September 8, 2018, I naively attended my first writing conference. I had 10K of my MS written and couldn’t tell you the first thing about a query. An agent from BookEnds was one of the featured speakers at the conference and she left a lasting impression. I remembered how she patiently and warmly answered all attendee’s questions without making a single person feel silly.
In 2022, finally ready to query, I remembered BookEnds and followed the social media trail to their YouTube videos. Again, the helpful information, sincerity, and warmth reminded me of that day back in September. And after reading Emily’s “About Me” and being captivated by her MSWL, I made sure to select the right genre from the drop down, held my breath, and hit submit.
Where can readers find you on the web and social media?
As for the rest of my social media, watch this space – I have not yet perfected my TikTok dances for public discourse. But I will.
Describe your experience with “The Call.” What do you write? When did the agent catch you? What was it like to get the call of your agent offering on your book/work? How long had you been querying/submitting, etc? Share as much as you’d like!
I write fantasy romance with (hopefully) good banter. I want someone to smile while reading my dialogue.
But Emily did not smile at my dialogue. After reading my full MS, she actually said thanks but no thanks. After reading her suggested revisions my mouth dropped.
Hers were similar to what I had written in my original opening chapters. From other pitch conferences I heard more than once: a male POV isn’t conventional in a romance story, and I shouldn’t blend Western and Asian underworld mythology—I should stick with one or the other. Opinions are subjective, but eager as I was, I dutifully incorporated this feedback and changed my first 5 chapters entirely. It was this version Emily read and felt meh.
So, with little to lose, I sent my original work, and that meh turned into—let’s chat!
Ten seconds into the call, I started babbling about all my imaginary people. Without hesitating Emily stepped right in and stood shoulder to shoulder with the monsters and mystics taking up every corner of my mind. She breathed her own magic. Dealmaker. Soothsayer. Vanguard. Emily hears a story’s heartbeat.
After the call, I was pretty sure I had hallucinated the whole thing. But here I am. And I am thankful and grateful to have a thought partner on this next stage of the journey.
Thanks so much for coming to the blog. Please don’t forget to like and share this post. We value feedback and questions from readers, so feel free to leave a comment below! Lastly, subscribe to our YouTube channel for even more publishing insights and advice, and follow us on our socials to see what we’re up to. Twitter | Instagram | Illustrator Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
Name:
Teresa Hsu
What you Write:
Fantasy Romance
Agent:
The Purveyor of Enchanted Prose, Emily Forney!
Why BookEnds?
September 8, 2018, I naively attended my first writing conference. I had 10K of my MS written and couldn’t tell you the first thing about a query. An agent from BookEnds was one of the featured speakers at the conference and she left a lasting impression. I remembered how she patiently and warmly answered all attendee’s questions without making a single person feel silly.
In 2022, finally ready to query, I remembered BookEnds and followed the social media trail to their YouTube videos. Again, the helpful information, sincerity, and warmth reminded me of that day back in September. And after reading Emily’s “About Me” and being captivated by her MSWL, I made sure to select the right genre from the drop down, held my breath, and hit submit.
Where can readers find you on the web and social media?
For now, you can find me on Twitter: @hsuhsinju
As for the rest of my social media, watch this space – I have not yet perfected my TikTok dances for public discourse. But I will.
Describe your experience with “The Call.” What do you write? When did the agent catch you? What was it like to get the call of your agent offering on your book/work? How long had you been querying/submitting, etc? Share as much as you’d like!
I write fantasy romance with (hopefully) good banter. I want someone to smile while reading my dialogue.
But Emily did not smile at my dialogue. After reading my full MS, she actually said thanks but no thanks. After reading her suggested revisions my mouth dropped.
Hers were similar to what I had written in my original opening chapters. From other pitch conferences I heard more than once: a male POV isn’t conventional in a romance story, and I shouldn’t blend Western and Asian underworld mythology—I should stick with one or the other. Opinions are subjective, but eager as I was, I dutifully incorporated this feedback and changed my first 5 chapters entirely. It was this version Emily read and felt meh.
So, with little to lose, I sent my original work, and that meh turned into—let’s chat!
Ten seconds into the call, I started babbling about all my imaginary people. Without hesitating Emily stepped right in and stood shoulder to shoulder with the monsters and mystics taking up every corner of my mind. She breathed her own magic. Dealmaker. Soothsayer. Vanguard. Emily hears a story’s heartbeat.
After the call, I was pretty sure I had hallucinated the whole thing. But here I am. And I am thankful and grateful to have a thought partner on this next stage of the journey.
Thanks so much for coming to the blog. Please don’t forget to like and share this post. We value feedback and questions from readers, so feel free to leave a comment below! Lastly, subscribe to our YouTube channel for even more publishing insights and advice, and follow us on our socials to see what we’re up to.
Twitter | Instagram | Illustrator Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
Share this:
Like this: