I’ve always been really impressed by BookEnds! I admire many of their authors and found the education they provided via their social media to be incredibly helpful as I was querying. In addition to that, I loved Jenissa’s vision for my book and the support and collaboration at BookEnds that she described on our call.
What book do you wish you had written, and why?
The Hunger Games trilogy! It’s a modern classic that never fails to wow me no matter how many times I read it. Even more specifically, the arena from Catching Fire! Absolutely mind-blowing. Every. Single. Time.
If you’re not reading or writing, what would we catch you doing?
Probably chasing after my three small children, binging trashy reality TV with my partner, or finding a new hobby (crochet, miniatures, paint-by-numbers, baking, hand embroidery, etc.) to completely obsess over for two weeks before abandoning it and banishing the supplies to the craft room land of oblivion.
Where can readers find you on the web and social media?
If money were no object, what would be your dream writing location?
Savannah, Georgia! It has a specific haunted gothic-y vibe that I think would work perfectly to inspire the kinds of books that I write.
What’s your favorite quote about reading or writing?
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
-Maya Angelou
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice you’ve received?
This advice is controversial but: finish it. Just finish it. Don’t worry about editing it as you go, don’t get hung up on the minutia of your prose or even on the fact that you can’t quite decide on a name for that magical dragon training device… just keep writing until you hit The End. Everything else can be dealt with during revisions. I know that some people have brains that can’t work like this, but for me personally, I was only able to finish the first draft of my book once I let go of the need to get things PERFECT on the first try.
What excites you most about joining the BookEnds family?
I’m so, SO excited about working with Jenissa whose vision for my book and career totally blew me away!
What advice would you give to other authors in the query trenches?
Take care of yourself. Querying is so rough and the rejections can really start to wear you down after a while. I think giving yourself a little reward with each rejection can help, but so can deleting the email app off your phone or setting a specific notification for your author email. Do what you can to protect your peace and find some commiserating author friends for when you need to vent!
What was the most important question you asked when interviewing agents?
What is your communication style? The foundation of every professional relationship is the mutual understanding of each other’s expectations and I think with agent/author partnerships this is especially true when it comes to communication needs.
How did you know your book was ready to submit?
I knew my book was ready when, after multiple rounds of revision and beta reader/CP feedback, I knew that I could no longer improve the book on my own. The book wasn’t quite perfect but I was proud of what I had and felt like my next step was finding a partner to collaborate with!
Name:
Jordan B. Seltzer
What you Write:
Speculative Fiction
Agent:
Jenissa Graham
Why BookEnds?
I’ve always been really impressed by BookEnds! I admire many of their authors and found the education they provided via their social media to be incredibly helpful as I was querying. In addition to that, I loved Jenissa’s vision for my book and the support and collaboration at BookEnds that she described on our call.
What book do you wish you had written, and why?
The Hunger Games trilogy! It’s a modern classic that never fails to wow me no matter how many times I read it. Even more specifically, the arena from Catching Fire! Absolutely mind-blowing. Every. Single. Time.
If you’re not reading or writing, what would we catch you doing?
Probably chasing after my three small children, binging trashy reality TV with my partner, or finding a new hobby (crochet, miniatures, paint-by-numbers, baking, hand embroidery, etc.) to completely obsess over for two weeks before abandoning it and banishing the supplies to the craft room land of oblivion.
Where can readers find you on the web and social media?
I’m @jordanbseltzer on Twitter, IG, and Tiktok.
My website: jordanbseltzer.com
What’s the last book you read?
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
If money were no object, what would be your dream writing location?
Savannah, Georgia! It has a specific haunted gothic-y vibe that I think would work perfectly to inspire the kinds of books that I write.
What’s your favorite quote about reading or writing?
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
-Maya Angelou
What’s your favorite piece of writing advice you’ve received?
This advice is controversial but: finish it. Just finish it. Don’t worry about editing it as you go, don’t get hung up on the minutia of your prose or even on the fact that you can’t quite decide on a name for that magical dragon training device… just keep writing until you hit The End. Everything else can be dealt with during revisions. I know that some people have brains that can’t work like this, but for me personally, I was only able to finish the first draft of my book once I let go of the need to get things PERFECT on the first try.
What excites you most about joining the BookEnds family?
I’m so, SO excited about working with Jenissa whose vision for my book and career totally blew me away!
What advice would you give to other authors in the query trenches?
Take care of yourself. Querying is so rough and the rejections can really start to wear you down after a while. I think giving yourself a little reward with each rejection can help, but so can deleting the email app off your phone or setting a specific notification for your author email. Do what you can to protect your peace and find some commiserating author friends for when you need to vent!
What was the most important question you asked when interviewing agents?
What is your communication style? The foundation of every professional relationship is the mutual understanding of each other’s expectations and I think with agent/author partnerships this is especially true when it comes to communication needs.
How did you know your book was ready to submit?
I knew my book was ready when, after multiple rounds of revision and beta reader/CP feedback, I knew that I could no longer improve the book on my own. The book wasn’t quite perfect but I was proud of what I had and felt like my next step was finding a partner to collaborate with!
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