If anyone can tell you whether or not you’re ready to query, it’s literary agent Kate Testerman. After nearly ten years at Janklow & Nesbit Associates, Kate Schafer Testerman formed kt literary in early 2008, where she concentrates on middle grade and YA fiction.
What’s “Write On Con?”
WriteOnCon is an online writer's conference for kidlit writers. For more details you can check our about page.
Write On Con will take place Tuesday – Wednesday, August 14 – 15, 2012.
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Finally, if you have any questions, hop on over to our FAQ section or shoot us an email at writeoncon at gmail dot com.
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I want to kiss you Kate. You were a bright spot in my morning craft study hour. Precise, concise, complete – delivery delightful.
Ditto here. Don’t talk to me about typos in query letters (hides under a blanket)
Thanks, Kate! Very useful.
Thank you so much, Kate. This was very helpful and to the point. Thanks again.
Awesome vlog, Kate! Thanks so much for all the great tips.
Thanks for the wonderful tips!
Excellent!
Thank you, thank you, thank you Kate! So informative. I’m off to work on my spread sheet.
Thanks to all of you for watching! I’m happy to check back all day to answer any additional questions you have — and I hope you’ll tune in tonight for our live panel of professionals!
Thank you, Kate : )
Do you like it when you get a query where the author mentions their credentials at the end, or is this not important to you in the query stage?
Thank you for sharing. You answered so many of my questions.
Thanks for all the information, Kate.
There’s seems to be a fine line between finding agents who rep what you write, and not sending something that duplicates things already on that agent’s list. I need to lay a wet one on that blarney stone.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, Kate! I loved all your tips!
Thanks for the checklist!
Thank you soooooo very much for this .
This was so helpful, Kate! Thank you.
Should a writer wait until s/he has more than one manuscript in a polished state prior to querying an agent, to show that s/he has more than one book in her/his brain? Or is one polished manuscript, and an indication that more are in the works, enough?
That was so good that I’m going to have to watch it again. Thanks!
Thanks for a great vlog! Sadly, I queried Kate before I could check some of those things off- stupid, stupid me! But I’ve learned my lesson and can now check all ten things off the list.
@Molly, I think it’s useful if it’s relevant to the query — if you’re a doctor, for instance, and you’ve written a medical thriller. Less so if the same author is writing a British cozy mystery.
@Beth, I think one — if it’s the right one — is enough.
Thank you for all of the wonderful advice!
Very awesome video! Thank you so much for taking the time!
I appreciate the advice. I do the best I can to keep up with which authors the agents represent before I query. When I think of the time (read a selection of books that agent reps, personalize the letter) that I take with each query, it’s sad to receive a form rejection back. That’s the business.
Thanks Kate, I was considering submitting my query letter to my critique group, not I know it’s a must.
Thank you so much for the information!!!! Very nicely delivered
Thank you for the easily digestible 10-step process. I will be referencing this a lot!
Thank you for helping to make WriteOnCon an amazing conference, Kate!! Your 10 step checklist was concise and to the point.
Thank you, thank you, great straightforward info!
I wish I had read this when I first finished my novel. I queried before I was ready the first time. I’m still not ready now. Great tips.
Perfect! Took notes on every word. Thank you!