I'm going to consensually and compassionately go through a sample inbox of queries sent in to @manuscriptacademy.bsky.social and narrate my thoughts as I go, to show you what one agent's (mine, specifically) process looks like when considering queries.

My latest cartoon for @theguardian.com books

I am having a full on From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler summer, by which I mean I am teaching at a week long writers retreat and locked myself out of my room and there’s no onsite staff overnight so I’m just frolicking through conference rooms after hours in the dark.

There are twelve spots left in my online From Page to Publication class through @loftliterarycenter.bsky.social this summer! This thread explains more about what we’ll be covering (hint: everything!) loft.org/classes/8-we...

courts don't decide whether we love the trans people in our lives or whether we're willing to do whatever it takes to get them what they need.

I decided to share songs that fit the vibe of my YA historical fantasy, Blood and Breath! All you have is your fire/ and the place you need to reach/don't you ever tame your demon/but always keep them on a leash -Arsonist Lullaby www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-brea...

Innocuously used the word "generating" in an internal email this morning and then immediately emailed a second time to say, "make that 'creating' not 'generating'" because that word has so much gross AI baggage now and I don't want even the faintest implication that that's what I'm talking about!

The more I think about the AI fake summer reading list the more violently I swing between fury and despair.

I spoke to the person who AI-generated the Chicago Sun-Times reading list. Says he's very embarrassed. This was part of a generic package inserted into newspapers and other publications, so likely to run elsewhere. He didn't know it'd be in Chicago Sun-Times www.404media.co/chicago-sun-...

I have a ton of admin work I need to do today and my reward for finishing it all will be binge-watching the final episodes of Devil's Plan that came out today, because I am absolutely obsessed with it.

CHAT GPT IS NOT A SEARCH ENGINE. AI does not know how to THINK. If you use AI to do your homework for you, you are an idiot!

Every pitch for AI boils down to “thinking hurts and I would like to do less of it”

if you did the real, hard work of writing a book, even if that book is not very good, you are a real writer and you have earned our respect using AI to “write” your book isn’t about the book, it’s about YOU WANTING TO BE TREATED AS AN AUTHOR despite doing none of what the rest of us did to get here

I think it says a lot about how people have romanticized the idea of being a writer for so long that it leads people to pursue it as a career even though they can't actually do the one thing you need to be able to do as a writer. It's like deciding to be a fire fighter and refusing to fight fires.

Happy book release day to this extraordinary queer tarot anthology!! 🎉 There’s an essay on the court cards as interstitial elements by me, alongside writing by a host of your favorite queer tarot ppl! TYSM to @mxcassandrasnow.bsky.social for bringing this together! bookshop.org/a/101472/978...

I'm teaching an 8 week online course this summer through @loftliterarycenter.bsky.social called From Page to Publication. Registration is open now, and I'd love to tell you a little more about it! loft.org/classes/8-we...

It's the 2nd day of the Barnes & Nobel pre-sale! I hope you guys enjoy the cover as much as I do. I can't stop looking at it. It captures the 1920s vibes I was going for so well! www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-and-... #BNPreorder #1920s #youngadultreads

If you’ve been waiting to pre-order Queer Devotion, Barnes & Noble is having a 25% off preorders sale today through Friday! Code: PREORDER25 tinyurl.com/24jzwp45

It is so easy to simply not share submissions/queries/unsolicited manuscripts online or outside of your agency! The majority of literary agents manage it daily!

Somehow the various algorithms have been serving me D&D or adjacent tabletop rpg content and…it looks SUPREMELY fun and I think I want to learn how to play!

This cover is SO stunning, and the story inside has been haunting me since 2017 when @qurratulayn.bsky.social first queried me. BLOOD & BREATH comes out on October 7th, 2025 and is available for pre-order wherever books are sold! bookshop.org/p/books/bloo...

The following thread is a work of fiction. It was originally published on Twitter/X in July of 2021. In 2022, it was one of the finalists for a Hugo award in the "Best Short Story" category. The story is image-based; alt-text for each image is provided.

…I have SO much work to do today….

My kid just ran over to show me this page in her puzzle book!

I am at a bar alone reading a library book (the most perfect company) and the playlist is IMMACULATE if you love 90s/early 2000s alternative, which obviously I do.

It's 55 degress and sunny, I should probably walk to the library and pick up my holds...

I’ve got an essay on the court cards as interstitial elements in this collection! And I cannot freakin wait to read all the other contributions. It’s going to be so good!!

When I start the email with, "thanks so much for your patience!" and the contracts manager replies with "thanks so much for your swift response!" what a love fest, what a joy!

Just a quick note that I'm closing to queries at 11:59pm tonight and will be closed for the rest of March. I'm opening up again on April 1, so if you aren't quite ready to query now, catch me next month! querytracker.net/query/kellyv...

Maybe once or twice a year I brush my hair out. Apparently today is that day!

Here's why querying writers should always shoot their shot if they think an agent is a good fit: I stayed up all night reading a requested MS and sent out an offer first thing this morning for a project I had NO idea I wanted.

Fridays really are a perfect because I make pizza dough and then there are new episodes of Severance and Traitors waiting for me.

Wednesdays are the days I stack my meetings if at all possible, and wow I really packed today them in today. Gonna lose my voice by 5pm for sure.

#MSWL urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, grounded fantasy--yes. I do love political/court intrigue but I am also hankering for some fantasy about everyday folks! Trades people, bar keeps, swamp witches, mercenaries, thieves, guilds members.

#MSWL You can call it dystopian, near-future, 5 minutes in the future--whatever you like--but I'm looking for grounded speculative fiction in both YA and Adult with stellar prose, resonant and relevant themes, and deep character development.

I only open up to queries the first week of each month so I'm closed right now until March 1st, but I'll put up a few #mswl throughout the day!

New newsletter in which I try (and fail?) to describe what makes me smash that request button when reviewing queries kellyvansant.substack.com/p/id-like-to...

I've been refreshing my email all day long waiting for something to come in, so I want all you querying writers to know that agents are also unhinged (complimentary).

Hello Writing Community! We are delighted to announce our First Official Bluesky *** #MSWL Day *** February 12, 2025. 🎉🎉🎉 Agents + editors can post what they ✨wish✨ they had in their inboxes; writers can find their next best fit for querying. Learn more here: manuscriptwishlist.com/the-next-off...

Is #askagent a thing here? I am sitting at the airport and have some time to kill. If you’ve got questions about publishing I’ll do my best to answer them!

Working from a coffee shop since I have a meeting here later. I haven't worked from a coffee shop in literal years, sort of don't know what to do with myself! I've looked up several of the songs playing, finished my coffee, been surreptitiously invested in every other person here, and sent 1 email.

I'm open to queries for the first time in over a year! I'm going to follow in the footsteps of other agents and open for the first week of the month, and then close the subsequent weeks to read and review. I'm hopeful this will help me stay on top of my inbox! querytracker.net/query/kellyv...

Shoutout to all royalties managers everywhere, but most especially to @katelinnea.bsky.social whose meticulousness is unmatched, and who does math so I don't have to!

Literally haven't been on this platform since I signed up two years ago, so if I should be following you, please let me know! Gonna try to hang around here a little bit, assuming the vibes are good and/or my brain doesn't freak out.

Oh, hey!

Thinking about opening up to queries for one week every month and closing the remainder of the month. I can see a lot of pros and very few cons from my own perspective, which is almost entirely about time management and workflow. What should I consider before I decide?

I'm completely overhauling my #mswl and I'm both excited and terrified!

Well, here I go