I had an amazing time presenting at IWOC’s October 14 meeting and look forward to many other in-person events.

At that meeting, one aspiring author stood out for a major reason: she asked valuable questions during the Q&A which clearly marked her as someone who was looking to understand the process for a traditional publishing deal.

Afterwards, several of the attendees and I went to dinner, where the aspiring author (to protect her privacy, I’ll call her “Lady V”) asked me to please take a look at her pitch and give her feedback. She brought the pitch up on her phone. I knew the moment I started reading it: The opening line was a hook! The rest was too long to pitch in a query to agents. I told her we’d revise the rest over dinner.  

Well, at that wonderful dinner, the more I revised, the more I loved the premise of what Lady V’s story was about. It was perfect for what acquisitions editors are looking for at the moment. Right there, I told Lady V I would love to represent her as her literary agent. We both bubbled over with excitement at this prospect!

I believe in the concept, and just meeting Lady V, I believe in her and the commitment to getting it done right. On a personal level she is pleasant, flexible, open to learning and that goes a long way to representation. I let everyone at the dinner table know that I plan to represent her for those reasons alone. 

Now for the hard part.

The manuscript is currently in a beta reading status. This is normally the last part before pitching. Lady V hasn’t gone through the first part before pitching: Developmental editing, line editing, THEN beta reads.

At my urging, the following day she sent the work off for a sample edit from a group of verified editors listed on my resource page: Angel Payne, Stephanie M. Freeman, Traci Finlay, Ellen Kiley Goeckler, and Mo Systma. I needed Lady V to see the difference in approach and style from different editors and get valuable feedback – which was immediate. “Great premise,” they affirmed. Well, I knew that. But it needs structural work that would have editors sailing through the read while not hitting any speed bumps.

I jumped on a Zoom with one of the editors and Lady V so she could receive that feedback and take notes. I also read the feedback from one of the other editors. She’s going to incorporate that feedback, choose a developmental editor that works well in the genre she’s writing in, then slide it back to the beta reader she had already commissioned. 

If all goes as planned, I’ll be shopping it for a deal by February/March 2026. Send her some good wishes!

What I recommend to those who are querying:

• A tight one- to two-paragraph pitch that's in the voice of the character.
• A 2-to-3 paragraph bio that focuses on what you've accomplished and what you're looking to accomplish with your literary career.
• Make sure you have a digital footprint somewhere. One of the first things I check is Facebook and Instagram. 
• QueryTracker is where most authors find agents. Also, Manuscript Wish List.

Good reads: Pick up a copy of The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, On Writing by Stephen King, The Plot Clock by Joyce Sweeney, and Telling Your Tale by Angela Benson.

I hope all of you reading this story have found it inspiring in itself. With talent, hard work, and a can-do attitude, you never know where your next opportunity will pop up. But it will!

-- Lissa Woodson