Two-part message on getting rejected by literary agents: No matter how many nos, "it only takes one yes," says @angiecthomas, and @byobrooks adds, "But you want it to be the RIGHT yes." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
As @angiecthomas starts work on her fourth book (this time for middle grade readers!), she& #39;ll send @byobrooks her ideas, and "if [he] responds in ALL CAPS, I know it& #39;s a good idea." #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
On the virtues of #TheHateUGive and @angiecthomas work on "issue books" that are more than that, @byobrooks notes that it isn& #39;t exclusively focused on a moral lesson, but "it has humor and it has heart." Story matters! #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
Angie& #39;s upcoming third novel, #ConcreteRose, a prequel to #TheHateUGive focused on Starr Carter& #39;s father Maverick as a young Black man, "is probably the funniest book she& #39;s written," @byobrooks enthuses -- even if it& #39;s about gang violence. #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
"Self-publishing is not something you do because you can& #39;t find an agent or a traditional publisher...[it& #39;s] really good for someone who has a specific vision," but they have to "have the drive" to ensure it succeeds "all on their own." @byobrooks #askJNA #AngieBrooksAMA #JNAlive
