Hey, you! YES, you! STOP COMPARING YOUR PUBLISHING JOURNEY TO OTHERS!! YOUR JOURNEY IS AS UNIQUE AS THE BOOKS YOU WRITE AND COMPARING WILL ONLY ROB YOUR JOY ALONG THE WAY! *hugs tight* You’re doing amazing! 🫶🏻 #WritingCommunity

Without conflict, you have no story. If your conflict is... -weak -forced -too easily resolved ...your story will fall flat. And readers probably won't stick around. Here are 3 key elements of strong conflict and how to get them right. 🧵

Why is the term “women’s fiction” embraced by some segments of the publishing industry but not others? Should you mention this label in your query? I interviewed literary agents and an acquiring editor to find out for my new article for The Bottom Line. mailchi.mp/janefriedman/w…

May we all find our place in the world as perfectly as those two. All the love to all of you, because I got to witness this. End/

I've decided that TOMORROW is the day I reopen to #queries! So excited, after being closed for more than a year, to re-open. And guess what: I'm on the hunt for #fiction this time. Woohoo! Updated #MSWL to come. Tell your friends and all the cool people you know. #amagenting

It's Friday night and I feel all right because I'm officialy re-open for #queries! Please feel free to query me at my Query Manager link here: QueryTracker.net/query/JCT 🧵Here's what I'm on the hunt for:

1. Women's upmarket fiction, in the vein of books by Celeste Ng, Min Jin Lee, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, etc. Stories with conflicted female characters, inter-generational relationships, inspired by lesser-known figures in history etc. are my jam. #MSWL

2. Adult & YA graphic novels, fiction or non-fiction in the vein of Ducks by Kate Beaton, Advocate by Eddie Ahn, Trashed by Derk Backderf, or A Fire Story by Brian Fies. Looking for GN authors or artists (even better if you write and illustrate) w/ a unique perspective. #MSWL

3. Middle grade, whether prose, verse, or graphic novels. Must have heart, lovable MC's who face challenges, friendship or sibling stories (would love to see more of these), open to magical or speculative elements and would like a touch of genre w/o too many tonal changes. #MSWL

4. Non-fiction of all stripes, topics of interest: mind/body/spirit, intuition, tarot, astrology, women's health, natural world (especially trees, fungi, ecosystems, underwater/ reefs etc.), natural disasters, reportage, culinary stories, leadership, business development. #MSWL

5. Horror (adult or YA)! Just getting my feet wet, but would love more feminist lens/ feminist horror a la Maeve Fly by CJ Leede or Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. Not super into gore, more into social commentary, voice is paramount--take me on a journey through the MC's mind! #MSWL

TL; DR, surprise me, I'm on the hunt for fiction right now, though I'm always open to a smart NF book proposal. I'm in the mood to see more edgy material and stories that make me think and stay with me long after. For TV/ streaming I LOVED Severance, The Last of Us, and From.

On the other end, I would love to find a rom com that feels like Cecily Song's Past Lives but w/ a touch more romance, a nod to The Lake House, something with a grounded but fantastical element that spans time or space. Past Lives made me cry and really touched me. #MSWL

I'm pretty sensitive so if you get me crying it's a good sign but it's also something that has got to keep me thinking days later, about the characters, their world, their challenges...someone I can root for even if the world is against them. #MSWL

6. Last but not least #neurodiversity in all its beautiful forms, whether autistic love, or a later-in-life diagnosis of a woman with ADHD (let's just say, I can relate); I want to see the messy reality & challenges of being neurodiverse. More MG esp. in this space! #MSWL